Test Knit

       I'm still fighting my way thru the sock I'm test knitting.  It's been 1 week and I finally got the first sock finished.  The directions are well-written and except for the few techniques that are new to me, I've been enjoying the process.  What I don't enjoy is the size US1 circular needles and the navy blue yarn I picked to use.  I can't do anything about the needles but I wish I had chosen a lighter colored yarn.
         I've actually finished the 1st sock twice.  The first time I got the sock worked up to the leg, I dropped a stitch...in pattern...and by the time I got it back on a needle, I had dropped 4sts more and they were 7 rows down.  I tried to work them back up to where they belonged but didn't make it and ended up ripping the needles out of the sock and rewinding the yarn.  The next morning I cast on and started again.  
   That day(Sunday) I did the entire foot, gusset and turned the heel without any problem.  I didn't drop any stitches, lose my place in the pattern or any other problem while I watched Kansas City win a very exciting football game on TV.  Jeff had started a fire in the stove for me and it was so comfortable sitting there next to the stove knitting and watching football. Jeff had put together a pot roast in the slo-cooker and it smelled so good,too.  It was nice to have the woodstove going, my test knit coming along nicely and supper cooking all at the same time!    
   Yesterday I finished the leg and tried to bind off.  I couldn't make the bind off stitches  be as loose and relaxed as they should be so I had to rib out my bind off ...only 6 row...but I had trouble putting all the stitches back on the needle.  Once I got that fixed I looked up 'stretchy bind-off' on Google and watched a video on YouTube.  It showed a very easy way to do one...which I'll try tomorrow in the daylight!  I posted a 'feel sorry for myself' complaint on one of my knitting groups and was told to try all the new techniques with worsted on a US6 or 7 before using the sock yarn and the US1.  That made a lot of sense to me.
   Anyway, I've got 1 week left to finish the 2nd sock and report back to the designer.  I really want to get it done because I need a pair of socks and there's a lot of other things I want to start doing.  I promised Jeff's granddaughters I'd make them animal hats and I've got 1 more to do!  And then there's the shop,  I want to do some hats and maybe a new sweater or two for them, too.  January has gone by faster than I thought it would.  I'm kind of glad we're not planning on reopening until the middle of April this year.  That will give me a couple more weeks to knit!
   (I'll post a photo of the socks when the designer gives permission.)