Jaywalkers Finally

I think these were destined to be WIPs forever. I started the first sock at least three times trying to get the size right and did three heels. I even broke a Brittany Birch dpn along the way just to add to my fun. Then I let the second languish before getting around to completing them.

Because of my narrow heel I'm not a big fan of flap heels on socks so I made these with a short row heel. The short bursts of color on the Lisa Souza yarn went perfectly with the short up and down sections of the sock.

Details:
Yarn: Sock! from Lisa Souza in mahogany, 84.2 g. total.
Needles:Inox dpns, 2.25 mm. (US 1) for the leg and foot, 2.0 mm. (US 0) for the heels and toes.
Pattern:Jaywalker from the incomparable Grumperina.
Size: To fit a woman's size 9.
Begun: 11/05
Completed: 11/07
Notes: I used a slipped stitch sole and a short row heel. I also made the toe boxier to fit my wide foot.

EZ's Square Garter Baby Blanket

Yarn: Free Style in light blue (no. 5703), 11 skeins, approx 962 yards/880 meters
Needles: Addi Turbo 5.0 mm (US 8) 60" circulars and the same size Bryspun short dpn for the icord edging.
Pattern: Knitted Garter Stitch Blanket from The Opinionated Knitter, pg. 52, available here from Schoolhouse Press.
Gauge: 4.5 stitches and 8.5 rows per inch.
Size: c/o was 66 stitches, dimensions after machine washing and drying is 33.5" by 33.5". The blanket is actually square, I did a poor job of laying it out for the photo shoot.
Begun: 10/28/06
Completed: 1/4/08
Notes: *I slipped the edge stitches which made applying the icord effortless, all I had to do to attach the icord was to pull the working yarn under the slipped stitches along the sides; no wrestling with bumps.
*I wrapped the short row stitches and knitted the wraps along with the stitches. The photo above is a closeup of the wrapped stitches and icord border. This photo also shows the color more accurately.
*I made the mistake of adding new yarn in the center of the afghan rather than at the edges. I couldn't use a spit splice because this is superwash wool and I wove in the ends as neatly as I could but they show. Since this is a gift and I'm a perfectionist I'm not pleased. If I'd added new balls of yarn at the edges I could have hidden the tails under the icord border.
*I'm giving to my daughter's friend who is expecting a boy in two months.
*I only used 11 balls of yarn because I got this on eBay. It is small because I was afraid I'd run out of yarn. As it turned out, I was running on fumes at the end.
*The garter stitch makes for a very thick blanket. The next time I make this I will use a sport weight yarn and make it bigger. It is a wonderful, easy pattern and, in my experience, baby blankets are loved by the recipients for years so they are well worth the effort.

Fingerless Mitts

Yarn: Classic Elite Waterspun (discontinued) 39 g. total (approx. 108 yards)
Needles: 3.75 mm (US 5) dpns at first and then moved to two at a time on two circulars after I closed the thumb holes.
Pattern:Hand/Wristwarmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Gauge:
Size: length 8" to fit my teenage son's large hands
Begun:
Completed:
Notes:My first but certainly not my last knitted mitts. Making two at once on two circulars from the same ball of yarn enabled me to make them exactly the same. I liked the pattern but next time I'll put it a thumb gusset to give the thumb some warmth. I wish this yarn weren't discontinued because it was a delight to work with and my son loves the mitts.

Cabletinis in Stripes

These are Wendy Johnson's Cabletini socks which is a free downloadable pattern available here.

Yarn: Schachenmayr Nomotta Regia Silk Color in white with blues (number 0191)
Needles: KA 6" dpns in size 2.0 mm (US 0)
Modifications: These were knit from the toes up using a Turkish cast on and a short row heel. I also reversed the direction of the cables on the second sock so that they are mirror images of one another.
Begun: Oct. 5, 2007
Completed April 21, 2008
Comments: I loved the the softness of the yarn. It was a pleasure to knit with. And I loved the needles--they were sharp, smooth, strong and short. I'll definitely be buying more of these needles. This was a fun pattern to make because it was easy to memorize but the cables required me to pay attention. They were perfect airplane/airport knitting.

Brioche Again

I finished another brioche stitch scarf. To me it is the perfect scarf pattern stitch because it involves fast thoughtless knitting (the kind you can do without looking) and creates a reversible fabric. I made it out of 100% merino frogged from a Ralph Lauren thrift store sweater that cost all of $4.99 plus tax.

Yarn: see above, I have no idea about the yardage; I used 276.8 grams
Pattern: LTCO 26 stitches, do 7 rows garter stitch for a total of 8 ridges on each side, change to brioche stitch and knit until it is long enough, change back to garter stitch for 7 rows and bind off while knitting.
Needles: Addi Turbo's size 5.0 mm (US 8) 16"
Finished dimensions: 81" by 7"
Begun: Oct. 9, 2006
Completed: March 8, 2008

Now my son tells me it is too long and I'll have to frog some of it.