Vinca Minor

A new sock pattern for you on this rainy Monday evening.  (Lovely and rainy for New Mexico!)

The pattern says it, mostly, but I wanted to talk a little about my inspiration for these.  Sometime in like . . . darkest 2011 or something, I went to the Yarn Underground.  It may have even been the first time I went--it was that long ago.  I was wandering around, browsing sock yarn like you do, and my eye fell on this skein of Society Socks Fingering.  Once I saw the colorway name, I knew I had to have it, and it had to be socks for my mother.

My mom, you see, is a stone-cold hardcore gardener, and botanically-named yarn is right up her tree.  (So to speak.)

Being the procrastinatrix that I am, it took me years and years to get around to knitting them, but once I did, they were so quick and easy that I wondered why I hadn't done it before.

Anyway, they are this year's Mother's Day gift (given early so she could model for me, haha).  Love ya, Ma.

For all details and to purchase, follow the link (and take 50% off with code MAYDAY)!

That $*(@$(ing Baby Sweater

Ugh argh sorry!  I did not mean to abandon you for so long!  But you know how it is, the holidays come and all of a sudden you're expected to spend time with your loved ones and cook real dinners and send out cards and stuff.

Sometimes I am not a very good grownup.

But I do occasionally finish a project, and, lo, the dreaded baby duplicate stitch sweater is among the finished!

PATTERN: the rather euphemistically-named Plaid Jacket by Linda Medina from 60 More Quick Baby Knits: Adorable Projects for Newborns to Tots in 220 Superwash Sport from Cascade Yarns.  Mine remains the only project on Ravelry.  You know why.  This is the largest size, 12-18 months.

YARN:  Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport (100% wool, 184 yds/50g skein) in colors Blue Knight, Bit of Blue, Bulldog Blue, and Mallard.  I used just about the whole skein in every color except the dark blue contrast, where I only used about 33g. 

NEEDLES:  US 3/3.25mm

NOTES: The knitting of this little sweater was easy and pleasant.  The finishing, however . . . ugh.  According to my notes, it took me nine days to do the duplicate stitch, and that's with working pretty diligently every day.  If one were to plan ahead, one could work a purl channel at the appropriate places in the pattern while knitting, enabling one to use a crochet hook to do the duplicate stitching.  If one has not planned ahead, though, this doesn't work (the hook spreads the stitches too much).

Was it worth it?  You decide:

I rather think it was.