Socktoberfest Wrap (Toe-)Up.

Socktoberfest has come to a close! This month went by really quickly, and I didn't get as much done sock-wise as I might have hoped. I did, however, finally figure out my perfect personal sock recipe and make a few second socks for my lonely singles. I will have such cozy tootsies this winter happily ensconced in their custom-made merino marvels. I wish I had a camera already to show you some of my FOs and WIPs. Soon, I hope. We are planning a shopping expedition later this week.

Alas, the lovely lace patterns were not in the cards this time, but they are still in the planning stage for impending cast-on. However extensive groundwork has been laid for the next year (or century) of sock knitting, much to the delight of sock-yarn-and-paraphernalia purveyors in the webverse (and the stash-related dismay of my DH). I shamelessly acquired much too much sock yarn this month, as well as multiple sets of 2.0 mm and 2.5 mm dpns and circular needles, to indulge my need to have several sock projects on the go at any one time. In my defense, some portion of this haul will be lovingly packed up and sent to go live with my Secret Pal spoilee.

Meanwhile I bowed to the fates, ripped the lovely SKB (Sob!) and rolled the beautiful Kidsilk (Cosmic Dawn) back into a ball for repurposing. My LYS ordered a few more skeins for me back in July purportedly for arrival in September but the order has been delayed with Fleece Artist and recent reports indicate the estimated time of arrival might be in December. Ah....

Instead, I cast on for the originally intended preliminary SKB using (hopefully great quantities of) my still copious stash of fuschia cotton. And I've got a cute grey scarf on the needles in SRKertzer Baby Monkey held together with a simple light gray DK weight (probably acrylic) inherited from my grandmother (who passed away in 1995). It will go well with several of my grey and black fall sweaters and jackets, and I will feel closer to Grandma when I wear it.

I am trying to choose a pattern for my luscious Manos del Uruguay (colour 111). I want to make a cardigan/jacket, but knitted sideways with some short-row shaping, so the lovely colour striations work vertically instead of horizontally (so flattering on a zaftig curvy girl).

I also picked up 8 skeins of Rowan Chunky Print in a gorgeous deep warm purple which will hopefully be enough for a cardi-wrap sort of thing, though I might have to add a little something else either for a collar border or the sleeves, or both. There are several things in the stash: none have the right weight, but they'll work if two or three strands are held together. But I love the look of this stuff. Maybe I should just look for some more?.... Well, no decisions need to be made until I have an actual pattern found/made-up and a better idea of my yardage requirements.

Oops - I almost forgot: I also started a pair of really warm socks, holding two strands of Fortissima Socka together.

Okay. Off to bed.