Winnas, WIPS, and Hooters (but not in that order)

PSA: Have you started knitting for the Hats for Alex Fall Challenge yet? Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to win some Yarn Pirate or Entrelec Stitch Markers! Okay, it's not a once-in-a-lifetime chance, but it's a chance to win some pretty cool stuff. And you'll be spreading some good juju at the same time.

Winna winna chicken dinna
Speaking of blog contests, I've won a couple myself lately! First up is some oh-so-squishy STR in Alina from a contest on bradyphenia's blog, which may become a Jaywalker scarf for a family member:

Ahhhhlina.

Next we have this fabulous skein of Jitterbug, the result of my all-knowing, all-seeing psychic ability to correctly guess chemgrrl's age:

With my inner eye, I can see the future... in a pair of toe-up socks...

Too bad those powers seem to leave me when it's time to pick out Lotto numbers. But yarn's good, too!

Thanks to you both for the wonderful stash enhancements!

Hooters find a happy home
And thanks to everyone who commented on the Monkey Hooters! I'm happy to report they've found a new home with the lovely clumberknits, who was the first person to email me directly. :)

(stariel pointed out that there were purls in the ribby cuffs, smart girl. BUT, the actual Monkey part was purl-free, so I'm sticking with my 100% purl-free claim. I've been in marketing for over a decade, I can spin just about anything. ;))

A rare appearance for WIP it Wednesday
I've got two WIPs going right now, Iris and Waving Lace:

Can you seam me now?

I finished the back of Iris (from Rowan 35) on Sunday, and the fronts last night! I knitted the two front pieces at the same time in hopes they'd have a better chance of turning out the same size. It was confusing as hell when I got to the armhole shaping (decrease the armholes on these rows, decrease the front slope on these other rows, don't forget the slip stitch edging either, and oh yeah, remember to do the same thing for the right side too but all in reverse, gaaaah!), so I ended up writing out the instructions for that part on a mass of stickies. But it appears they did in fact turn out the same size, so it was worth it, whoo hoo!

Tonight I'll be starting on the sleeves, after which it'll be time to seam. That'll be...interesting. I may have to run around the house with a stick of burning sage beforehand.


Well, at least they can stop a bullet.

These are the cuffs of my Waving Lace Socks. I started them on 1s - the size I normally use for sock yarn of this weight, and with this number of cast-on stitches. But for some reason, they came out heeeyuge. We're talking a good 16 stitches huge. That seemed very odd to me, but I ripped and restarted them on size 0s.

Now the resulting cuffs could be used as Kevlar. They do fit, I'm just not looking forward to cutting off my circulation and losing the lovely softness of the yarn by knitting them so tightly they could stand up on their own. *sigh* I may need to rip them again and give them another try on the 1s. Maybe the first pass was just an anomaly.