First things first: how the heck is it June already? This year has absolutely FLOWN by and it’s freaking me out. You always hear that time moves faster the older you get but this is ridiculous!
Anyway, onto what you come here for:
Sometimes all I want is some mindless stockinette to knit . . . granted that doesn’t explain starting yet another new sock instead of knitting the mate to one of the many single socks wandering my apartment, but it’s definitely the main reason I end up starting a new sock project. In this case, I wanted to knit stockinette that had some challenge to it, and the Skew socks kept popping up in my mind. This pattern is so subtle yet interesting and unusual, I queued it the second I saw it.
Knitting the sock was an exercise in “just trust the pattern” — this thing is knit in a crazy manner! I marveled at the designer’s skill in coming up with the design in the first place and also writing a clear and easy-to-follow pattern. This isn’t the sort of design that you can just say “keep going until the foot is 7″ long,” almost every line is written out and half the sock is different for the right foot and the left! Once I got past the heel I grafted it together to try to figure out what was going on, and after that I was able to visualize the sock and knit the leg almost without referencing the pattern. The way she handled changing directions to knit the ribbing straight instead of on an angle is pure genius too, I will definitely be using that technique sometime in the future!
The yarn I’m using is Madelinetosh in the color Bearded Iris. I bought this so long ago that I think they’ve changed the yarn base, as my skein has more yardage and weighs more than the Ravelry entry for this sock yarn specifies. Unfortunately this turned out to be one of those colors that is MUCH nicer in the skein than knit up. I look at the picture of the skein when I bought it and remember why I couldn’t leave it behind:
(I’m also reminded of how much worse my old camera was than my SLR!)
If I had seen the yarn knit up into a pair of socks I probably would have passed on it . . . but it doesn’t matter, I know I’ll wear these even if they aren’t the prettiest socks ever. I think it’s really interesting that even after all these years working almost exclusively with handpainted yarn, I’m still so often surprised by the way a colorway knits up. Looking at the knitted up fabric vs. the skein now, I can totally see that I should have been able to predict it would knit up like this: this is a high-contrast colorway with long pieces of each color, so of course it’s going to knit into a barberpole-type effect. Somehow even though I know this I still manage to picture the skein knitting up into something more subtle . . . I can’t explain it. Well actually, I can explain it: I just love yarn! The truth has always been the I knit because I love yarn, not the other way around. =)
Oh, and I will probably knit this pattern again in another color to better do it justice, too! Plus it’s tons of fun.
This is the 2nd of 4 purple projects I’m “actively” working on right now! I do seem to go in spurts when it comes to color, don’t I?
I posted when I started this sock (on November 10th!!) but haven’t mentioned it since . . . notice I’m saying “sock” not “socks”? Yeah this is the only one I have right now, although the second one is already to the heel.
It would have been done by now had I not managed to break two DPNs during my commute last month and then been unable to replace the needles for almost a week. Now, if you’re thinking “But Ivete, don’t you have multiple sets of size 1 dpns by now?” you are, of course, correct. However, I couldn’t find even ONE SINGLE size 1 double point when I went digging, and I even went so far as unearthing the DPN case I haven’t seen since the move . . . and in it I found probably 15 sets of dpns, but no size 1′s. If I weren’t so compulsive I could have used on size 2 and probably been fine in the end, but I don’t like to do that . . . although I can’t give you a reasonable reason why it would be a problem. It just bothers me.
Hum. Seems like even 2 months later I’m still annoyed about breaking those needles!
In any case, I bought a replacement set of needles from Purl a few days later and went back to knitting, the second sock even went with me to several movies over the Christmas holiday (aside: If you’re that last person who hasn’t seen Slumdog Millionaire, GO SEE IT! Trust me!). If only I could learn to turn a heel in the dark, that second sock might be done right now . . .
By the way, I am still in total love with this color. Is it weird that part of me wishes I had “saved it” so that it wouldn’t be getting “used up” by this project? Yeah, I know it’s weird. It does kind of explain some things, though . . . namely the number of skeins of Koigu in my bedroom at the moment. But you all knew that about me already, right?
Yup, that’s a humongous hole in my Neighborhood Fiber Co sock. The title is misleading, actually, because this is the firs time this has ever happened to me, EVER. And what’s strange is that these are one of my newest pairs of socks! I don’t know if maybe I wore them more than other pairs, or if I knit them a bit too loosely . . . I do know that finding a hole the very first day I wore handknit socks this season seems, well, almost like an omen of some sort. Will this be the winter when all my socks die an untimely death?
Man I hope not.
More knitting content coming up this week. I spent last week trying to convince the dog to “go” outside . . . lets just say it hasn’t happened yet. Anyone successfully switched a puppy from paper to outside before? Got any hints?
So I come back from my wedding and honeymoon (I promise pictures and stories later!!) to find that Twist Collective has launched, and therefore I can now show you the socks I knit for Cookie A! Here’s the FO shot I took when I sent them off to her:
The sock pattern is called Maelstrom and the pattern is available for $6.00 through Twist Collective.
These socks were really fun to knit and flew off the needles (I knit them in about a week since I knew I was on deadline!), and they really weren’t hard at all. The stitch pattern is a simple, short repeat that really looks complicated after it’s done but is actually really easy to memorize and “read” as you go. I especially love the diagonal line across the foot, such a distinctive Cookie A design feature!
As always her pattern is impeccably written and fun to follow, I always recommend her designs to anyone who wants to knit a “special” sock . . . I may have to make myself a pair of these to keep!
Project specs:
Pattern: Maelstrom by Cookie A
Yarn: The Knittery Merino Chubby
Needles: US size 1
Started: March 31, 2008
Finished: April 9, 2008
Here they are! I actually finished them this past Saturday but didn’t manage to get my act together in time to post. I really like how they came out and they’re really comfy!
I already know I won’t be knitting with such thick yarn again for socks, but if I did I would remind myself to short row less on the heels — there turned out a bit poofy, but definitely not unwearable. I still can’t quite believe I finished a sock in 2 days, much less a pair in a week! This is almost definitely a record for me. Makes sense when you think about how many fewer stitches it takes to make something that’s only 52 sts around instead of 60, and has way fewer rows per inch!
If you look closely at the toe of the left sock you can see the design I left in even though it doesn’t show enough . . . just a sneak peek of what my next sock design will involve! Shhh, don’t tell.
Project specs:
Pattern: 52 sts around with contrast toes & rib
Yarn: Duet Sock yarn in color Puddle Drop
Needles: US size 2
Started: May 31, 2008
Finished: June 7, 2008
Imagine that title as if Keanu were saying it in The Matrix. That’s how it sounds in my head.
This is what made me say/hear it:
I cast on this sock at approximately noon today. And just bound off, before midnight. No, I did not work on this all day — I would venture to guess it took less than 4 hours to knit from start to finish. There’s certainly something to be said for knitting socks on thicker yarn and bigger needles!
That said, my design didn’t work in this gauge and the 2 colors are too close to show the detail. I gave it up and just worked plain socks with a gusset short row heel and ribbed cuff. I also realized that this is too thick a sock for my taste: it’s quite heavy and feels more like a slipper than a sock. I will probably wear these to bed in the winter, they’re definitely too thick to wear in shoes.
If you’re wondering about the design, I worked out all the details and will try again on normal sock yarn, with more contrasting colors, sometime soon. AND the design process produced another colorwork sock design, so you may be seeing more than one sock design around these parts in the near future . . . although you should know that when I say “in the near future,” I really mean After Wedding. Meaning late August at the earliest.
Quite possibly the fastest socks I’ve ever knit!
The stripes didn’t line up very well on the second sock, it seems that the repeat was a little shorter on the second sock than on the first so the stripes aren’t the same. This is most visible around the heel, you can see in this picture that there is a lot of purple around the ankle of the right sock but not as much on the left sock. I’m ok with this, though, socks do not have to be perfect in my world!
If you want to knit these socks, here’s what I did:
- Knit toe-up socks with fingering weight yarn, with whatever stitch count you want, then after turning the heel knit 6 rows while increasing/decreasing to a stitch count of 66.
- Pattern row: * K2tog 2 times, (YO, K1) 3 times, YO, K2tog 2 times, repeat from * 10 times more.
- Knit 3 rows. Repeat last 4 rows until socks are desired length. Make sure to bind off on what would have been a knit row, not on the pattern row.
That’s it! So simple I couldn’t justify working it up into a “pattern”.
By the way, this yarn goes FOREVER. I have tons left over, easily enough to make knee-highs. I am kind of shocked at how much is left over! And as Dave pointed out in a comment last time I talked about these socks, Twisted Fibers now sells their yarn from their own website, www.twistedfiberart.com — I think I need to get some more!
Project specs:
Pattern: Toe up socks, figure 8 cast on and feather and fan legs
Yarn: Much less than 1 skein Twisted Fiber Arial in color Guardian
Needles: US size 1
Started: April 26, 2008
Finished: May 3, 2008
I’ve been on a finishing binge over here! I have at least 4 FO’s to show you, and with any luck there could be even more!
These socks are so silly, they make me smile every time I look at them! The color is so gorgeous, and of course they’re made from KOIGU so I have to love them. It’s in my contract. (JK, I love Koigu of my own volition. I certainly wouldn’t mind a contract that paid me to love Koigu, though . . . )
If you want to add these ruffles to your own toe-up socks, here’s what I did:
- Knit to about 1″ short of where you want your socks to end, making sure you have about 3x as much yarn left as you would use to knit that inch in stockinette.
- Knit into the front & back of every stitch around. Knit one row plain. (you may need to add an extra DPN at this point since there will be so many stitches on the needle)
- Knit into the front & back of every stitch around. Knit one row plan.
- Bind off as follows: * BO 2, YO, bind off YO, repeat from * to end.
After you bind off you’ll probably have to shape the ruffles by hand to make them look even. That’s it!
Project specs:
Pattern: Toe up socks, figure 8 cast on and ruffle cuffs
Yarn: 2 skeins Koigu KPPPM color P221
Needles: US size 1
Started: February 14, 2008
Finished: May 2, 2008
I am still not feeling 100% but I’m definitely better . . . I actually got tons of stuff done this weekend, including cleaning, finishing a few long-overdue FOs (stay tuned for photos of my Katherine Hepburn and the Koigu ruffle socks!) and starting one new project. BRIGHT socks:
(have to brag: this picture is a perfect representation of this sock!! Shock of all shocks!)
I thought it might be ugly while I was knitting it, but somehow putting it on changed the way it looks! I now LOVE IT, and it makes me smile just looking at this picture. The colors were yelling “Mexico!” to me so I am thinking of these as my Margarita socks (coincidentally my favorite drink, although most Mexicans never drink them), so it make me want to spice them up a bit, hence the stitch pattern on the leg.
This is yet another toe-up sock. I think it might be time to admit that I’ve been converted. Never say never.
I did more increases before the heel on this sock and that’s definitely better, but you can see from this picture there is still a decent amount of stretching out so in the next pair I will do even more increases. I am so happy I decided to try this weird gusset, the idea of being able to make socks this easily is really appealing!! I had stayed away from toe-up short row socks because of the fit at the instep, but now that I’ve figured out a way around that . . . well, now you know why I can admit to being converted!
After the socks decided to evoke Mexico for me I thought I needed to add a little sizzle to make them more Senorita-like (forgive the lack of squiggle above the N) — so I gave them a modified feather-and-fan leg, using only 11 stitches in each pattern repeat. I think it works really well with the colors!
Speaking of which, this is new-to-me yarn bought via Etsy. This is Twisted Fibers Arial sock yarn in the Guardian colorway. It feels a lot like Sunshine yarn’s Soft base yarn or Yarntini’s base, which is to say it doesn’t have that crisp, tightly-twisted texture you expect from yarns like Koigu and STR. It also appears to be a tiny bit thinner than other sock yarns, but I was able to knit the foot on my usual 60 sts so it didn’t make any difference. I like how it feels on the foot and how it knits up, and will be keeping my eye on the store to grab some more when it becomes available! I already have my eye on that Warlock colorway that’s their banner . . .
I’m whipping through a pair of socks for Cookie, who is so brilliant and talented that she has sold so many designs she no longer has time to knit them up herself! Oh, how I wish I had that problem. Hah!
Anyway, I’m on a very tight deadline so they’re all I’ve been knitting since the package arrived last Monday. I’ve finished the gusset on the second sock so I think I’ll have the pair done over the next few nights, but to insure it I’m carrying them everywhere with me so I can work a few stitches/rows here and there whenever I can catch a stolen moment.
As usual, working solely on one project really gets things done! It’s funny that I’m continuously surprised to find this out. You’d think the first time I was able to finish a project in a week (or a weekend) that the “AHA!” moment would have sunken in, but somehow it hasn’t . . . literally every time I am still surprised at how quickly I can finish something, and I always think, “Hum, maybe I should do this more often!” If only I weren’t so fickle.
It’s also surprising just how much sock knitting I can do on the subway and subway platforms. Even with this highly-patterned sock, I was able to do a full 8 rows during one commute when I was lucky enough to get a seat (believe me that is very rare!). I’m thinking I should maybe carry a sock around with me always, in order to make a dent in the ridiculous sock yarn collection I’ve amassed over the last few years. Hum. Will have to seriously consider that one!
Speaking of which, the second sleeve on Gathered was almost done when the sample knitting arrived. I intend to go right back to it and finish that sweater after I send the socks off. And after that, I’m going back to Katherine Hepburn — when I put her back down last time, I had finished the knitting, sewed her up, struggled and finally finished the buttonholes, and tried her on. She fits, she looks good, and she took one fewer skein than I expected. All that’s left is weaving in ends and sewing on buttons (I even already bought them!). I might have 2 sweaters finished by the end of this week! And actually, now that I think about it, the second Koigu ruffled sock lacks for only a ruffle . . . so it could be 2 sweaters AND a pair of socks! That’s nuts! (and brings us back around to the great thing about having lots of projects going at once — you can finish 4 in a week with little effort!)
