Update on Christmas Stockings and Katie's Afghan

I have one stocking finished and has been approved by Katie so I cast on last night for the 2nd one. If I'm quick I should be able to get it to her before Christmas. I've included 2 pictures of the progress as well as a completed one. I realized when I was knitting the swatch to test that I had yarn that was too thin for the pattern so I experimented with 2 strands held together. Since I had a skein each of red and green I used that. I liked the look so I sent a picture to Katie to make sure she liked it. The resulting pattern was very nice and definitely Christmas! Since this was my first experiment with felting I wasn't sure what to expect but it really went very well. I put the stocking in the washer with towels and hot water. It took about 10-15 minutes to felt to the point I was happy with it.

I also have an update on Katie's Afghan. I really wasn't that happy with the yarn I had found because it was so rough. Even if it was for an afghan, it was still rough. So when Anthony and I were at Michaels before Thanksgiving we found this other Red Heart yarn that had much more beautiful colors as well as being very soft. Because the color changes are closer and more varied you get a much nicer looking pattern. This will make a lovely throw. We found the coordinating colors as shown in the picture, 2 shades of blue and 2 shades of brown. So I will crochet it all up into hexagons and we will see how the pattern forms. No idea yet on how we will arrange the squares but I believe it will be lovely.

Finished!

I finished my brother's socks last night! I love them and hope he will too. But since they are for Christmas I won't have any pictures until then. They went really well and I would use that yarn again. I'll be interested to see how it holds up. Now its on to finishing my anklets and getting started on Katie and Dax's Christmas Stockings. I will probably cast on for the first one today. I have decided to do them in single colors. I think they will look nicer that way. Pictures soon I hope! This will be my first felting project. Here is a look at the yarn I will be using for them.
I love the yarn and with the white eyelash yarn in the cuff they will be really nice.

I'm also starting an afghan for Katie. She wants to decorate her bedroom in blue and browns and I found this yarn at Walmart.
And I'm using a hexagon crochet pattern. I'm going to crochet up the 2 skeins of varigated yarn and then go looking for coordinating shades of blue and brown to make up enough for a good size. The ones I have done so far look like this.

Sock Update

Ok, I've been working on 2 sock projects as you know. My brother's socks that will be done in time for Christmas are coming along nicely. I just have about 5 miles of foot to knit and then finish the toes..... Well, maybe not 5 miles, thats a bit unfair. Its not that he has large feet, its just that mine are so small that it makes his seem huge!. Anyway, here are a couple of pictures of the progress. Its hard to see the heel turn so I took a close up.
Looking good huh? I may just have enough yarn left over to make a short scarf also. Not sure yet but if so it will be one where you have a slit in it to tuck one end through.

Ok, now mine are coming along nicely too. I am knitting mine toe up since I'm using left over yarn from Katie's pedicure socks. I've turned the heel and am knitting up the leg. I think I will end up with about 3" in the leg which on me is plenty long enough. I don't really like tall socks anyway.

My next projects are going to be felted Christmas stockings for Dax and Katie. I'm thinking of trying some needle felting with some white roving after the stockings are felted to put names on it. I've never done this before but have always wanted to try. Should be interesting. I also have yarn for an afgan for Katie as well as socks for Seth and Dakota. I also have several spinning projects going. I've finished spinning and plying some of my mohair as well as the hand painted roving I got for socks. I'll post pictures of those projects when they are washed and dried.