recently  i have also finished knitting all but one projects for my other friend, who’s in the army now.

1. here is his Axel Cowl, same as for my other friend. 3 mm needles, Gazzal happy feet yarn, color – forest night. 75% superwash merino, 25% polyamide, 330 m x 100 g.

I have mixed feelings regarding this yarn. It is soft and silky and is very easy on my hands in the knitting process. But – contrary to Regia or Patons sock yarns – it sort of goes limp after washing. It is still pleasant to touch and is bouncy but kind of flat? I am not sure how to describe it otherwise. But, of all yarns I showed to that friend of mine, this was the one he had chosen (I think he really liked the color). Therefore, I still used it to knit him a hat and a pair of socks.

2. The hat is based on the WildFlower Fields Beanie, the pattern I found in the book by Diane Serviss, Knockout Hats and hoods. It’s basically a simple slipped stitch pattern, which, I think, pairs well with a variegated yarn. For this hat, I held the Gazzal happy feet yarn double, and used 4.5 mm needles for the body and 4 mm needles for the brim.

i’ve added a fleece lining to the hat, so it seems to be soft but at the same time warm.

3. And the socks. The pattern is Swirl .E Socks by Susie White, a free pattern, to be found on ravelry. To be honest, the only thing I used from this pattern is the stitch pattern, easy to knit. I don’t know why but knitting it made me a one happy knitter. To such a degree that I’ve knit socks with it for my other friend – a husband of a very dear friend of mine, who was enlisted last year.

he asked for the socks and I obliged. Here are two pairs of socks he will be receiving this winter – Swirl E. socks (well, sort of Swirl E. Socks) and the plain vanilla socks from the Tuffy yarn, I took to knitting socks for my friends who are on active duty.

Briggs & Little Tuffy is a really thick, worsted weight, 2 ply sock yarn, 80% wool and 20% nylon. The recommended needle for this yarn is 5 mm but I used 4 mm needles. I like the sturdiness of the socks from this yarn, and I really like the colors, which are not solid but heather, so they look really nice in the vanilla socks. Unfortunately, my hands get very-very tired knitting with this yarn, so i am very happy i am almost out it.