How my balls look is a direct indicator of how far along I am in my knitting.  Yes, they are black and blue, but color is irrelevant.

Tracking Progress by Balls

The photo above may not show it very well, but the two yarn balls are starting to go hollow and limp.

This happened recently and I was very happy.  It means that the yarn is getting closer to depletion on the Black & Blue Garter Stole I’m working on!  When the center-pull balls get to the point where they are merely husks of a ball, I’ll know I’m almost finished.

You may think I put way too much thought into this hobby.  And perhaps you’re correct.  But I do take notice of my balls often to see how I’m progressing.

Am I the only knitter or crocheter that uses this kind of visual metric?

Current Knitting

So, clearly what this means is that I’m winding down the Black & Blue Garter Stole project.

When I was halfway through the black yarn, I had 5.5″ knit so far.  Which means I should end up with an 11 inch wide stole.  Assuming the blue yarn holds up until then.  But given the state of my balls, I’m thinking it will end up being a little wider than that.  12 inches maybe?

I also finished the first sock of a pair.  This is the WIP I wasn’t ready to post on Wednesday.

This pair of novelty socks was requested by my sister as a Christmas gift.  I’m designing it as I go.  I’m not planning on writing out the pattern, but if you’d like some of my design number, here’s what I’m doing:

I’m using Patons Classic Wool (worsted weight) in color 00204 or Old Gold. The white yarn is hand spun in natural white color. US 8 needles.

I cast on 36 stitches for the cuff and purled 25 rows (which is folded in half to make a hem).   I actually picked up the cast on stitch of each column and knit it together.  But you could just as easily sew it up afterward.  I increased to 40 sets for the ankle and knit 1×3 rib. I reduced back to 36 sts for the heel foot and toe. The heel and toe are both done with German short rows. I grafted/kitchenered the top of the toe.

The handle is an 11 st tube. It is filled with poly-fill.