Nifty "Big Girl Socks"

So I absolutely love looking through vintage knitting patterns!  Usually I ooh and aah over a pattern, then I see the "size 0" or "size 1" needle requirement, and move on to the next pattern.  So many awesome vintage sweaters, but anything smaller than a 4 and my hands start to ache.  Well, I found a lot of patterns for vintage sweaters at www.freevintageknitting.com-- but they also had free patterns for SOCKS!!!!. (Right now, socks are my thing.)   Anyway, the socks are a 1954 pattern titled 1954 Big Girl Socks.  I was originally looking for a pattern for a vintage fisherman's sweater, but Google took me to socks--go figure-- and these are just, well, nifty.  I am planning to finish the maple socks next week (Spring Break cometh in 4 days!), so these are next on my project list.  Wouldn't you know it, I am going to have to go yarn shopping.  I have no solid colors left in my stash, and I don't think a variegated would do the trick.  I could wait to shop until I go to the Knitting Universe convention in Marietta, GA on April 24th, but I will be done with the maple socks next week and then I will be fussing to start this pattern.  And Knitpicks.com is having a sock yarn sale with "new spring colors!", so these socks must just be fate. Who can pass up a yarn sale?  I guess that Apple Socks pattern that I found yesterday and fell in love with is going on the back burner.   So many socks to make, so little time!  And I probably should be grading some papers instead of blogging--I'm trying to feel guilty that I'm not doing my homework, but nothing's happening.  And the night is still young, and there is knitting to do.  A woman must maintain her priorities, English teacher or no.

The First One

Okay, so this is the first one. I've never done this before, but I thought that blogging might be a great way to keep track of what I'm working on and to motivate me to get some of those projects that have been sitting in a basket waiting for me for way too long.

Right now, I am working on another pair of socks-the seventh or eighth pair I've made. Now that I have knit a pair or two, I find that I am very particular about the sock yarn that I use, and while I have plenty of future socks sitting in the closet, I am not too excited about the types of yarn I've purchased. Because I am so enthralled by color and texture, I tend to buy yarn compulsively--absolutely no idea what I'm going to do with it, but it's so beautiful that I figure something will present itself (a sweater, a sock, an afghan ...). So, basically, it ends up sitting in the closet and I forget that I have it altogether.

I did find the absolute BEST sock yarn, though, Alchemy Yarns, which I bought from Simply Socks Yarn Co. (link below); so now I am less motivated to make those future socks. I am using Alchemy maple leaf for my current project.

I don't know about you, but I LOVE knitting socks two-at-a-time! I like that "all done" result--when I get one sock done, the other one is done too! Knit and wear. There is something to be said for efficient knitting, especially when you have to eek out time to knit from a totally insane weekly schedule.

I am also working on a collection of preemie hats for charity. Guess what. You can do those two-at-a-time, too! I've tried a gazillion different patterns for preemie hats, but I think simple is best. I haven't gotten brave enough to try intarsia--I'm saving that for summer vacation.

I have been fussing about starting a pair of fingerless gloves. Even though I live in the South, my hands get cold and crampy when I knit (too cold in the winter, too much air conditioning in the summer ...) and I saw a cute, simple pattern on giftabledesigns.com called "how-now-space-cow armwarmers". I just haven't found the wool I want to use. I understand an aran weight is best, but I am playing with the idea of using a merino sock yarn instead--I'm not trying to prevent frost bite, just warm up a bit, so the lighter yarn might work. But I haven't found anything I like well enough to pay more for shipping than the hank costs. So, the search continues.

And, well, I guess I could be working on those socks instead of typing, since the cats and I are the only ones up this early on a Sunday morning. I have to take advantage of the quiet time while I can before the chaos begins.