Things are picking up

I am so glad to see the end of January. We've had a lot of snow and cold in the past month and it is very nice to think that there will be an end to it. Of course, some don't mind deep snow in the least.


Today the sun is shining brightly, as if February is trying to tell us that the weather will get better. It was a good day to take pictures of handknits.

Last weekend I finished up my Noro scarf (Ravelry link):

I'm happy to call one of these my own. By now, these scarves are so well known on the internet that wearing one is sort like a badge of identification. I've also finished my mother-in-law's very simple, special-request socks:

I'm very happy with them. In the ball, the yarn (OnLine) wasn't anything special, but knit up, they are colorful in a sophisticated way. I knit in a tiny stripe of rib down each side of the sock. Just a P1, K1, P1, that I hope will give a little extra stretch to these socks that will help them stay up without binding. Also, to keep the pattern sequence traveling down the foot, I knit the heels using the other end of the ball. I especially like how one heel is in the brown/grey sequence and the other is in the blue/green sequence.

I had started knitting a sweater for my dad, but the fabric is so dense at gauge that the knit was not enjoyable. So I'm holding off till I can show my dad and we can figure out what to do. It's interesting that he doesn't just want me to knit him something else. He wants to see the sweater design first. While I'm happy he's taking such an interest, it's a bit annoying that I can't just knit what I like and I wonder if he doesn't trust my judgment.

In the mean time, I cast on for something I do like.

Oh happy bright soft and fuzzy! I love this thing! The pattern, Dayflower Daydream, is very interesting to work, the yarn is a lovely color, and it is so warm on my lap. In part I picked this pattern because it's by Eugen Beugler. He also designed Frost Flowers and Leaves, which I loved knitting so much, I did it twice. So far, Dayflower Daydream is just as fun. I appreciate that it's in the round because there are no purl back rows. Ah, just writing about it, I'm itching to get back to knitting. Catch ya later!