Concentration.

I don’t like not meeting my goals. I know that it happens, but I don’t like it.

So at the end of May I set aside the other knitting projects I had going and concentrated on the one closest to being finished: the Blood Diamond socks.

Isn’t she such a good helper?

They weren’t finished by the end of May, but very close. I cast off in the car on the way to the aloha-and-farewell party on Sunday.

Little helper action shot!

I still haven’t sewn in the ends, which is why I don’t have FO pictures to show off yet, but the Blood Diamond socks are DONE.

Diamante is a fun pattern, and Deb deserves kudos for the easy to understand instructions. They’re in Knitty; if you haven’t tried it and like doing toe-up socks with a gusset, I highly recommend it.

There have also been several questions about the new yarn I bought for myself. It is KnitPicks Alpaca Cloud in the Peppermint Heather colorway, and I plan to use it for a rectangular lace wrap of some kind. I’m not sure how big a wrap it will make, or what pattern I want to use, but I want it to be something open and loose and airy so that I can (if I finish it in any reasonable amount of time) wear it on summer nights. It would be lovely to walk the Capitola beach wearing that. Yum.

It’s baby alpaca, and soft as anything. I almost bought myself some yarn with silk content for my birthday, but decided to try this instead. I’m glad I did… it’s SO SOFT! (Wait. Said that already.) Suzy likes it too, but she can’t have it. I doubt she’ll take my word for it, though.

She sure didn’t with the socks.