Express Lane by Diane Mulholland - KAL

Hello PL!
I started the socks with a video pretty much of each of the 6 rows. Here are some things I learned:
- it's pretty hard to see the stitches with the yarn I'm using, I think
- I needed to do gauge math.

I realized once I was in the 6-8 row range that the toe was going to be HUGE. This is because I ignored my gauge swatch. Rookie mistake. I'm still going to put up the videos, since I took the time, and because maybe they're helpful. But I frogged and will start over with the right number of stitches. I might also do a mini piece with a yarn that is easier to see.

Gauge math:
Pattern gauge is 36st per 4"
My swatch is 30st/41r per 4" on 2.5 mm needles and the fabric feels good to me so I don't want to do another swatch on smaller needles.
My foot is about 9" circumference, 9" x 36st/4" = 81 st in pattern gauge - not sure how much negative ease is recommended for this pattern. The L size has 64 st around, 64st x 4"/36st = 7.1", 2" negative ease seems like more than enough so I'll follow the L instructions.
The L instructions say to CO 32.
32st x 4"/36st x 30st/4" = 26.67 st so I can CO 26 or 27 st
Once in the round pattern has 64st x 4"/36st x 30st/4" = 53.3 st
twice 26 is 52, a little tighter
twice 27 is 54 which is pretty close to what I want so I'll CO 27 even though it's an odd number.

Oh you didn't check your gauge? Then you have homework before you start!
1. read this article
2. knit and measure your gauge swatch

My usual strategy is to CO half again as many sts as the pattern says will be 4" - this makes a 6" swatch. So for this pattern, 36 + 36/2 = 36 + 18 = 54, but I like multiples of 5 so I'd CO 55. Then I'd knit garter stitch for a few rows (3 or 4 ridges), then I carry on with 4-5 st of garter stitch at the beginning and end, and when I'm about square I do the symmetrical number of garter stitches. Then I bind off, measure, wash the swatch, and measure again. I have a sweet little pile of gauge swatches that are something like 6" square that eventually might be an interesting quilt ... someday.

This project illustrates how I have taught myself so much knitting. I started in and thought things were awkward but figured I was following the pattern so it was okay. Then I got to the "complete toe" section and it didn't work at all. I frogged and started over with my new knowledge and then something clicked and I figured out how it worked. Lots and trial and error but I learn a lot from all my mistakes.

Here is me figuring it out for real:

Then as I worked more to get to the toe completion part it started to get a lot more comfortable so I think it might be valuable to watch this toe part before starting.

And this is unzipping the provisional cast on and preparing to knit in the round. I picked up with the other end of the same needle. Don't do this! My needles were going in opposite directions when I was done!

Crochet Bind Off for Hexipuffs

I am trying to answer a question on a Ravelry forum about how to do the crochet bind off for hexipuffs. To do this I propped up my iPhone on a pile of books and tried to knit in front of it. This is surprisingly awkward. It might not be as helpful as I'd hoped it would be but regardless, here's the video:

Drogo slippers in double kniting

When I saw the Drogo slippers in the Winter 2014 edition of Knitty (issue 50 OMG) I pretty much immediately decided to knit them for my sun & stars and ordered the yarn - Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift. Then as I read through the pattern I thought they would work well done in double knitting. I have used this technique before, but always with the slip stitch method, which I learned from a knitting techniques book that I bought when I was first starting out.

Around the same time I discovered Craftsy and signed up for a couple classes. One of these was Adventures in Double Knitting, taught by Alasdair Post-Quinn. I reread the pattern and figured out how to adapt it. There may be other ways but I came up with something I think will work. I haven't gotten to the short rows yet though.

I knit my swatch with size 0 needles and still didn't get down to gauge, which is unusual because I generally knit tightly and need to use needles 1-2 sizes larger than a pattern calls for. These are my swatches:

There are a few mistakes but whatever. One thing was that I cast on with the lighter blue instead of the darker. Fun to not care, because it's a swatch! On the real slipper I am knitting now, I am dropping stitches back and picking up again to fix mistakes. I am insane.

I don't know if my adaptation would work for anyone else. My sun & stars has large feet and the L in the pattern would be too small for him. I am able to use the size S instructions for the stitch count, and something bigger than size L for the row count.

To do double knitting for this project, I started knitting flat for the leg opening and will seam up the back (the cast on edge, folded double) at the end. This is the progress through the first pattern repeat:

I have gotten to the point where I have joined into a round and started the center panel. The cast on is interesting, I may post a video of it when I do the second slipper.

At some point I will come back and add in more detail about how I am doing this, if I have the time. I need to keep knitting though. My fantasy was for these to be a birthday present but I don't know that the first one will be done by Feb 10. One slipper is not so useful of a gift.
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ETA: Both slippers have been completed. Really fiddly work but worth it in the end.

I kind of want a pair now, with different colors and a different chart (just to avoid boredom), but it is not high on the priority list.