BklnQ

And here, fresh, in old lady pink, is the ultimate (for me) in holiday knitting:

I should have put something in there for scale. That’s about 5″ wide at the ankle. Perfect for the gout-ridden holiday reveler…who likes antique white and dusky rose.

This is, of course, done from scratch. The ribbing effect, which shows up much better on camera, is a k-b2, k3 stitch done in the round. It’s a neat effect, if not particularly easy in cotton. Otherwise, it’s just an overgrown sock.

This finishes the xmas knitting (sorry no pictures yet on the rest of it). From here on out everything’s gravy.
Have I mentioned yet how much I hate holiday shopping? Have I mentioned I loathe shopping in general? And other people shopping? And European tourists who come to Broadway in Soho to shop in stores that could be found in most malls in any midsize American town (and manage to clot themselves on the sidewalk at the slightest distraction)?

How about thinking of the perfect gift only to find no one sells those any more? In New York City, you’d think you could find anything. Don’t bet on it. I’m sure it’s there, but where?
In my Soho shopping, I finally found Purl. It’s a tiny, tiny shop, but, boy, it’s got some beautiful yarn. Let’s just say that Saturday during the shopping season is probably more challenging than I would prefer. I bought anyway.

Are “helpless” knitters obligatory in every yarn shop? Practically everytime I’ve been in a yarn store (when I wasn’t the only one in the store (which I prefer)) there’s one person who needs a staffer’s full-time attention and isn’t satisfied with anything offered or suggested. Get a life.

I saw two craft tables in Soho, a block apart, where at each a woman was crocheting (ugly) hats as she was attempting to sell them. The gimmick seems to work. Ugly crocheted and knitted scarfs and hats are all over the place in NYC. The horrors I’ve seen in boutique windows I haven’t the words for. I should have checked out how much the hats were going for.