May socks, and my studio floof

What with the studio re-flooring after our flood, I just today finished up May's sock-of-the-month offerings. But I got it done! This month, the colorway was 'Surf', from the Deborah Norville Serenity sock yarn collection. It is 50% merino wool, 25% rayon bamboo, and 25% nylon. I like the way this yarn feels and wears, and it slides through my old cranky machine like butter. Except I don't want to wear butter on my feet, and I do want to wear these socks. 

Here's the finished socks, shown on my nice new studio floor. I'm super pleased with both. Now, to figure out what next month's colorway is going to be.

Maybe I'll get my new Studio Floof to help me decide. The stray that moved in a week or so ago seems to be making herself right at home, no? She still wanders in and out (after all, she has a whole neighborhood to run), but as it heats up here in Phoenix she seems to be enjoying the comfort of my computer chair more and more often.

12 shaft cotton hand towels from the dobby loom: Done!

I'm calling this project done! These are the cotton hand towels that I made to experiment with using all 12 shafts on my dobby loom. I got the pattern from this blog: http://weeverwoman.blogspot.ca/2011/07/i-havent-fallen-off-planet-i-had-week.html. I treadled it tromp as writ, to make this lovely almost Renaissance looking pattern. I used 8/2 UKI unmercerized cotton for the warp, and 10/2 Valley mercerized cotton for the weft, which gives a nice subtle contrast in sheen between the light and dark yarns.

Each towel is a different color, so everybody in the family can have one that is uniquely their own. Also? It gave me a chance to try the different color combinations for future reference. I can't actually decide which version I like the best. Not pictured are two rusty brown ones, that I already gave to my mother for her birthday. Now I just have to convince her to actually use them! I can always get more yarn and make more if she wears them out. She'll use the woven napkins I gave her, but the thought of using hand woven as towels set her aback. But I've been using earlier versions of my woven towels for a couple of years now as bathroom hand towels, and I love them.

I will probably use this pattern again. However, next time I'll remember to use floating selvedges. There are some floats on the edges that I'm afraid might catch and pull and make loops. But overall, I'm really pleased. They washed up to a just slightly rough texture that will be great for their intended purpose. I also have about a yard and a half of the blue left over, that I'm going to use as yardage for some future sewing project. A messenger bag? The front of a vest? I'm not sure yet. I'm putting it away for when inspiration strikes. (You have any ideas? I'd love to hear them.)