Playing with Gauge

This is why I love being a math teacher:

When I want to knit "Matrix" but my already-purchased and husband-approved yarn is giving me a gauge of 6 stitches per inch (and it look really good like that so I don't want to try bigger needles), instead of the recommended 5 stitches per inch, I know how to fix it! Since the palm pattern is a repeat of 2, and the back pattern is a repeat of 4, if I go up 8 stitches from the largest size, then take those 56 stitches and divide by 6 = yup, a circumference of just over 9 inches.

The fact that I cannot spell "gauge" correctly to save my life is probably part of why I'm not an English teacher.

Why I'm not paying it forward

Seems like all the cool kids of the knit-blog world are Paying it Forward this year. I love the idea, and nearly signed up twice... but in the end, I didn't. Why not? I love to get gifts, and I love to knit for other people; what's to lose?

Well, here's the thing. I'm surrounded by teenagers (very nice ones), many of whom have been asking me for the past year or more when I will knit them something. Last year I only knit for four of them. This year I'm working on mittens for another three, but then may try to do a few more. And it makes me so happy to knit for people I know and care about. When you add in all the knitting I do for my own family, I just don't see myself living up to my Pay it Forward obligations.

Best thing I cooked recently: pecan-cranberry bars, but now I can't remember whose blog originally featured the recipe. I'll post the link when I do find it. My department loved them and sucked down a double recipe in two days.

In which I love the new Knitty

Actually, I always love Knitty.

Even though I would only knit about 25% of the patterns they publish, the fact that it's free, always available, and contains a huge number of patterns by different designers makes it a fave.

In this issue, I'm adoring Jeanie (cables with dropped stitches? Wow... and I love the Dream in Color yarn), Tudora (for those days when I would just lose a scarf), Matrix (except for those long floats on the thumb... got to do something about those), and all the sock patterns.

I wonder if Tudora is fast enough to be a good Christmas knit?

Mac-n-cheese

The last great thing I cooked: pasta with cheese sauce, nuts, and sage. Sort of a grown-up mac-n-cheese.

1/2 cup heavy cream, heated slowly in a saucepot with
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
a few torn up sage leaves

After sauce is done, mix with 1/2 pound pasta, cooked and tossed with a little butter
Sprinkle with toasted pecans and freshly ground pepper.

Still no photos

but I've finally finished the red knee socks for Son #1!

Next up: a couple of baby socks from Cat Bordhi's new book. Plus huge orders from Knitpicks and Blue Moon. (I told my husband I was either going to eat to deal with the stress, or shop. Bless him: he told me to shop. So I did.)

it's been a month already?

Yeah, about that.

Everyone else in the blog-o-sphere is blogging every day of this month, and I can't even manage to do one post in a month?

Let's just say that coaching volleyball was crazy, that I love my classes but they keep me busy. Now that volleyball season is done, i should have a little more time to knit and post.

Maybe even learn to take and post pictures? Now that would be radical!

Lost in sock-land

I'm up to the heel on my green cotton sock (knitted toe-up) and it's about 1/2 inch too short for my foot. Am I knitting tighter than I did on the first sock? Probably. Do I just keep going, ignoring the mismatched patterns? Probably.