Unfortunately, the first sock has been frogged completely :( I knit the heel flap and started picking up stitches for the gusset, but something just didn't click and I had a giant mess! As it turns out I had somehow also knit the heel flap inside out... well, the stitch pattern on the outside of the sock was the one that should have been on the inside, if that makes any sense. Suffice to say, it's OVER! lol

I cast on with some Regia sock yarn I received in the Hot Socks swap and I'm making pretty good progress with it. Much easier for me to knit with the smaller yarn, isn't that funny? Probably since I have spent the best part of the last 5 months working on a lace project!

School is whizzing along. Next week is midterm! I spent this morning applying for jobs on line at semi local hospitals. I didn't want to work in Seattle, but my instructor says that Harborview has a fantastic internship program, and I found two jobs (1 ICU, 1 OR) that said graduate nurses could be considered, so..... It wouldn't be forever, and I want to work off shifts. With the kind of experience you can get at Harborview, you can go just about anywhere. I also applied at Providence in Everett, Evergreen in Kirkland, and Cascade Valley in Arlington.

The thought of actually WORKING is somewhat scary, but the $$ sure will be nice. I'm tired of scrimping. I want to buy a house, I want to have a life. Go to dinner, lunch, take a freaking vacation once in a while! Hopefully that is all in my not too distant future.

So here's the promised picture of my first sock! I've done a couple more rows since this picture was taken, but no time to knit today as I've been running errands left and right.

The grandkids birthday party is Saturday and I'm babysitting the grandson on Sunday (also a Seahawks game, Yeah!) so probably little knitting time this weekend. Maybe next week?

On the sidebar is a new button for the Interweave knits handspun sock yarn swap. Sign up and give it a try!

Hot Socks Swap Bounty!
Please forgive the uncontrolled use of exclamation points in the following post. I couldn't convey my excitement without them!

In yesterdays mail I received the most awesome swap package from Sarah!!! 2 skeins of Regia sock yarn in a delicious colorway, a set of 5 bamboo dpn's from Knotty Girl, a novel by Anne Bartlett called Knitting (can't wait to read it!), 2 Yankee candles with Home for the Holidays scents, 4 peppermint spoons to stir the variety of hot chocolate she sent me, pumpkin spice dipped pretzels (I've already tried one and they are to die for!), snickerdoodle cookies (my favorite!), and a lovely cup and plate set in an oriental type pattern. I feel so spoiled!!!! Sarah had everything wrapped and looking lovely, but I was too excited to take a picture before I unwrapped all the goodies.

Thank you Sarah, this was my first swap bot swap but it sure won't be my last! And thanks to Laura for hosting the swap!

Just a quick post for today. I promised some pictures of my WASIQ swap blocks, so here goes!

The focus fabric was from the 2006 WA state shop hop. Since these blocks are supposed to represent some facet of WA state, I thought this fabric with the Space Needle, Mt St Helens, coffee, I5, etc. was appropriate!

And here's a shot of the entire block. The blue and green surrounding the focus fabric represent the trees and water here in western WA. They came out well, and I sent 40 blocks to swap. I'll post photos of the blocks I receive when they get here.

Combining this years blocks with a few I've received in the past should give me enough for a full top. I'll just have to work out what fabrics I want to use for sashing and borders.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

After a hectic week, I finally get a day to do me stuff! I'm knitting away on my first sock and I'm done with the ribbing. I've only added a few rows of plain knit, so no new photos yet. We'll see how far I get today and if it's enough to show progress then I'll post a photo in the next entry.

For this, my very first sock, I'm using 2 circulars (size 2 US) and Zephyr DK weight yarn. I know that it's not optimum, but the DVD on knitting socks that I bought recommended a DK or sport weight yarn for the first pair. After knitting with lace weight yarn for so long, this stuff seems huge! I also seem to knit pretty tightly when knitting in the round... hope that I can learn to loosen up a bit.

In the spirit of Socktoberfest, I'm answering Lolly's questions here on my blog. Here we go!

When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class? I started on 10/1/06! I'm teaching myself using a DVD, books, and internet resources.

What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time? This is my first pair and I have no clue how they'll hold up! Probably not too well due to the silk content in the yarn, but since they're the first ones they'll be special.

What would you have done differently? I think I'd have started with a fingering yarn and smaller needles.

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed? Even though these are my first socks, I can tell you what yarns I enjoy! I have a bit of a stash already :) I like Socks that Rock, Henry's Attic Kona Fingering, and Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock.

Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method? I'm learning with 2 circs. I've not tried to knit on DPN's (they seem itimidating!) and I didn't have any circs that were long enough to try the Magic Loop.

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?) I haven't gotten that far yet!

How many pairs have you made? This is the first!

Ok, it's back to knitting. It's chilly and rainy here today, so I have a little fire going in the fireplace, my grandson is watching TV and we're just relaxing!

Just practicing putting in a photo. This is a wallhanging that I had made for my Grandma on her 88th birthday. I got it back after she passed away and now it hangs on my living room wall.

Still waiting for the cell phone pics to get to my inbox!

I'm mailing my Hot Socks! swap box today and I sure hope Kim likes the goodies I put in! Obviously I can't say what's in there, but I tried to stick to her list of preferences as best I could. I put a bit extra in too, cause a full box is a lot more fun to open!

Well, the first two days of clinicals are now over with, and boy do I feel somewhat incompetent! It's amazing how much knowledge you can lose over the summer... I should have taken my LPN and worked I fear, but it's all coming back to me now (forgive me for paraphrasing, Celine). I just keep reminding myself that by the end of the quarter I'll be back up to speed, right? lol

I started knitting my first sock on two circular needles yesterday! Yippee! So far it hasn't been hard, but I did buy a DVD so that I have a reference. Just a bit of ribbing on the needles now. I took a couple of cell phone shots so forgive the poor quality! (where is that damn camera anyway????).

Now it's off to do a case study that is due tomorrow. Had I realized said assignment was due tomorrow I would have started it sooner...... perhaps I should read my syllabus more thoroughly? (or read it at all for that matter!!!!) Have a great day!