Holding pattern

I keep plugging away on the Lopi Monstrosity. Well, at least for a while I did. I got about halfway up the second button band, when I decided I needed a break. This is how it looks right now:

I can truly say that it is nearly done. All I have to do is finish this button band, sew it on, do the top band, and stash all the ends. This really isn't much when you consider the totality of the sweater. But I find myself unable to pick it up. Sewing the button band on is not a fun job, with the way the yarn keeps breaking. Plus, I am pretty unhappy with it. I know I'll wear it when it is done. Frankly, we definitely are experiencing Lopi-worthy temperatures this weekend. This sweater would have been appreciated by some of the folks at Lambeau Field last night. But I am annoyed. I am not happy with the way the colorwork turned out. Clearly, I am not meant to be a knitter of colorwork. I need to remember this for the future. Stick to texture, Sydney.

So, I've been taking a break. First was the palate cleansing Lobby Dishcloth by Kay Gardiner. Mmm, cotton. Mmm, brighter colors. Not brown. Not scratchy icelandic wool. Mmm.

This was fun, although there were far too many ends to tuck away to make it the perfect palate cleasing project. I had never done mitered squares before, and I liked them. They were easy and different. I kind of messed up the edging: I wanted to do an applied i-cord, but ended up doing something that looks almost exactly like your basic crochet but was a heck of a lot more work. Oops. Oh! Look: there's more colorwork. More oops.

Next up, I returned to the December kit from the Rockin' Sock Club: the Salish Sea Socks.

The first sock is done, and I learned a lot while making it. This method of making the toe is very different from anything I had done before, and it looks really cool. I also am pleased with the way the heel turned out, even though it was rather slow-going. The explanation in the pattern is so clear. The lacy, cable-y gusset on top of the foot is way cool, too, although perhaps a smidge too big. I even like the wavy edging on the top. I'm not in love with the pattern for the leg, however. I am looking forward to using some of these techniques in my own future projects. But first I need to do the second sock.