Knee Socks!

I started a new pair of socks yesterday! These will be my first pair of hand knit knee socks.

These are the Norwegian Stockings in Nancy Bush's Folk Socks: The History & Techniques of Handknitted Footwear. You can see some fabulous finished stockings here  and here.  I'm using some fun yarn from Socks that Rock that I got at the Michigan Fiber Festival five years ago. I love the way they are turning out but I think I'll start over and do the ribbing on smaller needles. I tried them on and the ribbing is looser than the colorwork on the leg. Also, It was hard to keep the floats loose enough on the first two rows of the star pattern. The ribbing pattern tends to pull the stitches closer together and make the floats tighter. The long floats at the bottom of the stars are just right. When I reknit I'll pay attention on those rows and try to get it looser.

I know I said I wouldn't start any new projects until the UFO piles were gone but let's just say that I meant I wouldn't start new SEWING projects. A girls gotta have some handwork handy. I mean, really, I can't sew at the sewing machine while watching a movie with the family. Well, I could but it wouldn't go over well with the rest of the family. I also can't do machine work in the car. So, since I finished my latest socks  (pictures coming later) and also finished the applique on this UFO, which has now moved into the sewing UFO pile, I thought it would be OK to start these which have been on my to do list for years. Also, it is using up stash yarn. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I am also stalled trying to decide about the quilting on the stars of my strippy quilt.

 

Once I decide how to quilt these strips I can proceed and get this quilt finished.

Any suggestions?