Oops. I think I turned my heel inside out. It looked like a triangle and it just didn't seem like the right thing to be doing. So I took a look online. The decreases were running towards the center of the work, instead of slanting towards the edges. So I ripped it out and put the stiches back on my needles, I didn't even drop any. I'll try again tomorrow.

I realize that if I was a proper blogger I would have taken a picture, to explain my mistake, but I was too annoyed to think properly when I realized my mistake. I'm just not a Knitter yet, not with a capital K, for further proof, see this afternoon. I went into a yarn store and didn't buy anything!

I have started my heel flap! I'm using the Yarn Harlot's sturdy heel, which has right-side rows as Slip 1, k1 all the way across. And I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. Or rather, I'm pretty sure I'm slipping correctly I just don't understand why that would make the heel sturdier. Eh, we'll see. I bought some more sock yarn yesterday because I wanted to buy some yarn and I couldn't find it in me to spend much money. Sock yarn to the rescue.

Also I bought an Addi Turbo Lace #4 circular, so my mystery stole should start to grow. I'm hoping to get some quality time to work on the stole when I'm at home. It's just so cool to see it developing. Of course, I need to print out the rest of the charts (I forgot to do that at work) but I've barely started Chart 2 from the first clue, so I don't need to worry about that just yet.

I just uttered the phrase "It's not like I need more yarn." I do believe I'm about to be struck my lightning. The thing is...I'm not a fully fledged, Knitting with a capital K type knitter. I like to knit, I've been knitting for years, but I don't always have a project with me, or even on the needles. I realize, since joining Ravelry and reading through the entire back archives of several KnitBlogs, I'm being a bit of a poser. I want to get more into knitting. It's wierd. The thing is, I'm honestly too cheap to stash. The prospect of all sheep going bald is not frightening to me, as my favorite fibers are cotton and silk. I am very, very cheap. And I don't knit very fast. So I buy yarn as I decide on projects to make. And knowing that I'm currently working on four (with another one to rip out and restart) and I've got another two projects worth of yarn coming to me, I can't imagine the need to buy more yarn. And if I go to a yarn store, I probably will. Because I feel guilty for going and not buying. But then I regret it, because I didn't need it, and I likely did not have a pattern for it and it will therefore not be used. So I think I'm going to skip the yarn sale at Yarn Connection. Unless they're having a 50% off sale, in which case I'm buying some Handmaiden SeaSilk, because I'm becoming obsessed with that stuff.

In other news, I'm two-and-a-half inches into my socks. I worked on them last night, and during my morning knitting time, and while talking to friends after work and during the Wii tournament we had at work. I'm loving the yarn (both the colors and the fact that it's not bothering my hands) but the double points are rather tricky. I've avoided laddering by working the first two stiches on the current needle with the previous needle before moving on to the working needle. That way the stiches at the edge keep changing. Between my awkwardness with the double pointeds and my insane inability to hold onto the free needle, I really think I need to learn magic loop. Maybe on the next pair.

I really want to be working on my socks right now. And I have my stuff with me, but I can't because I have a clear glass door which will totally not hide my yarn involvement from those passing by. I want to work on my socks!

I did it! I started my first sock! I'm using Tofutsies yarn from South West Trading Company in a sort of tweedy, variegated, grey/blue/brown. It's 50% Superwash Wool, 25% Soysilk, 22.5% cotton and 2.5% Chitin. I'm using Yarn Harlot's "Good, Plain Sock" non-pattern pattern. I'm using size 3 needles (American sizing) and I think I'm getting around 8 stiches to the inch. Using the four DPNs is getting easier as I get farther in, though it's kinda hard to see progress given the tiny stiches. But I'm super excited. Probably way more excited than is merited, but I'll take my happies where I can get them.

Also, I'm not finding any discomfort with using this half-wool yarn, and I'm hoping that this means my historic wool allergy will not interfere with my knitting and stash aquisition.

Stash Enhancement

I have been listening to the Yarn Harlot's audio books, and I have been struck (as I've mentioned before) by my serious lack of stash. I am one of those knitters who buys yarn specifically for a project. The project may be put off into the future, and I may have several going at once, but I really don't have much, if any, un-project promised yarn about. So I thought to myself, I haven't really bought any yarn this summer, and I deserve yarn. I'm finishing up work next week and I'd like to buy something for myself to celebrate (ignore all the BPAL I splurged on, it doesn't count).

I'm still not comfortable with aquiring yarn without a planned pattern (unless it's a 2,000+ cone of laceweight) for fear that I won't have enough when I finally decide to use it. So today I compromised on my stash aquisition. I bought two projects worth of yarn and I already have the patterns. I bought three skeins of SWTC bamboo in white to make a Lotus Blossom Tank and seven skeins of Blue Sky Alpaca dyed cotton in green to make Something Red. I'm really, really excited. I can't wait to get my yarn. Sure, I have three projects currently on the needles and a fourth that needs to be partly ripped and redone, but I want to play with new patterns and new yarn. Plus, they'll both be for me. Rather unusual.

I'm going to have to play around with both patterns though, adding a bit of length but knitting a different size beneath the bustline then above. We'll see how this works out.

Frogging

I did a lot of knitting last night. I knit on my mystery stole from 6-7, and then I went downstairs to work on my baby blanket (which is coming along so fast and even though it's very basic, I love it) and watch the Yankees (who won, yay!) and after the game I took up my stole again. And a couple of rows into it I had the wrong number of stiches. I couldn't figure out where I had gained one, so I started tinking back. And then something happened. I took out the closest life-line in an attempt to pick the stiches back up (I know, stupid) and that didn't work. So I had to rip back to the previous life-line (I put them in pretty often, at every new border bead row) and then pick the stiches back up. It wasn't easy. Or pretty. I think I may be back on row 71 or so, and I'm not sure if I'm going to try it again tonight. Even with the ripping I did make some progress last night, which was good. But I think I've learned my lesson, no lace right before bed, I'm too tired not to fuck it up.

In other frogging news, I tried to add the crochet border on my Soleil tank last weekend. And I realized that little holes I made while decreasing along the right strap become much more obvious when I crochet into them. It actually is a cute effect and I'd keep it, if the left side matched. It doesn't. I think I know what I did wrong though - before I started Branching Out I assumed that SSK was the same thing as Sl1K1PSSO. It's not. So I think I'm going to rip out the right strap and reknit it using the correst SSK. Maybe that will prevent the holes. Of course, I'm not entirely sure when I'm going to do this...maybe before next summer?

I finally did it. I caved. This morning I was playing around on etsy...and I bought a spindle and some roving.

I am so excited! I've been wanting to learn to spin for a couple of months (feels longer though) and now I can actually experiment! I'm hoping that I'm not too awful and that my wool sensitivity won't act up too much. Apparently it's easier to learn on wool, and everyone loves it so much that I feel like I should love it too. But I can't love it if it makes me all itchy and blotchy. My fingers are crossed.

I think the package is going to be sent priority tomorrow, which means I may have it by Friday. My only dissapointment is that I'll probably be in Fairfield this weekend, so I won't be able to play with the spindle.

Dude. This is so exciting.