First Stocking Coming Right Along!

OK so I am finishing up my first Christmas stocking! (The pic is from earlier along.) I am excited and my toe heel ability is returning although the heel on this one isn't perfect. ( I will have to try to live with that... Drives me NUTS!) Last night I gave a VERY belated Christmas gift to a good friend. It felt good to finally be finished with the project and able to give them to her. They fit great! Now her fingers don't have to freeze when she types! :D
Cheramie's Fingerless Gloves!

Knitting Butt and Taking Names :D

:D Ok not exactly... I am excited because I finally finished all of the hibernating socks that were lying around. Plus a cute baby Santa Hat! My husband wants me to make a Santa hat for the dog, but I will have to get creative because I cannot find an existing pattern. So for now I am working on a Toe up Christmas Stocking.

Hubby's Birthday Socks

I am so happy last night I finished my Hubby Socks that I started last May. Just in time for my husband to wear them today on his Birthday!! I am so excited and am now actively trying to complete my Sister Socks.

FINALLY A STRETCHY BIND OFF!!

Well finally I can awake 2 different sets of socks from their hibernation! It has been about a year and a half since I got so frustrated with my inability to bind off toe up socks in a manner that will fit a human foot. I have finally found one that WORKS. Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off Thank you Jeny Staiman. I am so excited that I can go back to my favorite project, toe up socks! Unfortunately it has been quite a while so now I am out of practice. Ah well time to jump back on the horse.

AH HA!!!

This weekend (while dreary and oppressive) was a huge success for UFO's around my house! I finished my work shawl and have almost completed my hooded baby blanket. Both of which have been hibernating for a while now.

My rant for this morning is for pattern developers who think that the best way to write a pattern is using as few words as possible. UGH some people who learn visually need as many words as we can get. It is funny, I have been knitting for over a decade and yet I can still get hung up on pattern wording. (how sad)

This morning's epiphany is for Lion Brand's Hooded Baby Blanket, a basic pattern however when I got to the hood these are the only directions:

HOOD
With Size 10½ needles and 2 strands of yarn held together, cast on 3 sts. Work in Seed St inc 1 st at each edge every other row until there are 43 sts. Bind off.

The seed stitch they refer to involves alternating between knit stitches and purl stitches then on the next row knit the purls and purl the knits. It produces a nice bumpy texture and visual interest. However I got hung up because most increases are done on the inside, where the increase is actually the second stitch (in experience anyway) and this caused an unnatural repeat in the pattern. What frustrated me most I suppose is that no one else seemed to have trouble with these directions. I suppose it does say increase at each edge but I spent a while being confused and stuck in my brain rut. So just in case there is anyone else out there with this problem, here is the answer visually. (The bold letters are the increases.)

K P K
K P K P K
P K P K P
P K P K P K P

AHHH that makes me feel better...