Bits and Pieces

Need a quick diversion? See how many sheep you can keep from escaping and test your reaction time. Go play a bit. I'll be here when you get back. . . . So, how'd you do?

I've been slowly acquiring the Barbara Walker Treasury books. I have the first two volumes already and the third one is in transit to me from Amazon (courtesy of the $25 rebate I got for using my Amazon.com Visa). Oh, and I have a copy of Mosaic Knitting, too. These are wonderful resources for stitch patterns and more, but all the pictures are in black-and-white. Okay, so I'm a knitter and I can use my imagination and put color in the right places. Fine. But sometimes I'm lazy and I'd like to really see the patterns in color. It just makes the stitch definition even more beautiful. Enter The Walker Treaury Project. I found this via a link on Alwen's blog and boy, am I glad I did! If you love the Treasury books, check out the project site. Better yet, pick a pattern, knit a swatch, take a great photo, and add to the collection. What a cool idea!

Knitters are a very philanthropic bunch. Not only do knitters give a lot, but they do a lot of things to encourage giving. I'm a firm believer in giving back, and I do it via my wallet whenever I'm able. There are lots of options out there for you to do the same. If you're so inclined, check out the effort Deb is making to raise funds for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America. It's a worthy cause and if that's not enough to entice you, she's got some lovely prizes she'll be giving out, too.

I confess that I have not yet started the Mystery Stole Clue 2. In my defense, I've been sidetracked by my new sock. It's coming along quite nicely. I've started the heel using the eye of partridge slip-stitch pattern. I haven't used that before, but I think it looks great with the simple lace pattern where the 'regular' slip-stitch heel would stand out too much. I'm making the leg of these fairly short, simply because I don't like tall socks. It doesn't have anything to dowht the fact that my size 11 feet push a 50-gram, 195-yard skein to the limits if the leg portion is too long. Nothing at all, really!

There are a couple of things I'd change about the pattern for the future. but generally, I like how it's coming out. I'll probably do another pair with those changes, though. For now, I'm obsessed with finishing this one, so I'll be back later!