Can I Get a Little Traveling Music, Please?

The parade of finishing continues.

These socks have been on the needles since the Pleistocene Era. Not because they're complicated, but because they're not complicated. I kept falling asleep over them.



The yarn is KnitPicks Felici in Schooner (a colorway now sadly discontinued). This was my first tango with self-striping yarn, because I'm a control freak. When I'm knitting, I want to be the one making the Big Decisions. I don't want my socks to stripe themselves. To me, self-striping yarn is like an uppity little kid who insists I join him to play "Heart and Soul" on the piano when I'd rather take a nap.

Kinda makes you wonder why I knit a whole pair of socks with the stuff, doesn't it?

Well,

1. these are colors I'd choose if I were any good at picking colors;
2. Felici stripes are bold, strong stripes and not wimpy, indeterminate stripes;
3. the yarn was at hand when I reached into the stash cupboard; and
4. it was free.

To show off the striping I limited the texture to k1b, p1 rib–all the way down the leg and instep. I will never do that again. After I finished the second sock, I did a bit of hunting around and discovered that forcing prisoners of war to work k1b, p1 rib for more than 15 minutes at a time is a violation of the Geneva Convention.

On the Road Again

Departure is imminent for my trip to Threadbear Fiber Arts Studio in Lansing, Michigan. On Saturday the 24th, I'll be teaching a day-long class on Elizabeth Zimmermann's Tomten Jacket (which is sold out, they tell me). On Sunday the 25th from 1–4 pm, I'll be doing a meet-and-greet and signing copies of the little book.

In late February, I'll be going back to the land of my birth (southwestern Pennsylvania) for two events at Natural Stitches in Pittsburgh. On February 28 at 4:30 p.m., we'll have a book signing/reading. The next morning, at 11 a.m., I'll be teaching a three-hour introduction to lace knitting. (Class sign-ups open on February 2–contact the shop.) There will also be a community service project going on during my visit, so check out the shop's site for more information.

And I am still working on responding to 100+ good people who sent suggestions for venues in North Carolina. Thanks to all of you–who knew so many North Carolinians were reading this? Something is in the works, and when everything is confirmed I'll make a great big noise about it in here.

(By the way, I also appreciate the folks who leave comments saying, "Why don't you come to [name of place]?" I'd love to, darlings, but until my real parents turn up and hand me the key to the vault containing my small private fortune, I can usually only travel if a shop or guild has me out to speak or teach a class. So if you'd like to see me, just ask your shop or guild to contact me at franklin at franklinhabit daht cahm, and I'll send them my information.)