A long time coming.

This post has been a long time coming, indeed.

I had a slight mishap mid December and suffered a badly sprained ankle and it pretty much put the kibosh on most of my holiday plans. It took 4 weeks for me to be coherent enough to knit with any creativity and sense, but I have managed to create 5 patterns to share with you.

Here, now, for your knitting enjoyment are 3 hats, a scarf and a pair of socks.

Oh, Helen!
Download this pattern for free.
Mobile device compatible version available. 

A cute little something to dress up those warm weather t-shirt and jeans days.
Raindrops on Roses Beret
$4.00
Mobile device compatible version available.

A beret that can be knit slouchy or very slouchy, as shown.

Aaron's Awesome Jubilee Hat
$4.00
Mobile device compatible version available. 
Another slightly slouchy toque with a touch of texture.
This time, diamonds and stripes.

Little Stephanie Sunshine
$4.00
Mobile device compatible version available.  Yet another slightly slouchy toque with a touch of texture. This time an all over pattern of delicate diamonds.

And finally,
Miss Mary Lou
$4.00
Sassy, cute and girly. That's Miss Mary Lou!
This sock has a simple toe up construction with short row heels and toes. No picking up heel stitches. No Kitchener stitching toes. Reinforced on the heel and ball of foot to add durability.
Works with Double pointed needles, Magic Loop or Two circulars.
Shown with optional ruffled cuff.

That's all for now.
More news and knitting, as it happens.

Upcoming pattern spoiler!!!
It's going to be lace, kids!

Knitting related injuries.

I hate it when this happens. My arm hurts and I want to knit. Its not that I can't knit when my arm hurts. I can but I know better. So I will have to not knit and just sit here and peruse patterns and Jones after yarn.

One of the reasons that my arm hurts is because I pushed myself to finish these socks.

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer08/PATTspringforward.html

I am fine when I am working on the first sock, but then I get impatient to finish the second one. I guess it is the dreaded "Second Sock Syndrome" with a twist. A combination of boredom with the pattern and anxiousness to have another pair of socks. So I knit longer than I should, shrugging off the twinges of pain. )You would think that I would learn, but no, it happens at least once every few weeks.)

I have a thing about socks. I don't think that there is a thing as too many pairs of hand knit socks. It probably stems from a lifetime of ice cold feet. It doesn't matter if it is 115 degrees, my feet are still cold. I never understood the allure of hand knit socks until I started knitting them. Once you wear a really good pair, made of quality fiber you will dread wearing one size fits all, pre-packaged, store bought socks.

I am sure that there are some really great socks out there, made of silk and Pima cotton and merino. And I am sure that they cost less than what I pay for the yarn to knit a pair. (Yes, I have been known to pay $25 for yarn for one pair of socks, but it was Alpaca and Silk and Merino wool and it was Handpainted and sooooooooo pretty and soft. Sigh. And it wasn't even for myself. But I digress.)

The urge to knit is telling me to go cruise the web for luscious yarns. Ciao for the moment.