Two finished projects posted in two weeks? I'm not sure I recognize myself.
Pattern: Alternate Steps socks
Yarn: Black Bunny Fibers Superwash Merino, "Audacity"
Needles: 2.25mm
Started: May 2014
Finished: July 2014
For years I've been trying to knit down my sock yarn stash. Despite using up several skeins in the last year and adding almost none (maybe 1 skein in 2013 and it's already been knit up), the drawer always seems to stay full. Well, enough is enough. I've been drooling over sock yarn recently but refuse to add to the stash without seriously knocking it down first. Last fall reminded me that I'm pretty capable of busting out socks, and since I don't have a ton of projects that I'm really jazzed about, I'm hitting the sock patterns hard.
But I'm also indecisive and I need something to guide me when it comes to picking out patterns. Usually I rely on KALs on Ravelry, but I got it stuck in my head a few months ago that I should start knitting patterns for each letter of the alphabet (I think a group did this a few years ago). I did a pattern search, sorted alphabetically, and picked my first pattern: Alternate Steps.
I didn't exactly whip these out in 2 weeks, but 1 skein down nonetheless. And not just any skein. I believe this was my oldest skein of sock yarn in the stash, purchased in 2008. I started 2 different patterns with this yarn over the years and always ripped pretty quickly. It was time for this yarn to go.
Now to attack the rest.
I did an honest assessment of the sock yarn stash this week. About 30 skeins. It's go time. Convenient timing since I happen to have a little more knitting time these days.
For 6 months Ironman training went amazingly better than expected. After finishing a 20 mile run, the longest of the training cycle, with no significant problems, I really felt like I was going to make it to that start line all systems go--a huge relief after spending most of 2013 on the injury bench. Exactly one week later and 30 days before race day, I limped home the last mile of an 8 mile run and have been sidelined since, unable to put weight on my left foot. Doc has confirmed it's a soft tissue injury, so I'm lucky in that it's not a stress fracture, which would have ended all hope of racing on August 17. Now I play the wait-and-see game and hope it heals up enough to for me to start the race and then holds up for 7+ hours of pedaling and a marathon. In the meantime, I'm spending a lot of time in the water, and part of me thinks this is karma's way of getting me back for skipping so many swim workouts....if so, eff you, karma.
The bright side? With 6 hour bike rides and 3 hour runs off the schedule, I have considerably more time to sit on my ass and knit. I think I'll go wind some more sock yarn.
