Knitting with toothpicks. Yep, finally gone completely over the edge. Someone make a wisecrack that I could use toothpicks if I wanted really short dpns to make my keychain sock. Someone should have known I’d go get a toothpick out of the cabinet, stick it in my needle gauge, see it fit perfectly in the size 0 hole, and embark on this little adventure.

First I had to dig through and find splinter free toothpicks to sand down and rub with wax paper.

Here is the finished sock, so you can skip to the end if you’re not that interested in a toothpick sock.

A few pictures I took to document the fact that yes, I really did knit this whole thing with toothpicks.

Casting on was…challenging to say the least. I’m trying not to use bad words in this blog, so let’s just look at some more pictures.

Once the whole ribbing ordeal was done, the leg went pretty smoothly.

The heel was actually kind of fun.

Final toe decrease. Not as much fun.

So that’s what I did today, how about you?

I made a sock for my sockblocker keychain. I adore it. Just the project to start off what will be a very interesting year-long KAL! 52 pairs of socks in one year. Go ahead, everyone else has told me how crazy I am. I’m not denying that at all.

Anyway. Here is my first keychain sock.

I have been working on the shrug, it looks just like it did last time, only longer. It has also become known as the wizard sleeve shrug.

Being in a bad mood already today, why not take on the evil toe-up sock method? Sure! After a few bad starts, there are actually toes on the needles now. This method is not the worst ever. I’m using the 2 circular method for them, and coming to the conclusion that magic loop is definitely my preferred sock technique. The 2 circs keep ganging up on me and my yarn, trying to twist into abstract formations that have nothing to do with socks.

So yay, I can do toe-up socks. That did improve my mood a little.

Yeah, that next dishcloth pattern is still trying to make it onto paper. For some reason I feel the need to draw it by hand, and I am not good at that part. It is coming, though. Soon. Definitely.

A post without socks. Technically. I am actually trying to finish this bell sleeve shrug before I get completely strung out on the sock thing again.

Dyed some sock yarn (doesn’t count! does not!) and although neither came out exactly as I had intended, I rather like them both. I really need to get back to stuff like measuring how much dye, keeping notes of which process, etc.

Last but not least in the list of stuff I got that is still not exactly a sock, is this most fabulous keychain, that comes with a pattern to knit a sock for it. Fortunately I do not have tiny enough dpns, and cannot swerve off my direct path to finishing that shrug.

I have three blankets lined up by the sewing machine, and a pile of sock bags. Look for more exciting (hush) not quite sock posts in the next few days.

Wow, guess what I’ve been knitting? Socks, socks, and some other socks.

Feather and fan socks. I never saw myself as a lace sock person. I was wrong. I am doing these two at once on two circular needles. It is a bit more tangly than the one long circular, but still better than dpns.

I decided to be a big girl and just do the short row heels already. Like most things, they were far easier than expected, even though I had to rip one out and start it over. So much easier than heel flaps it’s ridiculous.

Got a box in the mail the other day, finally getting around to showing off what was in it. Sock yarn, including a colorway of Twinkletoes I have been lusting after for sometime now. Some rosewood needles, because one day I’ll knit a non-sock thing again. Surely. Absolutely. Eek. There are even a couple of silk scarf dyeing kits for my sister and I to do together when she visits next month. Hooray for friends who mail boxes, and hooray for crafty visiting sisters.

Mmm new yarn. Nothing like a package from KnitPicks to brighten the day. Don’t mind the boring black and gray mansock colors. I’m all about the dye my own and those swirly pretty colors of Sock Memories.

Other socks still moving along. I’ve gotten a case of heel paralysis again and am having a hard time starting the short row heels, even after doing a ‘practice’ heel with some other yarn and needles. Why do I do this to myself. Bleh.

I had an entry last night, but the internet didn’t want it. It said something about finishing these garter rib socks – way too soon. I was so anxious to get started on the little lacy socks, I made these with stubby little feet.

I also have a picture of these, which I am about to attempt a short row heel on. Here’s hoping we see them again soon. With heels rather than in a frogged heap of disgust.

Cast on the little lacy girl socks, and a pair of heart socks that should be interesting, as I attempted to rechart it in the order she says to knit the rows. If I read that site correctly, they should be lovely. If not, we’ll call them Random Lump Socks.

I do have a dishcloth pattern in the works, as in it is in my head, waiting to leap onto this piece of graph paper and then be translated into knitterese and knit up – my goal is to have that all done within the next two weeks. One week if I can tear myself away from the socks for more than two minutes at a time.