So, I thought you’d like to see what I’m actually working on NOW. You know, since I finished my sweater and my pair of socks this weekend.

First, my Peacock Stole (adapted from the famous Fiddlesticks Knitting Peacock Feathers shawl). I’m on row 83 of the pattern, although I skipped about 30 rows of the beginning lace pattern, so it’s more like the 53rd row . . . give or take. But that doesn’t really matter. I reset my row counter to match the actual pattern, and this is where I am.

Doesn’t really look like much at the moment, does it? It doesn’t help that it’s just laid out on my ottoman, in its crumpled-lace-knitting state. And naturally, I needed one hand to hold the camera, so I couldn’t stretch it into some sort of shape for you. So, you’ll just have to take it on faith that I (kind of) know what I’m doing, and at least be happy that you’re seeing some progress.

Now, this cute little picture is of the beginnings of my next pair of socks. Sundara sock yarn in the Black Lagoon colorway–a shade which I adore. It’s like dark teal, and really beautiful. And lord, this yarn is so soft!

I’m pretty proud of the picture, too, because the color is pretty accurate. I had a really hard time taking its picture when it arrived a month or so ago. I took this one, though, with it surrounded by white in a quasi light box, a white, collapsable storage cube from the Container Store. It’s a nice, white mesh, folds flat for easy storage, and, well, these bins are just wonderful for storing yarn. (You would have seen some of the colored ones when I flashed my stash on Saturday.) Love these things.

Oh, and the swatch I showed you yesterday? It now looks like this.

I measured my gauge and . . . you know what’s coming, don’t you? . . . at stockinette stitch, on US size 6 needles, I should have had 18 stitches over 4″/10 cm. Well, I knitted my swatch on the smaller US size 5 needles and came up with 13 stitches over four inches. Sigh.

So, being thrifty where swatch-yarn is concerned, I frogged the swatch and am knitting a new one on the one and only pair of Ebony wood needles I own–which happen to be US size 6 needles. I’m hoping the curlicue nature of the unravelled yarn won’t affect the gauge. And I’m even more fervently hoping that this one works because, as I said, this is the only needle I have in Ebony. The bamboo needles I have (whose joins I hate) are too close in color to the yarn and would visually drive me crazy, even without having to fight with the joins. Dropping another size on the Addis probably still wouldn’t get me close enough to gauge, and since I’d already be knitting the smallest size of the sweater, I can’t even fudge my way through the gauge issues by simply knitting the next smaller size. (At last, I think I’d be making the smallest size–I need to check the pattern to see if it’s giving sizes by actual sweater size or by the size chest it fits. But, anyway, considering my gauge issues, smallest is the way to go.) Sigh. There’s almost no way I could get a size 5 Ebony needle here by Saturday–cast-on day.

Here’s an interesting little tidbit, courtesy of Mom: “On Wednesday at two minutes and 3 seconds after 1 a.m. the time and date will be 01.02.03 04/05/06. (Assuming you write your dates in the American fashion). That will never happen again….. at least until 3006… but we won’t see that.” Nifty, huh?

And, did you know it’s Buy a Friend a Book Week?

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Works in Progress //