In my slow-knitting fashion, I’ve spent a great many hours with yarn and needles in my hands over the last month. I brought three projects with me to Budapest:

• The Georgiana Shawl, which I worked on through most of the plane ride home, and yet does not appear to have measurably grown
• A bag of organic cotton yarns, which I’m working up into baby washcloths (and love so much that I’m seriously considering the addition of a cotton afghan to my project queue)
• The Hermione Socks, which I toted around with me everywhere and still adore

The socks show the only progress worth photographing; I turned the heel while staying with Anna’s family in Balatonalmádi — and worked the short rows three times after screwing up the increases.

Working this pattern with the sizing rules for the Sock Pattern to End All… isn’t as difficult as I anticipated. I have four fewer stitches than the Hermione pattern calls for, two from the back and two from the front. That does mean that the cross hatch pattern, which has a four-stitch repeat, is short two stitches — but it doesn’t look at all odd, given the way that the garter-edged heel comes down from the ankles to frame the top of the foot.

I’m also particularly pleased with the way I closed the gaps at the ankle. I’m sure someone else has already come up with this, but being that I did so entirely on my own, I’m proud of myself. When picking up stitches from the gusset, I added one extra stitch at the triangular corner of the gusset. Then, on the next round, I added a “make one right” on the left gusset (and a “make one left” on the right gusset), to add an extra bit of volume in that area. On the next round, when decreases started, I followed the pattern until I reached those three stitches, at which point I slipped the first as if to knit, knit the next two together (SSK for the right gusset), and then passed the slipped stitch over. The resulting join is tight as a drum!

Now just to continue with the foot for another four inches until the toe starts…

That will have to wait until my next vacation on August 17, though. Between now and then, I am 100% committed to finishing the Doctor Who Scarf. To the point that I’m carrying the bloody thing around with me!

As of 8:00 this morning, I’m 161 rows (10,626 stitches) from the bind-off — which means that I should be able to get the entire thing done, including the tassels, by August 15. Unless I run out of yarn, in which case there will be no end to my crabbiness.

Wish me luck and a few extra yards, please!

If you’re looking for more yarn-crafting joy, head on over to Tami’s Ami’s for the knitting link party.