Fetching

I bought some lovely alpaca/silk yarn to make a sweater for myself but, after swatching and washing, decided it was too itchy to be warn next to the skin. It feels wonderfully soft to my hands but it made my neck itchy. I kept a couple of skeins and returned the rest. I used what I kept to make these cabled handwarmers for Carmen. It's the Fetching pattern on Knitty. Very pretty and quick to make, I like this pattern a lot. I chose not to do the picot bindoff and, instead, used a crochet castoff then did a row of single crochets around it so that it wouldn't flare. It still has plenty of give for putting it on but snugs up to the hand when on.

I tempted fate by declaring the STR Chapman Springs plain vanilla socks my own. I thought that I had a tight enough gauge that my wimpy feet would be able to wear the stocking stitch soles. My feet decided otherwise, big babies, and were unable to suck up the discomfort from the purl bumps. So the socks became a gift for my good friend Rhonda. Rhonda was a knitter but she has become a Knitter (with a capital K) since I lent her my Yarn Harlot books last summer. Good old Yarn Harlot!