Penelope still knits. (and spins!)

Oh, my knitting blog. I am a bad knitting blogger, which is surprising given how much time I've been spending knitting lately. In brief, to catch up:

I spent the summer in the most ideal place I can imagine, working with wonderful and entertaining people, in a long dress, petticoat, and straw hat, interpreting the past and educating the public. When I wasn't splitting wood, or picking apples, or visiting the sheep, or baling oats, I often sat under a big oak tree at the end of the lane and knitted a sock or spun some wool. Ideal.

This school year I am working on a massive research project: "Textile Production as Social Signifier: methods and meaning in the weaving of Classical Athens." I get to study what I love, in a complete blending of art, literature, and history.

I am also working part-time at Iris, my LYS and the women there are wonderful, joyful people. Though the work (converting the sales system to a POS system) is a little tedious, the environment is great.

I completed relatively few knitting projects this summer, but I'm making up for lost time now. I completed a felted bag as a Christmas present for Mom, but I'm not certain it came out the way I wanted it to. I think she'll still like it, but I was imagining something taller. I'll have to be certain to keep in mind that knits felt more vertically than horizontally.

On the needles:

Stormtrooper Socks
The socks are mostly white wool with black toes and heels and a bit of alternating black and white ribbing at the top of the cuff. I'm fiddling with a method for making a "ninja toe," where the big toe gets its own little casing seperate from the other toes. Nothing I've tried yet has been completely satisfactory.

Green Dragon Socks
For Bob, the charmer. Knit two at once, toe up, on size US0 Addi Turbo circs. Started on Boye 16" US 0 circs, but the cord was too short and the joins too fiddly. On the turbos, the socks are flying. I will now forever swear by my Addis, and I'm glad I splurged and bought the good stuff since I'll undoubtedly use them again and again. The Yarn is Schaeffer Anne, which is a gorgeous fingering weight sock yarn, all in very dark subtle shades of green. He asked for Green socks, but I think he'll like that these aren't the usual bright green so common for socks. I love the color and am secretly hoping there will be enough left for a little something for me once his giant feet have eaten up their sock-yarn-y fill. Cast on November 1, worked 2-3 hours a day.

I'm also working on picking a pattern for my Aunt Karen gift. I bought some Shetland from a vendor at the Sandwich Fair with the intention of making something for Karen, probably a felted bag, but I'm wondering if another pattern might be better for the yarn. It's been hand-dyed in fabulous bright sunset colors. It just seems like such a shame to felt such a beautiful bouncy yarn. I don't much like felt as a rule, so I could be biased. The current favorite pattern is the Sophie bag from MagKnits, though I'm not positive it'll get much use.

Gary's probably going to get socks again, but they're low on my priority list. I'm developing a pattern for a hat for Paul that encorporates Nordic Runes, maybe even the whole Futhark. I need to ask if he likes the kind with the brim, or the beanie style hat.

I've also bought a Rowan pattern book full of beautiful sweaters. There's about 200 yards of worsted weight single-spun silk/mohair blend that's waiting to get make into a pattern. More lama needs to be spun so that I can get to work on my lama shawl. The two sweater patterns I'm trying to write need to be more than sketches. And on top of all this: regular life!

Say a quick psalm to Penelope, patron heorine of perserverance in an unending task, and dig in.