Part of a Tin Man Sock

I haven't been much of a knitter lately.  I think I went nearly a week without knitting a stitch.  But, when I did have some knitting ambition and some new kits at the beginning of the month, I got started on the first of the Tin Man socks:

And the lack of knitting ambition certainly isn't because I don't like these, because I think they're awesome!  There's delicious Cashmere in the yarn, so while they have something of a Steampunk vibe to them they're going to be wonderfully cushy.

The muted colors of rusty tin also blend beautifully with no real striping or pooling in sight.

So I wanted to show the progress here because I love how it's knitting up, but there likely still won't be much knitting progress on these for a bit yet.  What little knitting time I've made recently has been devoted to adding the lining to my Fiddlehead mittens.  Mitten weather will be coming to an end before long and I really want to get to wear them at least once this season, if possible.  I did start the lining of the second mitten last night, so there's still a chance!

Woolgirl Oz Sock Club - Oz

It's time to share my final Oz Sock Club kit - featuring Oz himself.  Although Woolgirl started an additional year of the club for 2011, I'm afraid I've had my fill of Oz and opted out, so this is the end of the yellow brick road for me.

************ Spoilers from this point on! ************

The kit contents:

I'm not sure if it was due to post-holiday timing, but this particular kit didn't make much of an impression on me.  The project bag is great -- it's large enough to easily hold a large skein project and then some, and the box style with a zipper always seems nice and secure.  Then there was actually very little other swag included -- a small post-it note pad, a couple of magnets, an oddly shaped Wizard of Oz tin, and a keychain with a stack of large beads that didn't make it into the picture. 

The pattern didn't jump out at me, either, but I have learned that some of the included patterns aren't represented very well in the pattern photos.  This particular one is rather hard to see since it's obscured by the busy color changes in the yarn.

Now the yarn:

is a lovely squishy Superwash Merino Sock Yarn by Pigeonroof Studios.  I'm not sure about how it looks knit up in the pattern photos, but I'm always game to try knitting with a nice new yarn!

Of course I'm still running a bit behind.  I did finish my Lollipop socks and I have the first of the Tin Man socks on the needles, but I haven't made a lot of knitting time lately and progress is slow.  For the moment, I'm determined to try to wrap up some lingering projects from 2010 before I cast on something new, so it might be quite a few months before I manage to wrap up the majority of the Oz club socks.  Then there's the attempt to knit down some stash...

Woolgirl Oz Sock Club - Tin Man

Yep, I fell apart a bit.  I've been distracted by all of the usual holiday tasks and consequently have had a lot less knitting time.  I've fallen behind on photos and such, too, but I finally have some to share of my penultimate Oz Sock Club kit - featuring Tin Man!

************ Spoilers from this point on! ************

The kit contents:

This is definitely one of my favorite kits!  The project bag is large with drawstrings to close it.  The heart-shaped tape measure is attached to a long cord, presumably for wearing around your neck if you choose.  The decorated red heart tin came with some little Hershey's kisses inside, and the little metal notebook holder has a spring-loaded cover that's held shut by the matching metal pen.  All very useful swag!

The pattern made me want to cast on immediately!

It doesn't look complicated, but it looks interesting with the different textures and matches so well with the yarn.

And the yarn:

Macaron MCN by Wool Candy!  The MCN is for Merino, Cashmere, and Nylon and it feels wonderful.  I love the muted colors and I have a feeling these will be another pair of socks that get a lot of wear.

But I restrained myself.  I haven't finished my Lollipop socks yet; in fact I haven't even worked on them in weeks since I'm trying to wrap up some Christmas gift knitting.  So the Tin Man socks aren't anywhere near the needles yet, but I might get to start them sometime around the New Year.

Lollipop Socks in Progress

My Scarecrow socks took cuts in line and jumped on the needles first, even though the Lollipop Guild kit arrived first.  But the scarecrow yarn was such a perfect combination of Fall colors that it begged to be knitted right away.  The Lollipop Guild yarn was delightfully bright in the skein, but I was a little worried by the splotchy socks in the photos for the accompanying pattern so it was easy to put them aside for a bit.

I was afraid that the Lollipop socks might not find their way onto the needles for several months or more, but here they are.

Of course, this is the time of year where things get hectic and I have a hard time keeping up with photos, so I'm actually a lot farther along with these now.  And they're really long!  Either I've been consistently misreading some part of the pattern or these would be nearly knee socks.  They don't look like knee socks in the pattern photo and it doesn't seem like a large skein, so there must be some fault on my part. 

The leg was pretty long for me after just one repeat of the 77 pattern rows, but the pattern suggested repeating rows 30-77 again before the heel.  Needless to say, I didn't repeat.  And since it's only 370 yards of fingering weight yarn I'm a little concerned that I might run low on yarn as it is.  So when I reached the start of toe decreases on the first sock last night I set it aside.  I'd like to at least weigh the existing sock and remaining yarn to try to make sure I don't need to switch in some contrasting toes.

In the meantime, my Mr. Wonderful pointed out that these look sort of like a lit Christmas tree -- they have a lot of green with dots of all the usual colors from the strings of lights -- so these have become my Christmas Lollipop socks.  They've been knitting up faster than I would have thought, so if I don't get pulled into too many last-minute gift knits they should even be done in time.  We'll see.

Finished Scarecrow Socks

I didn't quite make the October goal, but I did finish my Scarecrow socks on November 1st so it was close.

Pattern: 'If I Only Had a Brain' Socks by KellyK
Yarn: The Alpaca Yarn Co. Paca-Peds HT - Scarecrow: If I Only Had a Brain
Needles: US 1½ - 2.5 mm
Completed: November 1, 2010

I really fell in love with the colors in these.  They're just so perfect for Fall and they spiraled so nicely.  Even the pooling on the feet after the gussets charmed me.

I did stop working on the first sock before the toe just to make sure I'd have enough contrasting yarn for both socks, and while I didn't have a lot left over I did have plenty for the pair.  And the few modifications I made (detailed on my Ravelry project page) were just to snug up the foot.

Now they're washed and ready to wear.  They're destined to be worn for Thanksgiving this year, although they might jump on my feet a few times before then, too.  I don't think I really want to wait 2 weeks to wear them.

Scarecrow Socks In Progress

My socks from the Scarecrow kit aren't flying off the needles, but the first one is coming along.

I love how the perfect Fall colors spiral around the leg.

Of course, working the heel stopped the spiraling for a bit and introduced some pooling even though I used the contrasting color for the heel flap and turn and switched back to the main color for the gussets.  Obviously that means I'm farther along on sock #1 than the photos suggest.  I'm actually nearing the toe, and since there's just a little over a week left in October it also means I need to get moving if I want to finish these off for Socktoberfest! Where on Earth did the month of October go!?!

Woolgirl Oz Sock Club - Scarecrow (Halloween)

There are fewer daylight hours and a lot of distractions, but no real excuses for the silence.  I'm still knitting and, since the end of the year is quickly approaching to mark the end of my Oz Club subscription from Woolgirl, the kits are arriving even more quickly now.  The Scarecrow kit landed on my doorstep just a couple of days ago.

************ Spoilers from this point on! ************

The kit contents:

There's a cute little pair of overalls that were stuffed with crinkly paper (like straw) and edible treats, a decorative scarecrow, a large spiral-bound journal, and a Scarecrow bookmark and gift tag.  The quippy extras included a Scarecrow button that says "I'm Tinking" and a pen featuring the Scarecrow that reads "Did the Wizard Ever Get Back To You About That Brain?".  I don't have a lot of use for the button, but I really like the pen.

The project bag is a dark, Halloween-style fabric with the Wizard of Oz characters.  It's big enough to hold a sock project and I really like that it zips shut to keep everything neatly contained.

The Paca-Peds yarn is perfect for fall; I love the colors!  This time it's a yarn that I already have in my stash (obviously in a different color), but haven't had a chance to work with yet.  I was (and still am) drawn in by the fact that there's a contrasting heel/toe mini-skein included.

Poppies: The End

I finally finished my Poppy Fields Socks just before the Lollipop Guild kit arrived last week.

I don't have any desire to disparage the pattern or the designer, so I'll point out that the things that bothered me about the pattern might not bother other people.  But I also know from previous comments that people are curious why these were not my favorites, so this is a rundown of some things that made it a pattern that didn't work well for me:

1. I don't want to harp on this (and I know I've mentioned it before), but I don't like it when patterns give size(s) based on foot length/shoe size with no measured circumference.  I know that even a measured circumference is somewhat subjective (stretched, etc.), but it gives me a much better idea than foot length.
   
   
2. Because of the size issue and the needle size recommendation for the pattern I had a hard time sizing these.  Using the recommended US 0 needles with sport weight yarn seemed off to me, but I thought maybe it was for a particularly tight gauge, so I balanced it out by starting with the large size.  After knitting the toe and starting the foot I found that I had more stitches to the inch than the recommended gauge and the sock was going to be loose on me.  When I ripped it out and started over with US 1½ (2.5 mm) my gauge matched and the sock fit snugly on my foot... until the heel.  The finished short row heel was like a little cap for the bottom of my heel and there was no way that I was ever going to get my foot into the finished sock.  Since I had gauge and it seemed to fit well enough otherwise I didn't have any confidence that ripping it all out and starting over with the large size again was going to give me anything but a loose sock with a better heel, so I manufactured my own heel based on Yarnissima's brainless sock pattern.  Then I could finally get the sock on my heel, too.
   
   

Woolgirl Oz Sock Club - Lollipop Guild

I wasn't sure I could finish my previous kit socks (Poppies!) before this Woolgirl Oz Club kit arrived, but a dedicated push got them off the needles just before the new kit found its way to my doorstep.

************ Spoilers from this point on! ************

The kit contents:

There's a lollipop and a lollipop lip gloss in there, another little scrabble piece painted and attached to a necklace-length chain, and a larger drawstring bag with handles.  I have to admit that my eye is immediately drawn to the large Certificate of Death on the fabric, which feels a little morbid, but it's nice to have such a large bag with the drawstring to keep it closed.

And then there's the bright and highly variegated yarn, appropriately from Sunshine Yarns!
Pro: Most of the club kits, while certainly not boring, have been more limited to a specific color or color family:

So a bright rainbow yarn jumped right out in a very happy way.
Con: Then I saw the pattern photo.  It looks splotchy or sort of tie-dyed once knit up.  I'm afraid it might be one of those yarns that I love in the skein that I don't love as much as a finished knit.  But I'll try not to worry about that until I've already knit a good chunk of a sock to find out.  It's hard not to love it in the skein!

WiP Determination

Although I mostly like the finished appearance, my Poppy Field socks have not been a project I enjoyed knitting.  I've struggled with them and even considered abandoning the pattern after the first sock.  Even though I started them in early August, I've put them in time out several times and they've been lingering on the needles.  But, late last week I finally finished sock 1:

The poppy itself was fun to work

And since the next kit in the series is due to arrive any day now, I pushed myself to immediately cast on sock 2.  Admittedly, sock 2 has gone much faster since I didn't have to experiment with size and gauge and different heel styles.  I still made mistakes that required tinking and ripping (for some reason that happens a lot more with this pattern than most for me), but parts of it actually moved along rather quickly.

Poppy Fields - Sock 1, finished

I don't yet have any photos of sock 2, but it's on the needles and halfway up the leg now.  Barring a catastrophe it should be off the needles yet this week, maybe even before the Lollipop Guild comes knocking at my door.

I'm pretty good at letting go, so although the pattern might get buried in a dark, dusty corner somewhere, the socks themselves aren't facing pent-up ill will.  I'm looking forward to wearing them and showing them some love instead of flinging them aside in frustration.  I love the Miss Babs yarn and it clearly deserves much better!

Struggling with Poppies

It's not certain that the Poppy Fields socks will be completed before the next Woolgirl Oz Club kit arrives.  These socks have been a struggle for me, which means I'm not always in the mood to pick them up when I have knitting time.  It also means I can't take them with me to knit when I'm traveling -- they require spreading out several pattern pages at a time, concentrating on what will go where, and in several cases so far, ripping out a good chunk and reworking something.

Size US0 needles and sport weight yarn gave me a much smaller gauge than the pattern recommended, so I had to frog the toe and start over with US 1½ - 2.5 mm.  Once my gauge was corrected I had to guess at the size based on foot length/shoe size with no given circumference, which is not my favorite (since the length of my foot doesn’t really affect how wide I want my socks).  I opted for the smaller size for a snug fit.

Poppy stems before the heel

The snug fit is good, but as you can see it makes for an interesting ridge where the stockinette toe shifts to the purl background for the pattern.

Woolgirl Oz Sock Club - Poppy Fields

A devastating mishap at the dyer's studio delayed this Woolgirl Oz Club kit, but I was lucky enough to have my kit arrive last week.  Slightly late was apparently a fortunate stroke of luck since other people are still waiting for theirs.

************ Spoilers from this point on! ************

The kit contents:

I was really happy to see a box style bag with a zipper!  It's a tight fit for the full 400 yard skein of sport weight yarn, but it's so much more useful than the smaller, open style bags with no closures.  This project bag is going to see a lot of use.

There's also a matching "shopper clutch" (according to the included item list) that holds a notepad and pen with additional pockets and a button with elastic loop to hold it closed.  It doesn't really fit in the box bag, but it will fit easily in my usual knitting bag and should make it easier to keep track of notes and keep them tidy.

I actually very much appreciate the larger items and don't miss the little theme trinkets this time.  The only small addition in this kit was a poppy on a small clip, which could be a cute hair accessory.

And then there's the bright and cheery Miss Babs yarn with stitch marker:

Love the color and the stitch marker is as cute as always.

The pattern is toe up and described as a "Choose Your Own Adventure" with options for working the leaves and poppies when and where you want them.  It seemed interesting and obviously appropriate for the theme and I cast on right away.  But so far my experience has been more of a choose your own frustration.  I think I'm going to have to rip out my first toe and the few pattern rows that I've worked and completely start over, but more on that another day.

Just a few more kits before 2010 is over and my kit subscription ends, so I'm doing my best to keep up.

Walking the Yellow Brick Road

They're squishy and soft and hug my feet and now they're both off the needles and finished in plenty of time for the next kit's arrival!

Pattern: Yellow Brick Road by Jane Robbins
Yarn: Yarn Daze Yucatan - Yellow Brick Road
Needles: US 1 - 2.25 mm
Completed:  July 4, 2010

Despite being listed as a DK weight yarn, it behaved more like a fingering weight and worked beautifully with the size 1 needles into a cushy fabric.  And once again I didn't quite follow the pattern recommendations and I went with a smaller needle. 

Woolgirl Oz Sock Club - Yellow Brick Road

My Woolgirl Oz Club kit arrived last week, this time with a Yellow Brick Road theme.  Fortunately it arrived earlier than usual this time and that means it was delivered before the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

************ Spoilers from this point on! ************

The kit contents:

This time there are just larger bags, which is great for me -- a reusable Wizard of Oz shopping tote and a smaller reversible yellow brick road tote with chocolate brown handles and interior.  There's another small metal tin, a "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" pen, and three sticky note pads, including one to help announce a future optional kit for the Wicked Witch of the West with the phrase "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?".  The adorable picture in the lower right is actually a stack of cute note cards and matching envelopes.

The delicious yarn:

It's Yarn Daze Yucatan, a wonderfully soft and squishy DK weight in a blend of Merino and Cashmere; so soft!  And fortunately the yarn is a nice golden yellow that nicely matches expectations for the Yellow Brick Road, so no repeats of the Ruby Slippers kit disappointment.

I am personally entertained at how excited Tin Man looks about the yarn and pattern in this photo:

The pattern has a plain cuff and leg with a road running across the top of the foot from the heel gusset pick-ups to the toe.  At first glance I'm a little concerned about the fit -- a plain stockinette leg with 66 stitches instead of the usual 64 for fingering weight with this heavier yarn make it seem like it might be baggy around the leg and ankles.  It looks like a straight forward pattern otherwise, but because of the size concerns I might not cast on for these until I have time to try them on often as I'm working to fuss with the fit and adjust that part of the pattern, if necessary.

It's a lovely kit with temptingly soft yarn, so I'm looking forward to knitting some amazingly cushy socks!

Socks On Schedule

It's been less than three weeks since the We're Not In Kansas Anymore kit arrived from Woolgirl and I've already finished my socks.  (I actually finished them this past weekend but didn't get photos of them until last night.) 

I'm proud to say that this newest pair of socks is evidence that I'm keeping up with my sock club schedule really well!  I can't claim a perfect record since: 

1. I only finished the Flying Monkey anklets from the Enchanted Forest/Flying Monkeys combo kit and the Enchanted Forest socks are still just mostly toes.
2. I have not yet gone back to the dusty rose yarn from the Ruby Slippers kit.

but I'm going to claim that 7 out of 9 is a good record.  And I'm finished with plenty of spare time before the next kit is due to arrive, so there's always a chance (even if it's slim) that I'll make some more progress before then.

Pattern: Kansas
Yarn: Mama Llama Perfect Sock - Not in Kansas Anymore
Needles: US 1½ - 2.5 mm (Signature Stiletto)
Completed: April 16, 2009

Woolgirl Oz Sock Club - We're Not In Kansas Anymore

Easter hustle and bustle delayed me, but the We're Not In Kansas Anymore kit arrived late last week and is ready for viewing now...

************ Spoilers from this point on! ************

The kit contents:

I now have so many little notions/change purse style bags that I have no idea what to do with them, but I was very pleased to see the larger project bag that was included!  There's also a sturdy travel mug, a small "What I Dreamt" notebook, a "We're not in Kansas anymore..." button attached to a keychain, and a small square pendant with a dog tag style chain.

The little button in the lower left is actually a small magnet attached to a card announcing the optional Glinda kit coming up this summer.  I'm sure it will shock the die-hard Woolgirl kit collectors, but I'll probably skip it.  I still haven't made myself go back to the pink yarn from the ruby slippers kit, so I don't really need more pink and everything in the Glinda kit is sure to be as pink as you can get.  Good for others, not good for me.

Again, I didn't get a photo of the pattern, but it has a lovely twisted stitch cuff atop an otherwise lacy sock.  It looks like the lace pattern continues into the heel and toe, but I'm not sure yet whether I'll follow that part of the pattern or modify it.

The yarn is a nice, squishy yarn from Mama Llama -- Perfect Sock, 100% Superwash Merino.  It seems to qualify as Sport weight, but it doesn't feel particularly heavy to me.  Of course, I just finished working on socks with Socks That Rock in Mediumweight, so that may have biased me a bit.

I really like that it's not a true solid brown -- my skein has sections of russet and greenish hues, so I look forward to seeing how it will knit up.

And of course there's another adorable tiny stitch marker to add to my collection.  I definitely don't use safety pins as stitch markers anymore!

Since I just finished some socks for my Mr. Wonderful (they went straight on his feet, so I don't have finished photos to share yet) and I'm struggling to make myself want to knit the Enchanted Forest socks (dark green, splitty yarn on US1 needles with lots of cables to emphasize the constant splitting), I wound this new yarn and cast on for the first sock last night.  I've barely started, but I like what I've seen of the twisted stitch pattern so far and I'm hoping the sizing works out on my Signature stiletto DPNs.

There are/were many distractions, but the sock knitting continues!

Woolgirl Oz Sock Club - Ruby Slippers

The Ruby Slippers kit arrived at the end of last week, so it's time to share.

************ Spoilers from this point on! ************

Still wrapped up:

It arrived packed in a larger box this time, so I wasn't sure what swag to expect.

Unpacked:

I didn't get a photo of the pattern this time, but it includes beads on top of the sparkly yarn, so flashy socks.

This time the bag is more of a black vinyl makeup case with ruby slippers sparkling on the front of it.  I can't see myself using it for knitting really, so it's going in the pile of swag for kids to play with.  The elongated slipper fabric case, though, is a small DPN case with divided pockets inside.  That will certainly see some use, as will the Oz Club fob with the small crochet hook attached, which will be nice to include in smaller project bags for fixing mistakes.

There's also another Oz-themed bookmark hidden behind the yarn in the photo and another great notepad, this time with Dorothy's Shopping List!

TIN MAN: Oil Change
LION: Catnip
SCARECROW: Encyclopedia
TOTO: Pooper Scooper
WICKED WITCH: Valium

Again, probably my favorite part of the whole kit.

The stuffed Dorothy bag is apparently a lavender sachet -- not something easily recognizable for an Anosmic like me, but according to Woolgirl it was intended to grace our sock drawers to help keep pesky moths away.

And the yarn/stitch marker close-up:

Amazing that it includes the tiny ruby sparkling glitter!

Now I know you can't please everyone all of the time, but I have to admit I was really disappointed by the yarn in this kit.  As Xandermommy can attest from our shopping at Stitches Midwest, I'm often drawn to shades of red and of all of the kits listed for the Oz Club, Ruby Slippers seemed to promise a gorgeous red.  So while this is a lovely base yarn and the silver sparkles are totally fitting, the color is really mostly a dusty rose and not even what I would consider a light red.  It's my own fault for having any expectations at all, I suppose, but it's the first time that I have an Oz kit that I don't really want to cast on at all.

So, rather than trying to force myself to want to knit the Ruby Slippers socks, I'm going to put them in time out for awhile.  I still have ambitions to knit every Oz kit, but I'm not sure when I'll be over the disappointment and ready to come back to these.  At this point I think I might go back to the Enchanted Forest socks that got pushed aside when I wasn't quite keeping up with a new kit every month, although I'm working on finishing up my first Socks That Rock socks first.

Toto Sock Progress

Although I don't have a current picture, I have been making progress on my Toto socks from the Woolgirl Oz club. Since I had just finished the first sock of a different pair of socks, my lovely Stiletto-tip Signature Arts DPNs were technically free and were quickly donated to the Toto cause.
It's a very simple pattern and with no offense intended to the designer, it doesn't seem quite as polished as others I've tried, probably mostly due to the fact that it's lacking any sort of gauge information. So even though the pattern called for 64 stitches on US2 needles, I jumped in with my US 1½ (2.5 mm) knowing that most of my 64-stitch socks fit better at that gauge and that the pattern seemed lacy and would probably be pretty baggy otherwise. I'm glad I did because it's still a bit loose on the leg, but not bad.

Now I have the first sock done and I've started the leg pattern on the second, but I don't think these will make it off the needles before the next Oz kit arrives. Ruby Slippers are due to ship in the next day or two and I don't think I'll have enough dedicated knitting time to crank out the majority of the second sock in just a few days. Still, I'm mostly keeping up with the kits and the schedule is shifting back to every other month after Ruby Slippers so if I'm dedicated I might even be able to slip the Enchanted Forest socks in there somewhere.

(P.S. I know I've been slipping a bit on posting as of late, but I should have quite a bit to show next week!)

Woolgirl Oz Sock Club - Toto

I didn't quite finish my Cowardly Lion socks before Toto ran up to my doorstep, but it was close and they're finished now. But, since I don't have photos of the finished pair yet and Toto arrived a few days ago I'm going to go ahead and show the new kit now with updates on the finished knits later.

************ Spoilers from this point on! ************

The overall shot:

This kit included 2 bags, and happily for me one of them is actually big enough to accommodate a sock project! The lovely Toto yarn is already happily stored in the rainbow bag just waiting for me to cast on. The smaller notions bag is also really cute and made of a sturdy canvas fabric.

Now usually the little stitch marker is a front-runner for the favorite item in the kit, and the Toto stitch marker is no exception, but this kit has additional contenders. First of all, it was tied shut with the cute rubber Toto keychain attached. But my definite favorite for this kit is actually the notepad!

Dear Dorothy: Hate Oz, took the shoes, find your own way home.

Love it!

Now here's a little close-up of some Toto items and a glimpse at the pattern:

Although I know some people weren't looking forward to grey yarn, I have a lot of bright socks and was looking forward to something neutral for a change and was elated to find that it was Miss Babs yarn in the new Windsor base that includes a bit of nylon. Awesome!

And as Xandermommy pointed out, one sock in the pattern photo is neatly striped but the other appears to have pooled/flashed a lot, so there's no telling what the yarn will do with the pattern until I get a chance to try it out.

And of course I have to include a close-up of Toto himself:

Love his little tongue sticking out, of course!

I do have another set of socks in progress with only one finished so far, so I'm not sure how long I'll wait to cast these on, but I'll definitely be tempted to cast them on some night soon even if I don't get to work on them exclusively for a while.

There's one more kit due to ship in January, then the club shifts back to an every other month schedule until the end of the year. There are still a lot of Oz knits and posts to come!

Socks and Hats and Things

Holiday craziness is coming and when I have long stretches away from work I also tend to spend much less time near a computer. So, before I get caught up in other things for a bit, here's a quick update on some recent knitting progress.

It was stupidly challenging for as simple as something like a hat is supposed to be, but fortunately I finished it with plenty of time to spare:Pattern: Ardelle hat
Yarn: Rowan Purelife British Sheep Breeds - BFL
Needles: US 9 / 5.5 mm bamboo
Completed: December 10, 2009

This hat is a Christmas gift, but even on the completely random chance that the family somehow stumbles onto this blog they won't know who it's for since we're doing a Secret Santa exchange. The Purelife yarn is really lovely to work with and thankfully handled all of the abuse of being knit, ripped out, and reknit remarkably well.


I also finished my Angee socks in plenty of time for the Cookie A Knit-Along, but I didn't get good pictures of them as a pair, so the best information about them is still in the previous post. I am wearing them today, though, so they're officially in the rotation!


And finally, I've started my latest socks from the Woolgirl Oz club, the Cowardly Lions:
The yarn is really soft and I love the color variations that are blending so nicely together and not pooling at all! It's been a long time since I've worked on a sock with so much stockinette and it feels so soft and squooshy that I'm loving it.


Of course I've been working on and finishing a few other gifts, but I'm keeping them secret for now just in case. It's only a few days until Christmas and I'd hate to risk ruining the surprise now.

And just in case I fall apart on posting and don't get back here until the new year, here's wishing everyone very Happy Holidays and a lot of fun, relaxing time with family and friends!