Back in the Saddle Again


Whew. Haven't had any time at all to knit - other than the Birthday Socks for the boys at work!! Had a few moments here & there, I must admit, but the old hands have just been too damned sore to do much of anything other than beat on the keyboard. And I'm still beating on the keyboard, albeit a little more slowly - seems I'm now gainfully EMPLOYED rather than flitting around as a Contractor for most of the year.

I've accepted my fate & will continue to be employed since I continue to be the only one who can run all the software & fill in the cracks. Not what I intended but, I can finish paying off the loan & pad my Canada Pension for a change. I will be one of the ones who HAS to work to 70 unless a rich relative dies & names me heir to the fortune! Hehehehehehe The Ex also continues on, hail & hearty too.

One thing about being employed, you get to leave after 9 hours & go home without being called for more work. I might get to like this. And, of course, I have time to knit, spin & dye.

I started out with good old KROY & my favorite 2.5mm bamboo skewer needles. I think I originally MADE these bamboo needles because of Kroy. I couldn't find a 2.5mm set of needles anywhere! My 2.25s were too small - the knitting was too tight - & a 2.75mm was way too big. I didn't want a set of sock needles that wouldn't get used again - I'm also cheap & broke much of the year so that had to be considered. And I LIKE bamboo too. So, I made my own with sandpaper, beeswax & elbow grease. I've used them so much that they have their own patina & are smooth as glass. The Kroy slips along just fine as did the lovely splotchy Confetti yarn I used to knit men's socks. That splotchy Confetti felt thicker & definitely knitted up thicker so my 2.5s were perfect! Wish I could find more of it . . . But, I'll settle for the crazy orange Kroy for now! I must find more in other colors before winter.

As usual, I've used the heel shaping from Crazy Heels & Toes. I love this heel shaping. I love that I can knit that gusset at dusk with no lights on. I can even knit it on the porch, at night, with the security light on & no other illumination. I no longer have heels falling apart in the wash because I couldn't see to pick up a stitch. When you knit cuff down, a heel falling apart means you re-knit the whole damn sock. Or throw it out in frustration because you gave away the leftover yarn that you now need to redo the sock because it's a color that you can't match or coordinate.

I usually pause at this point to swap socks. At this point, the sock has to come in, out of the car, because it has to be turned under my DAYLIGHT lamp. It's also too fiddly to work when you're out with all the rubber band markers needed to show the short row shaping. I cast on the other one & move it out to the car for "WAITING" knitting while the heel is turned indoors. This pair with the longer legs will be for ME. Not going into the Donation basket but straight into my Sock Basket instead!!