And two manly socks

Sometimes my FOs really just nag at me. They drive me crazy. They haunt me. The manly socks certainly fit this description. I started them in May, hoping to finish them quickly since they are mainly plain old stockinette. And now it's December, but they are complete! Right in time, since they are part of a holiday-time gift. Want to see?



And just to reiterate, because the stripes match EXACTLY on both socks:


Fantastic. I love them. This makes an awful lot of Finished Objects lately- which is good. I was hoping to complete six items in the last six months of the year, and this brings me close to the mark.

I will be finishing up the Super Secret Holiday gift on vacation, and realized that I have another project that has been languishing. Instead of casting on for a new shawl, I found Hanami and decided to work on her again. I made it 25 rows into the first chart before giving it up, I think in part because the lace pattern wasn't obvious to me. Now that I have significantly more experience with lace, I'm finding the chart to be exceedingly simple! It should be a quick and fun knit- this is convenient, because nothing could give me greater pleasure than wearing it to my work holiday party at the beginning of January. It's a perfect excuse to buy a new little black dress- I have one from when I was 14 (it still fits, though I have no idea how or why), and one from college. It is definitely time to find a new one. I guess that's a good idea for shopping in Raleigh?

This is about what she looks like, since I'm sure you've forgotten as much as I had:


I'm away on vacation again Tuesday through Saturday, which feels blissful since I just got back from Thanksgiving. I will visit my sister for New Year's, and then I don't get a vacation again until March. I am going to live up this week in anticipation. I'm bringing the Super Secret Holiday Gift, Hanami, a sweater I need to start (blah stockinette), and some little projects. For variety, I am also packing up some very exciting sewing projects. I have the fabric and the trim, so hopefully they'll be a breeze to assemble in my Mom's fantastic sewing lair. I will remember to take pictures this time, I hope. It should be fun!