tying up loose ends

I've been trying to finish some works-in-progress lately so I'll have a clean slate to start some new projects. I mentioned a few days ago how I knit the Yarn Harlot's Unoriginal Hat in the chunky yarn Scott spun, but it turned out too small because I'm an idiot who can't read directions, so I tore that version out. Argh, but the good part of this process is that I learned to cable without a cable needle along the way. So I cast on again with larger needles (10.5, I think, up from 7s) and re-knit it. Mysteriously, on this second try I used EXACTLY THE SAME AMOUNT OF YARN (how is that possible?!), but the hat's circumference was fine. Only problem I ran into this time was that it was a little shorter than I'd like, so I picked up stitches around the bottom and knit down some ribbing. Happily, mission accomplished! The cable work is somewhat lost in the colorway variations, but it's still a good hat -- super soft and squishy and full of happy memories, since we won the fiber at Spa Knit and Spin last winter.

The last little finish-up from the depths of the knitting bag is this super thick pair of socks. I think they'd be called house socks by most folks because they'd be too thick to fit into shoes, but I bet they'll be fine in the roomy Birkenstock clogs that I wear all winter. Jesse's modeling them here and they're obviously too small for his huge feet (this thing where his shoe size is keeping pace with his age has to stop eventually, doesn't it?), but on me they're warm and cozy and just right. I tried a stretchy bind-off option that I think I read about on Wendy Knits. I think it's ruffly because the yarn's so thick, or maybe I did it too loosely. Regardless of the reason, I doubt I'll do it again, as a loose plain ol' bind-off seems to work fine for me and is less fiddly. Still, it was worth a try.

There are a few new things on the needles now and I'm psyched with how they're turning out and the new techniques I'm learning from them. Stashbusting all the way too, so it's nice to be getting around to using some yarns that have been here for a while.

Scott sold a bunch of buttons at the Knitting Nook in Coventry. If you're out that way, the store's focus is on handpainted and local products, so you might want to consider stopping in for some special yarn.