Aaah...

That's better.

A River in Egypt

There are certain truths in knitting. Truths that I hold to, and which shape the choices I make. Usually. There are certain uglinesses that I avoid unless absolutely necessary. The main truth, one of the first I discovered about myself in relation to my knitting is: The Dutch Heel Is Not For Me. It's not that I find it aesthetically unpleasant. It's not that I find it difficult to achieve. I do not find it sloppy, icky, or dumb. It just plain doesn't fit my foot. I discovered this while doing several sample knitting gigs, making socks with Dutch Heels. They p-u-u-u-u-l-l-l-l-l across my instep, distorting the stitch pattern, making for a tight, difficult fit in one area, where the rest of the sock fits just fine. So, from that moment on, I just threw a standard round heel into any sock knit for me, or the DH. Until yesterday.

A few years back, I knit the New England socks from Knitting on the Road for myself. I knit them at a gauge that was too loose, and, sadly, I knit them out of acrylic sock yarn. I have come to the point where I am wanting to replace these seldom worn socks with some knit from, well, wool. Fair enough. I was plugging along, heel flap knit, on to the heel turn. Wait. It's a Dutch Heel. Maybe you should throw in a round heel. Nah. I'll just follow the directions. What's the worst that could happen?

A-yup. Too tight across the instep. I hear the frogs a-callin' from the banks of Denial. Sigh. When will I really learn?

Everything Old is New Again

FO: Spring Forward Socks
Needles: US 1
Yarn: SR Kertzer On Your Toes! Bamboo
Notes: Fast, fun pattern! Ran out of yarn just before closing off the second toe. Used a scrap from the stash to finish it up.





















Those of you who are regular readers (who am I kidding? I last posted 5 months ago. That's not regular under any circumstances) might remember the DH's love of a good zippered cardigan. In an attempt to capitalize on that love, I set out to knit him Avast! in a really lovely cordovan brown wool.

It was the most boring thing I have ever knit. I was therefore certain that he would love it. Maybe even more than he loves the Cambridge Jacket I knit for him which ignited his passion for items that might be found whilst raiding Mr. Rogers' closet. I knit and knit, seeming miles of stockinette... I picked up for the facings/zipper placket. I seamed the arms, and










It didn't fit. Enter the ball winder. Skippy, while watching me unravel an entire completed sweater remarked, "Couldn't you find someone it does fit?" Well, that's not the point, is it? I was making this sweater for the DH. It doesn't fit him, so I must knit something else from this yarn. Pretty obvious, if you think about it. Starting over doesn't have to be painful, it's only yarn! So, Cambridge Jacket 2.0 is in the works. Back is finished, fronts started. This one will fit him and will get worn on a regular basis. So everyone's happy.

Along the theme of starting over, turning something that wasn't working into something that will work, I am in the process of a career renovation of sorts. The position I was working underwent some major budget-related cuts, and, being low on the seniority end of things, I was laid off. After about a week of panic attacks and crying and what-am-I-going-to-do-now? I have decided to return (very briefly) to school, reinstate my teaching license, and, ultimately, get my ESL license.

So, transitions all around! It's on me.