Assorted Knitting Updates, and California Yarn

I touched on The State of the Knitting briefly last week, notably that I finished the baby blanket, but let's see if I can be more comprehensive.

So, baby blanket done, and it turned out well if I do say so myself!

Two feet wide, just over two feet long.

I wasn't sure I was going to like the corner (which is where you can tuck the baby's head in), but I had knit it, so I pinned it on to try it.

Which turned out okay. At least, I didn't dislike it enough to remove it!

I like how the edging looked.

But not the way the front rolled up.

So I got out the green, picked up stitches, and knit a few rows of garter. (The pattern calls for an edging around that side and the whole rest of the blanket, but I didn't want to do that.) And it turned out fine. Done!

Meanwhile, there is the sock-in-progress, progressing.

In most lights, the actual sock looks light grey or off-white, but it's moving toward the light purple center. Slowly. It's a very, very gradual gradient.

The black-and-gold sock got pulled out for hockey on TV.

And the shawl-for-airplane-knitting has progressed from this:

To this:

To this (upside-down versus the previous pictures).

Briefly going through this:

On its way to the last section. It's hard to get good shots, since the needle is long enough for working on it but not long enough to spread it out. We'll see if I bother putting it on another needle before I finish knitting it and the point becomes moot.

And that's the knitting for now! Though I did buy some yarn in California, of course. This wide-striping sock yarn, dyed specially for Piedmont Yarn.

And at The ReCrafting Company, which is the craft consignment store in Alameda, I picked up these two skeins of Frog Tree for the color.

And this kit, which I liked for the colors as well as the pattern. (The photo on the cat is pretty badly lit, but good enough for me to decide I liked it, for the price.)

I like the interplay.

I picked up a few non-yarn things there, too. This fun little ruler.

Which unfolds.

And a hand. Of course. As one does.

It's lightweight, papier mache, and slightly smaller than life size. Or my size, anyway.

They had a few draped with bracelets and rings, and when I commented on how cute that was, she told me they were for sale. For the grand price of $4.50. I couldn't resist. (My mother carried it on the plane for me, alleviating that concern.) I probably will put some jewelry on it, but I am also thinking it will be a good hand model next time I knit mittens.

Oh, I also got this purple skein at Piedmont, for Mary Ellen, and I could not get an accurate color photo of it! I hate it when that happens.

Or, rather, doesn't happen. Camera/color mysteries.