I like to knit socks. I like it a lot. And I like my socks knit very, very tightly on teeny-tiny needles. But when I knit too many socks in a row without a break, I get a very, very sore trapezius muscle and stiff neck. Last time this happened, I went to weeks of physical therapy to get un-kinked. This time, I've put down the socks at the first -- well, the fifth -- sign of distress (Warning! Step away from the socks!) in hopes that I can loosen up without more PT. Undoubtedly, chocolate will help too.
I decided that knitting something in a much bigger gauge would be therapeutic, so yesterday I knit a fat hat in Katia's Nepal. It's just a simple rolled-brim number, with the brim knit on 10s to nip it in a bit (otherwise, I find that rolled-brim hats tend to be, in the words of my favorite 5-year-old, "too fally-offy"). The body of the hat is knit on 11s. The Nepal, a self-striper, worked interestingly for this hat. Rather than striping, it spiraled up to the top as I decreased. I think it looks rather swell with its perky little nipple at the top.
The hat will go to charity after it is finished being a sample for my hat class at the shop. It's so cute, though, that I may need to make some mittens to "go with", as we say here in Minn-e-soh-tah.
I have been harboring some skeins of Schaefer Yarns' Elaine since mid-July, and she has been very persnickety about figuring out what she wants to be. She knits up at about 3 sts/in., and is thick-and-thin. I didn't want to do another shawl, having just finished the one-skein Nancy (by Schaefer) shawl. This week I found the perfect vest pattern for Elaine. It's the Oat Couture Oregon vest. It's fairly simple. The style reminds me of a down vest or fleece vest that you'd wear out walking in the fall. It has a zipper up the front, pockets (hurrah!) and a little bit of decorative twisted rib. I think it will show off the lovely dusky green/blue/tan colorway and the texture of the yarn.
I succumbed to a particularly beautiful colorway of Baby Alpaca Grande at the shop the other day. It's the same muted blues and greens as the Elaine, with some dusky pink thrown in. (We must call it dusky pink; dusky mauve would be so Eighties.) I plan to make a big honkin' Moebius scarf with it. I haven't yet tackled a Moebius, that is, not of the sort that Cat Bordhi invented in her Magical Knitting books. She claims the cast-on is so easy she can do it behind her back, standing on one foot. We shall see. I think I'll try doing it in front of my front, sitting down.
And finally ... The Honeycrisp apple crop is finally in! I invented a new taste treat today: Slice up a Honeycrisp, and dip it in Nutella. Yum!
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