new socks and birthday gifts

Just popping in to show you a couple of projects.  The first is a birthday gift for one of Lydia's friends.  She asked for a "unicorn pillowcase"; I embroidered a white pillowcase with her name, a unicorn and a rainbow.  I also made her this throw pillow.  She loves hearts and rainbow colors, so the heart print fabric and rainbow trim were perfect.  Seems she really liked it!  The embroidery design may be found here.

And now I get to make an identical set for Lydia.  ;)

I've also started a new pair of socks.  When dear Maya started dyeing commercially spun yarn, she sent one of her first skeins to me.  Since then I've puzzled over just the right project for such a special gift.  I finally settled on this sock pattern.  It is "Sock Hop" by Patsy Leatherbury, published in Creative Knitting magazine July 2006.  It was the first sock pattern I tried to knit, and I loved those socks.  Then we moved into our new house, and for some reason the floors ate holes in all our socks for a while.  Including my very first hand-knit socks, sadly.  I guess maybe it took a while to remove all the fine grit lingering on the floors from the construction?  Who knows.  But there were my beloved socks, with gaping holes in the soles.

I've wanted to knit another pair by this pattern for some time, and it finally occurred to me to use the yarn that Maya sent!  It's from her "Muscadine Sock" line.  This is the "Inked" colorway, one of her first.  I love the color, but also the yarn itself.  I am surprised at how stretchy it has turned out to be; but it springs back into shape, too.  Perfect for socks.  And I'll make sure the floors don't eat them this time.  :)