Well the knitting mojo does actually seem to be back!  I’m making great progress on Ariann.  I think the fact that it is officially fall has made me realize that I should get cranking if I expect to finish all of the Christmas projects I had planned.  I also decided that my travel knitting this time will not be socks.  I’ve had the Annie Modesitt corset pattern forever now and that will be my vacation knit along with finishing Ariann.  Not the most portable project, but for my sanity, I think I need to work on something besides socks (although there will probably still be sock yarn in my bag…you never know).

I ordered some mulberry silk that was on closeout from Webs last week and swatched on Tuesday.  The pattern calls for 5.5 spi on size 6 and the sale slik says 5.5 on size 7/8 so it seemed like a good match.  Seemed.  I know I usually have to size down to get gauge but this is ridiculous!  I cast on with size 5 and after blocking (silk stretches…especially for this pattern…just ask Stephanie) I was getting FOUR spi.  So I need probably a 3 or 4…no WAY I am going down to a 2 for this.  The only problem is, in the vast empire that is Diva Knitting I have no size 3 or 4 circulars.  I KNOW.  I couldn’t believe it either.  I use my Denise interchangeables almost exclusively except for socks for which I use 0-2 Addis.  Unfortunately, the smallest Denise needle is a 5.  Even when I get my most fabulous Addi Interchangeable set (which is on pre-order, YAY) it only goes down to a 4.  Fortunately I had to drive Jim to work today (that is a whole other story) which put me in the vicinity of a local yarn store.  I am now ready to cast on again with some nice new Addi Turbos.  Here’s hoping for the best.

Back to socks.  This pair of Koigu “somewhat Baudelaire’s”1 has been languishing for quite some time now.  I’m not sure exactly when I cast them on since I forgot to put it in Ravelry (WHAT????) but I’m thinking maybe May?  Not only did the sock wars fiasco slow my progress on these but it’s time to admit so myself that they are TOO.  DAMN.  NARROW.  I thought I could deal with it.  I added a couple of stitches at the ankle to make them easier to get on.  I’m starting to realize though that even if I do ever finish these, the chances of me wearing them on a regular basis are slim to none.  Why would I fight with these to put them on when I can just slip on any other of my hand knit socks without a crowbar?  So now the dilemma…to frog?  It seems a shame since they are so close to being finished.  Maybe there is a knitter out there with narrow size 8-9ish feet?  The sock with the finished foot is is 8.5 inches long and 3″ wide, unstretched.  My foot is 9″ around just behind the toes at the widest point.  I CAN get them on (don’t ask me how it came to this in the first place…yeesh, it’s not like I haven’t knit 7, 653 pair of socks for myself!) but it’s difficult.  So if you have a narrow foot and ankle about this size let me know and I’ll send the socks to you to finish.  If I don’t find anyone, it’s off to the frog pond for these.

1. I thought I had come up with a brilliant new pattern based on a lace pattern in the Knitter’s Bible.  Turns out it is practically Baudelaire minus a plain row. [↩]