This pair of socks, pattern Charade, took me a year to knit. Seriously, I started them on June 9, 2008. Usually socks take me about a month. I guess I've been a little busy.
A little story about these socks. I wanted to knit a pair of socks for my lovely mother-in-law. I let Andy know that I planned to do this, and he seemed to think it was a great idea. He helped me pick out a colorway she would like, and when I showed him this pattern, he agreed she'd probably like it very much.
I started knitting, and soon found that the yarn is quite splitty, and working the PSSOs that create the herringbone rib was such a headache that I thought I'd lose my mind. But I also quickly realized that I loved the colorway, and that the socks were quite handsome, despite all the troubles I was having.
And then I had a baby, two weeks early. So the whole house was in a bit of chaos for a few months, and I didn't get much knitting done.
When I got back into the socks, I was lucky if I got two rounds done at a sitting, but I was determined to get them done and present them to my MIL at Christmas. I kept asking Andy, "Are you sure she'll like them? Do you think she'll think they're too scratchy?" He kept reassuring me that she'd love them. Christmas came and went, and I only had one sock done, so I thought maybe they'd be a Mothers' Day gift. Also, I still wasn't convinced that she'd find them comfortable. I had put it on and worn it, and it felt fine to me, but I'm used to wearing wool.
As the second sock progressed, I started to think I might keep them for myself and knit her a pair from Koigu or some other super-super-soft wool. I mentioned this to Andy, and he hesitated a little, then said, "Well, she doesn't really wear socks, you know."
What?!
So now they are mine.
Gabriel's Baptism sweater. (
Baptism booties (same yarn, 
The man of the hour himself -- Look at all that hair!