Aug
We’ve reached the final section of the Never Never Socks knit along, and I hope you’ve all had as much fun as I did with them! This week we’ll finish them up with one more stacked increase/decrease section and the toe. This project concludes the L&L summer book club KALs, but the club isn’t going anywhere. We’ll be back next Friday with another book, and I’ll show off some of the other projects I’ve been working on. If you’ve been knitting the Never Never Socks along with me, make sure to tag me (@Doctor_Llama) on Instagram so I can revel in the glow of your beautiful socks!
This week I’ve been reading…
Skin Game by Jim Butcher
Before Jac and I gave up on Supernatural (sometime around season 12, I think), we used to know a really juicy episode was coming when the “previously on” at the top of the show had clips from episodes that had aired several seasons ago. That’s how you should feel going into this book. Even Harry notes that it’s a “blast from the past” when Anna Valmont comes back into his life. This book features characters that haven’t been seen since several books ago, and uses them really well. I do wish that we could have had some resolution with Nicodemus, but I think he’s a villain that will be tormenting Harry until the final chapters of the final book.
Skin Game is pretty good across the board, but there are two aspects of it that put it a head and shoulders above the rest. First of all, Can. We. Talk. About. SIR. BUTTERS?!
I mentioned in a previous book that he is “Nevilling.” Basically, he’s a small, nerdy side character that grows up to be a total bad-ass. It’s now. It’s right now. Waldo freaking Butters is now officially a Knight of the Cross, and it’s AWESOME. I love that despite not having a natural ability to use magic, he has learned from Bob The Skull how to apply it in non spell-casting ways, and he’s able to hold his own against all kinds of monsters. I heart you, Waldo Butters.
Second, is the spectacular con that Harry pulled on everyone involved. Including the readers! I’m actually not going to spoil the twist ending on this one, since we are now caught up to the last book before the new one that just came out, and also because the twist is GOOD. All I’ll say is that if you’re anything like me, you’ll turn around and read Skin Game again, as soon as you finish the first read, just to see all the conversations you missed before you knew who was who.
Currently on my needles…
Never Never Socks Part 5
I don’t know about you, but the last five weeks have flown by for me. If you missed the first four sections of the Never Never Socks, you can catch up on them here:
This is the last of my summer book club knit along projects, but don’t worry, your cravings for KALs will not be denied! The first annual Geek-A-Long sweater has kicked off and clue 1 is available now. Clue 2 comes out this Sunday.
Instep, Part 2:
1: *K3. [KyoK, Sl2B]x3. KyoK, K3. Repeat from * around. Here you have worked 9 sts into what was previously 1 st. The final KyoK does not include a Sl2B, and on the K3 that completes the increased sts is knitting across the 3 sts that you had slipped back as you worked, working down the side of the stack of increases just created and ending the repeat just before the stitch that was originally next to the st you began your increases on.
R2: K all sts. Take your time on this round so that you do not accidentally drop the increased sts. I find it helpful to count as I work. I count 3 knit sts, then I count off 9 sts as I work across the increase, making sure that those 9 sts are 3 knits, then 3 across the KyoK at the top of the stack, then 3 sts down the other side (3+3+3=9).
Break color A; Join color B.
R3-4: With color B: K all sts around to the last 4 sts. Slip these 4 sts, remove BoR, and slip the 4 sts back onto your left needle. Place BoR (the last 4 sts of the prior round are now the first 4 sts of the current round). K 1 round more.
R5: K4. [K3tog, Sl2B]x3, K3tog. *K6. [K3tog, Sl2B]x3. K3tog. Repeat from * to last 2 sts. K2 52(60, 68, 76, 84) sts.
R6-10: K all sts for 4 rounds, or sock is 2” less than desired length.
TOE
Proceed with Color B, but change to smaller needles.
a. K 26(30, 34, 38) sts. Place marker. K to end.
b. K all sts for 2 rounds.
c. K1, K2tog, K to 3 sts before M, SSK, K1, slip M, K1, K2tog. K to 3 sts before end, SSK, K1.
Repeat b-c 8 times more. 20(28, 36, 44) sts. Close toe by grafting the top ½ to the bottom ½ using Kitchener stitch.
~Megan-Anne
“One does not simply walk into Mordor. Except that’s what everyone in the story does anyway.“― Jim Butcher, Skin Game
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