For a while there, I thought I was crazy for leaving a pair of men’s socks to the end of my planned holiday knitting, but there was a method to that madness, and I’m remembering it now. Plain stockinette is really relaxing. I’m just close enough to my deadline (Dec. 19), with just enough to do between now and then, that I’m a touch distracted. Not very distracted, but the kind of distracted that could, for example, lead you you to forget a yarn-over, or get  off-course in slightly irregular ribbing.

Just an inch from dividing for the heel on sock #2. What do you think of my heel stripe?

It’s not the kind of distracted that leads to big mistakes, it’s the kind that leads you to think that you’re find until you realize your stitch count is off without providing an obvious answer as to why (little mistakes are often so much harder to find). The answer to this is plain stockinette, which allows your mind to wander without any potentially frustrating mistakes.

That being said, of course, I got off by one stitch in the heel of the first sock and there’s a line. I didn’t notice until I was picking up the gussets (clearly I should look down at my hands once in a while) and decided not to rip back. I might try to match it on the second sock so it looks intentional, or I might leave it as a handmade reminder. I’m torn between annoyance and being slightly charmed – what do you think?

This isn’t quite my last holiday knitting, but the last thing on my needles before the holidays is very hush-hush, so you’ll just have to wait for that reveal. A little secrecy at this time of year just makes it more fun!

Unrelated, gratuitous yarn photo! (Are you tired of looking at the same projects all the time? I am a bit.) I have big plain-stockinette-socks plans for after the holidays. This Koigu features prominently.

(Ps. Thanks for all your commiseration on my last post! My new computer is working out quite nicely and not at all the reason I haven’t blogged since.)

Let me just say, I am not sorry to see the back of November. It wasn’t an awful month, but it was an annoying one: On Nov. 2 I lost my transit pass (worth $128, and necessary to replace) and that just started the month off for disaster, which ultimately struck last week when the pipe to our bathroom sink’s hot water faucet broke and (unrelatedly, but on the same day) my laptop died. Basically, this was the most expensive month possible for boring and annoying reasons.

I knit two rows past this point, decided they were too big, and ripped. I’m almost back to that point and feeling much better.

BUT, now it’s December, and I’m starting fresh. I finished both L’s socks (on the day I posted about them) and my mum’s shawl (last night) in November, so now I’m working away on my dad’s socks, which are the last big holiday project. I did have to rip them out (I cast on last night and should clearly have known better), but I restarted on a smaller needle and everything is ticking along.

All of which is to say, I have a good feeling about December. I have 17 knitting days left before I need to be done, and right now that feels totally doable. How are you feeling?

Yes, yes, I know it’s November, but I am certainly still knitting socks. I managed to finish just one of the pairs of socks I set out to knit last month, but since I knew my plans were a little on the unrealistic side, I’m not too broken up about it.

Stepping-Stones.

To recap: I finished the Stepping-Stones for my mum and mailed them (she received them about a week later and said they fit perfectly and were keeping her warm, which is excellent feedback). I really like this pattern, and I have several stashed yarns that would perfect for more pairs (maybe this time for me!) once the mid-winter chill sets in and my feet really need something extra.

I’m farther along now than I was when I took this picture.

All the other socks remain outstanding. I finished the first Saltburn sock and am a cuff and two repeats into the second. I’m knitting these at the rather absurd gauge of 10.5 stitches per inch, so it’s slow-ish going. Why so tight? Well, as with most charted patterns, the jump between sizes is specific (in this case, 9 stitches). I’m knitting the medium size on a smaller needle (rather than the small size on a larger needle) because generally speaking the tighter the gauge the longer they’ll last. I knit a pair of socks at 11 stitches to the inch and, almost two years and a ton of wear later, they’re still in amazing shape. But yeah, it’s slower.

Mushroom Hunting is a perfect, perfect name for this colour.

I’m not as far along on L’s Charade socks – just half-way through the foot of the first sock. These were my transit knitting, but then I started a really good book* and wanted to read both to and from work (for a while there I was reading on the way there and knitting on the way back), so they got put aside, through no fault of their own. The more I knit this colourway, the more I love it, and with only a couple of inches to go before the toe, this sock won’t take long to finish.

So, there you go. In aggregate, I guess I knit four socks, but since the sum greater than its parts, that only adds up to one finished pair. In a surprise twist, though, I did finish the Riverbank cowl! It’s lovely and, while I don’t have and proper photos to post here (and won’t until after it’s gifted), I’ll post some on my Ravelry page once I get around to taking them.

This month looks like more socks, plus a shawl, and since it’s getting ever colder, I might have to take a quick break from the gift knits to whip myself up a hat – I’m thinking this one. What are your November plans? When I left the house today I was wearing hand-knit wool socks, sweater, shawl, and mittens – are covered in wool yet too?

*Edited to add: I fully meant to tell you what the book was – sorry! I was thoroughly captivated by A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. It is so, so wonderful, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.