Hi all! No Saturday Sky today, as I was frantically running about doing errands before our big camping trip to the mountains. Lovely clouds, though, and we actually got a smidgeon of rain. In what is becoming a bad habit, here’s a sky from earlier this month. It’s pretty much what we saw today.

I’m working my way through the River Valley socks – I’ve never done a toe-up gusset & heel flap before. I rather like it! I’m heading up the cuff of the first sock.

My Hogwarts socks have been languishing around, waiting for a good blocking. Since THAT isn’t happening anytime soon, I decided to take a quick picture of them. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact I needed proof of a June sock for SAM3. Here they are…

The color’s not true.

Started:	24 May 2007
Finished:	15 June 2007
Pattern:	Loosely followed Tiptoe Through the Tulips pattern with my own modifications. Fair isle charted from sock picture in this entry of the Yarn Harlot’s blog.
Yarn:	Knit Picks Essential in Black – about 20 grams. Knit Picks bare that I dyed in shades of golden yellow – about 58 grams.
Needles:	Addi Skakel dpns, size 0 for cuff, 1 for regular work, and 2 for fair isle.

In my usual style, I signed up for a knit-along to keep myself knitting. I am much more productive under pressure, it seems. Last month, I threw my Sockamania pattern to the wind pretty much the day after I got it. I knew there was no way I’d finish by the end of the month, so I didn’t start it.

This month’s pattern is River Valley, and I really want to get it done. My dear hubby’s big ol’ socks have been put into hibernation (thanks, honey) and I’ve been working on this lovely blue pair for myself. I started toe-up with a short-row toe. Why did i do this?! Every time I make myself a short row toe I say I’ll never do it again. It just doesn’t fit me right. Case in point:

See my big toe? Happy. See that funny little point to the right? Nothing but pointy sock over there. Hrmmmm. NEXT TIME, I’ll make a different toe. Something out there will fit me right. (Suggestions, anyone? Bueller?) Anyway, so I’m knitting along and the sock feels loose. I mean, it’s OKAY, but I’m afraid it will start walking around on my foot with any wear. The pattern repeats over 11 stitches, so I’m unwilling to tinker too much. I could make it 3 stitches across the knit bands and decrease it that way, but there must be an easier way. A-ha! Change my needle size.

Everything above the light blue lifeline is knit on US-1 and below on US-0. Luckily, we were in the car for about 6 hours yesterday. This is what the sock looked like pulling into Wilmington to go to the beach. What do you think?

I’m glad I experiemented, because now I won’t be second-guessing myself. I liked the look of the design better in the US-1′s. The 0′s definitely pulled it in – but I didn’t like how much it stretched out the channel of the rib. So, I frogged it back. By the end of the drive, it was this big, again, but knit in all the same size stitch.

My eminently reasonable husband argued for leaving the tighter band in the middle of the sock. His original reasoning was that no one but another knitter would know. Then, he opted for the “fancy biking socks have tight insteps” reasoning – my personal favorite. I knew it would bug me, though, so into the frog pond it went. I find it endearing that my husband pouts when I rip back my work. Now, on to my very first toe-up gusset. Wish me luck… I guess I’d better measure my row gauge before I just leap in on faith.

Today’s sky is blue, with just a cloud here or there if you really search. More exciting is this cheater sky from this May in the Smokies.

I found out today that I won the Fantasy (Yarn) Island contest over at Crafting Morrighana’s. I’m really excited – I haven’t won anything in decades! Well, except for my hubby, but that wasn’t really a write-in sort of contest.

In knitting news, I’ve started on a pair of River Valley socks with a nice subtly shaded dark blue yarn from Cabin Cove. A pair of socks for me, me, ME! I love the pattern, but I’m thinking I need to drop down a needle size. So, I have some experimentation to do there.

I spent the morning designing a pair of sock blockers so I can block my Hogwarts socks in style. I haven’t cut out or prepared the blockers yet; if the next picture you see is the Hogwarts socks on purchased blockers, you’ll know how it went.

Not a lot going on in my sky here today. It was a pretty day, though. To distract you from the blah sky, I give you my back yard:

The beans are twining (ahwwwwww). Now, if only they’d make baby beans, I’d be ever so grateful. The tomatoes are coming along nicely. It’s shaping up to be a nice garden year.

Gardens not your thing? Quick! Look in the front yard! The hydrangea is happy.

What? Knitting? Oh, yes, that’s been going on, too. The Hogwarts Socks are done, and await me for a little bit of kitchenering and end-weaving. I think they’ll need a nice blocking before you see a photo. Since I don’t own sock blockers yet, that means said photo is probably a few days away.

Meanwhile, work continues on my hubby’s socks. This reminds me to be grateful that I usually knit for my own, much smaller, tootsies.

Pretty normal sky today, and it’s hot, hot, hot. 96º for a high. Ever wonder why I only show you the sky from my front yard? Here’s the backyard view:

So, a little bit of knitting has gone on this week. I’m on to the second Hogwarts Sock, but frankly, it looks like the first one. I’ve been anxiously awaiting my invite to Ravelry, and it arrived yesterday. Since it arrived I’ve been happily putting in project information and contemplating my next umpteen projects instead of doing anything useful (read: housework.) My name over there is “Stacy” – stop on by and say ‘hey’.

Rain, blessed rain. It has been quite dry around here, and both the garden and the lawn sighed in relief today.

The Hogwarts sock looks about the same as it did yesterday, as I managed to get two more stitches on the top side of the toe when compared with the underside. What can I say? I’m easily confused. So, rip and repeat. Hopefully I’ll finish it up tonight and move on to its mate.

The sock continues. I’ve discovered that this yarn is really hard to photograph. Even in the natural light, the color isn’t true. In real life, the light patches aren’t quite so garish as in the photo. Edited to add: Thanks for the comments! This lovely design is not mine, but was shamelessly lifted from the Yarn Harlot’s post here. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, no?