A brief post...

... so I can take a break from swatching for Inishmore. I'm on the third swatch, and down to #4s (3.5 mm for the metric-minded). Pattern calls for 6s. If I'm not happy with the swatch on 4s, I'll ask on the KBTH (Knitting Beyond the Hebrides) list for advice.

Finished my Waving Lace socks late Christmas Eve and wore them Christmas Day. Sock #2 looks just like #1 (except for the mistake I left in because I wasn't ripping out 15 rounds - it's not like anyone's gonna notice), so no pictures. I knit up a pair of Fuzzy Feet for Mom in bright red Lett-Lopi (the aran-weight feltable options at my LYS are not vast - it was that or 70% merino/30% cashmere - I think felting that is just wrong). They might be not fully felted, but they fit mom, so they're done. I can always go back later and hit a boiling cauldron of death for some addition shrinkage.

Clearly, I'm gearing up to knit Inishmore. Although if the bloody gauge issue isn't cleared up, I may have to haul a summer project out for sit and knit on Thursday. Or I could buy a bunch of yarn and start something out of my new Phildar mag. There are many tempting sweaters. Problem is a lack of variety in my choice of yarns at my LYS. It has the problem of many yarn stores these days - too much fluffy crap, not enough real yarn. The staff feels the same way I do, but it doesn't seem to do much for actual change. Admittedly, the fluffy crap is not leaving any day soon - when I was at sit and knit last week, pretty much everybody who came in was buying some sort of novelty yarn. It's just frustrating to know about all sorts of yarn, 95% of which isn't available near me. No Rowan, no Noro (don't like it, but that's not the point), no handpainted (Koigu/Lorna's Laces/Alchemy), not a whole lot of fiber variety, especially in the heavier weights. Sucks being a fiber snob around here. Although I can get to Kanata at least - if I had to shop in town, I'd never knit. About the only wool yarn available in town is Briggs and Little, which is a fine yarn, but like sandpaper to my overly delicate skin.

OK, I'll quit whining now. Don't know why I'm in this kind of mood - can't blame it on PMS just yet....