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Tag: socks

  • Productive Day

    It was a very productive Saturday! First up was the Snook’s cotton jumper, which you may recall I finished over a year ago. Yeah, it’s taken me that long to put buttons on the thing. I just forgot! They’re lovely round carved horn from the button shop. Doesn’t it look nice?

    Buttons!

    Next is the Snook’s offering for dinner tonight: Seafood Gumbo. The recipe came from Herbie’s Spices and we picked up the seafood at the Fish Markets this morning. It has scallops, prawns, and crab meat. It was delicious! Just the thing for a cold winter night.

    Gumbo!

    And lastly, those are some socks I just finished for my Secret Pal. The pattern is “Uptown Boot Socks” from Interweave’s Favorite Socks. Yes, this is the third pattern I’ve knit from this book. It has a subtle cable twist down the leg and the top of the foot that this photo really doesn’t do justice. (You can see it better here.) The yarn is Heirloom Jigsaw colour 37. (One ball was more than enough.) I hope my Secret Pal likes them!

    Socks!

    Oh, and what’s that you say? One of those socks appears… blockier than the other? That would be because Snookums has completed the prototype of my very own Sock Blocking Forms. This is basically a flat wooden foot in profile that you use to stretch the sock into the correct shape. I’ve wanted some for ages but I’ve never seen them in Australia, and I can’t be bothered paying to get them shipped from overseas. Instead I traced my own in Illustrator and made a resizable template. The Snook cut this one for me out of plywood. He still has to drill holes in it to allow the sock to dry faster, and then give it a coat of varnish so it doesn’t get moldy. I’ll be sure to show you the finished product though!

  • Waving Lace Socks

    Waving Lace SocksWaving Lace Socks
    Well, these took a while! I started these socks not long after I arrived back in Sydney last month. The pattern is called “Waving Lace” and it’s the second one I’ve done from Interweave’s Favorite Socks book. (In fact, it’s the one on the cover.) The yarn is, of course, the Koigu KPM that I got at Wildfiber in Santa Monica. (I scoured yarn shops in three states to find this stuff.) It was interesting to finally knit with this much-hyped yarn. It’s very tightly spun, and it didn’t seem to fuzz up at all even when I had to frog a few inches. I really think it was the perfect yarn for this pattern, as the depth of colour and crispness of the stitches really show off the details. (Here’s a close-up.) Knitting nerds may be interested to learn that these are the first socks I’ve knitted using the Addi Turbo 12″ circs I picked up in the States. These tiny, tiny circulars are actually short enough to knit a sock, courtesy of an almost 90° bend in each tip. They did take some getting used to though, and I think I went much slower than I would have using the two circulars method. I just couldn’t resist the novelty of the needles. Next on my list: a pair of “Uptown Boot Socks” from the same book for my Secret Pal…

  • Undulating Rib Socks

    Undulating Rib SocksUndulating Rib Socks
    Upon further reflection, I’ve decided to keep these socks for myself instead of gifting them to my Secret Pal. I used 3.25mm needles, and I think they’re just a bit too stretchy (and rough on the sole) for a present. The yarn is lovely to work with though. It’s called Austermann Step, and it’s actually impregnated with aloe vera and jojoba oil. I got it at Ewe-Nique Knits in Goshen, Indiana, and I pretty much had them finished by the time we got home. The pattern is from Interweave’s Favorite Socks book and it was fairly fun to knit. I’m not sure I like the way the self-striping competes with the intricate pattern, but that’s the problem with these new-fangled sock yarns. My next socks are going to be solid-colored, that’s for sure.

  • Knitting Schwag

    Secret Pal SchwagMany, many thanks to my Secret Pal for the lovely package awaiting me this week! I received a Japanese knitting magazine, a pretty postcard, a clutch-type bag/pencil case, and four balls of Rowan cotton. I’m already using the bag to organize my knitting bits and pieces (tape measure, scissors, etc), so that’s really going to come in handy! But what in the world am I going to make with that bright yellow cotton?! I’m leaning towards socks right now, just because I can’t bear the thought of using Rowan for “warshcloths.” Any other ideas?

    Trip SchwagAnd this here’s some of the stuff I picked up for myself on the trip. The three books are all from Amazon, and I conveniently had them sent to my Mom’s house to save postage. There’s also a metallic needle/stitch gauge that I picked up at Yoder’s in Shipshewana. The green sock is knitted out of Austermann Step, which I got at “Ewe-Nique Knits” in Goshen. It’s impregnated with jojoba and aloe vera, which makes it very soft and nice to knit with. The pattern is from the Favorite Socks book. I had planned to give them to my Secret Pal, but now that I’ve checked her size I think they might be a bit big. I may have to keep these for myself! I also got some cute Fimo stitch markers in Goshen, and a couple pairs of never-before-seen 12″ Addi Turbos for sock knitting. (They’re seriously tiny. That’s what the red sock is being knit with.) So yeah, the red. It’s my Koigu. I’m actually knitting the pattern on the cover of the 25 Favorites book, and it’s turning out so pretty. The Koigu is twisted tighter than I realized, and combined with the tiny needles and the lacy stitch, my hands are really aching. I also finished one other project on the trip: the Jo Sharp stockings. I actually did mine out of leftover Superbaby Alpaca, and I think they look super sexy (even without the ruffle to be sewn on the top).

  • More Baby Stuff

    I just can’t stop. First are a bunch of accessories to go with the argyle vest: a hat, booties, and stripey socks. The hat and socks are both out of Debbie Bliss’s Baby Cashmerino 2, while the booties are from Patons’s Quick & Easy Baby Knits. (Note: I still have to thread ribbon through the eyelets on the booties. I just didn’t have any handy.)

    Baby Accessories

    The other thing is a fancy washcloth, knitted solely because I still had a bunch of cotton left over from the tart hat. The stitch pattern is a garter stitch basket weave with a moss stitch border. I think it’s finally time to send all this stuff off while Penn can still wear it!

    Washcloth

  • Straight-Laced Socks

    Straight Laced SocksStraight-Laced Socks
    Remember the wool I won in the Give a Little Raffle? Here it is! These are the Straight-Laced Socks from Knitty. As usual, I had to adjust the heck out of the pattern to make it work. I increased the number of stitches to 76 (38 on each needle) and thus had to change the maths of turning the heel. I think I’ve finally got my head around it, but I made this heel a little narrow. (Technically it’s perfect though, so I couldn’t bear to frog it back.) The toe was also turning out a little long so I started doing the decreases every row instead of every other. Still, they’re really pretty, aren’t they?

  • Works in Progress

    As you can see, I’ve currently got three projects on the needles. The first is a sample pair of socks for the shop using some new self-patterning wool we got. It’s “Jigsaw” and it’s from Heirloom (though it’s not made in Bendigo; it’s an Italian import). We’ve got eight colors and this is the one that caught my attention first. I’m following the supplied pattern and I’m really happy with how it’s turning out. There’s no way that calf would fit on my chubby leg, but it still looks cool, right? I’m using 2.25mm double-pointed needles. Normally I’d do them on two circulars but Albert wanted me to try out the new rosewood DPNs. I’m ambivalent about them so far. I’ve already snapped one and I think they might be too fragile (at least in the very small diameters) for my admittedly tight tension.

    Jigsaw Sock

    The second is the Cheesylove sweater from Knitty that I started almost exactly a year ago. (I recently frogged it back and started over.) I was really unhappy with the pattern (which is why I put it aside in the first place). The big problem was the decreases and increases along the side seams. The pattern just says to do them on either side of the marker, which seriously messes up the nice K2P1 ribbing. So I frogged the whole damn thing back and started from scratch. I even did the ruffle all in one go this time, which meant I had to cast on 1,008 stitches. Yes, FOUR DIGITS WORTH. It was insane. Then the Snook had a brainstorming session with me to work out the best way to do the shaping. I decided instead of a single marker on each side, I’d mark the actual rib that was the side seam. Then I’d mirror my increases/decreases in the ribs on either side so they’d grow or diminish organically. I know, I know; nobody will ever notice (especially since it’s in black 8-ply, and under my arm to boot), but dammit, I will know! So I’m doing it right. I’m actually through with the shaping now and I’m up to the actual fairisle hearts design around the chest. The body of the sweater is done in Heirloom EasyCare 8-ply, while the hearts are worked in Heirloom Aristocrat 12-ply mohair. (The mohair’s a little thicker, but I kinda like the effect. Makes it stand out more.) I haven’t decided yet what to do about the sleeves. I’d almost like to make it short-sleeved but that isn’t one of the pattern options. I’d have to wing it myself.

    Cheesylove

    And the third is a cabled throw of my own invention. I lifted the cables themselves from a sweater pattern and laid them out in a new arrangement for this blanket. I’m knitting it out of some lovely (discontinued) Cleckheaton Alpaca/Wool 50/50 blend 8-ply. It’s going to look terrific on the back of our shagadelic brown couch, don’t you think?

    Cable Throw

  • Class time!

    Sorry for the lack of posting, but I’m all in a tizzy because I’m teaching my very first class at the shop tomorrow morning! I’m teaching “Sock Knitting on Two Circulars,” which should be pretty fun. Wish me luck…

  • Self-patterning socks

    Self-patterning socksFinally, another finished object: self-patterning socks for Mom! I used Opal Sockenwolle that I got from Knit-It in Beecroft. As all the previous socks I’ve knitted are too baggy to be worn with shoes, I tried to make this pair a bit smaller and tighter than normal. I can just get them over my chubby feet which hopefully means they’ll be appropriately sized for Mom. The only problem is that I’ve still got a substantial chunk of wool left over… and I’m not sure what to do with it. Maybe wrist warmers?

  • Another FO – Columbine Peak Socks

    (That’s “Finished Object” for you non-knitters.) After doing two pairs of simple basic socks, I was ready to expand my skills. So I cracked open my copy of Socks Soar on Two Circulars* and picked out the “Columbine Peaks” pattern. The leg of the sock has a lacy pattern that forms little v-shaped mountain peaks that continue down onto the foot. It wasn’t too hard, though you do have to count and sometimes I have difficulty with that. (Handy tip: Knitting and wine don’t go together so well.) Now they’re finally done. Unfortunately the Sockenwool I had was rainbow-colored so the pattern doesn’t show up so well, but I still like them. They give me the craziest urge to buy some Birkenstocks and walk around like a German tourist. (Note: That second image is a big scan and shows the stitch pattern nicely.)

    Ignore my hairy legs!

    Scan

    * Although I like the technique used, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book for beginners. I’ve found several frustrating errors in the patterns. You can see a list of some corrections here.