Will this work x 2?

Today I have questions about two of my current projects: Fannigan and brother Amos', sorry there is still no final pretty photo of my finished hedgerow socks, new-old yarn so not adding to the stash at all, and Curley Bear is modeling that Guernsey,

So here is Fannigan, I'm working away on the yoke, maybe a third of the way up? I wanted Fannigan to have a square neckline, so cast off stitches across the front, and have cast on a second steek and continued to knit the yoke. I decided to cast off as I would be picking up stitches down the front and around the upright neck edge, so leaving the stitches live would look different there. I am thinking of either a finish simillar to that used on my recent baby blanket, or a garter border. The blanket finish would conceal the steek edges neatly but with some bulk, the garter boarder would make button holes easier, but then I would have to neaten the steek ... I could use grosgrain ribbon, if I can find some to match. I had planned to bind the edges in knit or woven wool - but again can't find an exact match. Decisions, decisions, some deciding to do.

I'm assuming that continuing with the yoke shaping will work, that it won't look to odd. I know my steeks are way to big, at 10 stitches, but will put in a double row of machine stitching to hold them secure and trim them back.


Here is a better view of what Elizabeth Zimmerman calls the Kangaroo pouch.




And details of how I have managed to work the colour work repeat into the raglan shapping. In every colour work row, I made sure I place a contrasting stitch in the middle of a K2 tog, k1, ssk raglan decrease. Pretty, no?


I've cast on the next socks, this is the now frogged Julies magic toe up cast on and sherman toe. Oh those techniques worked just fine, in fact the cast on is just plain brilliant, but I wasn't happy with the gauge. Brother Amos is intended to be knit on 2.5mm circs, two of them. I'm ok with that, about time i knit two socks at once on two circs, instead of my favored dpns. But I like a firm sock, for lotsa reasons, first it feels better, smoother, and second it has more resilience (pomatomus was knit on 2.75mm and while nice tends to bag out by the end of the day), and Hedgerow was knit on 2.25mm, which is bigger than I would have done - but works. the rib keeps it snug. But this trekking is fine, for a sock yarn, and I'm thinking of 2mm or 2.25mm but really have not got up the confidence to resize lace socks yet. In the past I have resized quite happily lots of plainish ribbed socks and the whole pattern widdershins to fit every one from my then 4 year old to my hubby, but resizing lace - thats a whole different story.

So I have frogged this start and am thinking of kniting one sock on 2.25mm, in the ladies size L (66 stitches) or one sock on 2mm mens size L (72 stitches). I am tending towards the mens size knit on needles 2 sizes smaller, then i could end up with the ladies size? If I knit one until it fits the ball of my foot, then I could knit the other to match and finish both knitting two-at-the-same-time. If it didn't fit, I could decide it was a prezzie for some one else and keep going or frog it and re-knit with adjustments to the stitches used or the guage (is that knit-knit?)


And here is the finished Gansey, all washed, which made it a much whiter shade of natural yarn and much much softer. Curley has short arms and no neck to speak of, so the neck gussets were eliminated and the sleeves shortened. Curley also has short legs, these were 'commercial' teddy bear clothes, and I ended up taking up the hems! I don't even do that for my hubby! That is one lucky bear.


And yes I have been playing with the left over dyes, and that never ending cone of yarn from the Milton wool mill. I wound off 300m and tried dilute dye. Shirley, just north of here, mentioned in a comment that food dyes produce strong colour for her also. Which made me think, WHY? So this time I really diluted the left over dye, put a tiny squirt into a bowl and added lots of vinegar water, and used a clean pastry brush to stoke it on soaked and wrung out yarn. Look - much softer, Chris suggested it be called Willow, I was thinking Summer Garden, what do you think? And what can I make with 300m of fine fingering? And Tania - this was already in my stash - so its not really adding is it?