Lots of Stuff Done

I’ve managed to get several projects finished lately, freeing up knitting bags and tools to start more projects. Two pairs of self-striping socks – one pair from Opal Zirken and one pair from Cervinia Forever, have joined my sock drawer. I promptly started another plain stockinette pair from Plymouth Rockin’ Sox, which is a wool, bamboo and nylon blend. I like it – it is soft, smooth, and knits up well. It’s not very splitty, which I always appreciate. I also have a pair of Flat Feet on the needles – I am putting a small cable up the sides of these, so they aren’t my knit anywhere socks. I have to keep count of my rows when I cable.

Forever Socks

Opal Socks

I finished the sweater vest for my hubby, too – it came out wondfully – just like I had hoped. I used Berocco Ultra Alpaca in a reddish-brown color called spiceberry. Pat picked the color out as one that probably wouldn’t show coffee stains. Smart man. The yarn was delightful to work with,  and I made a v-necked vest with plain stockinette to where I divided for the armholes and seed stitch above that. The ribbing is all 2×2. Pat already wore it once, the day after I finished it, but had to take it off at noon – it was too warm. I was still delighted that he wanted to wear it right away and that he bragged about it and showed it off at the office. That’s a really good way to get me to knit more for him! I was going to knit him another one right away, with a slightly different pattern, like a really wide rib – k4p1 or something like that, in a dark earthy color. But then the eldest son asked for one. He wants a sweater vest with cables running up the sides. Nothing fancy, but with something interesting to knit in it. I refused to knit it in black, so he’s considering grey, and maybe Cascade 220, which will be a better yarn to show off the details in the cabling.

Sweater Vest

 

I have also almost finished a gecko from the Fiber Trends Gotta Get A Gecko pattern. I knitted him in Brown Sheep Lanaloft and Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride. I wanted to compare how the two knitted and then how they felt. The knitting on the first gecko is done – next I need to felt him. I plan to make several in all sorts of fun colors. The first one is varigated yellow and lime green. I also have some pink, so this will be one wild bunch of geckos.

I have the spinning almost done on the yarn for a shawl. I used roving from Alpine Meadows, and I think I’ll have plenty. I still need to finish plying it. I kind of stalled out here, because plying isn’t my favorite thing. I’d rather spin. But then I like to knit with plied yarns, so….I really want to start spinning up some more of my fiber so I need to free up the bobbins and finish plying. Or I could buy more bobbins….

I do have the pattern for the shawl, but I think I want to spin up the next batch of fiber and see if I can get Mom a shawl knitted first – she’s 87 and I’d like for her to be able to enjoy it. She chose a beautiful deep red with sparkly angelina in it from Alpine Meadows. It should be a joy to spin. The shawl pattern is the Spinner’s Lace Shawl by Fiber Trends. It uses a sport weight yarn, which I figured I could get pretty close to in a two-ply. At least with a shawl, it doesn’t matter if the the gauge isn’t perfect!