FO: Arkin Socks and Willow Socklets

As well as being terribly behind on knitting goals, I'm also woefully behind on blogging. And starting today I hope to catch up. Since it's Friday - or Finished Object Friday as it's known in some circles - I'll start with these two FOs.

Pattern: Arkin Socks by Rachel Coopey

Yarn: Sock Luck by Studio June Yarn in turquoise

Needles: 2.25mm on legs, 2.0 mm on heels and feet

Modifications: none

Comments: My friend asked me to knit some socks for her Mom so these are them. The cables are slightly asymmetrical - which I kinda like - and the lengths go from short to long around the leg - which I also like. Other than the cable details on the leg the pattern is a pretty basic ribbed sock, so the fit is great.

The way the pattern was written, though, I did not like. It was mostly written with one tiny chart for the cables. It would have been so easy to write it all and/or chart it all, but why do half of one and half of the other?


Pattern: Willow Socklets by Tyrneathem

Needles: 1.75 mm

Modifications: knit on 66 sts omitting one pattern repeat

Comments: The finished pair of Arkin socks took just 60 grams of yarn leaving me with enough for some ankle socks! After skimming through the project notes of other Ravelers I determined that the socks would likely be too large as written (both Nancy and her Mom have tiny feet) so I reduced the number of stitches by omitting one pattern repeat and switched down to tiny needles. The finished size looks about perfect.

It's a very simple pattern for a very pretty little pair of summery ankle socks. Once again it's mostly rib with some eyelet lace columns so the fit should be great. I did manage to squeak these out of the leftover 40 grams, but it was close!

Have a great weekend! Nancy and I are headed to the Spring Handmade Market this weekend, so that'll be fun!

FO: Vanellope Latte Socks

Pattern: Vanilla Latte Socks by Virginia Rose-Jeanes

Yarn: Twinkle Cat in "Vanellope Von Schweetz"

Needles Size: US 00 (1.75 mm)

Modifications: Changed heel construction to an afterthought heel to keep the stripes perfect

Comments: You may have noticed the name of this yarn colourway - Vanellope Von Schweetz - it's named for a character in Disney's Wreck-It Ralph! It's a self-striping yarn that knits up to match Vanellope's own socks. So cute!

The yarn also has 5% stellina content so it twinkles. This is my first experience with stellina and it's been pretty positive. I've made quilts from metallic fabrics which look nice but are not very soft. With this yarn, there isn't a huge amount of metallic content so the softness of the merino is relatively unaffected. Sometimes you can feel a kind of tinsel-y feeling on your needles as you're knitting but for the most part, the stellina is almost undetectable. But my goodness does it twinkle! There's no missing that!

For a self-striping yarn I generally prefer a fairly vanilla sock, and this Vanilla Latte pattern was just the ticket. A bit tedious to knit however; miles and miles of broken rib. They're very nice to look at though. When Jane unwrapped them at her birthday supper she exclaimed that these must be the most gorgeous socks I had ever knit! If you've seen Jane's Etsy Store - Christmas is Magical - you'll quickly realize that Jane is a huge fan of glitter and sparkle, so when I saw the yarn I knew who was meant to have these socks.

These socks were actually finished almost two months ago, but Jane often reads my blog, so they've been a secret until now. I also need to send a big thank you to the ladies at Wandering Cat Yarn. As soon as I mentioned on Ravelry that I wanted some natural colour twinkle cat yarn for the afterthought heels and toes, they were all over it. Rhonda had a package in the mail to me within days. How awesome is that?!

Happy Friday everyone! We've got beautiful sunshine and it looks like a gorgeous weekend ahead. I'm hoping to get out on my Paddle Board for sure!

FO Friday: Railside Road Socks

Pattern: Railside Road Socks (pattern link in sidebar)

Yarn: Cascade Heritage Solids Sock Yarn

Needles Size: US 0 (2 mm)

Modifications: The pattern is an original design, but I'm eager to see what others might do with the pattern

Comments: Railside Road Socks were designed for my nephew; he's been a train afficionado from an early age. And while I wanted to create some special socks for him, I also realized they had to be masculine, unfussy and well-fitted for there to be any chance that he'd actually wear them. Typical guy!


An alternate cable cast-on flows invisibly into a ribbed cuff. Paired Lateral Braids create railroad tracks around the leg. The plain stockinette of the lower leg flows into a simple and understated heel. A final Lateral Braid demarcates the transition from an otherwise plain foot to a wedge toe.

This alternate cable cast on is new to me, but it really does create a stretchy and invisible foundation row for a ribbed cuff. It's a little detail, and few would notice the difference if you substituted another cast on, but it's always fun to try something new.

The lateral braids are also known as Vikkel Braids. I first encountered this stitch in Spey Valley socks designed by Nancy Bush. It's very easy to do and creates a neat lateral stitch across your knitting. I especially like the little braid detail across the top of the toe - makes the sock look almost "store-bought" which is high praise from a teenage boy.

The heel is inspired by the heel construction from Mince Pie Mayhem socks by Alice Yu. Increases on each side of the heel create "expansion" areas to accommodate the ankle. The added stitches are decreased out while working the underside of the heel - no picking up of stitches at all. The result, when worked in stockinette, is nearly invisible shaping ... ahh that elusive "store-bought" look again.

I've been told that this heel structure was originally designed by Cat Bordhi as a "Riverbed Heel" although I haven't yet read her book "New Pathways for Sock Knitters" so I may stand to be corrected by those who know better. I recently purchased the book to learn more about her innovative sock construction ideas and am considering making the book the foundation of my next Year of Projects.

A big thank you to Gavin who patiently modelled these socks on the platform of our local train station. It's Friday - Finished Object Friday, so if/when Tami posts, I'll link up with the gang at Tami's Amis and then we can all click through the links to see a parade of amazing finishes!

Finished Object Friday

Pattern: Retro Circles Blanket by Three Beans in a Pod

Yarn: James Brett Marble DK and SRK Northern Sport

Hook Size: E (3.5 mm)

Modifications: After assembling the squares I added a simple shell border

Comments: I made this blanket to used up leftovers of James Brett Marble DK from my stash. The circles are really lovely in the variegated yarn (sorry about the poor photos but it's very overcast and grey out). When I ran out of the Marble DK, I made up the balance with solid green sport weight yarn - those circles are not nearly as lovely. But altogether it's a bright and cheery blanket using stash yarn, so I'm pleased about that.

To join my squares I used the recommended tutorial from Lucy at Attic 24 found here. It's very simple and it looks great on both sides. Nice!


Pattern: Chunky Ripple Blanket from Patons

Yarn: Bouquet Arctic Spun

Hook Size: M/N (9 mm)

Modifications: none

Comments: This yarn was donated to the Community Center. Most of the knitting that goes on there is to make baby things, so this large amount of chunky weight yarn was a challenge. Although there was enough to make a sweater, I couldn't imagine wearing a chunky weight acrylic sweater in these colours. As for the colours, they are the colours I wanted to paint my bedroom when I was eight, but I wouldn't paint a room these colours now. When I saw the ripple pattern, I thought it might be just the thing for a big comfy sofa blanket.

Happy Friday! We have a party tonight to celebrate the beginning of the SUP season, so that'll be fun. And as usual on Friday, I'll be linking up with the gang at Tami's Amis if/when Tami posts.

Finished Object Friday

deceptively simple on the outside

Pattern: Fronkenshteek by Lisa Grossman

Yarn: Twisted by Studio June Yarn, in a "Medium Aqua" colourway

Needle Size: US 1(2.25 mm)

Modifications: The pattern was written for non-superwash wool which would readily felt at steeked seams. Because I was used superwash wool I machine zigzag stitched to reinforce my steeked edges before seaming.

Comments: Although it took me a couple of weeks from start to finish, much of that time was spent waiting for the right moments to do the finishing - good light, no interruptions, patience and courage ... that sort of thing. The actual knitting was mostly plain stockinette knit in the round so that was done very quickly.

Turns out steeking, grafting and semi-grafting aren't that hard with practice. And the sock provides plenty of opportunity for practice. In fact I even had the opportunity to learn how to pick out an incorrectly grafted seam and regraft it! The Yarn Harlot has spoken about "knitting fearlessly" and this pattern really pushes you to do just that.

scarier on the inside

The socks fit are snug across the instep, but otherwise fit beautifully. The heel result is not dissimilar to an after thought heel, and as with that heel construction, I find the heel cup quite shallow. Admittedly I have pointy heels and a high instep so I should have anticipated that I'd need more ease, particularly as I chose to knit the small size for a snug fit for my narrow width feet. The designer advises that higher insteps can be accommodated by knitting a few more increase rounds on the "Ace Bandage" section and I'm pretty sure that would have worked for me. On the other hand, it's possible with all those seams and grafts criss-crossing the top of the instep that the fabric will relax a bit after a wash or two, and a wearing or two.

Truth be told, I didn't have enough yarn to consider much modification. The pattern indicates 350 yards for the smallest size so I figured I could sneak through with my 400 yard skein even after knitting a longer foot. I did sneak through with maybe 5 yards to spare. If I'd have known it would be that close I would have left smaller yarn tails :) But I was blissfully unaware until I got to the very last stages. Phew!

It's Friday ... Finished Object Friday ... and it's been more than a month since I linked up. I can't wait to pop over to Tami's Amis to see what everyone else is showing. I'll link up once she has posted and then see you there!

Finished Object Friday

Pattern: Incredible Custom-Fit Raglan

Yarn: Condons 2 ply Quebec Wool, colour 78 Grey

Needle Size: 4.5mm

Comments: The yarn was bought for $5 at an auction held by the Burlington Handweavers and Spinners Guild. As expected it's not soft enough to be worn against the skin, but it's just fine over a t-shirt or turtleneck. Unfortunately, as soon as my finished sweater hit the water in the sink for blocking, a strong smell of mothballs emerged. After searching the forums on Ravelry for advice I threw my sweater into a series of vinegar baths, followed by baking soda baths and finally Eucalan. The sweater fuzzed up a lot but at least the smell is mostly gone.

The pattern is more of a recipe than a pattern. I used the sizing chart to estimate the raglan depth based on my chest circumference, but the resulting raglan is much too deep. As a result the sleeves at the shoulder were too wide and the chest circumference at the underarm was too baggy. It's not unwearable but I'm going to try again with more yarn from the auction to see if I can improve the fit. And I think I'll try a V-Neck on the next go around ... if the yarn's itchy I'd rather not have the sweater tight to my neck.

It's Friday, so you know the drill. Head on over to Tami's Amis to check out the parade of finished objects! I'm headed there now!

Finished Object Friday

Pattern: Flower Granny Square by Silja Devine
Pattern: Spring Breeze Afghan Square by Priscilla Hewitt

Yarn: Berroco Vintage DK in Elderberry, Petunia and Natural

Hook Size: 3.5mm (E)

Modifications: I added rounds of SC and DC to bring each square to 8".

Comments: Maybe it's the never-ending snow and the winter that just won't quit, but lately I've been of a mind to crochet blanket squares.

The Flower Granny Square is one of my particular favourites, in no small part because it works up exactly as pictured and it makes a nicely flat and even square.

This is my first go with the Spring Breeze afghan square and it's another great pattern. Worked in one colour it's a bit more subtle, but still a really gorgeous square.

My plan is to get these three squares into the post today for a group blanket project. Gavin and I are away on vacation in just a few weeks, so I want to clear up some WIPs before then. Next up will be a pair of socks that have been on needles for a couple of weeks, and a sweater that just needs a sleeve and a half, leaving me with just a Retro Circles Blanket on the go. That looks like the perfect take-along project for airplane knitting!

Happy Friday one and all. We've just climbed above 0° so here's hoping a whole bunch of snow melts today!

Finished Object Friday

Pattern: Looped Loop by Kirsten Johnstone

Yarn: Mad Tosh Pashmina in "Esoteric" colourway

Needle Size: US 8 (5mm)

Modifications: None.

Comments: It's a very simple pattern - well, up until the part where you need to graft the two ends together in a ribbed pattern - but it's the pattern I kept coming back to when I was searching for the perfect knit for a single precious skein of Pashmina. Perhaps it's the simplicity that makes for a perfect accessory?

The skein was one of many presents I was spoiled with at my birthday last year from my sister-n-law and brother. My SIL is a knitter, so she knew just what yarn would make a birthday really special. It's my first experience with Pashmina, and it deserves every nice thing ever said about it. It's a merino, cashmere and silk blend that's gorgeously soft without being fuzzy, with lovely stitch definition and just enough spring for a smooth, even fabric. And I bet it's warm and snuggly without being heavy or bulky! This morning's temperature is -16° so I'll be wearing it out the door to work today.

Knitting as directed by the pattern to 44" long left me with just a few grams leftover. Perfect! With a yarn this gorgeous, I really wanted to use every single inch. Don't you love it when things work up exactly as you'd hoped and planned?!

It's Friday which means there's lots to see over at Tami's Amis for Finished Object Friday. Lots of perfect and gorgeous and lovely and ... so much to see.

Finished Object Friday

Pattern: Sea of Dreams Baby Blanket by Aimee Alexander

Yarn: Bernat Softee Baby in "Little Mouse" colourway

Needle Size: US 3 (3.25mm) and US 4 (3.5mm)

Modifications: None.

Comments: This was my Ravellenic Games project in the Giant Slalom-ghan event. I cast on during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics and bound off Saturday Febraruy 15th.  As near as I can figure I finished 25th in a field of 820 international competitors. Maybe not medal-worthy, but I'm happy with that.

The pressure of competitive knitting was good for me - it was what kept me going through the tiresome middle part of the blanket. That's not meant to be a knock on the pattern; it's just I get bored with long repetitive seemingly endless rows. Blankets are a struggle for me.

The yarn was a but disappointing. It knit up with a fuzziness that I didn't expect based on its appearance when purchased. It's also quite splitty if you've tinked back a row, but for the price it's still a good deal. I've machine washed and dried the blanket and it looks great. I purchased three balls - 1086 yards total - and knit until the yarn ran out. The resulting blanket is 34" x 38" after blocking.
The pattern is really beautiful. I'll definitely knit it again. In fact, I may or may not have ordered this yarn to knit another :)

Pattern: Mr. Dress-Up by Valerie Johnson

Yarn: Top Cat MCN in "Sandalwood" colourway

Needle Size: US 1 (2.25mm)

Modifications: I lengthened the ribbing on the cuffs and ended the final repeat of the leg 9 stitches before the end of round to centre the diamond motif on the instep.

Comments: When Valerie published this free pattern and announced a KAL, I knew I was in. It's been a cold winter here and some non-lacy, non-fussy hand knit socks are just what the doctor ordered. When I bought this yarn I was on the lookout for a simple masculine pattern, and this pattern delivers. It's a quick and easy knit - although there's lots of purling - and the finished sock is very handsome. And if you hurry, there's still more than a week to join the KAL and qualify for prizes :)

Happy Friday everyone! We're having a very windy and rainy Friday here, but you'll get no complaints from me. If the precipitation is falling as rain, it's above zero and that's awesome. For sure there's more snow coming in March, but the mountainous snow piles are melting leaving us with somewhere to shovel the next load of snow. Friday is also Finished Object Friday at Tami's Amis - why not follow me over there to see all the other finishes, and maybe stumble over a medal winner or two?!

FO: Double Thick Socks

Pattern: Double Thick Socks (improvised)

Yarn: Kroy Sock in blue and Zarzuela Fibers MCN Sock Yarn - one strand of each held together

Needle Size: US 5 (3.75mm)

Pattern Notes:

Leg: With two yarns held together, cast on 40 sts and work 12 rds of K2P2 rib. Then work 18 rds in st st, stopping 10 sts before end of final round.

Heel: Work eye of partridge heel across 20 sts for 20 rows ending with WS row, then turn heel...
  Turn row 1 (RS) - sl1, k12, k2tog turn
  Turn row 2 (WS) - sl1, p6, p2tog turn
Continue short rows until all stitches are worked. Pick up 10 sts on each side of heel flap. Work gusset decreases every other round until 40 sts

Foot: Work 24 rds in st st, then work wedge toe. When 12 st remain, graft toe.

Comments: It's the same pattern as I shared a couple of weeks ago on my blog. This is the sixth and last pair of double thick socks I'll be able to complete in time for the January shipment of the Warm Hands Network, and these are my hands-down favourites. The combination of the two blues is really gorgeous in person. I nearly had to wrestle 'em off Linda when she tried them on! I've got a bag of knitted goods that I need to box up and get in the mail today.

It's Finished Object Friday over at Tami's Amis. Why not click through the links to see all the other FOs? You're sure to find more socks. It's -22° C with the windchill, so hand knit socks are exactly what the doctor ordered!

Finished Object Friday: Double Thick Socks

Pattern: Double Thick Socks (improvised)

Yarn: Kroy Sock Stripes in "Krazy Stripes 55801" and Loopy Ewe Solid Series in "Sunshine Yellow" - one strand of each held together

Needle Size: US 5 (3.75mm)

Pattern Notes:

Leg: With two yarns held together, cast on 40 sts and work 12 rds of K2P2 rib. Then work 18 rds in st st, stopping 10 sts before end of final round.

Heel: Work eye of partridge heel across 20 sts for 20 rows ending with WS row, then turn heel...
  Turn row 1 (RS) - sl1, k12, k2tog turn
  Turn row 2 (WS) - sl1, p6, p2tog turn
Continue short rows until all stitches are worked. Pick up 10 sts on each side of heel flap. Work gusset decreases every other round until 40 sts

Foot: Work 24 rds in st st, then work wedge toe. When 12 st remain, graft toe.

Comments: Last week I made a pair of socks with two strands of fingering weight held together using notes from another Raveler. Inspired by them, I improvised my own pattern for a larger size with as much length in the leg as I could manage while using every inch of a 50 gram ball of Kroy Sock Yarn. My resulting socks fit a small adult foot, and they're pretty comfy!

It's Finished Object Friday over at Tami's Amis. Why not click the links and have a look at what else got done last week? On the home front, it looks like both Gavin and I are finally getting over our colds. Feeling is finally returning to Gavin's fingertips after he went down to take photos at the Lake in -35° in fingerless gloves :( And the weather is finally cooperating too. After days of deep freeze, the temperatures are finally climbing back to seasonal norms.

Finished Object Friday: Vorticity Socks

Pattern: Vorticity Socks by Alice Yu

Yarn: Twisted Top Cat by Wandering Cat Yarns in "Tidal"

Needle Size: US 1 (2.25 mm) and US 0 (2mm)

Modifications: Based on project notes from other Ravelers mentioning how large these knit up, I shifted down one needle size for the leg to the bottom of the heel flap and then shifted down another size smaller for the foot. Also, I added some length the heel flaps.

Comments: As I knit the first sock and watched the yarn get eaten up, I knew it was going to be close. And after finishing the first sock, the kitchen scale confirmed - 52 grams for the first sock and 52 grams left for the second sock. By the time I turned the heel of the second sock I was convinced that I was going to be ripping out the toe and the last repeat on the first sock to salvage some yarn. Knitting faster and faster  - because knitting faster uses less yarn, right? - I managed to squeak out that second sock with just a few inches of yarn to spare. It's there on the ground in the picture. Hurray!

This is my first time knitting with Twisted Top Cat. It's an MCN sock yarn but with more twist than their usual MCN base. The extra twist leads to lovely stitch definition and it's also likely to make these socks more hard wearing, but it does take away from the softness of the cashmere. Still gorgeous yarn, though.

The pattern is my favourite so far from all the socks I've knit from Alice Yu's book Socktopus. It looks really complicated, but it's actually pretty easy once you sort out the first repeat with its changing stitch counts from round to round and shifting beginnings of rounds. I finished it yesterday morning - well in time for the Socktopus KAL prize deadline and just in the nick of time for the Wandering Cat Back-to-Socks KAL prize deadline. If I'd had to rip back on sock one, I probably wouldn't have made it in time for the latter.

Happy Friday one and all. It's a wet and windy Friday here, so surf's up on the Lakes! That's where you'll find Gavin today, I'm sure. It's also Finished Object Friday over at Tami's Amis, so make sure to take a few minutes to have a look there!

Finished Object Friday: The Brain

Pattern: Brain Hat by Alana Noritake

Yarn: Briggs & Little Heritage in Sheep's Grey

Needle Size: US 8 (5 mm)

Modifications: The pattern was written for fingering weight yarn, but I've used worsted weight to go with the gloves I already made for Gavin. For the beanie, I cast on 80 sts, work 10 rds K2P2 rib, work 30 rds stockinette, start crown decreases - 10 per round every alternate round - until 30 sts and then every round to 10sts, cut yarn and thread through remaining sts. The finished beanie used 62 grams of yarn and fits perfectly.

For the iCord, the worsted weight yarn is too thick for an Embellish Knit machine, so all of it is hand knit - 14 feet for each brain hemisphere (another 110 grams of yarn). The designer includes instructions about attaching the iCord with a crochet hook and yarn, very painstakingly attaching every single stitch along the length of the iCord. Hmm, no. I positioned it with pins with hat on my styrofoam head, basted with scrap sock yarn and finally sewed it on from the inside of the beanie. All told that part of the finishing took just over three hours.

Comments: Maybe doing this in worsted weight yarn wasn't the best idea - the finished hat is really thick and heavy. So thick, in fact, that the hat retains its shape without support! It's wearable, and it's thick enough to prevent head injury if you were to fall on ice or something. I'm making another Brain hat in Sport yarn to see how that looks and feels. And this time I'm using the Embellish Knit to crank all that iCord!

It's a funny project and it is pretty cool looking, but it looks absolutely ridiculous when worn. At least it does when Gavin wears it. He was kind enough to model the hat for photos when he got home from working a night shift last night, so it's mean of me to make fun. Maybe on a person with long hair framing their face below the hat it might look better? Oh well, I think he'll probably wear it anyway just because it's so odd looking.

Today's Finished Object Friday over at Tami's Amis. Please click through the link (I'll link as soon as Tami posts) to see everyone else's show and tell. Why is it that short weeks with holiday Mondays always seem so long? Phew, the weekend's almost here!

Finished Object Friday: Brother Gnome

Pattern: Jultomtar & Teeny Tomten by Alan Dart

Yarn: SRK Northern Sport and some fun fur

Needle Size: US 2 (2.75 mm)

Modifications: After knitting a first gnome (the blue one in the background) as written - knit flat and seamed - a few weeks ago, I determined to convert as much as possible to knit in the round. In this second gnome (the green one in the foreground), the head and body are knit entirely in the round, as are the hat and nose. For the feet and legs, I knit the feet as tubes in the round and then added an afterthought leg. The arms were knit in the round but the mitten hands were knit flat and seamed. Also, following tips from the project notes of other Ravelers, the beard was knit with Fun Fur held double.

Comments:

Well, that was waaaay easier. Finishing took about a half hour and was easy peasy. This pattern should definitely be knit in the round as much as possible. I still have to add the twirl to the top of his hat, but it's a messy business - twisting and pinning, and spraying with Stiffen Stuff - so I'm gonna wait until I've got a few more gnomes ready and do them all at once.

Holding the Fun Fur double for the beard was painful, and the resulting beard isn't as supple as the original one. Of course, the Fun Fur I'm using isn't the one the pattern calls for - so that might be the difference - but this particular mod wasn't worthwhile for me.

For my feet I increased to 24 sts, but my feet came out pretty chunky. Next time I'll stop increasing at 18sts. Otherwise, the legs worked out perfectly. Also, this time round I used less stuffing at the top of the legs, so they're a bit floppier. He still sits fine, but now his legs straighten out to dangle below him when you pick him up. I think that's better.

The pattern designer makes particular mention that the pattern as written includes additional stitches which will be taken up with mattress stitching. Based on that I expected gnome no2 to finish larger than gnome no1, but not so. The second gnome is actually shorter. Maybe that's because my row gauge is so much tighter when just knitting in the round, compared to knitting and purling back and forth? Weird, huh?

Well that's it for me today. I'll be knitting a few more gnomes over the next few weeks; that is, when I'm not making Christmas soaps, which seems to be my new obsession. It's a sunny autumn Friday - have a great one. And make sure to check out all the other finished awesomeness at Tami's Amis!

Finished Object Friday: Welted Fingerless Gloves

Pattern: Welted Fingerless Gloves by Churchmouse Yarns & Teas

Yarn: Diamond Luxury Collection Baby Silk

Hook Size: US 4 (3.5 mm) and US 6 (4 mm)

Modifications: To avoid curling at the finger opening I worked the second-to-last round through the back loops, then purled the final round before binding off knitwise.

Comments: Many years ago my Mom bought a single skein of two different colours of this yarn - just because it was so soft and luxurious - but since I inherited them I've been at a loss as to what to knit from them.  It's a silk and alpaca blend put up in 50 gram skeins; 145 yards isn't enough yardage for many projects. This pattern seemed the perfect answer. I can make a pair in each colour and possibly a third pair combining the leftovers of both.

The pattern is written in a small size, however that size is flexible enough to fit most hands. Even my gigantic hands fit, although the gloves are quite snug and I'd be tempted to add a few more stitches if they were for me. The pattern also suggests sewing a row of buttons at the outside top of the wrist on the welts to make a pretty little cuff. I don't have any suitable buttons, so I've left them off but I am now on the lookout for ten little pearl buttons to do the job.

It's Finished Object Friday over at Tami's Amis ... why not visit some of the links and enjoy the parade of awesome things that people all over the world have made this week?!

And by the way, I did launder that dark blue baby blanket I showed you a couple of weeks ago. It was knit from Berroco Vintage. After enclosing it in a lingerie bag I machine washed it in warm water and then tumbled dried it on low heat. Although I totally meant to take it out of the dryer while still damp, I forgot and it stayed in for the entire cycle. The blanket emerged looking perfect - no pilling, no felting, no shrinking. If anything it looked better than when it went in as the "blocking" seemed to have evened out the edges a bit. Phew! I'd happily buy that yarn again for baby items!

FO Friday: Craft Show Items

Pattern: Cat Paws Christmas Stocking by Michele Wilcox

Yarn: Loops & Threads Soft & Shiny

Hook Size: US H (5 mm)

Modifications: I stuffed my fish to make him 3D

Comments: When I saw this pattern, I thought this might be a good item for a Christmas Craft Show & Sale, along with the corresponding Dog Paws Christmas Stocking. I couldn't help but notice at the summer outdoor market how many shoppers were accompanied by dogs! And after crocheting up a test sample I still think so, in no small part because of how quick and easy it was. The pattern is extremely well written, with stitch counts everywhere you'd want them. The shaping is well done, the sewing up is easy and the finished project looks exactly like the pattern photo. Not often you can say that!

Although I made my stocking exactly as written, I may replace the big fish with three little fish. I'm not sure though - that big red fish is growing on me.  Let's defer that decision until after a first dog paw stocking is made; it's dog bone decoration is similarly sized.

Pattern: Jerry the Musical Monkey by Rebecca Danger

Yarn: Cascade Heritage Sock

Hook Size: US 1 (2.25 mm)

Modifications: Knit at smaller size using miniaturizing mods courtesy of mostlymunchies. With this yarn and these needles he ended up 5" tall from top of head to bottom of feet. Switched yarn colours in body and mouth to mimic sock monkey colours.

As I was knitting the arms I thought they were too short so I added several rows. Now he has crazy long arms! When will I ever learn to follow directions?!

Comments: Another pattern test for the upcoming Christmas Craft Show & Sale. Considering it was knit and finished in a couple of days without much effort, and considering everyone who sees him, wants him, I think he's a success. It's a pretty good way to use up sock yarn leftovers.

It's the Friday before a long weekend - aren't those the best?! Chances are work will be very quiet today. I might even be able to get a good start on that dog paw stocking! What are you up to? I hope you'll join me over at Tami's Amis to see more finished objects!

FO Friday: Surprise Baby Blanket

Pattern: Surprise by Cinzia New York

Yarn: Berroco Vintage DK

Needle Size: US 8 (5 mm)

Modifications: I used a fairly lightweight yarn on biggish needles for a very drapey blanket... almost a wrap, really. I added three repeats to the width and then knit the chart 48 times until the yarn was gone. Another game of Yarn Chicken won: less than 2 yards left.

Comments: At the beginning of June I purchased a half dozen skeins of Berroco Vintage DK with the idea of working a border on some crocheted hexagons to finish one blanket and to make a second blanket with the leftovers of that border colour. That worked out better than I could have hoped. This second blanket has worked up at 36" x 48" - a really nice, generously sized blanket.

The pattern is very simple - mock cable and traveling eyelets. It works up very quickly and yields a very beautiful result. I started and finished mine in about two and half weeks. I'd definitely consider this pattern again for another baby blanket. Typically I can knit the first half of a baby blanket enthusiastically but then entirely run out of steam for the second half. This blanket was on and off the needles before I even had a chance to get tired of it. Perfect!

The yarn is labelled as "Machine wash and lay flat to dry". This weekend I'm going to try laundering it according to those directions to make sure it's durable enough for everyday use. Well actually I also intend to tumble dry on low until it's just damp! I picked up a delicates bag for in the washer/dryer with the hope that separating it that way will keep it from pilling during the agitation. If necessary, I'll gift a delicates bag along with the blanket. My feeling is that I'd rather know how well it launders before I give it away. I'd hate to hand it over to a new Mom only to find out it was wrecked at the first washing. We'd both feel badly about that.

The Berroco Vintage is a really lovely yarn to work with. It's blissfully soft, not too splitty and comes in a gorgeous range of colours. If the laundering experiment works out, I'll definitely buy more for children's items like this. Fingers crossed!

Happy Friday everyone. And you know the drill - go check out all the great things on this Finished Object Friday over at Tami's Amis!

Finished Object Friday

Pattern: Shark Week by Lisa Grossman (Tsarina of Tsocks), size Large

Yarn: Cascade Heritage in Snow and Grey Colourways
The flesh colour was created by tea-dyeing 80 yds of Snow

Needle Size: US 0 (2 mm)

Modifications: I went down a needle size because my yarn was quite thin, so I knit the large size and came out about a woman's size 7. After including the optional nostrils on sock one,  omitted them on the second sock as they made the snout flimsier without really adding any impact. Also, I chose to add the gills with embroidery after finishing the socks rather than working them inline with lateral stitches. Similarly I added the nail polish to the victims foot on the completed sock with duplicate stitching rather than working it inline with festive intarsia. The teeth as written are to be worked as twisted-point picot bind offs, but I struck out on trying to find instructions for that, so I worked them as plain old picot bind-offs. My sock two came out longer than sock one - presumably I mis-measured the shark's body - so I ripped back and shortened the victim foot area.

Comments: When the pattern came out, it pretty quickly went viral on FB, Twitter and Pinterest. A surfer from the local surf shop posted them on my wall with the comment "You gotta knit these!". I didn't really consider it at first - the pattern was exclusive to sock club members so there was no chance. But then came Hurricane Sandy. As it turns out, designer Lisa Grossman was in the path of the hurricane and decided to offer the Shark Week pattern for a limited time to raise funds for Hurricane Relief. That's a really cool pattern and a really great cause, so yup, count me in!

Hands down, this is the hardest sock pattern I've ever attempted. The socks use quite a range of techniques - a provisional cast on, a turkish cast on, shadow-wrapped short row shaping, and so on. And take my word for it, you'd better be proficient at reading your knitting and ripping out as well! It's a brilliant pattern - really, I think Lisa Grossman must be one of the awesomest, crazy skilled knitters ever - but it's a big challenge for a knitter like me. Sock one is knitted toe up and sock two is knitted cuff down. What really makes it confusing is the sock is almost entirely knit inside out so that the bumpy purl side of the sharkskin pattern forms the right side, and at any given time you are juggling several instructions at once - increasing or decreasing while keeping the pattern aligned, short row shaping, working fin bases ... YIKES!

Here's some perspective: the designer sold the pattern for $40 in November 2012 as a fundraiser for Hurricane Sandy relief and raised over $23,000. That means that at least 575 knitters purchased the pattern in addition to those who got the pattern as members of the designer's sock club. If you look on Ravelry there are only eight finished projects for this pattern ... and two of them are knit by the same person so I'm only the SEVENTH person in the whole world to finish them even though the pattern's been out for 8-9 months. This first pair took me three months from start to finish, although through much of that time the socks sat in time-out because I was frustrated or because I just couldn't give them my full, undivided attention.

But now this first pair is done and I couldn't be happier with them! They are actually well-fitting, comfortable, very wearable socks. Sorry about the grainy photos - my friend modelled them in a rather dark pub and I took the photos with my phone :) I've promised a second pair to a friend who is a school teacher and an avid scuba diver and after that I'm not sure. There's a long line of folks who've let me know they'd like a pair ...

It's Friday, the start of a long weekend here in Ontario, so you know the drill! Hurry over to Tami's Amis to see what everyone else is sharing on this Finished Object Friday!

Finished Object Friday

Pattern: Tea Cosy by Yasmin

Yarn: Loops & Threads Soft and Shiny

Needle Size: US 7 (4.5 mm)

Modifications: I made a pompom in place of the crocheted decorative topper.

Comments: In fact I don't own a teapot; the tea cosy was made at Linda's request. For the Finished Object Photo I tried the cosy on a teapot in the kitchenwares department of my local Home Outfitters. Fortunately the staff were too busy discounting summer sale items to pay me any attention.

The pattern called for Caron Simply Soft, but I didn't like the selection of colours available at Michaels. Linda mentioned that her kitchen was burgundy and black and her teapot was white, so I thought some light neutrals would be best. Cream and butter colours in the store brand, Loops & Threads Soft and Shiny, were my final choice. Knitting the yarn was unpleasant - it's splitty and it's constantly shedding fluff. I won't buy that again.

To create the cosy, columns of two different colours are knit into pleats with short floats. It's a really good insulator, I'd imagine, but it wasn't very fun to knit. It's counterintuitive to be constantly snugging up those floats. Add to that the fact that my fingers wanted to knit stockinette rather than garter stitch, and it felt like I was fighting myself through the entire knit. Thank goodness it's done!

That's my FO for this finished object Friday. See you at Tami's Amis where there's lots to see in all the links from other crafters!

Finished Object Friday

Pattern: Totally Vanilla by Alice Yu

Yarn: Cricket Cove Handpainted Fingering in "Rainbow" colourway

Needle Size: US 0 (2 mm)

Modifications: None.

Comments: This sock pattern takes the knitter through the steps of knitting a sock for perfect fit. Believe it or not, I did knit a gauge swatch for them! Following directions and based on the math I was walked through I cast on 64 sts - much less than my usual 68-72 sts on size 0 needles. The fit is really good, although I don't think I'd risk anything but handwash and lay flat to dry with these. Still it's been a good exercise for me. Seems I'll be making my socks a bit narrower from this day forward.

The yarn is a rustic, slubby heavy fingering or light sport weight wool from Cricket Cove. Recalling my conversation with the shop owner in Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick, I think the base is from Briggs and Little. The colourway has pooled throughout these socks, but after several false starts with this yarn and other patterns, I expected it. I'm just grateful that the pools of yellow/orange aren't exclusively on one side of the sock or the other. There's also nothing very matchy about this pair. Life's been so busy and my brain is so full that I just haven't had the energy to fight with the yarn. And as it turns out, the yarn did just fine without my interference.

That's it from me on this finished object Friday. I'm linking up with Tami's Amis again today, and as soon as I hit "Publish" I'm headed there to read through the links. There's a mystery amigurumi CAL wrapping up today and I can't wait to see what animal is revealed:)