the middle knitter

November's amigurumi-along at weloveamigurumi is Underwater creatures.

Fact: I'm absolutely terrified of jellyfish. I'm from landlocked Colorado, and I've seen too many Animal Planet features on the deadly jellyfish. But this one isn't deadly, unless you mean deadly cute.

It's made out of TLC Amore with plain embroidery floss for the eyes. I heard that embroidery floss isn't ideal, but it's all I had on hand, and it worked out okay. (And yes, I know that jellyfish don't have eyes. I like to think they make her less threatening.)

I know, I know. Three weekends in a row now with nothing but little crocheted animals. Turns out, amigurumi are perfect for a Friday night, because I can finish one before bed and then not have it nagging at me and interfering with my homework the next day. I am working on a pair of socks, though--I've had them going since September, and I just want them finished. Maybe I'll be able to share by the end of the weekend.

I finished the socks I was working on. They're Ravenclaw socks--sort of. Knitpicks Essential comes in a color called "Shoreline Twist", which is a twist of dark blue and brown (which under certain lights could be called chocolate, but is serviceable as a Ravenclaw bronze).

I tried a few experiments with these. I love my handknit socks, but I wanted to see if I could get more cushion in them. I knit the bottom of the heel and the ball of the foot in heel stitch. It's definitely thicker, but I'm not sure if I'd call it more cushioned. I also knit the arch of the foot in ribbing, at the suggestion of someone over on LiveJournal. I have high arches, so the idea is that the ribbing will help the sock hug the arches better. (It'd be nice if I could figure out a way to knit in arch support, but no luck so far.)

If they look inside out, it's because they are. All of the heel stitch is more comfortable that way. I actually wear a lot of my handmade socks inside out--if the sole wasn't knit at a tight enough gauge, the purl bumps bother my feet.

It's good to get those finished--I've been working on them since September. Now my brain is clear to start on my Christmas knitting.

There's a problem with that, though--I also have this big research paper for Daoism I can really no longer ignore. I can't believe we've only got five weeks of class left. PANIC!

It occurs to me that I never updated about how Hermes is doing under his new lights. I'm happy to report that he's thriving!

The photo doesn't convey the vivid purple that new growth is. It's lovely. Room inspections were last week, and the RC came in and said, "Oh, what a pretty flower!" I figure if he can be mistaken for a flower, he's doing okay. I gave her one of the cuttings.

There's a Calvin and Hobbes comic where Calvin talks about how he can make a plant think it's raining by pouring water on it--"I love playing with their brains!" That's pretty much what I do with Hermes. The lights go on when I wake up, and don't get switched off until I go to bed. That means that if I lose sleep, Hermes gets more light. It also means that Hermes is feeling the change from Daylight Savings Time.