More socks, and thermal

Last night, bored with my scarf and without yarn for a new sweater, I started a new pair of socks.

They are going to be the “Gentleman’s fancy sock with lozenge pattern” from Nancy Bush’s Knitting Vintage Socks.  This will be my first real pair of socks from the book, which my MIL gave me for Christmas last year.  The yarn is from SeeJayneKnit on Etsy in the colorway Green tea… 414 glorious squishy yards of  superwash merino, dyed as a semi-solid.  And it’s not splitty!  Such a relief after the last socks.  I rarely buy solid sock yarn, and I’ve been wanting to make this pattern for ages.  I’ve downsized to 60 sts, from the 80 called for in the pattern, and I’m knitting far less ribbing on the leg.

So far so good, but my right index finger is a little bit sore today, so I’m not knitting.  More than likely I knit a little too much on Marc’s scarf last night – those repetitive patterns really get to me!  I tend to baby my hands – without them I would have a very hard time doing my job (ie playing the piano.)  At one point, long before I started knitting, too many hours in the practice rooms at college gave me something very much like tendinitis.  I fixed some of the bad technique that was giving me trouble, and I haven’t had serious issues in quite awhile.  I was afraid knitting would cause it to act up, but it hasn’t really.  For awhile I was concerned about wrist strain, but I’ve been sleeping with a brace on my right wrist, which keeps me from sleeping with it bent, and I have had no trouble since then.  But I still am always careful to watch for any pains!

And speaking of Marc’s scarf… I am still jealous of it, and I just love the pattern for the yarn. I’ve decided to make one for myself after his is finished, out of Malabrigo in “Sunset,” which is a nice cheery orangey yellow.  Not my usual color, but I’m trying to step out of my color box a bit.

Speaking of stepping out of that box, I got my yarn for Thermal today!  That was the quickest knitpicks shipment ever… maybe they aren’t using Smartpost anymore?  Anyway, I love the color.  It’s exactly what I hoped, and I can’t wait to cast on!

My picture is a bit too orange – this color is hard to photograph.  Thanks again for everyone’s advice!

In the same shipment I got the Palette yarn I’ve ordered to make the Endpaper mitts.  Teal and gray.  I had to force myself away from the brown, but I’m really happy with the colors, which feel very modern to me.  Now I just have to get over my fear of color work!

Tonight I’m going to try to seek out the Interweave Holiday issue.  I already looked at Vogue’s holiday issue, but I left it on the shelf.  I’ve been very disappointed in Vogue lately – I loved last year’s holiday issue, but this one just doesn’t appeal to me at all.  Too many oversized, weirdly deconstructed pieces.  Not my style.  But ah well… the queue is quite long enough as it is!

I’m also going to go searching for a new dress.  My 10 year high school reunion is in two weeks, and I would like to buy a new dress for the occasion… but so far I have been totally unsuccessful.  I am very picky, and I have a hard time finding things designed for my body type.