In Finishing Mode

The days of 2015 that remain are dwindling, so I am doing my best to use them to finish things (and to make a dent in the yarn that I brought with me on vacation). On Saturday, I sat down determined to wrap up the handspun socks that had been on the needles since early October. I'd gotten most of the foot of the second sock done at the movies on Christmas day, so all that remained was one inch of foot and the toe. I took the project out by the pool and got it done.

Pattern: plain stockinette, with a 3x2 ribbed cuff and a heel flap and gusset
Yarn: my handspun superwash Targhee from FatCatKnits in Sapphire Cove
Needles: US 0 (2.0 mm) Addi Sock Rockets, magic loop
Started/Completed: October 11/December 26

These are just my basic sock recipe, so there isn't a whole lot to say about them other than they're done and I'm pleased with them. I'm very interested to see how they hold up in the long run, as I've never used Targhee (superwash or otherwise) for socks before. The yarn itself was plied firmly, and these were knit at a gauge of 9 stitches per inch, so that should help.

While I didn't do it purposefully, I kind of like that these look similar enough that they're clearly a pair (albeit a fraternal pair).

In an effort to eliminate some more yarn (and weight) from my suitcase before it's time to pack up and go home, I knit another dishcloth yesterday.

This is my Clean Up, Eat Up pattern yet again, and I succeeding in getting both of them out of a single ball of kitchen cotton -- with leftovers, even! I reduced the stitch count by six stitches and did 1.5 fewer repeats of the stitch pattern to make a slightly smaller cloth. These will stay at the vacation house, though the leftover cotton will be coming home to be useful.

The main project that I'd like to finish before we leave is my colorwork gradient cowl. It's grown a bit since you last saw it.

The need for blocking is quite obvious!

I haven't gotten as much done on this project as I'd hoped, but I've at least passed the halfway point. I am on the second to last section of color (as opposed to the neutrals), and now that I've done the stranded pattern so many times, it moves a lot faster.

If I can speed up the next couple of days, I might just finish this before we leave, though obviously it will need to be blocked at home. The two ends of this tube will be grafted when it's done, so blocking is going to take some extra props that I just don't have available here.

In spite of my worry that I would run out of yarn, I still have yarn for three projects that has not yet been touched. Two skeins are sock yarn, and I'll cast on another pair soon because I'll need a project for the plane. The other one may or may not get started; I might wait to see if I can finish the cowl first. I suppose it's a good thing that I haven't knit as much as I thought because I've been out enjoying the good weather, but I suppose a child's sweater, a pair of socks, a couple of dishcloths, and (maybe) a colorwork cowl are nothing to sneeze at.

Before I log off to go take a walk, I wanted to remind you that you have a little less than three days left to save 25% on all my self-published patterns! Just use the coupon code goodbye2015 to get the discount, and remember that you can use it as many times as you like!