Sock, Plying, and a Cape

Yeah, not an inspired title, but best I can do on a gray day. :)

First, another completed sock. This pair (once I knit the second one, duh) will replace the poor Sea Socks that wore out. Same yarn as before (Colinette Jitterbug in the Parrot colorway) in my default simple 3x3 seed stitch rib pattern. Simple, quick, effective. I love this yarn, even if the skeins are sort of small. Thankfully, The Loopy Ewe sells half skeins, so I don't have to worry about running out. I got the main skein from a Ravelry destasher, so the overall cost for this pair is still reasonable. Now to start its mate!

Next, we have my first attempt at Navajo plying on my wheel. This is about 40 yards of spun "dragon waste" (scraps of superwash sold by the pound at last year's OFFF). As you can see, the singles weren't exactly what I'd call consistent (I've gotten much better at it now) but I don't care because it was really just for learning purposes. The Navajo plying went fairly well once I got the hang of it. I still need more practice, though.

Finally for today, here's the WIP I started last night. It's the Margaux hooded cape from French Girl. Love, love, love French Girl patterns! Most of them use big yarn and big needles and work up very quickly. This is no exception. The yarn is Rowan Ribbon Twist, a super-bulky marvel, and it's knit on size 15 needles. I'm using a blue/white colorway instead of the red. What you see here is the fabric for the hood. This pattern takes six skeins; the hood used two of them. I'm going to love this cape for keeping my shoulders and head warm in all kinds of situations. If you used smaller needles and a lighter weight yarn, I think it would work up into a nice child's size version.

That's about it for now. Have a great weekend!