A poorly chosen side project

So here's how it usually work: I have one big project going at home and at least one more side project that I take to school and churn along on angstlessly. Lack of angst is important, since most of my knitting nerves has to go into the big project.
So I should really know better than to pick a side project knit on size 0s full of cables. Duh, lady! You wanted LESS angst!

I cast on the Sweetheart Socks thinking the cables wouldn't slow me down much. Boy was I wrong. These suckers are taking forever and a day. I'm guessing I finish the sweater before I finish these!
Thankfully the yarn is delicious and the pattern rewarding, so it all works out. But the bummer is that I won't be finishing anything for a loooooong time.

The yarn - a handpainted superwash merino from Knitting Notions

The back:


The front:

Meanwhile I've been eyeing all the Selbuvotter on ravelry and daydreaming about casting on a pair. Must. Finish. Sweethearts. First!!

Beyond the fleas!

Yes, I'm finally there: I've finished the flea stitch section of Dad's sweater. Hurray!!

As the sweater grows it becomes more difficult to photograph, in some ways. All the tiny little details start melding into an actual sweater body! But here it is, so far so good.

My gauge has grown a tiny bit so I need to keep an eye on that - 24 stiches instead of 28 in 10 centimeters can make a big difference! But I'm not ripping back (heck no) since one of the patterns I'm working off of actually builds increases into the body shape. So it's okay. Right? RIGHT?? (I'm not ripping back. No way, no how.)

Today I did a lot of figuring for the top part of the torso. I'm playing a lot of this by the seat of my pants since I don't have a single template sweater. Improvisation... hope it works out. I'm nervous about the split neck opening and the layout of the big central pattern, but I've crunched the numbers so hopefully it'll all work out!

First socks: completed!

I've finally finished my socks for Alex. I blocked them overnight and he snuck them off the sock blockers while I was at school this morning, so I have to assume he likes them. They fit great and I'm very satisfied with the pattern, the yarn, and how it all worked out. Hurray!







And I've officially caught the sock knitting bug since I've already cast on a pair for myself. These will be a bit more complex, but that's another post for another day.