Not a Sock Knitter

I tried. I honestly did. Why did I try as hard as I did? Sock knitters were, and still are, everywhere! I was an early Yarn Harlot follower and socks featured often in her books and blog posts. In my early knitting life, prowling for information and inspiration, socks were ever-present. Socks are basics, not just of wardrobes, but, it seemed, of a knitter's repertoire. Now I regularly watch podcasts hosted by dedicated sock knitters: The Periscoping Sisters, The Yarn Hoarder, the Grocery Girls, The Bakery Bears (of course, they don't limit themselves, but they often deliver divine socks). Socks make nicely portable projects and are wonderfully comfortable in all seasons. I do love the ones that I have actually finished. But finishing! I feel more guilt and negativity from sock WIPs than anything others.

So, I'm setting myself free. I am not a sock knitter. There is no need to label myself or dedicate myself to any one project type in my favorite hands-on hobby. Why encumber myself with unnecessary stress? 

(Just saying that makes me feel nicely empowered. What else can I declare that I'm not? hmmm...)

In other news, my sweater yarn has arrived and I'm already about half way up the back piece of Charlie's Cardigan:

The yarn is Weekend Wool from Green Mountain Spinnery in the color way Pollen. 

I used the suggested tubular cast-on method for the 1x1 ribbing, which was a new technique for me. There are lots of online tutorials and videos for this, but I used Cap Sease's Cast On, Bind Off: 211 Ways to Begin and End Your Knitting. I quite like this cast on:

Not only does it give a seamless edge, it's supposed to be stretchier than a long-tailed cast-on (my go-to method) for ribbing. 

I've also begun my first new shawl project of the year, the Geology Shawl by verybusymonkey. Each section features a different textured stitch pattern, including lace stitches and knit/purl stitch motifs. I'm using part of a huge and wonderful skein of Briar Rose Fibers' Joyful (sport weight, 100% Polwarth wool) that I bought at the 2017 Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.

I'm really enjoying this beautiful shawl, despite jumping all over the pattern due to its organization. (Since I've written a few patterns, I now have my own organization preferences, and sometimes feel like I have to relearn how to read a pattern with each new designer I find.) My only real "problem" is that I want to make the shawl bigger! I may pop in an extra section and crunch some numbers to make that happen, as well as expand some sections as the designer suggests. Always tinkering.

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