Firestarter

The last time I posted I said that I would probably focus on my Firestarter sock so that I could hopefully finish it before the end of the month.  I did it!  I finished these Saturday night and was able to take a couple pictures on Sunday.  I had started this pattern before and ripped it out because I couldn't quite get it right.  I'm not sure why I was so intimidated by the pattern.  Once I decided that I WAS going to make these for the March Sock Knitters Anonymous cable challenge I conquered it!  I did make one modification by using Judy's Magic Cast On for the toe instead of the provisional cast on, but that was it.

Here's a close-up of the gusset and heel.  I love the simple cable along the side of the foot and how it splits for the gusset expansion.  If I make these again or another Yarnissima pattern, I will shorten the gusset by an increase or two.  These are just a smidge longer than I would  like.

I decided to use the Russian Bind Off.  Thank you Jennifer for the suggestion!  I checked my Wendy Johnson book and she had great instructions for this bind off.  Plus I really like how the finished edge sits right on top of the cuff, there's no slant to it at all and it has the perfect amount of stretch.

Here are the final details:
Pattern: Firestarter by Yarnissima
Yarn: Socks That Rock lightweight, color is Beached
Needles: 2.25mm for foot & 2.5mm for leg
Mods: Judy's Magic Cast On instead of provisional

My Sweet Lunch Date

Do you remember the sweet little sweater I showed you a couple months ago that I made for my niece Morgan? She has grown into it and wore it yesterday when she came to visit for lunch with her mom and big brother! She is so adorable! I had a great afternoon with her.

She was completely pooped out by the time they left.  It must be because it's so much fun at Auntie's house :-)  (I apologize for the sideways picture.  I haven't figured out yet how to rotate pictures with this new blogger format)

On the knitting front, I have plenty going on.  I finished the first Clandestine sock.  I can't say that it's my favorite pattern to knit, but I really love the way it looks finished.  It may stay a single sock for a bit though before I tackle the second one.

I cast on the March Rockin Sock Club sock pattern, Redbud.  It  so pretty and I was ready to knit something that wasn't blue!

I also cast on Pointelle for the Knit Sock Love KAL.  I chose Skinny Bugga in Acmon Blue from my stash as it is a sponsor yarn for this pattern, and I like to use sponsor products when I can.  I'm not sure I'm loving it though.  The pattern seems lost.  I'm not sure if it's the yarn or the color or if I just don't have enough pattern knit yet to give it a chance to shine.  After a couple days of thought I've decided that I'm going to knit another 6 rounds or so on this one and I'm also going to cast on in a different yarn.  Then I'll decide which one I want to continue with.

I also started my 2nd Firestarter sock. I took this picture in the morning and I finished the gusset and started the heel turn while waiting for Chandler during lacrosse practice in the afternoon.  I think I'm going to focus on this sock for the next couple days so that I can finish it for the end of the month.

That would be two finished pairs of socks in one month!  Woohoo!

The Djinni's Out of the Bottle

I completed my Dragonfly Fibers Mystery sock KAL last night!  I love the look of this finished sock.  This pattern was divided up into 6 clues.  Let's take a closer look at them...

Clue 1 - The cuff is a pretty cabled rib.

Clue 2 - The Leg is a ribbed cable with wrapped stitches.  Very cool look!

Clue 3 - The Heel Flap is a patterned heel flap that is a continuation of the leg pattern.  Very sexy heel.

Clue 4 - Cristi's signature double gusset on the bottom of the foot which led into Clue 5 which is an eyelet foot/instep.

Clue 6 - a patterned round toe.

Personally I am not a big fan of the round toe on a sock.  It's not my best skill.  I have a hard time pulling it tight enough so that it doesn't open up while I'm wearing it.  I thought hard about changing the toe to my personal favorite wedge toe with kitchener stitch finishing, but decided to suck it up and give it the college try one more time.  You can see that I pulled that sucker as tight as i could until I worried the yarn might break, then I tried tacking it a couple extra times.  I have my fingers crossed that it will hold.

Pattern: Djinni in a Bottle by Cristi Brockway and Rosi Garmendia
Yarn: Dragonfly Fibers Djinni Sock, color Arctic Pearl
Needle: 2.25mm
Start: March 25
Finish: April 19
Mods: None!

WiP Wednesday

I have some actual progress to show!  I finished the foot and toe of the Dragonfly Fibers Mystery Sock.  I haven't cast on for sock #2 yet because I'm trying to make some progress on other projects too.  But soon, very soon...

Clandestine has gotten some attention.  I'm almost finished the leg.  Just a few rows to go and then it's time for the heel flap.

I've turned the heel on my Firestarter sock and am making great progress on the leg.  I'm not a big toe up knitter, so I'm not super sure about the best bind off for this.  What's your favorite toe up bind off?  I'd love to hear what you like and why.

I have sleeve separation on my Vodka Gimlet sweater!  I've tried it on and the fit is great too!  This is still my car knitting, but I did bring it in the house to do the sleeve separation.  I figured that would be hard to do while supervising Chandler driving :-)

Que Sera hasn't gotten any attention for a couple weeks so I didn't bother to take any pictures of it.  It may continue to rest until I get a couple of these projects finished.

I hope you're having a great week!  I'm going to have a bit of a lazy afternoon myself today.  I just need to decide if I'm going to watch last night's episode of Deadliest Catch, or begin Season 2 of Downton Abbey on DVD :-)

Mystery Monday

The final clue came out yesterday for the Dragonfly Fibers Mystery Sock KAL.  I have about an inch to finish on the foot before I start the toe.  Stay tuned!  Or better yet, join the fun!

Ten on Tuesday

10 Favorite Side Dishes to Serve at a Family Dinner

For the first time in several years I am not hosting Easter Dinner, so the pressure is off for me!  Yippee!  I get to be a guest and bring a dessert.  So I'll be making my favorite Carrot Cake this year, and that is probably it.  But usually I'm nerved up trying to figure out what to serve with my main dish.  It's Easter this weekend and my family thinks that the only choice is ham.  Bleh.  So, if I were hosting dinner, what would I be serving with the ham?

1. Baked Macaroni and Cheese.  I like the recipe on the back of the Prince macaroni box.  Simple and classic.
2. Scalloped Potatoes, because my husband asked for them.
3. Asparagus, probably steamed, although sometimes I season i with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic and grill it.
4. Deviled Eggs.  Most people think of these as an appetizer, but I like to put them out on the buffet as well.
5. Glazed Carrots, because son #2 asked for them.
6. Salad, probably a tossed salad.
7. Cinnamon French Toast, especially fi I'm trying to have a "brunch" type meal.
8. Rolls
9. Green Bean Casserole.  We only have this for holiday dinners.
10. Twice Baked Potatoes.  Sometimes I'll make these instead of mashed potatoes.

These are some of the dishes that I would probably serve for a family dinner. What do you serve?