The Makings of Something Special

It took three tries with the short row heel. And I still don't get it. I do the beginning of the short rows fine. It's the reverse short row shaping which I don't get. (And apparently I need to "get it" because the heel of this pattern is a short row heel.) So, what is it that I don't get? I'm hoping someone, (anyone), can explain the whole picking up of the wraps. The pattern says that I should end up with 15 (unwrapped) sts after doing the short row shaping. (This I understand.) It's this that I don't:

Reverse Short Row Shaping:

Row 1 (RS): Knit to next wrapped st, (1 st before marker), knit this st together with wrap, remove marker, yf, slip next st, yb, sl wrapped stitch back to LH needle, turn. (This st now has 2 wraps.)

Row 2 (WS): Purl to next wrapped st, (1 st before marker), purl this st together with wrap, remove marker, yv, slip next st to RH needle, yf, returen st to LH needle, turn.

Row 3: Knit to next wrapped st, (1 st before marker), slip knit st to RH needle, PU wraps with LH needle and place on RH needle, sl all 3 sts back to LH needle, K3tog, remove marker, yf, slip next st, yb, slip st back to LH needle, turn.

Row 4: Purl to next wrapped st, (st before marker), slip purl st knitwise, PU 2 wraps from base of st and place on RH needle over first slipped st, slip them back one at a time purlwise to LH needle, P3tog in back of loop, remove marker, yb, slip next st purlwise, yf, slip st back to LH needle, turn.

Repeat Rows 3 and 4 until you have worked all double wrapped sts and removed all markers.

Confusing, eh? Anyway, if someone can clearly explain this whole picking up the wraps thingy to me, I'll have a little suprise sent to you via USPS. Seriously.

So, I gave up on the short row toe and tried the Easy Toe method and this is what came of it:

The Easy Toe method really is easy. (But behind the Easy Toe lurks the Short Row heel. *sigh*)

So I made a little headway yesterday, in between Scouts napping intervals, (which were few and far between during the morning/early afternoon).

Lastnight I had a chance to do a little knitting, (ummm, yeah, it was around 10 p.m.), and I was able to start the Yarn Over Cable pattern, which I like. I especially like not having to worry about actual cable needles and still having a pattern that looksl ike it took a lot of cable work. And the fact that the sock fits, well that just makes this an A+ project, (so far...ask me when I get to the heel).

I am loving the color changes in the yarn. Always something new. I do wish there was a little more blue, but I ♥ the dark brown and fawn. Just like Dalton.

And to make my day a little better, (yesterday was a bit stressful, lots of spitting up and fussiness, not to mention the oodles of cleaning and the fact that I stunk up the car because I left a package of chicken, that I bought the day before, in the trunk. Oooops!!!), I got my order from Jimmy Beans. I scored three skeins of RYC Cashsoft 4ply in Dive for a Matinee Coat pattern by Debbie Bliss from "Simply Baby".

And here's a better close up:

Three skeins yields almost 600 yards, which is great when it comes down to me only spending about $20 for some YUMMY yarn! I absolutely ♥ Rowan. Almost every yarn I've ever used by them has been 100% perfect! I can never say enough good things about their products. I'll cast on for the coat this weekend. I think.

Oh, btw. I did get the job. Last week I should have just said I was offered the job, but I had to take a blood test and have a criminal background check done. I passed! Next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are my orientation days. Which I get paid for. Nice. And I decided with the first week of my paycheck I am going to do a little yarn shopping for my Sockret Pal and pick up a the Namaste messenger bag that I want. (I had wanted one of the Lexi Barnes bags originally. But I realized three things: 1. The LB bags are made with weather resistant material. Fine and dandy, BUT I don't like the sheen of the fabric. (Besides, it doesn't rain much here in So Cal, so that's not something I need to worry about.) 2. The Namaste bag has more room. 3. The Namaste bag costs about 1/2 of the LB bag, (and right now, I don't need to spend $140 for a bag, when I can spend $69 and use the rest to buy yarn to put into the bag). Logical huh?