Another one down!

I've worked on nothing else except the socks since my last post, and the dedication paid off! I finished them last night, blocked them, and they were completely dry this morning (gotta love radiators). I just love the subtle color variations in these, and while the stitch pattern became tedious, the effect is well worth it. These socks have all the stretch of ribbing, with a slightly different look. Kinda fancy, but plain enough that my boyfriend will actually wear them. I think my next project will be a drop-stitch scarf with honkin' needles. I need some instant gratification! [edited to add: I forgot to comment on the quality of the yarn after a wash! It did blossom nicely, and became very soft and squishy. I was a little worried that it would develop a serious halo while it was wet, but all fuzziness calmed down after it was dry. I do recommend this yarn, but keep in mind the string factor it has while being knit from the skein.]

I'm already thinking ahead to post-Christmas knitting. I keep finding myself squeezing my sock yarn stash, so I'm seeing some socks for myself in my future (maybe even a completed pair of Hedera). I bought some delicious sock yarn today in a pink and brown colorway, and I also have a very fun yellow/orange mix. Speaking of yellow, it's getting very cold here, so it's got to be time to get going on the yellow Malabrigo hat I've been planning. The other day, while I was at work, I found my mind wandering through the stash, and it settled on some dark red, bulky weight wool I've had for years that I bought at the Champlain Valley Fair in Vermont. It's too scratchy for a sweater to wear close to the skin, but it suddenly occurred to me that it would make an awesome jacket. I made a little sketch on my scratch paper, but I don't know if anything will come of it. I don't know much about design, and I would want this jacket to have princess seams. I'd love any recommendations on knit design books, if anyone has any. I have some basic formula books (like Ann Budd's books), but nothing that really talks about creating something in multiple sizes with specific details. Also, did I mention that my dad wants an aran sweater? This is so exciting, because he hasn't worn sweaters in years! Plus, dude! He wants an aran. He requested something heavily cabled! I'm beside myself with excitement. I'm a bit stymied on yarn requirements, though. My dad is over six feet tall, and like 200+ pounds. I know it'll be a lot of yarn, but how much is a lot? I will cross that bridge when I come to it, I guess. Christmas knitting first! (Notice how I've retained enough sanity that I refrained from adding my dad's aran to Christmas knitting? I think it'll be for his birthday. Kidding! His birthday is December 29.)