A New Era

Hello on Inauguration Wednesday!  I hope this finds you safe and well; we're good here!

Actually, we're better here than we were even just a few hours ago.  I feel like we're in much better hands going forward, and I still have hope that the better angels of our nature will prevail.

I've also made some progress working with the sock machine!  Here's my first attempt with the ugly yellow practice yarn:

I've since switched to some regular sock yarn and hope to complete my first tube.  I dropped a stitch when I changed colors and I need to pick it back up before it runs down the entire length!  It's a good learning though.

Speaking of which - thankfully I've had enough experience with a flat knitting machine to understand some of the perils of working with these things.  One closed needle and the whole thing comes zipping off!  Dropped stitches can be messy if they're not spotted right away, but once you figure out the visual gymnastics they're pretty easy to fix.  Yarn tension is important as even the slightest tug will bog the machine down.  And don't force those needles - if they're stuck, there's a reason why!

You also might be wondering what's going on with that striped blue thing in the middle there.  That's the top part of the sock bonnet.  Evidently the best way to cast on for these things is to use the top of a picot hem of a half-sock (the bonnet); you pick up the loops and put those on the needles.  Mine came with the machine, but when I need a new one evidently it's best to start with some mesh (like those onion bags) that you catch onto the latches and knit with scrap yarn until all the needles are full.  I'll be trying this myself eventually!

In the meantime, my plans for this tube are to knit on the cuffs, toes, and heels.  There's a lot of good guidance about doing these "afterthought" things starting with just a tube.  Evidently there are ways to do toes and heels on the machine, but that will be something to save for another time as well!

In wildlife news - we've had bits of snow here and there, and the other day there were a TON of deer prints going across the driveway.  Some were really dug in, so I expect those were running.  They tend to like to hang out around a small group of pine trees, then cross the driveway, go across the field, and head back into the woods eventually.