flyinmysoup

christmas didn't bring with it the huge wave of freak-out followed by the lull of every gift finished and given cause i didn't give one knitted gift this year. while this was quite a load off for me, i sort of like the feeling of "whew! finally i can knit something for myself!" so, i've been slogging away at a couple of pairs of previously blogged-about socks. the entrelac socks are coming along okay. i still love the parrot yarn, the actual technique is pretty jazzy (i never thought i would be so proficient at knitting backwards), and they fit (so far) reasonably well--can you hear the "but" coming? BUT thet heel used is just sorta...well, strange. i've never worked a heel like it, and that's the entire reason i went ahead with it. ya know, for the sake of a new technique. see what i mean? the way it's constructed, you are left making an almost i-cord like run of stitches across the opening. see, it's so strange that i can't even give a good description. i can't yet tell if it's going to cause a problem with the fit or not, so i guess that i'll keep on keeping on til the end of sock 1.

in closer warmer better sock news, the Twisted Traveling sock (the one i'm designing myself) is shaping up just as i had pictured it in my head. can you tell that i used the Eye of Partridge stitch for the heel? cause i can, and this is the first time that i've ever gotten it to look right. i am, consequently, ultra-jazzed. on the heel, i also used a 3 st garter selvage, something i've never tried before. and let me tell you, it's just brilliant! unlike the chain stitch selvage i normally use, with this one, there is no gappines when you pick up the gusset stitches. everything is so tight and uniform. i love it when i try new things and they end up well!

the LYS currently has their after christmas yarn sale running...everything is 30%-50% off. since it is after the gift giving holiday time, i don't have a lot of moola to throw at new yarn, no matter how cheap it is, so i exercised restraint and logic and only picked up a couple of things that i have been lusting after for a good while. two skeins of Supermerino4 in a colorway that i'm drawn to, no matter how illogical it seems (i'm not terribly wild about the blues...they're okay). these where 40% off! i also grabbed up a single skein of Rowan 4-ply Soft. i'm currently making myself a Shedir out of it, so pics in a couple of days.

in other news, last night, i brought this sexy guy home from work.

i've seen tons and tons of betas in all my stints as Pet Shop Girl (this is the second one i've worked at) but i've never seen a blue and orange beta. i've named him Mordecai and he was sort of a sign on what type of fish tank will be the first when i get room to set a couple up: a Southeast Asian Blackwater biotope! (i'm a big ol' geek all around, not just for the knitting!)