Socks and Stuff

I gave Jersey Mama the first Forest Canopy Shawl. I tried to hold out until I got a photo of Jersey Girl in her knitted birthday gift in return (I am totally not above woolly blackmail). But she was having technical issues so here's a picture from the birthday girl herself:
See, who needs a camera when you've got markers? I made her a sort of overall-like dress adapted from Family Circle Easy Knits for Kids. The pattern, Bear Necessity, called for an intarsia teddy bear on the front. I left the bear off because I wasn't sure if bears were cool among the almost-tweenager set. (Stephen Colbert has them perpetually on notice, which is not a good sign.) Instead of the recommended Tahki Cotton Classic, I used 5 balls of Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere, which was very pleasant to knit with, despite being splitty.

The second Forest Canopy Shawl is bound off and ready for blocking. This picture doesn't really capture either the color or the nice variegation, but trust me, it's fun to look at!

Sock Update: I moved Broadripple to a long circ, turned the heel and will proceed in magic loop fashion.
It's a bit slower than having a short circular, but the Cascade Fixation is much easier to work with this way. I also started another sock in a friendlier yarn.
This pattern is from the American Red Cross Museum. I found the link on my SP9's site (thanks Veronica!). I don't think one ball of Opal has enough yardage to make the knee length socks described in the pattern (3 inch ribbed cuff plus 8 inch st st ), so I shortened the leg by 4 inches.

Next up....more shawl news, a spinning update and SP10!