Look, pictures!

My brother-in-law's scarf:


I folded it in half prior to arranging it for its picture. It needs to be blocked so that the ends (on the right) don't look wider than the rest of the scarf. The yarn is a Borrocco wool/acrylic blend that is not only variegated in color but also in thickness. There is a faux cable rib (rows 1-3: k2,p2 rib. row 4: *k2tog keep stitches on the needle, knit through first stitch again, slip both off needle; p2*; repeat from * to * around). It's soft and warm and should go well with his dark gray coat (he's not a bright colors kind of guy).

My sister's socks:


These are made out of a sport weight sock yarn from either Cherry Tree Hill or Bearfoot Mountain Colors (lost the ball band) using size 4 needles. In trying them on, I noticed a couple imperfections I'd like to fix, but after that they will be ready to be wrapped. I used the same faux cable rib that I used on the scarf. It's a simple stitch pattern that is easy to follow, gives you more variety than plain rib, and makes a nice looking fabric (though it's difficult to tell in this picture). No, my legs have not seen the light of day for years, why do you ask (hey at least they're shaved)?

Mom's sock:


The yarn is Lorna's Laces and the pattern is Grumperina's Jaywalker. The yarn did some strange pooling around the ankle and I ended up fiddling with it so there wouldn't be a ginormous red spot on the instep. I like the striping that occured on the foot and wish it had done that for the rest of the sock, but I'm not going to be picky about it. For both this sock and my sister's socks, I used a short-row heel which I like much better than heel flaps (because I hate picking us stitches and then decreasing down). Usually I knit two socks at a time to avoid second sock syndrome, but I was having a hard time with the pattern in the beginning (first I couldn't count to seven, then I kept forgetting to knit in the front and back of the first stitch in the repeat because I had just knit in the front and back of the last stitch of the previous repeat) so I decided to do one sock at a time here. I cast on for the second one yesterday and have the cuff ribbing done and have started on the pattern (much easier the second time around). I am using 2.0mm Inox express circular needles (love, love, love these needles--much pointier than addi's).

And finally, the product of my Weekend of Charity Knitting Agony:


The fair isle pattern actually shows up very well in this picture; much better than in person. In the photo you can't see the little hairs that obscure the pattern a little. This is a very hairy/fuzzy yarn. Here's a lesson for you: take a moment to look at your colorwork pattern to see if it makes sense BEFORE you start it. The pattern is supposed to be evergreen trees and the chart was written assuming you were making a bag. Think about it for a second and you'll understand why this is a problem if you actually want to have evergreen trees. However, I like the pattern as is--it's not crucial to me that I have right-side-up evergreen trees (besides, the yarns are blue not green, although I suppose they could be blue spruce). I have finished one pattern repeat and am starting the second at the top of the chart so that the colorwork will have mirror symmetry across the horizontal axis. Once I finish the second pattern repeat, I will make the rest of the hat in the color of the brim which will eliminate the problem of decreasing in the middle of colorwork. I haven't measured the hat yet, but I think it will fit an American child 5-8 years of age. I'm not sure if Mongolian children grow at the same rate (nutrition really does make a difference for that sort of thing), but I'm sure it will fit some child. That's the nice thing about knitting for charity, you don't have to worry about the item being a particular size--it's bound to fit someone.

Right now, I'm knitting on the hat at home and Mom's sock on the go (on the bus, in seminars, in the dark room while I'm waiting for the machine to develop my film for lab [where today, btw, in the faint glow of the red safety light, was desperately looking for something I could use as a stitch marker--is it normal to wish you carried around stitch markers in your pocket?], etc.). The hat should be done by the end of the week. Hopefully my red yarn from KnitPicks will arrive by then. If not, I'll go scavenging for my wool for Dulaan projects. Along with my red superwash yarn, I am expecting some 100% Peruvian in green, yellow, blue, orange and red which I plan on knitting for the Dulaan project. I am going to make a vest. It'll be my first large garment (well, I'm not sure quite how large it will be, but you know what I mean). The vest may have to wait until after Christmas, though.