Steeks, Advent, and More Socks

The one bad thing about finishing the most recent Tour de Sock project fast is free time.  I always end up plotting new projects that can’t be started until TdS is done.  I did finish the latest Handmade Sock Society pair, Honey Bee Dance socks.

 I was holding off on finishing my Rose sweater until my sewing machine was fixed.  I read a tutorial on steeking and decided that the sewing part could be done better by hand.  I got excited  and got all of the supplies ready.  Then I couldn’t find the pattern book, a pdf.  I saved it twice on two different devices.  One was a laptop that my cat knocked on the floor and destroyed.  The other was this iPad and it isn’t here now.    Sigh.  I’m waiting to hear if the pdf can be replaced or if I have to buy a new one.

I went browsing on Ravelry, which always gets me into trouble.  I found an advent calendar pattern that I am going to make.  It is a Georgian town house.  The pattern is released once a week and starts the same time as the final TdS sock.

Speaking of advent calendars, I saw an ad for one that’s yarn.  It turns out that a number of dyers do these.  They all work basically the same.  You get 24 mini skeins plus one full size one.  I ordered one from a dyer here in Georgia that’s new to me.  I liked the looks of her yarn.  I like speckled yarns and this is what is coming.  Everything is wrapped individually, so the fun can go on daily for most of December.

The dyer is on Etsy.  Since I am apparently incapable of only buying from one person when I am there, a couple more skeins are on the way from Knitted Wit.  One colorway will result in a donation to the legal fund to help get refugee children back with their parents.  I refuse to feel the least bit bad about doing that.

Meanwhile back on Ravelry, I went through my library and found four pair of socks that would be good to make.  I had the silly idea that stash diving would give me most of what I needed for them.  Anything else could be added to the DK needed for the advent calendar and I could get a discount from WEBS on the whole thing.  I was only partially right.  All 4 needed white and 3 of the 4 needed black.  Guess what colors I was out of?  A big box is on the way.

The patterns are Question mark socks (they look like the 7th Doctor’s outfit), Shersocks (they resemble the wallpaper Sherlock shot at), Spooktacular Halloween socks, and Ukrainian Rose socks.  The last one is modified from a mitten pattern.  I’ve already worked out the modifications.  Where’s my yarn?  I want to cast these on immediately.