Have I told you about my steam iron? That I have a super Bernina Steam Iron with an outboard water reservoir and a heated ironing board that has a built in vacuum to suck the steam jet through so that the fabric is fully saturated and dried at the same time? It's a miracle iron, especially if you're a knitter with some blocking to do. I haven't wet blocked anything but lace since my husband gave this to me for Christmas a few years ago. My gal pals (aka the non-knitting friends -- yes, I have some too, Margene) all looked at me like I had cashed in my Betty Crocker chips when I bragged that my husband had gifted me an iron and I was happy about that. What was next? A mop for our anniversary? Rubber gloves for Valentines, my sweet?
But really, if you're a knitter and have some extra cash for luxury tools, I heartily endorse this. Better yet, ask the partner to give you one for Christmas and be very amused by the expressions on your pals' faces when you tell them what Santa brought.
So the pieces are blocked and as of this morning, the left button band has been knit on. I took to the button box last night and came up with the perfect whimsies.
And since the mindless stockinette project is off the needles, I felt liberated to start a new sock out of this gorgeous skein Linda Whiting sent to me as a hostess present for when she stayed here before the dye workshop a couple of months ago.
I so admire Linda's work, especially with reds, for which she has a knack. The sock is Marietta from Lucy Neatby's Cool Socks Warm Feet, and features a wicked fun scalloped cast-on that, trust me, while fun is not something to try while following your four year old around the playground. It makes you mutter a lot, and muttering on the playground with your head buried in wool is not a widely sanctioned social conduct. Among knitters it's Liturgy, but out there among the Muggles, well . . . Let's just say there were looks.