Summer of Socks or Shawls?

SoS ’08 – Summer of Socks or Summer of Shawls?

I signed up for Summer of Socks ’08. Last summer I knit A LOT of socks – and I know my husband, and best friends could use more handknit socks. There are also others who would like handknit socks. A good focus for knitting for July and August (and the last nine days of June) right? And socks are wonderful, portable, and don’t make you hot in the summer knitting projects . . .

Welllllll here we are, 11 days into the SoS – and I have ONE sock, ONE, not a pair, just one sock. Meanwhile I have TWO lace shawls – both out of wonderful Claudia’s Handpainted Silk lace weight yarn – nearly FINISHED! One is from the Year of Lace projects, Phoenix Rising, and I have been working on it since it arrived at the end of March ---

There have been yarn problems (not just me) and I am waiting for more yarn to finish – but it’s only got about 32 rows to go (close to 600 stitches per row, but who’s counting . . .)

Meanwhile, at a Tangled Skein’s Friday the 13th in June, I came away with another skein of Claudia’s Handpainted silk, in a wonderful colorway called Urban Fever. And at the same Friday the 13th Arnetta arrived to show off her glorious beaded shawl from the Winter 07/08 Vogue Knitting. It is to die for – just glorious – and the Urban Fever is enough (hopefully) yarn to make it. And a Beader’s Workshop just opened across the hall from a Tangled Skein – so I found the pattern in my library (home), and copied it, and played with the yarn – then went across the hall to a Beader’s Workshop, and Vivian, the delightful owner, helped me find the most yummy perfect copper colored beads to go with my yarn.

And since I need more yarn for Phoenix Rising, I decided I could cast on for the Beaded Shawl (that’s all it’s called in Vogue), and at least knit through the set-up rows, and ONE pattern repeat (of four, adding stitches each right side row) – and then the Summer of Socks would start, and I would switch to socks for the next week or so until the additional yarn for Phoenix Rising arrived. . . .RIGHT . . . . .????

So just before I went to bed last night I started the first row of the LAST repeat of the main part of the pattern. So I’ve only got about 60 rows to go on this one! And I am OBSESSED! I had to force myself to bed (good thing all the talk shows are repeats this week). I think it may be finished by the end of the weekend!

And rather than go onto more socks – what is calling me is finishing Phoenix Rising as soon as the yarn comes, but meanwhile I’ve got the second Year of Lace project, out of a yummy blueberry color of Helen’s Lace weight yarn from Lorna’s Laces – and then there’s this nearly black shawl . . . . (and I really, really, really could use a black shawl, and the yarn is nifty – new to me, and, and, and . . . .)

Off to walk the puppies – is Guthrie still a puppy since he’s a year old tomorrow? Probably – until Maybelle’s off puppy food!

Here's Maybelle today, with her ears almost full UP! And below giving her 'big brother' grief as usual -- they really have fun together!
Historical footnote: on this date (July 2nd) in 1935, Amelia Earhart went missing over the Pacific.