I’ll take two

So I have a few FOs for you all today.
First up are my Aragorn socks.

I knit these for the SKA May 2010 Challenge (cables and twisted stitches).
Pattern Aragorn (free pattern) by Janneke Maat
Yarn Miss Babs Yummy Superwash Socks & Baby in My Kelly
Needles US #1.5 (2.5mm) Knit Picks 24″, magic loop
Mods None!
Thoughts I really enjoyed knitting these socks and finished up the pair in three weeks (unheard of for me). I *love love love* the gusset in this pattern! It fits well, it’s fun to work (not a short row heel but no picking up stitches either), and once you finish the gusset you only have a few inches of knitting before staring the toe decreases. After working this pattern I went out and bought Cat Bordhi’s New Pathways for Sock Knitters: Book One which has this gusset and several others.
The second pair is a simpler pattern that, in contrast, took 19 months to finish. So goes knitting life, right?

Pattern Dribbling Drops by Sabine Riefler from Knotions Fall 2008
Yarn Trekking XXL in color 305
Needles US #1.5 (2.5mm) Knit Picks 24″, magic loop
Mods Knit them toe-up with my standard short row heel and the decrease BO for increased stretchiness (doesn’t the name “decrease BO” sound anything but stretchy?
Thoughts Trekking never disappoints! They always feel a bit rough but once done I drop them in the wash with some fabric softener and they come out lovely. BTW I have tried drying them but over time it does something to the fabric and makes them a little less stretchy. So I don’t dry them any more (except occasionally by mistake).
I’m also working on a few new things – a Multnomah, a Vesper, a pair of socks I’m designing for the SKA June 2010 challenge, and a Citron out of Just Our Yarn Aziza for the Stash Knit Down June KAL. More on those next time.