Racing to the finish line!

Something about bringing in the New Year this year made me want to take out the Old and bring on the New.  Or maybe it is just a continuation of that finishing kick I was on.

Needless to say I got a few things done before the New Year.  Ok, I got 1 pair of man-socks done and 1 and 3/4 stranded socks done.

Close enough!

 

These were a quick knit! I bound off the pair within 2 weeks of starting!  I don't have a lot to say about them except what I've already said: Self-striping felici yarn by knit picks, they are an 80 stitch vanilla sock with an eye of partridge heel.  They're a bit big for Zac which hopefully means they'll fit their owner, whom I need to send these to before his birthday.

I finished about 3 days before the new year, and I looked through my WIPs pile, which are admittedly dwindling, and decided that if I put my mind to it, the stranded yellow and gray socks can manifest before the new year.

This first one was done on the evening of the 30th.  I finished up the after-thought heel in the middle of an Expanse binge session.  Then I cast on and finished the cuff while I finished off season 2.  Good show by the way.  I don't talk about shows and things much here, but if you're into Star Trek and Game of Thrones, and you enjoy Newtonian physics and realistic space action, you'll probably really like the Expanse.

Anyway, this put me in a tight spot, having only done the cuff and only one day left to knit the entire rest of the sock.  I... didn't make it.  I had the whole stranded section and half the toe done before I went to bed for the last time in 2020.  In the morning (who am I kidding, I slept all the way in and didn't get started till after lunch) I finished the toe, and took out the after-thought-heel row:

A few hours later they were finished!

I was a *bit* worried about fit, but I gave the heels a few extra rounds before decreasing as written, and they are nice and snug, but spacious in the right places.  Perfect fit as far as I'm concerned.

The pattern is the Brigitte's Garden Socks by Natalie Sheldon and the yarns are Knit Picks Stroll (gray) and Malabrigo (ochre).

So, as of casting those pairs off, I'm down to two sweaters and my Alice Scarf (which doesn't count because of reasons).  This is kind of amazing.  Two WIPs!

I did take an hour or so and cast on some handspun socks.  I have this idea that I'll start a sock every month on the first.  Which is a silly idea, I don't need motivation to do socks at all, but it was part of my rush to finish the stranded ones before the end of the year.

I only got a few rounds into those socks (and they're light fingering, so I'm knitting them on U.S. 00, which is a little insane). I don't have a picture yet.

Alas, I'm determined to knock out another WIP soon.  I Want my Birkin sweater off the needles this month.  I have most of the second sleeve done:

And after this is the raglan yoke.  Should take no more than a week.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my finishes and progresses!  Till next time!