I thought about all the titles that I could have used to talk about the socks I am working on.. “I’m so Baroque, it ain’t funny” especially because it’s tax season. “If it ain’t Baroque, don’t fix it” the sock is going along splendidly. Anyway, enough of the corny lines, but I do have a quick update on the progress. I started the second repeat of the chart for the first leg. This pattern is slow but the yarn and pattern are pretty and it is keeping my attention. Now that I understand how the cables work they aren’t as painful to accomplish. This is not the most difficult pattern I have tackled but let’s just see how I feel after the entire sock.
Spring is sneaking into the North East Ohio region and it has given me a chance to do some much needed yard work. My husband and I replaced an electric 1800 psi power
washer that died last year with a 2400 psi gas powered one. Man does this kick a$$. We have been cleaning the driveway that has been encrusted with grunge from before we moved in 3 summers ago. Here is a side-by-side shot of the cement. Our driveway is about 75 feet long so this is taking more than one weekend. We have plans to epoxy the floor in our garage and reseal our deck that is quite large 
as well. A couple of weeks ago we realized that a raccoon had taken up residency in our downstairs fireplace chimney. This mama had 5 babies, that’s a lot for raccoons the most they usually have is 3-4. The trapper once saw a mama with 7. They are all gone now and we will be investing in a coon proof chimney cap. Here is a picture of Darth Kitty enjoying the nice day.
OO! OO! I thought of another one Baroque-in leg.. get it? Oh my I’m a dork.
and I am on to the heal flap. I don’t like the slants on the left foot as much as the right they seem shorter and it is sad. I have a major case of cast-on-itis. I have cast-on 3 new projects in the past week and have let the slant sock, and the 
I also cast on a second pair of Acorn Stash Socks because the first pair was just a little too tight. They will be come a mother’s day gift for the mommy-in-law. She has been hinting at a hand knit for a while now. The new pair will be in Fearless fiber’s Superwash Merino wool in the Kindness colorway.
Therein lies the problem, no patterns exist with “lacy” stars. I looked and couldn’t find anything. This is when I figured, “Wow, I can actually make something know one else has thought of.” It was very exciting.
I just have to knit the cuff. I should be able to finish the second sock if I don’t have any major catastrophes like the first sock where I had to rip back the heel turn and gusset because I made the foot too small. THAT was such a mistake that made me want to quit right there. It put me 2 days behind and now I have to play catch up. The pattern is pretty but I know for a fact that I wouldn’t knit it again. I am not the type of person that knits a pattern more than once anyway but this one is especially finicky. I decided that the leg of the sock would be knit in US 1s so I would have a little more stretch. It is working but I think I will decrease back to a US 0 for the cuff so the sock stays firmly in place. As of right now I would do toe up socks again because I love Judy’s Magic Cast-on. I think it makes the most stable toe I have ever used. In other toes I have used for example top down socks I always get laddering in the decreases, this might be because the foot or toe is too short or I am just decreasing loosely. However, this toe-up method works better for me.
Last year I purchased a place in the New York Yarns Elemental Fiber Club. I spun up most of the 8 oz of fiber from fall which was water. I currently have about 4 oz plied and have to spin the rest of the yarn in to singles before I ply the final 4 oz. I have over 450 yards so far in the first 4 oz and if all goes as planned I will have enough hand spun to knit up the
Since this is a toe up pattern I learned a new cast-on. “Judy’s Magic Cast-on” is the method I used and wow is it easy once you get the hang of it. I really like the toe it produces. I am half way through the second repeat of the foot and the hearts on the foot are showing up nicely. However, this is a pattern that I have to think about when I knit it so I don’t think I will get bored during the construction of these socks. Who knows I might actually finish in the 17 days that are alloted for knitting these and win the gold!
On a personal note our chairs were delivered on Saturday and so now we have really comfy recliners to sit on and enjoy the natural light of the upstairs living room. They are chocolate brown and have this really soft ridge-like fabric that wants to be sat in all day long. So that is what all Sunday long. I sat there and watched the Olympics and episodes of my big fat obnoxious fiancé (husband’s choice no mine). I also enjoyed my Valentine’s Day gifts my husband got me a gift certificate for the loopy ewe and a flowering tea set. I am sure he will be getting me more flowering teas in the future so I don’t feel bad for forgetting to take a picture. I made him a picnic breakfast and had champagne the night before. It was a good Valentine’s Day.
