Just purchased from my favourite webshop featuring all things hand-made, ETSY.COM: a lovely felted tea-cosy. I call him Desmond. Herewith a plug for Trifly Designs!
Anyways. Whats on the needles now?
Just finished a pair of "embossed leaves" socks (from Favourite Socks, Interweave), using a silk/wool blend from KnitPicks. I used this wool for a pair of socks for my mother, which wore holes within a week. So I've added reinforcement thread to the heels of these and am monitoring closely for wear spots. I like the silver-blue colour and the socks are quite warm and comfy.
I'm not 100% happy with the pattern. The actual lace pattern is nice, but I'm really not happy with the star toe. I won't make this type again as it really doesn't fit me well, and the purl decreases end up over my big toenail, which is a major wear spot for me. I think a wedge toe could easily be used for this sock without compromising the design. I can envision making the leaves curl in opposite ways, and arranging for the last repeat to have the outside leaf curl in, following the wedge of the toe.
Next up: something short, from one of Charlene Schurch's stitch dictionary. This in a discontinued KnitPicks Essentials wool (kettle dyed). I like the kettle dyed colour, it isn't monochromatic and gives a nice depth to the design. It's a 6-stitch pattern, quite easy and has nice stretch and deep structure. Reminds me of some kind of fruit. I'm trying a short-row heel just to keep myself up on the technique. I'm following the Favourite Socks technique using YO's instead of wrap-'n-turns. I prefer it,because at age 45+ I have a really hard time seeing the wraps and hence keeping track of where I am. Even with my snazzy readers on!
...and then, I have to get cracking on my husband's valentine socks. I'm thinking X-O cables running down the side of the leg and the rest a conservative 4x1 rib...
And of course there's Toby's 13th birthday coming up, I'm thinking a mismatched set of stripey socks (all the leftovers from previous projects!) using the jogless-no-icky-dots-ends-worked-in technique, which I am looking to try out.
