The Sock Sitch

I have two pairs of socks on the needles right now, and two new balls of sock yarn waiting patiently in the wings.

This red striped yarn was leftovers given to me by a non-sock knitting friend... and I don't have enough to finish this pair! I'm wondering if I should steal some yarn from the completed sock to have enough to work up to the toe of the second sock... and then use something from my stash to complete the toes of them both? Or should I frog these and knit up some baby socks?

Next up, we have a pair of my standard 4x4 socks in Trekking XXL. These will be a birthday gift for my friend Rana, who was my college roommate at the University of Ghana. Socks might seem like an unlikely gift for a girl who's birthday is in June and who currently lives in Hawaii... But at least I don't have to worry that they might be a duplicate gift! I've been meaning to knit her socks for a year or more, and I think she'll love the look of the Trekking.

Here are my two beauties, waiting to become socks for moi. I'm going to try to save the new Opal-- it came in the mail yesterday, can you believe? I highly recommend shopping with these folks!-- for my honeymoon. The Opal will probably be more of the 4x4 ribbed socks. My plan for theTrekking XXL is to knit Eunny Jang's entrelac socks that were in the Spring IK. I'm not sure if I'm skilled enough to attempt this project, but I want to give it a try. I picked up the instructions yesterday, and quickly put them back in the bedside table drawer... I don't even know how/have never heard of the method of cast-on, even! I've only completed one entrelac project, and it was not knit in the round... also I've never made socks from the toe-up! Yes, I'm probaby in over my head. Know of any good tutorials on the toe-up method?

Have you gotten your summer Interweave Knits yet? Any projects that spark your fancy? I've been checking the mail with my fingers crossed, but no-go yet...

I want to start knitting some more interesting socks, rather than the old-standby 4x4 rib cuff that I always make. I was thinking of attempting something in lace, but I don't want to be staring at a chart the whole time. Socks are what I knit when I don't want to have to think about what I'm doing. Can you recommend any simple lacy sock patterns?

Finally, here's my new knitting nook that overlooks the lake... It's a really beautiful spot to be relaxed and productive at the same time. Pardon my ratty old chair-- Dana and I are the opposite of the old couple stereotype-- I had to fight tooth and nail for the chair not to end up at the dump when we moved!

I decided to rip-back the Lacy Skirt With Bows. I laid out my favorite hand-sewn skirt and measured the hips and the length, and it was more like the medium version. Here is a quick picture I snapped while I was in the process of tearing the small size apart... My goal is to complete the skirt before LEAF, which gives me approximately one week. I know that sounds ambitious, but remember that I don't have nursing school to interfere with my knitting anymore! If I knit Clapotis in a week, I think I can pull this off. Wish me luck!