Kilt Hose!

I have been working on the first two kilt hose orders for a little over two weeks now. The first pair, a cable pattern in forest heather are coming along fairly nicely. The first sock is about 11 inches long from the top of the cuff. I have a few more inches to go before I turn the heel and do the foot. I'm nearly done with the calf decreases.

The back

The front

The other pair are argyll hose for a Highland dancer. They're coming along very quickly. They're smaller than the green ones because they're for a girl, not a grown man. Also, I think watching the colors change makes me want to keep going on them, rather than working on the other ones. (I keep saying "they," as though I'm working both socks of the pair simultaneously. I'm not. I'm working on one argyll sock and one green sock.) The argyll sock is about 15 inches from the top of the cuff. This is an interesting one, as it's worked flat, then seamed down the back. The green socks are worked as a tube. I'm at the point on the argyll where I need to hole the heel stitches and finish the argyll pattern on the top of the foot. When that is done, I will seam the back of the sock, then work the heel and the bottom of the foot back and forth until it's as long as the top, then join it in the round to finish out the toe. This keeps the seam from going around the bottom of the foot. That wouldn't feel very good to walk on, much less dance on. I must say, I'm quite proud of the argyll sock. It's unlike anything I've ever made before.

Spokane Highland Games

This weekend Michael and I were at the Spokane Highland Games, which is held annually at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center. I was there as a vendor, enticing people with custom knitwear, particularly kilt hose. We went on Friday evening to set up our table and tent and stayed for the potluck that evening. We had dinner with the people whose tent was next to us promoting the Kilted 18 golf tournament they have in Post Falls in September. Another couple, Jim and Karen, who were there from Portland also ate with us. They gave us a lot of tips on other games we might consider going to, and said that we would do well. In fact, Jim was the first person to place an order with me. The person who was the vendor contact for the games also placed an order for argyll kilt hose for her daughter, who is a Highland dancer. I got a couple other orders from other Highland dancers as well. I was invited to another Highland Games in eastern Oregon, but it's the same weekend as my audition for the Mid-Columbia Symphony. I passed out quite a few cards and hopefully generated some more interest. For now, I've placed an order for yarn for the first few sets of hose. Michael was hard at work yesterday making www.jessicascustomknits.com a much better site. Meanwhile, I started another pair of socks for me.

I started them on Saturday while we were at the Games. It's a pretty quick knitting pattern. I just started it Saturday and haven't worked on it tons, but I've already got over 5 inches done. At this rate, I just might get the pair finished before the other yarn gets here.