Socks and Scarves and such

The scarf is one of my favorite FO's. I picked up the yarn at Freyja's yarn shop in Brainerd, MN on the way to a friend's cabin for a women's retreat . During a late night gab fest, I knocked this quickie garter-stitch scarf out, down to the fringe, much to the amazement of my mostly unknitterly or knitting newbie friends. I wish the photograph could capture the wonderful yarn, which is a mix of hand-painted mohair and a fine, rayon boucle yarn, which just shimmers and glows through the misty halo of the mohair. I've tried a couple times to capture it but my less than stellar photography skills just can't catch the illusive nature of it's beauty on screen. This scarf always garners raves when I wear it and I wear it often in the cold, northern winters. Makes living in Minnesota almost worth it, when you can wear something this gorgeous and get to brag that you made it yourself.

The Flying Purple Widdershins, as I've dubbed these socks, are progressing slowly. I need to decide how high to make the cuffs. Being the bad-***ed, kick-boxing mama I am, I have fairly large calves, so the higher I go, the more increasing I'll have to throw in to make them fit. Decisions, decisions, decisions . . . At least with cuff down socks, you have to knit until you're ready to start the heel shaping, and it's early in the project and usually, you're still in the honeymoon phase of the project or you don't like the heel and you're avoiding it, so deciding how long to make the cuff isn't so gut wrenching. And when you get to the foot, you have to make it long enough to fit your foot, or else, what is the point. With a toe up pattern, the decision whether to make an ankle sock or a knee high, is just there (as long as you have enough yarn, which I do). So where do I stop? And even if I'm not tired of the pattern on this sock, what happens if I start the other sock and something dreadful happens and I get sick of it on the other sock, will I end up with my first ever sock orphan? Oh, the horror . . . This is far more serious than I realized. I think I need to have a glass of wine and put my feet up and read a few new knitting books/magazines before I face this life altering decision. Just how long will I make the Flying Purple Widdershin Sock?

I need a nap.