Vegan Knitting...and then some:

Here's to my first paycheck of 2009! I started working a few weeks ago after a long time off. It's a part-time job, but a job nonetheless. My drink is called the 3 liars and features housemade cucumber gin, lemonade, and a British liquor called Pimm's! So tasty.

So now that I'm working again, I have to get used to bringing my lunch to work. So I got out the old trusty Laptop Lunchbox, and here are the first two days' lunches. I try to pack substantial lunches because I tend to have a big appetite when I'm working with children, and because toddlers often are interested in trying your food. I'm happy to help little ones eat better and more varied food, so I like to have enough to share if they are interested. If not, then I'll eat it as an afternoon snack.

Thermos of basmati rice, frozen veggie blend from Trader Joe's (heated and mixed with rice), soy yogurt with blueberries, cranberry bars, and a clementine.

More basmati rice, black beans with salsa and some cilantro, mixture of onions, corn, and Field Roast chipotle sausage, Cara Cara orange. (Pardon the terrible photo).

I often bring a snack or even breakfast as well since I leave the house at 8 a.m., and I'm happily enjoying my Wrap n Mats that I got from Albion Cooks, and that were just featured on Vegan Lunchbox. Perfect for a sandwich, toast, some crackers, and who knows what else!

Pattern: Leyburn Socks
Yarn: Crystal Palace Yarns' Panda Cotton in "Muir Woods"
Needles: size 1 and size 1.5 Addi Turbo circulars

Modifications: I have a larger foot than the designer, but also ready that other people had trouble with the ankles being too large. So I slowly increased the sole stitches to create a higher instep, starting about halfway along the foot, and ending at the heel, with the same number of stitches the pattern calls for after the "after heel" increases (72). I knit a no-wrap short-row heel and then started the pattern right away. About a third of the way up (as soon as I'd passed the ankle), I moved down to a size 1 needle so that the socks wouldn't be baggy. I used this needle until the last four rows of the ribbing, at which point I switched back to the 1.5s to make getting them on and off easier. I bound off with a k2, k2tog tbl method to make the edge attractive and stretchy.

Notes: I love these socks! The color of the yarn is so lovely, and it goes really well with the lattice pattern, which obscures some of the pooling Panda Cotton colorways can have. They are very comfortable and fit just right. I love doing toe up socks because I have so much control over how tall to make them, and after leaving a bit for any future mending, this is the perfect height for me.

I also am very proud to say that I have now mastered the continental knit! I've practiced it before, since having some great lessons with Speedknitter Miriam, but this was my first big project besides a baby hat, which was knit entirely in Continental. This is a great project for anyone interested in practicing because there are no purl stitches except in the ribbing at the top, but the lattice work breaks up the plain stockinette and is easy to do Continental. I can definitely tell how my gauge firmed up since the second sock is a bit tighter than the first in the leg, but the difference isn't large enough to cause a problem and I'm glad it firmed up. For now, I'm using the Norwegian purl method, which involves keeping the yarn to the back of the work and twisting the needle behind to pick it up, but I will soon do some practice swatches to see what type of purl works best for me. I may find myself using combination knitting when doing flat stockinette since my purl gauge is about the same as my knitting, but I'd love to find a quick Continental method that feels comfortable. I love how much less my hands move.