Yarn Along 2016.38: Making It Up As I Go

Happy Yarn Along Day!  I'm joining Ginny today to see what everyone is knitting/crocheting and reading.

First, I have two finished objects to show off.  I did get DD2's Stylish Squares lapghan done in time to mail off for her birthday--which is tomorrow.  She texted me on yesterday that the package had arrived, and did it have food in it?  Since I said no, no food included (sometimes I home baked treats), she is waiting for her birthday to get here before she opens the box.  So she has no idea what is in there, and I am dying of suspense to see what her reaction will be to her new squishy, big, colorful blanket.

It did turn out pretty big; not quite as long as a twin bed, but at least six inches wider (I know, because my original intent was to use her empty bed here at home to block it on). A perfect size for her to wrap up in on cold winter U.P. nights while she studies or does homework.

In my haste to get it packaged up and sent off on it's journey to her, I didn't get any pictures of it completed.  But I do have a nice one that shows off the colors pretty accurately, so I'll share that one.

I also completed the dish cloth I was making last week for my chicken-themed kitchen.  Can you see the rooster design?

I have to confess I don't bother to block dish cloths, I just put them to use immediately after they are made.  It's not like I'm going to take the time to block them after each trip through the washing machine anyway.

Now I am working on my October sock project, which will be a Christmas present for my Dad.  I am making the pattern up as I go; using a basic ribbed sock recipe, plus my favorite heel, and adding in stripes. So far I have the cuff and roughly a quarter of the leg of one sock done.  Pretty soon I need to do some math, because I have a vision for how I want the heel area to turn out in terms of what color heel and how that is going to tie in with the stripes, but I also want to vary the widths of each pair of stripes (a stripe in the main color and a stripe in the contrast color constituting a 'pair').  So I will have to do a little figuring as to what color I need to be at (and how wide of a stripe) when I get to the part where I divide for the heel.

In the meantime, here is a picture of my progress so far:

I am using Knit Picks Comfy fingering in Douglas Fir for the main color, and Ivory for the contrast color.  Because, you see, my Dad is a Michigan State fan (MSU's colors are green and white).  When I knit him a pair of socks last year--the first I've made for him, I chose what I thought was a nice manly color that wouldn't be too wild: dark blue.  And he loved them, except, he said, why did I make him University of Michigan socks? (U of M is maize & blue);  now he wouldn't be able to wear them on game days. (Being that MSU and U of M are rivals).  So, I decided that the next pair of socks I made for him would be in MSU Spartan colors and that since they would be both green and white, they would not be tame; they would be a bit wild and garish.  Which means that I can't hardly just choose a width of stripe and repeat it throughout the entire sock. No, I need different widths of stripes, and the stripes need to extend from cuff to toe.

In the midst of this crazy custom sock making, I have started reading another Amish murder mystery: A Perfect Square by Vannetta Chapman.  It's enjoyable so far, and since I've liked all her other mysteries I've read, I expect to like this one too.