FO: Arne&Carlos Socks

ravelry project page

LOVE these socks made from Regia's Arne & Carlos yarn. Who are Arne & Carlos, you ask??? Well....



These socks were knit from the top down, with a true afterthought heel. Lots of notes on my ravelry page.

A Pair of Pairs!

ravelry project page

Made two pairs of toddler socks for Erin--closest thing to instant gratification one can get when knitting socks. Both pairs were worked toe-up, starting with 12st cast on to each needle, increased to 24st/needle (48st total); short-row heel.


ravelry project page

They fit well now, with a little bit of grow room so hopefully they'll fit through to spring. Great way to use of little bits of sock yarn. I recently organized my craft corner and realized I have TONS of little balls of sock yarn. A 1 cubic foot container crammed full! Time to think about some sort of project to use them up... something like this, or this perhaps? Or just lots more toddler socks!

FO: Camping Socks

Pattern: Camping Socks (my own design) (ravelry page)

Yarn: Knit Picks Felcici (rustic cabin colorway)

Needle: 2.5mm Addi 

Started these socks while camping with the family. I love the texture of the waffle stitch pattern. 

And the stitch pattern on the leg, from Barbara Walker's 1st Treasury, is called Little Tents, but to me it looks like trees--either way, it's fitting for camping!

Socks were worked 2-at-time from the toe up. Cast on using Judy's Magic Cast On. Cast of using Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off. Used almost all of the two balls of Felici. 

Note: both socks were knit pulling the yarn from the center--the stripes are going in opposite directions! This was annoying at first, but now I like it--took off any pressure to make stripes match. 

A trio of knitted socks

Making some progress toward my goal of 15 pairs of socks (though still more likely it'll need to be 15 individual socks). I've got 3 recently finished pairs to share today. 

First, this pair of navy stripe socks. I used remnants from other projects. Worked the socks toe-up with short row toe and heel, and used continuous helix-style 1-row stripes. I'm keeping these socks for myself. Neither of the yarns used contain nylon, so I'm curious to see how they'll wear. 

Next up, these lovelies, the Columbine Peeks pattern by Cat Bourdhi, knit from KnitPicks Felici self-striping yarn. Simple pattern, plus fun yarn--these were a joy to knit and worked on these primarily while in Europe. These are heading for the gift pile. 

Finally, these which I've dubbed Jade Leaves (Falling leaves pattern plus jade colorway yarn). Followed pattern but used a short row heel. Planned to keep these but they turned out just a smidgen too tight, so into the gift pile they go!

These are pairs number 2, 3 and 4--only 11 more to go 😁

Darn it!

Found one heel of a sock wearing thin and decided to tackle darning! Because the stitches remained intact, I was able to use duplicate stitch. Prolonged life for some of my favorite socks. I tried to link up my ravelry page for these socks, but it turns out they're pre-ravelry!! I remember the yarn having been a gift...I think it's ArtYarns. And the pattern was improvised. :)

They can't all be winners

It's been a week of tough decisions, including deciding to rip out this nearly-finished sock when I finally came around to the reality that this would not fit anyone I know. There are a few flaws that  contributed to the poor fit, IMHO: the too-short heel flap, and the unstretchy bias lines created by the two columns of twisted stitches at the front of the ankle. 

I considered ripping back to above the heel flap, lengthening the heel flap then modifying the design on the top of the ankle, but ultimately decided it wouldn't be worth it. Already thinking about what sick pattern I'll start next with this lovely yarn. 

Bummer. 

FO: Dark Night of the Sole Socks

I do love a pun

First finished pair of socks in 2015! These are for Raj, using yarn that was bought a few years ago with him in mind. The pattern makes for a nicely stretchy sock that fits him well. Unfortunately, the pattern is pretty much lost in the yarn... Oh well. 

I knit these socks two-at-a-time, magic loop. Not sure how I feel about two-at-a-time. Pros: don't have to keep notes to ensure socks are identical, don't have to worry about slight tension differences between the two socks (this has happened to me!). Cons: continual switching of yarns takes time (those seconds add up), more fiddly. 

Why I knit socks

A while back, I tried to count up all the pairs of socks I've completed since I started knitting socks 6.5 years ago. My estimate is somewhere between 60-70 pairs (accounting gets a lot easier with the advent of Ravelry). I've made them in all the colors of the rainbow. There have been lacy pairs and plain stockinette pairs and pairs with various types of ribbing. Most of them have been made with some sort of wool or wool/nylon blend (though one of my earliest pairs was made with alpaca--not a practical choice, but they sure are cozy!)

Cauchy Socks [Ravelry page]

There are a handful of reasons why I keep making socks. They're relatively quick to knit (when compared to an adult-sized sweater, at least). They're practical (we don't always need ANOTHER hat, but who doesn't need another pair of socks???). The yarn comes in eye-catching colors which some people might not choose to wear on any other part of their body besides their feet. They're great travel projects. You can try out practically any stitch pattern.

Some More Socks [Ravelry page]

They make great gifts. This is one of the biggest reasons I keep knitting socks. I know that I treasure the knitted socks I have received, and I choose to believe that everyone to whom I gift a pair treasures them just as much. Giving knitted socks is my way of saying, "I love you and value you enough to make something for your feet." :) If you'll indulge me a bit (like reading my blog isn't indulging me already--ha!):

Ode to My Socks - Pablo Neruda

Mara Mori brought me
a pair of socks
which she knitted herself
with her sheepherder’s hands,
two socks as soft as rabbits.

I slipped my feet into them
as if they were two cases
knitted with threads of twilight and goatskin,
Violent socks,

my feet were two fish made of wool,
two long sharks
sea blue, shot through
by one golden thread,
two immense blackbirds,
two cannons,

my feet were honored in this way
by these heavenly socks.
They were so handsome for the first time
my feet seemed to me unacceptable
like two decrepit firemen,
firemen unworthy of that woven fire,
of those glowing socks.

Nevertheless, I resisted the sharp temptation
to save them somewhere as schoolboys
keep fireflies,
as learned men collect
sacred texts,
I resisted the mad impulse to put them
in a golden cage and each day give them
birdseed and pieces of pink melon.

Like explorers in the jungle
who hand over the very rare green deer
to the spit and eat it with remorse,
I stretched out my feet and pulled on
the magnificent socks and then my shoes.

The moral of my ode is this:
beauty is twice beauty
and what is good is doubly good
when it is a matter of two socks
made of wool in winter.

FO: Milo Socks

Yarn: Araucania Ranco Solid
Pattern: Milo from Sock Innovation (ravelry project page)

In theory, I'm still working on that self-imposed sock challenge, to knit each pattern from Sock Innovation. At this rate, I'll be done about the same time I turn 40. :-/

This pattern was quite enjoyable to knit. Just enough cabling to keep things interesting, but nothing too hand-cramp-inducing. I really enjoyed working with this yarn--beautiful color, nice springiness. It was purchased (on sale!) from a cute little yarn shop in Leavenworth that was in the process of closing when we visited. It's a sad thing when a yarn shop closes.

FO: Victoria Socks

Yarn: Estelle Arequipa
Pattern: Improvised, details on ravelry

Got this yarn (on sale!) in Victoria, BC, last year. Same yarn that I used for these socks for Raj. Super soft wool, alpaca, nylon blend. Lovely colors. These ones are keepers for me.

FO: Tiger Stripes Socks

Yarn: Lion Brand Sock-Ease
Pattern: Improvised (ravelry project page)

More socks for my husband. He's always asking for more socks, yet he seems to forget about the pairs he already has... :) Maybe I'll whip out an old pair the next time he asks for some and try to pretend I've just made them.

I improvised some sort of knit/purl pattern for these socks. I'm sure I could find it if I flipped through my Barbara G. Walker... The important thing: they fit and don't slouch.



note to self: this yarn is crap

FO: Raj's Valentines Socks

...only 2 months late!



Pattern: Traditional Gansey Socks from Socks from the Toe Up (rav project page)
Yarn: ShiBui Sock
Needle: 2.25mm

So, these were part of Raj's Valentine's present. Unfortunately they got back-burnered to a few other projects. The stitch pattern on these was a bit boring after a while, and going forward I don't think I'm going to put stitch patterns in Raj's socks. He likes dark-colored yarn, and stitch patterns really get lost.



At least they fit his chicken legs!

FO: Blues and Browns Socks

Yarn: Schoppel-Wolle Ambiente
Pattern: Improvised (rav link)

I blogged about these socks before, and noted how lucky I was to finish the sock with barely a yard of yarn left. Well, I wasn't so lucky with the second sock...

I finished the second sock with some Colinette Jitterbug that I dug out of my bag of sock yarn leftovers. The Colinette was used in my clapotis and also in some mitts I gave Melisa. I like that I have a little reminder of these projects in one toe of the socks.

FO: More Striped Socks

Yarn: Red Heart Heart & Soles (rav link)
Pattern: Improvised

Another pair of socks. These ones have already been incorporated into my personal knitted sock collection (whereas, most other socks go into the to-be-gifted pile). This yarn is great, super cheap, and the striping keeps me interested. This yarn comes in 50g balls, so you need two balls for a grown-up sized pair of socks. For this pair, I did not attempt to match the striping pattern, I just pulled from the center of the ball and went with it. Interestingly, the striping pattern ended up being reversed for the two socks!

Can you see it? How the stripes going from toe toward heel on the top sock match those going from heel toward toe on the other? I find it amusing.

FO: Skittles Socks

Yarn: Red Heart Heart & Soles
Pattern: Slip Stitch Heel Basic Socks from Socks from the Toe Up (rav link)

Yea for self-striping sock yarn. These socks are so colorful and bright! They reminded me so much of Skittles.

I was pretty happy with this toe-up pattern, though I will need to start my increases for the heel gusset earlier next time. These socks are a bit tight on my ankles.

Progress report

One of my current projects is this pair of socks, knit in Schoppel-Wolle Ambiente, a lovely self-striping, springy yarn.

Notice how long the repeat is! From the top of the leg cuff to the point indicated by my finger. I was in awe as I was knitting it--I've never knit a pair of socks where the repeat was this long. The yarn is sold in 50g balls, and with a repeat this long, it will be quite challenging to match the two socks...so I'm not even going to try. Hehe.

Also of note in this pair of socks: I'm working a short-row heel over 60% of the stitches. What a difference this makes! Usually I feel like short-row heels are too constrictive over my ankle--but this sock is way better!

All the yarn that was left after knitting the first sock. I was a bit worried there about running out of yarn.

FO: Striped Side Cable Socks

Some plain socks, jazzed up a smidge with a small cable on one side of each sock. The yarn is ONLine Supersocke mit Angora. The color combination actually made me a bit nauseated. But Tracie liked it, so they were a Christmas gift for her.

FO: Mystery Socks

Way back when, in October, I finished these great socks. They're the TTL 2010 Mystery Socks. For yarn, I used Dream in Color Smooshy.

I'm actually a bit ambivalent about the pattern itself. And the fit is a bit loose for me. So for now, they're chillin' in the to-be-gifted-someday-in-the-future pile.

FO: Socks for Skinny Legs

Raj is a big fan of his socks! The fit him perfectly; not a sign of slouch on his chicken legs. The yarn was purchased on our trip to Victoria, BC, a couple months ago from this adorable little shop, on clearance--yea for clearance! It's Estelle Arequipa, a wool-alpaca-nylon blend, a yarn I've never seen before. Given that it was on clearance, I bought another skein in a more girly colorway that I plan to use for myself. :)

I have some pretty thorough notes up on Ravelry for this project.

WIP Wednesday

Perhaps due to Raj being out of town this week for business, I'm slightly more on my game with the WIP post. I've also had a bit of startitis (never mind that I STILL haven't seemed up the Katarina cardigan...)

First, progressing on the 3rd Hat for Wee Humans. This hat uses some old Louet Gems that I used to make a cowl for a friend years ago and some Collinette Jitterbug in Monet that I used on these socks. Also pictured, you see HWFH #2 which features Zauberbolle (sp?) yarn from a shawlette I gave to Raj's mom, charcoal yarn from a hat I made for my dad, yellowish Socks that Rock yarn that I used in these socks, and some Noro Kureyon. These hats are so fun. I'm planning to line them with fleece to make the more wee human friendly.

Next, another Copycat Hat. I went with some of the modifications I mentioned before. I think this one's going to be truer to the original.

A pair of socks that I knit on last night at work. It was a really slow night. I think that I was may be 10 rounds in when I left for work. And now I'm working on the gusset. There's a fun little cable detail on one side (not pictured, unfortunately). These will probably go into the gift pool.

More than 75% done with Raj's skinny leg socks. These things are great! They're so tight, he'll never be able to complain about them falling down. Let's just hope they don't cut off the circulation to his toes... hehe.

Lastly, I'm back in the saddle again! The stocking would appear almost done. Pretty much all that's left is the tree decoration, but I do not think I'm exaggerating when I say the tree decorations could take me almost as long as everything else. It's a ton tiny, intricate ornaments and lights. Ugh.