Gauge issue

I'm halfway through toe decreases on the bottom sock. Notice a slight size difference?



I knit the first sock mostly while surfing the Internet. I knit the second mostly while watching spy thrillers.

If I finished the toe up, they'd be over an inch different in length; they are also different in circumference, so much so that the second sock hurts my foot. Oopies. I think the ankle and heel are okay (at least, I'm going to pretend they are even if they aren't), so I'm going to rip back to the start of the foot and try again. But not right this second.

I've also been trying to finally finish this lovely little scarf, the classic "My so-called scarf":

Gorgeous, isn't it? But it turns out that knitting it is really hard on the hands. I don't know why exactly, but my hand completely cramps up when I'm knitting the purl rows, right between the knuckles at the base of my third and ring fingers. So I'm taking this one a little slower so I don't mess up my ability to knit entirely.

There's also miles and miles of brown stockinette, but there's no point showing you that!

I'm still ill, and this past weekend was worse than it has been, but I managed to get more done despite that than I'd feared: spent a good solid eight hours on the research paper I'm writing with my friend Louise, worked on the taxes a bit, worked on Grasslimb a bit, did a bit of knitting and read some more of Bleak House. But I missed two parties :-( On balance, though, it could be worse. I hate weekends when I don't get anything done.