Baby Socks and Pi Updates

The results of the Longest Line Contest are in! (drum roll) I won 3rd place with my 38 pairs of socks, that's 5 balls of Opal yarn! I think this contest was a wonderful idea. Knitters across the country created 384 pairs of socks for charity, that's a lot of warm baby toes!

The prize will replenish my stash of sock yarn set aside for charity socks. I need to work on kid-sized socks again, and fill a box for Pine Ridge Reservation. I wonder how many pairs I can finish by September. I could send a box o'socks just in time for the new school year.

I'm knitting on the 48 round section of my Pi Doily. It's on a 16" circular needle, and hard to photograph. I chose Selection B, Vine. I've finished only 13 rounds so far, and am having trouble seeing the vine. I am determined to avoid ripping this time, it is what it is.



I did start again on my PiR2. I wound up another ball of yarn, and used #7 needles. After a side by side comparison, I like the resulting fabric much better. I have knitted the 12 row section using Clue 1, Selection A, which is plain knit. Now I am thinking about the 24 row section before I begin again.

I made a small change* in EZ's PiR2 pattern. I started with 22 stitches, rather than 20. This gives the stitches in the semi-circular part of the shawl multiples of 2 and 3, which will make it easier to find lace patterns that fit. I am waiting for Barbara Walker's book on lace knitting from the library. I hope to find a section that discusses lace based on garter stitch. Many of the patterns I've tried don't look great in garter stitch, so I'm going to consult the knitting expert, BW.

* at least I hope it is a small change. By the end of the shawl, this tiny change results in an additional 32 stitches in each outer round. We'll see if I end early with a short shawl. Those who know me IRL will agree this might not be a problem. For once in my life, I may be glad that I'm short!