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Yay, I finished my first socks for my outstanding sock trades!
Pattern: Skew Socks
Yarn: Regia Nation Colors
Needles: US 1
Mods: None!
So… I am disappointed these socks are not for me. Because I love them. And the recipient even has my same shoe size. So I’m totally jealous. They’re totally great socks. And the pattern is wonderful and fascinating. They knit up pretty quickly, and even though they’re stockinette socks, the increases and decreases keep you interested. Fun and wonderful for self-striping yarns. I’m totally going to make another pair from this pattern for me at some point.
I love the way the stripes swirl around the heel. : )
I’ve started, by the way, the second pair of swap socks, and they are wonderful. The yarn is SO NICE to knit with. But more on that later. : )
While I have in fact been doing some knitting and spinning for me (sort of–the spinning may eventually turn into a gift), I have also been knitting for other people. Sort of. Like the mittens I made, I am working on socks for Will Work for Yarn trades. The first is a pair of Skew socks in Regia Nation Color. I finished one sock:
and started the other. In return for knitting them, I received three skeins of Aslan Trends Santa Fe (two in Jungle and one in World’s Ocean):
It’s pretty pretty–squishy and wonderful. : ) It’s a two-ply so I might have to do contrast heels and toes, but it does have nylon in it.
Once I finish the Skew socks, I have another pair lined up. I received these two skeins
of True Love Fiber hand dye in Further Under the Sea (for the trade socks) and Happy Lipstick (for me).
I’m not really sure what socks I’m going to knit for this trade because of the variegation in the yarn and because the person I’m trading with didn’t have a specific pattern in mind. It’ll be a couple days because I get to them because I have to finish the Skew socks first, so I have some time to think about it.
As you may have been able to tell, I am on a definite sock kick lately. Here’s my latest pair:
Pattern: Easy Adjustable Lace Panel Socks
Yarn: Premier Yarns Serenity Sock, one skein in Indigo
Needles: US 1
Mods: Well, the pattern is written fully, but it is presented as a lace panel you can also throw into whatever socks you want, so that’s what I did. I took my usual 54 stitch toe-up sock with garter stitch short row heel and threw some lace on top.
So I like these socks. They’re taller than I normally knit them because I split the yarn into two balls with my mother’s sort of reliable kitchen scale. They weren’t even, but I started with the smaller ball and knit until I was sick of knitting it (which was before the yarn ran out). I like ’em. They fit well. The yarn stretched out a little by the end of the day when I wore them (Wednesday, in case you were wondering), but once I throw them in the washer and dryer, they’ll be good as new again. It’s the bamboo. That stuff stretches.
Currently, I am knitting a couple of things. I’m knitting some dino mittens on commission (more on that later) and some more socks. I started Viper Pilots! Well, I had started them before then proceeded to knit the chart upside down, so I frogged and knit something less complicated (the socks on this post here). But I’m starting them again. And they’re going to be awesome.
Just a shortish post today: I finished a pair of socks the other day, and I thought I’d show them off:
Pattern: None, it’s a toe up sock with a 3×1 rib on the foot and leg.
Yarn: Universal Yarns Ditto in Purple Cascades, which I bought for like $2 at Tuesday Morning
Needle: US 1
They fit mostly alright. I used the garter stitch heel again, which seems to help with traction so they don’t slide off my feet so much. I would like the cuff to be a little taller and I have plenty of yarn left, but I wasn’t sure where to stop the first sock. I need to get a proper scale so I can just divide the yarn and knit until I run out. **shrug** Oh well. I can probably knit some half socks with the left overs (to wear with flats).
Currently, I am working on various swap things and a commission that I’ll show you when it’s finished. : )
Blog about a pattern or project which you aspire to. Whether it happens to be because the skills needed are ones which you have not yet acquired, or just because it seems like a huge undertaking of time and dedication, most people feel they still have something to aspire to in their craft. If you don’t feel like you have any left of the mountain of learning yet to climb, say so!
I’ll be honest: Because of my method of learning to knit and following philosophy (mentioned in yesterday’s post), I don’t think there’s much of anything in knitting that I couldn’t do. Cables? Check. Lace? Piece of cake. Colorwork? My tension needs a little work, but mostly something I can do. If I see a pattern I like, I queue it. If I MUST HAVE IT NOW, I start it. Some things need a little more concentration than others, and I have bypassed patterns for being boring or tedious (I’m lookin’ at you, every fingering weight sweater ever), but they’re all pretty doable.
For example, let’s look at these socks:
(Image copyright Glenna C)
They are, of course, Glenna C’s Viper Pilots. And they’re awesome. And they have like, nine different cable patterns going at the same time, PLUS they’re cuff down (I knit socks top-down), PLUS they have a heel flap (I’ve knit exactly one sock with a heel flap. It was in worsted weight acrylic. I don’t want to talk about it).
These are Intense Socks.
I feel many knitters with my level of skill/familiarity with things mentioned above would be much too intimidated to knit these socks. I’m almost too intimidated to knit these socks. But my love of Battlestar Galactica, cables, and socks meant I bought the pattern and some Red Heart Heart and Sole from Jo Ann’s.
And as soon as I’m home for the summer and I don’t have two research papers, a creative writing portfolio, and finals hovering over my head, these babies are goin’ on the needles.
(Incidentally, these shoes are great for showing off socks–I got them for like $6 at a JC Penny outlet store.)
Pattern: Footies
Yarn: Premiere Serenity Sock (in Aquamarine)
Needles: US 1
Mods: I basically just threw the stitch pattern into my own toe-up sock.
So these are definitely my favorite hand-knit socks to date. The yarn is really soft and was great to knit (also CHEAP), the pattern is cute, and I lengthened the leg a lot more than usual for ankle socks as well as ribbed the back, resulting in a sock that actually FITS instead of slides down my heel when I walk. These STAY PUT and I am THRILLED about it. I also used a garter stitch heel this time, which I’m hoping will help with wear (though I’ve heard good things about the wear of the yarn on Ravelry).
Speaking of Ravelry and this yarn–there are a lot of mixed opinions. Some think it’s super splitty, some don’t. Some think it’s too thin, some are absolutely repulsed by the colors, and some think it’s great. I personally am a big fan of the yarn–really soft, not too splitty. I got it from Jo Ann’s while I was in Florida in December/January for something like $2.50 a ball. I bought three, but the next time I get to a Jo Ann’s (whenever that will be–there isn’t one in Virginia Beach and I don’t have a car at school), I’ll be picking up some more. The bamboo content does mean the socks stretch out a little with wear, though I suspect a run through the washer and dryer will tighten them right back up.
I’m definitely on a sock knitting kick, and I don’t have nearly enough sock yarn. I think I have enough for about five pairs (six if I knit two pairs of ankle socks out of my skein of Tofutsies instead of one regular size pair). I am planning at some point to order some sock yarn from Knit Picks (their new Stroll tonal looks soooo pretty), so that’ll help. Plus, I mean, I’ve got five pairs of socks to knit in the mean time. And I believe Michaels has at least one more color of Heart and Sole I haven’t tried yet.
In case you couldn’t tell, I am now officially a Sock Knitter.
Sooooo….. Remember how I said that besides swap stuff, I was just going to work on Featherweight because I wanted to just get the damn thing done? Well…
I’ve had a serious sock craving for the past several days, and I decided I would just give in. The yarn is Premiere’s Serenity Sock Weight in Aquamarine and the pattern is Footies (though I basically just threw the stitch pattern into my own toe-up sock). They’re coming along nicely, and I think they will be nice summer socks. Though I’ll probably wear them in the winter too, or at least in the fall.
I will finish Featherweight eventually, by the way. I’ve just decided it will be a long term project. Whenever I finish something and have no swaps on the schedule, I get a little anxious deciding what to knit next. Featherweight will be a nice go-to project so I’ll have something to knit while I decide what to cast on for next. Also, I’m making a resolve to knit a couple of rows on it at least once a week (preferably more). If I space it out with more interesting knits, I’ll feel less bored with it.
Sooooo I claimed PheonixFireDesigns for hand knit house socks! And they are great.
Pattern: Get-Together Cable Socks
Yarn: Some vintage orange wool I got at the thrift store that I’ve had forever.
Needles: US 6/4 mm Knit Picks Options Circular
Mods: Knit toe-up, left out some of the cables. Basically, I took the k1 rib and the 2×2 cable and threw them into my own socks.
I like how these came out. : ) I absolutely despise the color, but despite that, they’re cute. I worked these two at a time on Magic Loop. I don’t hate the technique, but I don’t think I love it either. I almost certainly wouldn’t bother for fingering weight socks, but these took practically no time at all, so it wasn’t too bad. At the very least, I’m fortunate to have done these on my Knit Picks Options because if I were still working on those cheap Susan Boye circular needles, there’s no way I would have finished these magic loop. I love my bendy Knit Picks cables. : )
Pattern: Basic toe up socks.
Yarn: Ella Rae Solid and some random red wool I probably got at the thrift store.
Needles: US 7/4 mm Knit Picks Options circ
So I love these socks. And if they weren’t size 6.5 and knit specifically for the swap, I’d keep them for myself. As it is, I think I have enough yarn to knit another pair for myself anyway. They remind me of spiderman. : ) I have more of the red than the blue left over, so I think for mine, I’ll do one row of blue and two of red.
Anyway, I hope Phoenix likes her socks. I certainly do. : )
Pattern: Charade, a free download on Ravelry.
Yarn: Red Heart Heart and Sole, one skein in Rustica.
Needles: US 1 metal dpns
Mods: Worked toe-up and pretty much just used my own toe-up sock pattern and threw in the stitch pattern on top. Also, I probably have fewer stitches than the pattern. I went up to 60. Also, I used self-striping yarn cause it’s what I had, even though the pattern says not to use self-striping yarn. I’m a rebel, damn it.
The ankles of these are a little loose, as usual. I think I need more ribbing before I bind off. **shrug** I do like them though. They’re super cute and they stay on well enough.
I want to venture out in the world of sock knitting and make some that are a proper height. I like the short ones because when I’m done with the heel, I’m pretty much done, but I would like to have some taller socks. The problem with this, of course, is that taller socks require more yarn, and I’d have to get more than 50 grams. Maybe I will and maybe I won’t. In the mean time, I’m content making anklets. And like, other things.
Speaking of other things: I also finished the shrug I’d been working on and I started some felted slippers. But I’ll tell you more about that later. : )
Pattern: Toe up socks. Short row heel. And I threw some cables on the foot.
Yarn: Red Heart Heart and Sole, Watercolor Stripes
Needles: US 1
So I finished the cabled socks I was working on. Once I got the yarn, the second sock took like, two days to knit up. Win. They fit pretty well, though one is a lot more snug than the other. As for the yarn… I like Red Heart’s sock yarn. It’s cheap and it’s no-frills. What I don’t like about this particular batch is the colors. I dunno. I don’t like this colorway. It was really pretty in the skein but it looks kind of crappy knit up. Which is unfortunate, since I LOVE the Spring Stripes colorway (in a shawl I made) and the Toasted Almond colorway (the last socks I made). I’ll just avoid this one in the future. **shrug**
Anyway, I know I said after I finished the socks I’d go back to Girl Friday, but I joined another round of Ongoing Wish Swap over on Craftster, so I’ll be knitting some wristwarmers for that before I go back to the sweater. The mitts are super cute though, and I will definitely have pictures of them when they are finished. : ) Stay tuned!
Stitch, Brinn, Stitch! 