Blame it on the rain

I finally finished the child's socks for sam3kal . If it wouldn't have been for our wet weather keeping me out of the garden , they'd probably still be on the needles. I'm fully aware that any true gardener wouldn't let a little rain deter them , but I'm like my cats who figure there really is no need to get wet unnecessarily . I used Briggs & Little Tuffy for the blue socks . I have mixed feelings about this yarn . It's very sturdy , relatively inexpensive and durable . I'm sure it makes warm garments and such , but I find it hard on my hands . There's no glide on the needles and the end product feels a little scratchy . It should soften some with washing . I have lots more in my stash which I'll probably use up to make mittens and more socks. This yarn comes from a mill in New Brunswick , and being that's my husband Mike's home province I see more of this yarn coming to my stash in the future . After all we have to support our "local" businesses. The red socks were knit with Elann 's Peruvian Highland Wool . they're much softer, but I'm wondering about the durability . Hope that they both keep a little child's feet warm.

I have to get some of my WIP finished up . I'm getting uncomfortable with the number of unfinished knits I have lying around the house. I think first up will be my Spring Things shawl . I'd worked on it lately , after having bought a set of the Addi lace needles . I love them , the elongated tip makes for much easier ssk and p2tog . I found a mistake on my last row and put the shawl aside again . There's also the Angel Beaded Scarf from Sivia Harding , that's about 3/4 done , not to mention various socks and Max's cardigan , which just needs a collar and a zipper. Also Stef''s hat which needs undoing and then knit up just a little longer . Last ,but definitely , not least , my Sockapalooza socks . This list isn't in order of priority , just a reminder , so that I don't get tempted to cast on for any other project . I MUST finish at least one project I must finish , I must finish , repeat after me .....

One interesting thing that I discovered this week was the KnitPicks Knitting Room podcast . I listened to the last episode yesterday afternoon as I was finishing up my socks . The subject of this episode (english versus continental style knitting) struck home for me because I knit neither way and have always been self-conscious when knitting in public . I've always received sometimes not so nice comments about the "weird " way I knit . This is one of the reasons why I've never taken any knitting classes . I'm a self-taught knitter. I keep the yarn in my left hand and sort of throw with my left as well . When I started out I had a book or diagram in front of me and this was the easiest way to keep an eye on the book and the needles at the same time . It's habit . I've tried knitting continental , and find it much easier than the english method , but always revert back to my habitual way of knitting . It all works the way it's supposed to , just another way of getting there . At this point in my life I no longer care what other people say . It works for me and that's it . I'm still learning new things all the time and derive a lot of enjoyment from knitting . As the song says .... I'll do it my way !

Boy this has been a long-winded post . Blame it on the rain .