Experiment (and a Thank you!)

Someone suggested that I should try more difficult patterns to see if I was really knitting faster or if it was just that I was only knitting stocking stitch. So I decided that I needed to experiment with this idea. I should first say that I've had no more knitting time this week then any other week. Next week is another story because its a holiday week. Anyway, last Friday I cast on a pair of socks and a shawl. My usual knitting time for socks lately (stocking stitch socks) is four days. My shawl time usually a week or so. So how are those projects going eight days later?

The socks need only to have the second Kitchenered off. You can see the very small skeins of yarn I have left. They weigh just two grams. I actually thought I was going to run out and bought another skein (Koigu) from someone on Ravelry. That yarn isn't here yet, but apparently I'm not going to need it. I'll do a finished project post tomorrow and give you all the details.

The shawl is shown needing its bind off but I just finished that. I used nearly 8 grams of the yarn for the bind off. I was shocked about that. I have about the amount left of this yarn that I normally have done when I finish a pair of socks. More on this one maybe Sunday? I'm going to block it hopefully tonight. I'm going to try and block everything I haven't talked about yet this weekend. I need them to be finished!

So this is two skeins of sock yarn in eight days. I'm feeling that pattern might not matter in my knitting speed? Certainly the lace would be classified as at least an average difficulty pattern (according to Ravelry users who've done the pattern). And while the socks aren't incredibly complicated (I need something without a chart when I stop for trains...) they aren't just plain either.

Ok enough of that. I have a very cool new bag now. I was one of the winners of a recent contest on Cynthia's blog. She sent me one of her Green Couch tote bags. Oh my goodness isn't it just adorable? (See a close-up here.) I love it. Thank you so much Cynthia!!!

She also used this super cute tape on the package that has BIRDS!! I love it as much as the bag and I'm seriously considering cutting a little square to go in a frame for my craftroom...