wild tigers in the bellybutton

if i have to knit vanilla sox, the least they can do is match! right?! yes, i am THAT way about my socks; gifts or not! so, may i present my vanilla sox with a touch of tiger.....

here are the legs. ..

MATCH!

the heel flaps....

ABOUT AS IDENTICAL AS THEY COME!

the foot....

BINGO!

you know where this is going, right?

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i expect pooling BUT can't the colors pool in the same spot?!! arg-g-g-g-h!

maybe i can tell the recipient that there is a definite right and left foot ....sigh

what should i do with the "wild tigers"? leave them or visit the frog pond? i am so wanting to frog them. i know where the colors went off. it was just a little bit. i didn't expect it to cause such a WILD difference!

so, while the tigers were being timed out for bad behavior, i made my hubby a pair of these...

he decided sunday afternoon that he could not live without a pair of fingerless gloves. i started these babies on sunday at 3 pm and finished them on monday at 10:30 am. he's gone off to work today very happy!

vanilla sox with a touch of tiger

i hate knitting vanilla sox with a passion! however, this skein of opal rainforest tiger has forced my hand! i tried knitting the leg in a textured rib and got all the way to the heel flap; stopping every inch or so, trying to decide if i liked it or not. finally, it got to "i don't like it." my hubby, who rarely comments on my knitting, said he thought the sox looked too busy; so you know it had to be BAD. here is my second attempt at taming the tiger...

opal rainforest tiger

original opal tiger

i have been trying to decide whether i like the original tiger or the rainforest tiger better. i thought i remembered the original tiger as knitting up in a more random pattern but obviously, i remembered wrong. as you can see, i got stripes of colors with both skeins. i know some people did get more tiger shaped stripes than i did. i guess i still don't know which i i prefer.

i won a prize from the 200sox knitalong hosted by the purling p's . i finished 22 pairs of socks last year. i knitted more than that but this is the number of MATCHING pairs. i still don't understand why the pairs had to match. ;op i think i must have frogged at least 2 more pairs.

my prize is a gorgeous skein of regia surf color in something appropriate for guys (which i am sorely lacking in my stash) and a cute little stitch marker commemorating the kal. thank you, petra and p'la for a fun year!

and i've finished writing up the pattern for theknitter's sotm club. wanna see a picture?! here's the toe! hey, you know i can't show you the sock. if i did, i'd have to kill you! and i need all the readers i can get!

the colors are gorgeous, aren't they?
check back in march when i can unveil the entire sock

there is ICE in my birdbath!



SEE THE ICE?!
it is 10:30 am in the bellybutton of california. we are NOT suppose to have ICE.

FETCHING
US 6 needles
40 sts instead of 45
patons classic wool in denim

this is my fourth pair of fetching. i extended the "fingers" and added a thumb gusset which seems to make the wrister fit better. i have gifted all four pairs but will definitely need a pair for myself if our cold spell continues! HEY! THIS IS SUNNY CALIFORNIA! did you see the ice in my birdbath?!

i think i am going to frog the sideways socks and let the pattern and yarn marinate a bit longer. i don't think that the garter cuff is going to fit very well and i don't want to waste my time or yarn on something that will not fit. i will try again but am thinking about picking up stitches from the cuff edge and knitting a regular ribbed cuff. do you think that would work?

to those of you who are really in the bad weather area of the us, my thoughts are with you. i hope all of you get your power back soon. stay safe.

thank you to those of you who have dropped by and left comments. i truly appreciate them.

welcome to the bellybutton of california

happy new year! and welcome to my blog. what better way to start a new year than with a new project. i am, of course, referring to the blog. i figure that knitting projects really don't count as they are on-going (although i do have some that seem to "GO ON & ON & ON...).

i'm not sure what i am doing so bear with me as i learn how to add photos and such to the site. lucky for me, i still have a kid at home who, of course, is knowledgeable about all things in blogland. i know i am going to need a lot of HELP!

i am doing a sideways sock kal with a sister group of townsendsocksknitalong. i am using opal rainforest flamingo and like how the stripes are coming out. i have frogged more times than i want to admit. the leg was too long, then i didn't like the heel decreases, then i didn't like the heel decreases again and again. i think everything is ok for now.

if you want to join the fun, the group is here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/T_Socks_KAL/

the pattern is here:
http://www.ptyarn.com/sidewaysopal.html

here is a still life of "sideways sock with christmas cactus in bloom." as you can see, i don't have much sock.

and what better way to start a year than to receive a prize in the mail! crystal had one more prize from her christmas contest and generously sent it to ME! she sent me 2 skeins of passport venice in pink, a skein of valley yarn berkshire in burgundy, & a bernat cool crochet in chocolate. i see scarves in my future.

i've got to get back to writing up the pattern for the sock i'm designing for the knitter's sotm club. besides, i've stressed myself (& the kid) enough with this first post.

thanks for visiting.