Up to something

I've been up to something. Up to a few things, to be more accurate.

I blocked my shawl. I did it at night, so all the pictures are terrible, but they're the best I've got. It went from this:


To this:


I like the way it turned out, from top:


to bottom:


But I am not happy with the "Real" FO shots so I will try to get those sometime soon. Special thanks to Kelp! for letting me borrow the blocking wires!

I've also been making socks for my brother.


In camoflage, as he requested. I'm using Artyarns Supermerino, which is as expensive as it is luscious, so I'm knitting them toe-up in hopes that I won't have to dip into the third skein I bought. I have been experimenting with heels for toe-up socks.


I did my first (real) short-row heel ever. The yarnover one, from the latest IK. I hated it, so then I did my second short-row heel ever. The w&t one from SKS. I hated it, too. (it's the one on the right) Proponents of the short-row heel will no doubt be looking up the links to their favorite hole-free short row pages, which I gladly welcome. But I decided not to wait for such a thing, and that I would make my own heel.

The heel on the left is knit to about 3" short of the total length of the foot, then you knit a heel flap on half the stitches. Something odd was going on with my gauge, so instead of the usual as-many-rows-as-there-are-stitches-total heel flap, I only did 22 rows (it's a 36-st sock). Then I turned the heel using the dutch heel-ish method, which goes like this:

slip 1, purl 11 (of 18), p2tog, turn
slip 1, knit 6, ssk, turn
slip 1, purl 6, p2tog, turn
slip 1, knit 6, ssk, turn
slip 1, purl 6, p2tog, turn
slip 1, knit 6, ssk, turn

and so on until all the stitches are worked. It creates a narrow band up the back of the heel that I like. Then you pick up the stitches and work the gusset like normal, though I added nearly an inch of plain stockinette before starting the back-of-leg pattern, so it wouldn't look too weird. I hope.