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The BSJ is nearly done. This excites me. It means I just have to make another quick pair of booties (the little tubs already outgrew the other ones I made because I am taking to long to get his stuff done) and then I can send the set out. Ahhh. So far we have a Norwegian Hat, Baby Pants, the BSJ and the soon-to-be-reincarnated booties. Not a bad loot! But you want pics of the jacket, don’t you?

Cute little thing! And notice, the picture is not yellow? How did I do this with my crazy “working during the day” schedule? I took the shot before I went to work and uploaded it when I got home. I figure this will work pretty okay until well into the winter. I leave the house at about 7:50 am, so usually the sun is at least a little up before then. It makes me happy to not have to post crappy pics.

And what about the socks? Well, if the title of the post tells you nothing, let me first explain a little bit about myself. I have the classic syndrome of The Grass Is Always Greener. If I had the salad for dinner instead of the macaroni and cheese at the restaurant I wouldn’t feel so stuffed, if I bought the black shoes instead of the brown they would have went with more of my wardrobe, if I only used a better pattern that would make the yarn actually mix so it looks like it does in the hank I would like these socks more… Yep, even in knitting, The Grass Is Always Greener. But in this case it wasn’t really a syndrome, I KNEW the grass really could be greener. This yarn, so gorgeous and perfect in it’s colours while in hank form, really could be knit into something that didn’t swirl, or pool, or make me think that something is entirely wrong if I am not enjoying knitting yarn that is so beautiful.

So I had to do it. I had to rip out the first of the Mad Color Weave socks while I was at the first heel. I just couldn’t take the thought that I wasn’t knitting the yarn to it’s full potential. It was painful, but the socks weren’t going to frog themselves.

Wait, if I am truly going to fess up, that was actually the second time I frogged this yarn. The first was about 20 rounds in when I decided that I had to move down in needle size. I started out on one of the US 2’s and went to a US 1.

The third frogging came when I made up a pattern, got again to the heel shaping, and realized that the socks were too narrow. DAMNIT! How much can this yarn take? Well, the fourth frogging was from me knitting up the pattern and this time I thought it was too big.

Ummm. Yeah. There is not really any help for people like me. I think I have knit this top half of one sock enough to make about a pair and a half at this point. But really? I’m okay with that. My feet deserve it. This yarn deserves it. These socks need to be all that they can be, not just a pair tossed in the back of the drawer that only remind me that they were almost as good as they could have been.

So four froggings, which means that this is the fifth version of these socks. But, I believe this is it. I think I have done it. I think I made a pattern that I like, that will not pool, and that does this yarn justice. Oh, and that will fit. Before I give you a picture (which you so rightly deserve after slogging through this mess of a post) I want to tell you that it is a slipped stitch pattern with a cable on either side of the foot that will run the full length of the sock. I am doing a fun variation of the gusset that is not super common, and this pattern will, when finished, be available for you to try on that special hand-dyed yarn of your own.

One more quick note, the cables are kinda hidden in the purl ditches, but they will come out when the socks is on. Heh. They better…