FO Friday

I have three four FOs to share this week, after missing a few weeks in the mayhem. I'm thrilled with all of them, but especially glad to have the first one off the needles at long last.

1. Cabled Quasi-Crew Socks
I started these as a test-knit for the designer in October of 2010. I made it through the first sock quickly enough, and then the second languished for a long while. I ended up having to rip and restart it three times due to various problems. What a relief to have a 2 1/2-year-old UFO finally turned into a FO!

2. Becca's Baby Blanket
A dear friend of mine at work is expecting a baby (any minute now!), so of course I had to make something special for her. She doesn't know the gender, so I wanted to keep it fairly neutral, but something different from the typical yellow and green. I found the perfect yarn in my stash from back in 2010, and it felt great to use "deep stash" for this project. I chose the pattern so that I could be sure to use up all the yarn; it's now discontinued, so I wanted to use it all in one project.

Based on the "Grandmother's Favorite" pattern, in Knit Picks Simply Cotton Sport

3. Maggie the Mama Owl
I am crazy about owls, so when I saw this pattern come out, I just had to make one! It's part of the monthly KAL for the Retro Lemon Podcast, too. Her body is knit in handspun, and the solid brown is Cascade 220.

4. Fire on Ampersand Mountain!
Late-breaking news! It's 10:30pm and I just finished a pair of socks that are just TOO COOL to wait until next Friday. The pattern is Ampersand and the yarn is Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Mediumweight in the color "Fire on the Mountain."