TwoFO

First things first: Anyone have any tips on making hair grow faster? My stylist got a little scissor-happy yesterday. A good cut--just about 3" shorter than expected. What are the odds that my hair will grow 3" in 3 months so it will look good in wedding pics?

Okay, now onto the good news: I have not one but two finished objects!

First up, the photographic proof of completion of the Go With the Flow socks:

Pattern: Go With the Flow socks by Evelyn A. Clark
Source: Interweave Knits, Summer 2005
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM, shade P334
Needles: US1, done on 2 circular Addi Turbos
Gauge: 7.5 stitches/inch
Comments: Totally addictive little sock pattern--perfect subway knitting. I only did 17 repeats on the cuff instead of 20. They're snug-fitting, but very stretchy. An easy four-row repeat, and they knit up very quickly, even on 1s. I'm sure that's due in no small part to the fact that I love, LOVE this colorway of KPPPM in all its autumnal glory.

Next up, the project that is only getting presented as a finished object:

All done!

Pretty decreases

It fits!

Pattern: Coronet by Alexandra Virgel
Source: Knitty, Winter 2003
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, Shade 202 Silvery Blue (2 balls)
Needles: US8 Denises
Gauge: 4.5 stitches/inch
Technique notes: I realized I didn't have any US8 dpns, so I decreased using 2 circs ala socks. What a clever, multipurpose technique for knitting in the round! And Courtney taught me how to do a provisional cast-on, so no more fear there. Also grafting cables! (see below)
Comments: I've had this hat on my to-knit list for seriously? Like two years. And for the past two winters I've been telling myself that it would be a great hat to have to keep my ears warm. Plus, I love knitting hats, and haven't made one in a while. I bought the yarn for this on Saturday, finished it Wednesday. That's quick-gratification knitting! I made the medium size but made it an inch shorter than the pattern called for because even with big hair, I am a pinhead.

The construction technique was new to me. You knit the cabled band and then graft the ends together. I was pretty nervous about this, but it turned out only slightly wonky:

Then, you pick up the stitches for the hat from the wrong side of the cabled band, so that when it flips up, the band's integrity is maintained and you can't see where the stitches were picked up. This was less daunting than I thought. I would make this hat again in a heartbeat.

Still on the needles is the windowpane scarf for JT, but I got a ton done yesterday en route to Baltimore for the first performance of the Stoop Storytelling series. [Fantastic!] I'm down to the final 10 inches, which is truly the homestretch. I can start thinking about what to knit next!