FO Friday - Trifecta

No fewer than 3 finished objects this week, since I forgot to post last week :) So let's get right on it.

I finally managed to finish the Wombat blanket by Paula Berman. She describes it thusly:

There are blankets made to sleep under, blankets to picnic on, and blankets made to cuddle up with someone you love. This is not any of those; this is the blanket you want when you're sitting on the sofa reading, and your feet get cold. It goes especially well with a favorite book, a cup of tea, and maybe a bowl of popcorn.

I loved that idea, and thought it would go very well with my knitting as well ;) I started it October of last year, and have no clue why it took me until now to finish! It's an easy knit that can be adapted to your liking.
I just used some cheap acrylic yarn, but even so it's wonderfully soft :) I substituted the cables of the original pattern for a braided cable and a faux cable. My original plan was to try out lots of different cables to see how it worked out, but in the end I liked this one enough that I just kept it all the way through. The red is because I was afraid I'd run out of the black ;) I wouldn't have, but by the time I realized that I was SO not going to rip back! It comes to just over my knees when I sit on the couch, so I'm sure it will be very useful come winter :)

I've also finished two pairs of socks since my last FO Friday post! I'm attempting to do a pair a month in 2014, so these are my June socks and my July socks (or July and June rather, if seen from left to right).
The June socks are the No Purl Monkey Socks by Cookie A and CraftyPancakes. I'm not a huge fan of purling, so this was perfect for me. They are SO potato-chipy! And for once actually the leg of the sock more than the foot. See, it's the wedges that make me go "just one more!" and there are only half as many of those on the foot! ;) I will definitely be making more of these - it's an awesome pattern!
I modified it further to use the fish-lips-kiss heel by Sox Therapist. It's my first attempt at a short row heel, and I think I like it :) It's easier than the heel flap and doesn't have any extra ends to weave in like the afterthought heel. I'll definitely be using this again too.
The yarn used is the Vivacious 4 ply from Fyberspates which is LOVELY! I will definitely have to buy more of that!

The July socks is a test-knit for Dogwood13 on Ravelry. They're the Braided Swirl Socks and I love them :) The pattern was really easy to memorize, and lots of fun to knit. Although I would recommend learing how to cable without a needle - makes it a lot easier! I kinda had to... didn't have any cable needle small enough! Guess I could just have used a toothpick or something, but thought I might as well practice going without :) The right sock is the mirror image of the left sock, which I think makes for a really cool look :)
The yarn used is Meilenweit 100 Cotton Holiday Stretch from Lana Grossa. Not very soft to the touch, but I think it'll hold up very well for socks :)