Finished WIP - Socks!!

Two of my goals for this year include 1) actually finish my unfinished knitting and crocheting and 2) get a grip on organizing my collection of pattern books, leaflets, and magazines. So with that goal in mind, I have finished the knitting on a pair of socks. I don't even remember when I started these. But I had finished one sock and got past the heel of the second sock when I put them in the bottom of a bookcase and left them there.
Finished project number 1 for 2008 is a pair of Rock 'n' Ribbed socks. Pattern is in the book Knit Socks. They are made from Regia Nation Color sock yarn. Nice socks that fit well but I could have made them just a tad bit longer. It struck me as I started to blog this that the phrase "Nation Color" just might represent some country's flag. Through the magic that is Goggle, I now know that the Nation is Germany. So if I ever go to Germany, I can wear these socks and be very patriotic! (Honestly, I have moments of "blondness" and if I had realized that this yarn was in flag colors I would have purchased the red, white, and blue version to wear on the 4th of July.)
Works in progress include the reindeer tree skirt I started last month. I'm about half-way finished, but we used the half-skirt under the tree anyway. It is going to be nice as you can see in the pic. Miss B there was more concerned with the old toy stash in the corner, then looking cute for my picture.

Dishcloth - X-Stitch

A new crocheted dishcloth! This pattern is found here and is part of a kitchen set, although I only made the dishcloth. The yarn is cotton Sugar & Cream in the color Creamsicle.

You might notice the slight curve at the bottom of the cloth. My gauge was too tight for the first few rows. That's because I used two different hooks. And the different hooks, both size G, worked up at differently. And why did I use two different hooks?

Well, I thought it would be a good idea to purchase a crochet hook to use just for dishcloths and I could keep it in the bag with my cotton yarn. So I went to Hobby Lobby and purchased this:

It's a Susan Bates Bamboo Handle crochet hook. And it just doesn't work for me - I can't figure out how to hold it properly. The handle just kept getting in my way. I gave up on the hook after a couple of rows and switched to my regular all metal Bates hook. Really, I should have frogged the whole thing and started over, but I kept it as-is as a learning example.

And that's the story of dishcloth number 2!