Finally finished

This is the birthday present that has been keeping me occupied (and not a little worried) for the past few weeks. It was actually completed last Friday but I've only just got round to taking a picture. The intended recipient doesn't even know that I have a blog so I feel quite secure in the knowledge that posting it on here will not spoil the surprise.



Yes, it's another Argosy but I just love this pattern. It's so simple but so effective and can easily be adapted. This version is knitted in very fine merino (although the colour I used doesn't seem to be available now) on 2.5mm needles, increasing to a total of 11 "blocks". It took about 300 metres of a 1500 metre skein, so there is plenty left for me to play with. This is the third version I have done, the others being a silk wrap-sized one for my mum and another lace-weight one in wool and silk for my brother's lovely partner. I may even get round to making one for me soon.

I've also done a bit of spinning, this time using a blend of Norfolk Horn fleece and some soy silk fibre. The soy silk is so smooth and, well... er, silky and has worked very well with the wool. Norfolk Horn is a bit rough for next-to-the-skin use but the soy silk has softened it nicely and made it much more strokable. The two fibres take dye quite differently so the final effect is rather heathery with subtle colour changes - maybe I should spin up some more and make a chunkier Argosy. That pattern works well with just about any yarn, even a home-made one.

Am also working on a commission at present - 8 pairs of plain, knee-high socks. Fortunately, the deadline appears to be quite flexible which is just as well given that I had to undo the first sock completely as it would have fitted an elephant with dainty feet! I decided that some shaping was needed for the calf area of the sock but had underestimated the amount of stretch in the knitted fabric so even with what I thought was a generous two inches of negative ease, the sock was very, very loose on my rather rotund calves. Never mind, only 15 and a bit more socks to go ...