Hookin' It

The current Damn Doily is flying along.
Last night I finished the knitting portion and started on the crocheted part of the edging.
You may remember from the first Damn Doily, which took so very many attempts to make, that the crochet portion is really murderous.
Combine that itty-bitty hook, with that skinny-skinny thread, then throw in four knitting needles flopping around and getting in your way for good measure...and you have a nightmare waiting to happen.
I was able to get through the first needle's worth of stitches before bedtime.
Hopefully I'll get through the other three tonight, but I'm not going to hold my breath.
Once the stitches are transferred off the knitting needle it won't be so bad. Some single crochet and chain five combination and I'm done.
Then I really need to take myself in hand and start the third one so I can be free.

I Forgot to Mention
As though I haven't talked about Lucy enough in last three or four posts....
Maybe I really am a fan girl.
I had a chance to point out that I was the writer who contacted her back in December for an article for the January issue of Yarn Market News (that business magazine for the fiber industry for which I've been writing freelance articles).
The light bulb totally went on. She said they liked my article and we had a nice chat about her DVDs and technology.
So, see, she doesn't think I'm a totally whack job.

Seashell Socks
As though I don't have enough other projects on the go, and plenty of yarn and projects in queue, I'm obsessing over my new Seashell Celestial Merino.
I thought, before I strain myself designing a pair of feather and fan socks, I should check Ravelry to see what is out there.
Sure enough, lots of patterns.
And you know what?
Not really what I had in mind.
I should probably swatch with my yarn, to be sure, but yeah, they weren't working for me.
Maybe I was thinking of the wrong stitch pattern.

Library to the Rescue!
On the way home, I stopped by the library and picked up a copy of Sensational Knitted Socks. I'm thinking the next time I have some found money I might have to finally invest in copies of Sensational Knitted Socks and More SKS. Mainly for the stitch dictionaries.
I mean, here Charlene has so nicely figured out the stitch count and how to work them in the round, why should I duplicate her effort?
I also got the Vogue Dictionary of Knitting Stitches from 1984.
Oh my gosh, it's so funny. The big 80s hair and the makeup. snicker.
Of course, the stitches are the same ones we use today and people have been using for years.
I found a feather and fan in there, and one called seashells, which could be interesting.
But, almost as important, I found a lace/eyelet stitch called Snowflake lace or something like that. And snowflakes is what I wanted to do with that blue and white Koigu I have.
So that might totally work.
But those are worries for another day, after the damn doilies are done.