This, that and the other thing

This weekend, I posted in one of the Yahoo groups that I have a sock pattern in the works. It's a simple, understated pattern, suitable for both men and women. I know that because John saw me working on the sock and hinted (no, told me flat out) that he likes that design and wouldn't mind a pair of socks like it. Without further ado, allow me to give you a sneak peek at Java Ribs.

The colour, in real life, is darker than the picture shows. What the picture does show is the different colours in the yarn. That yarn, incidentally, is Cherry Tree Hill, 100% merino sock yarn in a colour aptly named Java. Very nice to work with.

Then, there are a couple of finished objects. I finally got the moebius bag finished and felted. I love it! John loves it! It's comfortable to wear, just the right length and the colour is perfect. I do believe I will get a lot of use out of this bag.

I thought I had taken a picture or two of the bag before felting, but looking through the files, it appears I didn't. Oh well. Anyone who's done any felting at all will have some idea of how big this bag was. I did model it for John before felting it and the bag itself was below my knees. Now it sits comfortably on my hip, so you can imagine how much it shrank. It was a fun knit; I can see making another one (or two or three) at some point, perhaps as gifts for special people in my life... like daughters maybe.

There's one more finished object to show you. This is, again, my own design and I will make it available in the sidebar. I call it the Lacy Cantata Cap. It's named for the yarn I used, Cantata DK weight cotton. The lacy stitch is an easy two-row pattern, easy to memorize. It's knit in the round, using a 16", 4.5 mm needle. It will fit 20-22", as the lacy stitch does have some give to it. I did this one up in one afternoon. The pattern includes both written instructions and a chart.

Oh, SoapFiberGal (did I get that right?) asked about the twisted german cast on. Here's a link that explains it pretty well. (click here) As well, if you google "twisted german cast on", you'll get a few more hits. It takes a bit of practice, but it IS a nice, stretchy cast on. It's always good to know more than one method of casting on... and off, for that matter.

And now, off to get this day going. I've got lots to do today, including making a sleep balm (it's made with herbs, oils and beeswax; you rub it into your temples, forehead and neck when you go to bed and it's supposed to help you sleep better... I'll let you know if it works), going to the doctor, laundry, laundry, laundry and more.