WIP Wednesday

Happy Wednesday :)

We are back from our cruise, I turned thirty-three on Monday, and today is the first WIP Wednesday of 2013 that I get to participate in (as we were on a cruise ship with no free Wi-Fi for the first WIP Wednesday of 2013).

Anyway, it's Wednesday and that means I get to show you some WIPs. If you look back to my first update of my Second Self-Imposed Year of Projects, you'll see that I had at least three, probably four WIPs going on. In truth, I had four but when I wrote the post (before we left), I only had three and I suspected that I would have started a fourth but I didn't know which one...well, I did know which one but I didn't want to make it definitive and then not start it. So, I started it and I knew which one I was going to do and I'll write it down for next week's update, yeah?

Moving on...my WIPs.

First up, we have Mama's Vanilla Socks (round 2). I am past the heel gusset decreases and am working on the foot. Nothing exciting. I did an Eye of Partridge heel flap (the kind used in Hermione's Everyday Socks), a half-handkerchief heel flap (or V-heel), and the Double Gusset Heel (after picking up 21 sts. on each side). It's kind of boring right now. I should, perhaps, share something that happened while knitting along, though. While we were on our way to Los Angeles for our cruise, I was working along on these socks, pulling yarn out of the project bag every so often...and then I heard it, the dreaded sound: snap.

Oh. Hell.

My yarn broke while I was pulling it out of the project bag. I had to wait until we got to our hotel outside of LA to do a Russian join and continue along. I was very unhappy about that. It doesn't look like it did too much to the stripes, certainly nothing worse than what turning the heel did. Oh well. I think it'll hold and be okay...

Here's a close-up of the heel, just to keep moving along...

You can see the two "V" shapes on the heel. That's the Double Gusset Heel decrease. It gives your heel a little hug and helps socks stay where they should. I don't know why no one did this before Cristi. Seriously. Friggin' genius!

My Eat Your Monkey Socks are in the midst of their fifth repeat (in this photo) and I stopped after five repeats so they don't get too tight and weird at the top. I worked one full repeat of this while we were on our way to Los Angeles for our cruise.

I'm currently working on an Eye of Partridge heel flap (which may or may not be finished soon), the heel turn as written, and then the Double Gusset Heel but it depends on how many stitches I have. I may not have enough to do a proper Double Gusset Heel, in which case I'll just do the single one. We'll see.

And the project that I knew was going to be my first "new" project for 2013, even though I didn't want to fully admit it because, you know, what if I didn't start it when I said I did and then what would happen and......

Anyway, here it is :)

Okay, so this kind of really looks like an FO...but it's not because there are supposed to be two and I only have one and the ends aren't woven in (in the photo - that's been fixed) and there are some other things I need to do to this yet. Anyway, the pattern I'm using is the Vancouver Fog Fingerless Mitts but I've named mine the San Francisco Fog Fingerless Mitts because, well, we live in San Francisco now :)

It only took me a couple days to knit the first one and I suspect that once I start the second one, it'll go just as quickly. I've woven in the ends and did some cinching around the thumb of the first one and aside from a good soak, it's finished. I think I started these on January 2, 2013 but I'm not 100% sure about that. I know I started them in 2013 but I'm just not positive which day. January 2, 2013 sounds like a good day and I know it was after the new year.


And yes, I realize that I have four WIPs and I've only shown three. No, I haven't finished my Icarus Shawl yet. Patience, Grasshopper. It just hasn't changed much and I'm so close to the end that I don't want to spoil it :)

Anyway, for more WIP Wednesday fun, visit Tami :)