Similar But Different

Every year since I can't remember when, I have knit JB and the girls a new pair of socks for Christmas.  Historically, they are the first things I knit each year - because I like knowing they are done.  

Sometime last Summer, Wendy at Lancaster Yarn Shop {which is also my LYS} got a pretty new color of Crazy Zauberball Malerwinkel and thought - wouldn't it be fun to make the girls socks out of the same yarn?  

So, I bought 2 balls, 1 ball is enough for a pair of socks, and then promptly put it away.  The one rule to #christmassocksforall is that they have to be knit in the year they are gifted.  

At some point between purchasing the yarn and starting knitting, Wendy and I had a conversation about knitting socks with zauberball and she mentioned a striped pair she had made.  Well, that planted a seed, but in 2018 I'm not spending my money on silly little things like patterns - not when I know how to knit a pair of socks AND have stitch dictionaries on my shelves.  

So - first things first - I caked my 2 matching dye lot balls of Malerwinkel into pretty yarn cakes.  Next, I pulled out the stitch dictionaries because there is absolutely nothing that will bore me faster than a plain stockinette sock, except maybe 1x1 rib.  UGH.  

Because I was using both yarn cakes on each sock, I didn't want to knit 2 at a time, but I still did them on my circular needles, and toe up.  To keep the stripes uninterrupted and balance out the yarn cake usage, I used cake A for the toe, heel, and ribbing of socks 1 & 3 and cake B in the same places on socks 2 & 4.  

With lots of numbers in my head, I grabbed US1 {2.25mm} circular needles and got started.  I started with a 72 stitch sock and worked 2 repeats of the stitch pattern on either side of the foot.  Put the heels on waste yarn, worked up the leg, then did 3 repeats of the pattern all around for a cuff.  Finished with a tiny, tiny bit of ribbing and bound off.  Quickly knit an afterthought heel and sock 1 was done in 3 days!  There are very, very detailed notes on my ravelry project page so that I could repeat for sock 2.  

First Pair Done!

I forgot how quick it is to knit single socks.  It took me about 3 days per sock to knit these.  Back in my bus commute days it would take 2 weeks to knit a pair of socks.  I'm also happy to report that these socks are the same size - there were no gauge changes between sock 1 and 2.  

Second Pair - Similar, but Different

With the first pair complete it was time to start the second.  I knew that a 72 stitch sock would be too big, so this time I only did a 60 stitch sock.  I tried something new when starting the second pair.  There is a technique I learned from knitting top down socks where the decreases go all around the toe.  I wanted to try recreating that from the top up and it worked!  

It Worked!

This time, I worked the ribbed lace up the entirety of the leg as well as along the edges of the foot.  

Side By Side

Pile of Socks

With the leftover malerwinkel I've been knitting "similar but different" socks Eleanor.  Sadly there is a gauge issue between her first and second sock, but I don't care - she's a baby and won't wear them for long - that is if they aren't lost first ;)

It feels good to have these done and in the Christmas Box reading for gifting already.  

Me Made Failure

Well - I had a feeling this would happen, I'm still wearing me made every day and weekends are as hard as I thought they would be, but I'm not getting photos taken. 

So how about I distract you with some pretty handknit socks?

This pink pair I designed.  They have lace up the foot and a fold over ruffle.  They are the last pair of socks that my FIL saw me knitting and he was just fascinated.  He would just sit and watch and then he wanted to guess how many stitches were in a pair.

The fit is perfect, just the right amount of negative ease and oh so girly - I love them.

This second pair was knit for JB for Christmas last year.  The pattern is called Par 5 based on the designers favorite hole on her favorite golf course.  According to her - a Par 5 is very easy.   I don't golf, but I thought the higher the par number the harder the hole.  Anyway - these were super easy to knit.  I did them top down with an after-thought heel. 

The main color is Eagles blue and the contrast is a dark grey. 

He said they were a wee bit tight going on, but perfect once he was wearing them.  The cables add a bit of interest and kept me from poking my eyes out making is favorite socks - a very boring 2x2 rib.  

socks, socks, socks, and more

socks.  2010 found me knitting quite a few pairs of socks.  I'm a bit of freak, unless I'm gifting socks, I save them all in a basket until the end of the year.  I gifted very few pairs of socks in 2010 - the total was 10 - wow!  More than I thought actually.  I knit 26 pairs during the year and of those 26 pairs - 23 came from stashed sock yarn.  Not too bad - another year or three like that I'll have to buy sock yarn. 

So - does your knitting (or sewing, or stitching) tell stories?  I can look at the basket of socks and tell you what I was working on when I last saw JB's father and how enthralled he was watching me knit.  I can tell you the ones I had with me the weekend we buried Pop.  And the pair I started when we learned Dudley had cancer - there are vacation socks - in the sense of yarn bought on vacation or socks knit on vacation.  3 different pairs of socks went to Mexico, and then there were road trip socks.  Every single brown bag from the 2010 sock club was started in 2010 - the last pair was finished on the 9th of January. 

Seriously - I need to start knitting something else.

TTL Mystery

I am a sock knitter.  I want to knit other things, but so rarely do.  But it's okay - I love knitting socks, I love gifting handknit socks, and I really love wearing handknit socks.

So - when TTL (Through the Loops) offered her mystery sock pattern for Socktober - I knew I had to knit it.  I was very good and managed to get each clue done the week it was released.  I knit my socks with my favorite method - 2 at a time, magic looping.  And they were done in the month.

While we were driving around on the birthday trip I was finally able to finish the 4th clue - the gusset decreases and foot.  So - when they were tasting wine and I was wandering the grounds of the beautiful Quail's Gate (careful it has music - sorry) I knew I had to get JB to snap some photos of my finished clue 4.

The little house was perfect - in an very Alice in Wonderland Way.  The sock on my other foot is my Pink Dalmation Charade - which has been done for years.  But my new maryjanes are perfect for showing off handknit socks and walking around all day - win/win!!

Late to the Party

Not only am I late - but these are really, really, crap-tastic photos!  Which is sad, because these socks are anything but crap-tastic.

First - I signed up on Rav to test knit Susie's Long Stockings. 

Next - I ordered hand died pink cashmere sock yarn.  Kathy is lovely - she didn't have what I wanted in the shop, so I convo'd her.  She fired up her magic potions in the middle of the summer heat and I had 3 hanks of the prettiest semi-solid pink yarn on my doorstep within about 10 days.  Seriously!  (her bags are lovely too!)
Finally - I caked up that lovely yarn and started knitting - learned a new cast on, learned a new double decrease and knit away.  I was almost done and would totally have made the deadline, but I realized I had mis-understood one of the directions - totally my fault and not the patterns.  So - with just over a week to go - I ripped the socks back all the way to the beginning!

And started over.  It took me just about 2 weeks to knit these puppies the second time!  Now - as soon as I clean the studio and find the missing hank of pink cashmere - I'll start the ruffles.  Then I'll have a friend with legs much more similar in size and shape to the Princess' model them and I'll force JB to take good photos.  (or else I'll pack him nothing but pb&j for a week!!)

Are you a Fan?

Of Harry Potter?  If so, then you'll probably recognize what these socks represent.

My friend sent me the red yarn.  We had been talking how we both liked the Monkey pattern, and knit it several times, but neither of us had a pair of our own monkeys.

Upon receiving this lovely little hank of red sock yarn, I promptly wound it into a cake and printed off the toe up modification to the monkey pattern.  I also modified it by making the repeat narrower.  The original monkeys are worked over 16 stitches, but because I needed to have a sock that was wider than 64 stitches, I narrowed the repeat to 12 stitches and added a second repeat.  This allowed me to make a sock that was 72 stitches around, yet still maintain the design that monkeys are famous for. 

As long as I was doing new things - I decided to try a new short row heel.  I don't normally like short row heels because I can never make them look purdy.  This one - not too shabby.  It's a bit shallow for my liking, but I think that would be fixable in the future. 

At the top of the sock, I modified this owl chart to put little cabled owls in the ribbed cuff.  I love them - I hope my friend does - if not - maybe she'll send them back.

So the Harry Potter relationship?  Well when the kids are at school their parents send them letters.  These letters are mostly delivered by owls.  And when Harry or any of the gang are in trouble the letters scream at them and are bright red!  I haven't heard of any of the kids having a monkey - so I added the owls to my "howler monkeys!"

Sweet Home

Finally! Photos of a finished object - granted it's knitting, but it's still finished. Carrie - who is on Rav as IrishGirlieKnits designed this pattern she calls Sweet Home. It's a fabulous knit will all of Carrie's trademark details - small garter cuff, design that carries through down heel, and all the way to the kitchenering the toe closed. I wish I could add links - but just go to my Rav page and find all the details. I want to thank Carrie for asking me to test knit - the pattern was wonderful and I truly enjoyed it. I also want to thank Susie from Kollage for offering up the yarn for the test knit - it was fabulous to work with a made a lovely squishy sock that I will enjoy wearing. And finally - I want to thank JB for putting up with the knitting - now if we could just get him to work on his photo shoot skills!

Ravelympics

I did it! I have had the idea of a lace, fold-over ruffle cuffed socks playing in my head for some time. I decided to get these socks out of my head and into knit fabric as part of Ravelympics. They were started on Saturday, February 13, 2010 while we were driving to Canada. I only worked on them on my commute while the Modern Beach Glass Quilt Wrap had a chance of being finished. Once I realized only one of these projects would get finished - I set the wrap aside and concentrated on these! I love them. I'm thrilled to have finished them. They are exactly what I saw and I can't believe I figured out how to knit them. This is the 4th finished pair of socks from stash for 2010!

Emerald Forest

So this is the last shipment from the one sock club I joined last year. It was a 3 month sock club from Creatively Dyed, the price was reasonable and I purchased it just days before Beau decided to rack up major vet bills. The yarn is a rich, dark, dark green - practically black and it photographs black. The socks are beaded and toe up with a gusset and traditional heel flap. I started these on Friday night. I'm working both of them at the same time. I put the beads in a tiny dish to make them easier to add to the socks. On Sunday morning Beau spilled the dish of beads! I hope we found them all!

Are You Bored Yet?

Welcome to Fall. In honor of the season - these are my pumpkin socks. Pattern is ladybug socks - but I made them out of orange yarn and they are now pumpkin socks. They took me forever, through no fault of the socks. I got them cast on, but then because they needed concentration they kept getting put aside for knits that needed less thought. Once I actually started working on them - I was able to commit the pattern to memory and even work on them on the bus! I know, right?! They have all my usual specks - toe up; two at a time; gusset and heel flap. I do increase the gusset to 20 stitches per side and I like them much better that way, but I need to remember to start the heel earlier - about 3.5" short. While they fit fine, I think they will fit better if I start the gusset increases earlier. These will be fun to wear this year with my jeans. A nice bright pop of pumpkin peaking out when I sit or walk.

Finished Friday

I've fallen way behind on showing the socks that I've knit - but I have met the goal of knitting 12 pairs of socks this year from stashed or gifted yarn. In other words - yarn that I personally have not spent money purchasing during 2009. Once I reached that goal, I decided to see if I could knit 36 pairs during 2009 all using stashed or gifted yarn, with three sets of 12 - 12 pair for me; 12 pair for JB; and 12 pair that are gifted. 18::12 Taylored Test Knit socks. This is a pair of socks that I volunteered to test knit the pattern for a Ravelry Designer. I don't remember if the pattern is free or not, but the details are over at Rav. Yarn is Pink Baby Ull that I've had in the stash for awhile. Needles were US0s, both at the same time, toe up. 19::12 Y's Ty-Dyed Summer. This yarn is so soft and just lovely to knit with. Everyone who saw them thought the yarn was a bit bright - but I'm telling you - you smile when you see them. Pattern: Dash Needles: 2.25mm, magic looping Toe up, gusset heel, traditional heel flap. 20::12

Pattern: Twisted Tendrils

Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy, Good Luck Jade

Needles: 2.00 mm double points, worked one at a time, top down. This pattern was fun and challenging, but easy to keep track of. The yarn was fabulous. I will say this was another test knit and I followed the pattern exactly. I was devastated when I realized these socks wouldn't fit me, so they were gifted to Miss L.

Size 7 feet and legs provided by Miss L.

In case you're wondering - to date I have knit 5 pairs for me; 4 pairs for JB; and 11 pairs have been (or will be) gifted. I have 2 pairs on needles - one for me and one for JB.

Test Knitting

I seem to be knitting a lot and most of it is socks. Crazy huh? Who wears wool socks in the summer? Well - actually, I do. I like my feet to be warm and here in good old Western Washington you never know when it will be 85* followed by a downpour.

So, I have started doing some test knitting for sock designers through Ravelry. This is great because I can try a new technique or make a very complicated pattern that I may love, but would never purchase.

Currently, I am knitting a very complicated pattern loaded with traveling cables, lace and twisted stitches. I am using a beautiful wool - Dream in Color Smooshy in the colorway - Good Luck Jade, it's a semi-solid yarn and the pattern stands out fabulously.

I'm trying old techniques with this sock - top down, one at a time, on good old-fashioned metal double pointed needles - and I'm loving it. I have made a few triangle bags and asked a few knitting friends what they like in knitting bags. So, I'm getting a chance to try out the bag and see how it functions.

something cheerful . . .

that's what the note said, something cheerful . . . . first, can I just say - who has note paper with their dogs on it? Seriously - love it Y. My friend, Purlin'Goldens sent this lovely Ty-Dy Socks. her note said it made her cheerful and she hoped it would do the same for me. She stared as a virtual friend and then I got a chance to meet her when we visited North Carolina in October 2006. Then she stalked me on ravelry and made a comment about a pair of socks she really, really liked. Since she doesn't knit socks (seriously, she sold off all her sock knitting supplies) do you think it was a blatant hint? Miss Y (Purlin'Goldens) also mentioned that she really liked these clog socks (rav link- seriously, what are you waiting for). I have messaged the knitter but have yet to hear back from her. So I think I'll just play with the slip stitch heel a bit and see if I can figure it out. I think I remember that Y wears a size 7.5 shoe. Apparently my goal to knit 12 pairs of socks from yarn I haven't paid for is actually 12 pairs for people other than me :) Thankfully, I can knit this yarn right up and have it count toward that goal, ant this pair will make that goal. To date I have knit 17 pairs of socks in 2009, 16 from yarns I either had or were gifted to me in 2009. I have only bought enough yarn to make 3 pairs of socks this year, one has been knit already. Of those 16 pairs of socks, 5 have been for me and the rest are for others. Of course JB has made out like a bandit receiving 4 pairs.

finished object

the remake of the ankle socks for JB is complete. he wore them and although he wishes the ribbing was tighter i don't know what to do to fix it. these were knit on US1s over 56 stitches. the foot is stockinette with 1x1 ribbing around the arch. this time i used another new to me heel - the no-wrap short row heel. it worked fabulously and there are no gaps and no pesky wrap stitches to pick up! yea. since JB loves a short row heel best this will be the one i turn to from now on.

hopefully soon there will be sewing.

Opps!

I have been working on the fixation socks for JB. He wanted short socks to wear in the summer and fixation has a nice cotton content. I have been having him try them on all along the way - until I got past the heel that is. At that point I just made them to exactly match the pair of little short socks he recently purchased. Well apparently those socks are a bit too short! So, I finished them last night, wove in the ends and everything. I tossed them to him this morning to try on with his shoes - and he doesn't like them. I swear knitting for spouses can be so frustrating. I asked if he'd like me to take them apart and make them taller - no, I guess they'll be okay. Well I'd really like it if you liked them, I say. Finally - they would be better if they were a bit taller. I noticed that the heel is about 1/2 an inch too far back. So out them come to before the heel, and I'll do them again. It really would be nice if he wore them!

it's a long weekend and a girl's thoughts turn to . . . .

washing socks! Seriously. I know! I asked JB to build me a little circular dryer to hold handknit socks so they could dry. In my mind this was easy enough. You needed a large circle at the top with holes drilled into the wood for dowels to be inserted. I had asked that the dowels be long enough to hold a pair of socks, but that got lost in the translation. In the meantime, the handknit socks that needed washing were piling up. Last week, he finally built my sock dryer. So yesterday I set about washing the handknit socks. They all individually took a dunk in soak and then I took them out into the sunshine to drape over their new drying rack.

While this rack only holds 4 pair of socks, unfortunately my flat drying racks only hold four pairs as well and this takes up much less room.

I rotated the socks during the day, turning them around and over so that the air could circulate. They were all dry when I brought them in around 9:00.

In case you're wondering - the dryer held 3 pairs of JB's socks and only one pair of mine :)

single sock?

Channon send me one sock? Seriously? What's up with that? It's not like I can walk around wearing just one sock - although I have been doing just that. Earlier this year, my friend Channon was trolling around Ravelry and found a cute pair of summer ankle socks. She started them and then the instructions baffled her. However the instructions for the heel and ankle baffled her. So, she designed her own cute, little summery sock. Once she had knit the first pair for herself (scroll down - it's there, so is the bag she just sent me). Anyway, she sent the pattern out to be test knit. This is a super, fun, easy pattern that produces a very pretty little summer sock. Well I knit a pair and sent them off to Channon. Well it seems she had the same thought. She had started this sock, knitting one at a time to make taking step by step photos easier in some yarn I had sent her that she really enjoys, but I did not. So, since I had bought the yarn, but didn't love knitting it, she decided to make the socks for me out of it. When she finished the first one, she mailed it off to make sure it fit before finishing the second sock. I hope she finishes it soon, I'm rather tired of only wearing one sock.

normally

he drives and I knit. I got most of the waterfall socks done. But the drive home was a bit windy. I couldn't tame the yarn to knit while driving over the pass. It might have had something to do with having the top down on the convertible. Or maybe it had to do with the temperature dropping a full 20* while we were going over the pass, either way - there was no knitting happening. As of this writing, the socks are done but for having the ends woven in. Hopefully, I can get JB out into the yarn for a sock photo shoot soon. I have a few finished pairs to show you all.

I'd Like to Introduce You

to my newest project. These are the Grape Leyburn socks (all the details can be found on Ravelry - and all the cool kids know how to get there). The yarn is malibrigo sock and it's soft and lovely. I think it might be too soft for socks, but I love it and I will finish them. The pattern is lovely. While I'm not following the pattern directly (I'm really not that sort of girl), I am using the stitch pattern. It's easy to memorize. Easy to see where you are in the pattern. And, most importantly, easy to execute.

These are going quite quickly - I started them for real on April 7th and I'm just about ready to start working on adding the gusset stitches. I'm going to do the toe-up gusset and traditional heel flap.

Also - for anyone who likes to win neat stuff - go check out Ally B - she's having a contest and giving away a super cute notions wallet and a ball of tofutsies. Tell her I sent you :)

It's Another

6::12 pair of socks. This 6th official pair finished this year. Technically - I have finished 8 pairs this year, but 6 were also started this year! My friend Channon wanted a cute, short pair of summer socks. So she searched the pattern database at Ravelry (really what are you waiting for?) and came up with a pattern. But it was weird and she didn't love it.

So, she did what any normal knitter would do - she re-wrote the pattern, with her own changed and modifications and then she shipped it out to a few people to knit up. I knit my test pair following her directions exactly in her size - I hope. I knit to the correct length before putting in the waste yarn, not for afterthought heels but this time for an afterthought ankle. They turned out a bit short in length so I hope they have enough give. I put these in the mail on Tuesday and she should have them by the weekend (if not today) to give us a report on whether they fit. And I have enough of the Heart and Sole left to make another pair. Win-Win!