That's Two

One of my goals is to cut down on the number of OTN projects this year, and I figured I would accomplish that by not casting on something new until I finish two items. Easy enough, right?

So, I have finished two pairs of socks this year, which gives me permission to cast on St. Brigid on February 1 as planned. Yay! Well, except that now there aren't any socks OTN, and I'll have to finish two sweaters in order to cast on another pair of socks. Which doesn't seem to make much sense somehow. Clearly, I will need to think through my rules a bit more carefully for next year.

Here are the deets:
Yarn: Filatura di Crosa Maxime Print
Needles: Size 1.5US Crystal Palace double points
Cast on: 11/16/08
Cast off: 1/27/09
Pattern: A simple 2x2 ribbing all the way down.

I really like this yarn. Very nice, very cushy and springy and round, much like Dale Baby Ull. I made the legs very long so they could be cuffed and give an extra bit of warmth at my ankles and lower calves. Each one of the color stripes is about an inch thick, so each leg is a notch under 10" long when unfolded. (They are identical in length, to the eighth-inch, but I bent the unfolded leg in the picture to get it to fit better in the frame.)

Now, with that little bit of business out of the way, I must confess why I'm so intent on discussing my "2 projects done before casting on" rule. I just realized today that I have all of the yarn I need to knit the Veronik Avery Fair Isle Cardigan. I promised myself I wouldn't start that until Fulmar was done, and I've been pretty diligent about knitting Fulmar when time and my wobbly knuckle permits. The sleeves are over 9" long now. That's progress. But not enough!

So I'll be good and do what I set out to do, no matter how tempted I am to start the Fair Isle Cardigan RIGHT THIS SECOND.

Yet Another Sock

I don't know why I feel compelled to have two pairs of socks in progress. You'd think one would be enough. And yet it's not. I like to have one pair of plain socks on my desk to knit while dictating and reading submissions. And I like to have another in my purse so I always have something with me to knit. Comes in handy for doctor's appointments, long queues at the bank, and other assorted inconveniences.

So this girly thing is my purse sock right now. I have barely started it, as you can see, and it will probably live in my purse for a while to come. There's no rush to finish it. Its purpose is to live in my bag for random knitting moment, not to be wearable by any particular date.

I love the yarn, Filatura di Crosa Maxime Print. Very spongey and soft. In the ball, it squeezes like a high-end stuffed animal, compressing more than you expect and then springing right back into shape. My only gripe with this yarn is that their colorways tend to be outside my tastes. But for that, I'd probably own more of it, because it's very nice to knit.