The Aran begins - Saddles

I actually finished the saddles for the FLAK Aran on Sunday, but just didn't get the camera out until last night. Since the Aran is being done top-down, the saddles are the first parts of the sweater to be done, and here the design-it-yourself part of the KAL begins.

In Step 1 we swatched, and in addition to swatching, took measurements. The shoulder and neck measurements are used to make shoulder saddles that are the perfect length for your shoulder width. Step 3 is knitting the saddles (Step 2 involved knitting a large swatch incorporating all of the cable patterns to be used in the sweater), which I must say is a nice ease-in to the knitting of a sweater. Two little pieces that measure 2.5" by 5" took just over 24 hours, even though I was also knitting away on socks (that's really new for me, right?) and include my favorite cable pattern of the sweater, the woven braid.

These are not yet blocked, I don't plan on doing any more blocking until I get to the end, unless of course Janet recommends it later in the KAL. Even then I'll have to think about it.

Oh, the socks I was working on? I finished them on Monday evening, and they are definitely my new favorite socks, at least for now. I love the feel and fit (Opal sock yarn, and toe-up with short-row heels) and the colors are really pretty. I'm wearing them as I type, and they are a perfect match for my grey pants, light purple sweater, and 62-degree office.

Isn't the identicalness amazing? This was truly accidental, I always separate 100 gram skeins into 2 balls before starting socks, so that I know there is enough for each sock, and it was only after starting the second that I realized that the toes were coming out the same. I this particular patterning, and because of it I kind of like having them matching, usually I don't really care.

Speaking of Opal sock yarn, that's what the next socks on the needles will be - navy/red/cream/gray socks for Adam. Starting them tonight!