Comfort Food and Comfort Knitting

I'm an expert on both.

Therefore I have been knitting socks. Socks for me. Baby socks to stash for gifts. Bed socks...which chose not to felt. (Yes, Bozo the Clown would like them. A lot.) I have a crazy pair on my feet, made from the remains of the multicolored skein I used in the potholders. They're knitted in a wavy lace pattern and the toes are quite pointy. On purpose.

Right now I have a pair of ribbed gray socks on the go. Also for me. Lots of socks for me (who appreciates them more, I ask you?).

In the food department, we have beef stock. Real beef stock. I've been stashing away beef bones as I find them in the market: marrow bones, bits of oxtail, you name it. And I added the usual carrots & onion. And a caramelized onion, and bits of leftover beef bits and pieces also stashed in the freezer. The house smells heavenly. Canned stock works in a pinch, but it doesn't have half the flavor of the real thing, with its darkly caramelized bones and meat and onions.

Tomorrow we'll have chicken, though. I'm planning on stuffed pounded chicken breasts, with a filling made of spinach, cheese and pork sausage, and sides of caramelized red onions and yellow potatoes.

Possibly some of this is in response to the news the NBC won't be airing the pilot of "Rex Is Not Your Lawyer" this spring. (I didn't name it. But it stars David Tennant. So, frankly, I don't care what they call it.) I needed something to compensate, and hand knitted socks and home cooking fit the bill.

Baltimore, and socks

It's been an interesting week. Last Tuesday I got slammed with a cold; I was actually an interesting invalid for two days, but that did help, it's almost gone now.

I sent out more resumes, and got ready for a trip to Baltimore, MD. A friend I met in NY (the City) was married. She's a naval engineer, now in Maryland. Some of the others in the NYC crowd were there, too. I got to dance and drink good bourbon and talk and generally enjoy myself.

On Friday I met up with Mimi of Charm City Daily. We've been friends for five years, but it was the first time we met in person! And it was wonderful, she's as pretty, funny, interesting and opinionated in person as in print. (I'd write this even if I thought you weren't going to read it, Ami. Yep.)

Here's the other bonus: long train rides are great for knitting. I finished a simple pair of anklets in Noro sock yarn and got a few inches done on the lace stole.

The socks I mentioned in the last post are destined for the frog pond. Too few stitches, not stretchy enough, and ugly! Fun to knit, though.

Still Socks

The bed socks are VERY warm.

I need to write up the pattern properly in several sizes and recruit some test knitters. Anyone??

The Slightly Less Bulky Matching Socks are coming along nicely. I finished the first one yesterday and am on the heel flap now. And the vest (finishing) is half-way finished. I still need to pick up for armscye ribbing and seam the sides.

As Zanti mentioned on her blog, it's still cold here. And she's been making mittens.

M'mmm, mittens...

Bed Socks

I've finished the first and am ready to turn the heel on the second. They fit well and are very warm, but are not streamlined enough to squish into my loafers.

Looks like Idea #2 will be put into practice soon. I'm going down a needle size and will do a striped stockinette heel flap instead of a slip-stitch heel.

The bed socks might end up a gift; I have a colleague for whom I haven't knitted anything yet, and these will fit her, too. Her birthday is in March, so she'd still be able to wear them for a while before it gets warm.

I'll be knitting this pattern again, too. It's fast and pretty, as well as a good way to use up scraps on worsted weight yarn. Maybe I'll submit this to Knitty for this year's fall or winter issue. They're ready in about 2 days (or less), so they would make good Christmas knitting.