Round 6...Choice?

OK....FIRST OFF...It's the 2nd of May and we are supposed to get snow today! WTF! Ok sorry for the base comment ...but I mean really now...snow in May? What gives.

Well as I have mentioned Round 6 starts on Friday, not sure yet what the time for the release of the pattern yet....they haven't said. The specs given are as follows:

"Needles = US #2 The designer used double-pointed needles but I favor the magic loop. As always, I say that you should use what makes you happy - as long as it’s the right size.
Yarn = fingering weight in 2 colors. She used Lana Grossa Meilenweit Cotton (209 yards per ball.) I used one skein of Cherry Tree Hill (420 yds per hank) and one hank of Louet Gems (185 yards per skein). I used a variegated and a solid but the variegated is really subtle. The designer used 2 solids. What the yarns we chose have in common is that they both had a high degree of contrast and I think it adds to the design but… it’s up to you, I could be wrong.
Gauge = 38 stitches/4 inches"

That is quoted from the SM webpage...I did some swatches as you can see above, I got about 9 (to 10) stitches to the inch. I have posted three ways to go with this sock...either a lavender sock (yes its lavender and not bluish as it looks in the pick), with and accent color of white, black or yellow.....or a yellow sock with an accent of blue (on the bottom), black or lavender....OR a white sock with a blue accent or one of the funky colors that I dyed recently. Not sure which to go with...have not knitted a swatch with the white...its just a hair thiner then the yellow and lavender....its also a nice yarn, softer and has a lovely sheen to it....

oh and before anyone asks....I have no idea what the white, yellow and lavender yarns are....umm well I have had them in my stash for years....and I do mean YEARS....I purchased them from a shop in Carson City, Nevada that used to sell yarn on cones for machine knitting (the shop has since closed because the owner retired)....at that time I was still crocheting and made lace items with them but I have a ton left ...and in different colors. I know that the yellow and lavender are wool and acrylic blends...but have no diea who made it....the white has a lovely sheen to it and is extremely soft....on close examination it looks like its a cotton blend and it make gorgeous lace....and I do mean gorgeous (even if it was crochet lol) I have a lot of it so socks from it will not make a dent in what I have of it....anyway .....LOL not sure which way to go with these.

I pulled out all of my sock yarn yesterday....umm which was a thrill for the dog and one of the kitties....darn them! LOL Honey just rolled his eyes and looked away...I sat there sifting through it all ...trying to combing variegated with solids, the variegated I have is just all too busy...LOL...I love wild colors and patterns and my sock stash shows that big time but for this upcoming pattern I do not think that wild will work well. Thats what I get for always walking off the beaten path! sheesh!

I am pretty certain that the pattern will be Fair Isle/Intarsia...I have yet do make anything with these techiniques because what I have practiced with it always comes out looking wonky. I just don't get how to get the floats on WS to come out flat so that the stitches on the RS don't looke squished and pulled to tight. Even with the practice swatches above...the stitches didn't not look nice though I tried to keep the floats in the back loose. Is there some trick that I am missing....My lovely Knitty Otter friend did a gorgeous hat and her floats are expert...it was her first try with the technique too....If I have a chance to meet up with her before Friday I will show her my swatches and see if she notices what I am doing incorrectly. She is super nice and I am sure she would offer me tips if she can see what I am doing. She rolls that way! :-D

Oh speaking of the Knitty Otter...she isn't feeling to well, so stop on by her blog and send her good vibes will ya? She just had a bday too and then promptly became ill...yuk!

Well thats it for now...finals are coming up...they start next Thursday but I only have one that I am worried about...Math 475: Sets and Numbers....the last few proofs I did were bad, bad, bad.....the class was going really easy for me until the last month when every proof and theory the Prof. has lectured on has looked like something from another planet! Hate when that happens!