Socks – Page 2 – This Tangled Skein

Choices, Choices

September 1, 2008

9:00 am

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Last week, there was a bit of a perfect storm on the Wollmeise front. Sign-ups for her sock-club were open for three days, and then she did a shop update while people were waiting to find out if they’d gotten in. And then the Loopy Ewe split its Wollmeise shipment into three separate sneak-ups.

Oh, the feeding frenzy.

I entered the lottery for the club but didn’t get in. (There were over 1000 entries for 535 spots.) I had three skeins in my basket on her site, but left them, because I couldn’t quite afford both the club membership and the order from Germany. I missed all three Loopy Ewe sneak-ups – I was in the car during the first two, and on the Reference desk for the third. (I hear the third one lasted at least 10 minutes.)

I was offered two skeins by folks in the Loopy Groupies forum on Ravelry. One Fluffy in Wilder Mohn, and one of the original 100% merino in Gewitterhimmel. The latter arrived Saturday (along with some gorgeous nummanumma, which will be the subject of another blog entry).

Here it is posing with a baby banana tree in my yard:

So, the question is: what do I make?

I’m thinking of making Helena from the Fluffy Wilder Mohn for Little Miss (although we’ll see how that works out as far as gauge, since the pattern calls for a DK weight. It could be a little too lacy in the stockinette section to really work). From the Gewitterhimmel, I’m thinking socks for me. The Wollmeise has generous yardage (574!) and reportedly looks FANTASTIC is twisted stitch patterns.

I’m leaning toward the Estonian Socks from the Vogue Knitting Ultimate Sock Book. But other possibilities are Kate Blackburn’s Catherine, SpillyJane’s Naive Socks, Kristi Geraci’s Froot Loop, and the Roman Rib Socks from Little Box of Socks.

Thoughts?

Now That’s A Sock

by beth

August 30, 2008

10:13 pm

2 Comments on Now That’s A Sock

Yarn

Embossed Leaves, Favorite Socks, Finished, FO, Interweave, Knitting, Mona Schmidt, Socks, Tempted

Two of ’em, in fact.

Specs:
Pattern: Embossed Leaves, by Mona Schmidt, from Interweave’s Favorite Socks
Yarn: Tempted Hand Painted Bad Grrl in the Clover colorway, purchased from her Etsy Shop (You can also get her yarns over at The Loopy Ewe.)
Needles: Size US1.5 bamboo Clover DPNs.
Modifications: Doing an entire first sock and then ripping it out gave me a chance to test out a few things and discover I didn’t like the fit of the specified 1×1 rib cast-on. So, I did my usual cable cast-on followed by the 18 rounds of twisted rib. I refused to cut the yarn after turning the heel, instead picking up the gusset stitches on the first round after the short-rows. Also, I slipped the first stitch on every heel flap row to make picking up those stitches easier.

I love these socks. They’re so pretty! And the yarn is soooo soft and luxurious. If it weren’t 90 degrees out, I’d be wearing them right now. Actually, I almost did wear them to work today anyway, but my green blouse is in the wash. Maybe next week.

Ceci n’est pas une sock

by beth

August 27, 2008

8:45 am

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Yarn

Embossed Leaves, Frogging, In Progress, Knitting, Lace, Mishaps, Socks, Tempted, WIP

(Yes, I know that “sock” is not the French word for sock.)

That sad loop of yarn was once almost half of a beautiful skein of Tempted Hand Painted Bad Grrl in the Clover colorway. After that, it was a gorgeous Embossed Leaves sock that was, sadly, too big for my foot, and a little too loose-knit in the gussets.

So, I ripped. And ripped. And ripped. It takes surprisingly little time to rip out an entire adult-size lace sock. I wrapped the yarn around the lid of Little Miss’s block box, and then wrapped it again around the back of a chair, tied it in a couple of places, dunked it in the sink, and hung it to dry.

It was when I tried to rewind it into a ball that things went really sour.

I don’t know what happened. I put the hank on my swift and started winding, and I ended up with one ginormous tangle. I spent 4 hours detangling until the yarn snapped. Twice.

At the moment, I have one lovely (properly-sized) Embossed Leaves sock, one sock about 2/3 of the way through the leg and already on the second remnant of yarn, and three more small balls made out of the frogged sock. I am going to have a lot of ends to weave in. K has already renamed this project The Sock of a Thousand Tears.

But I love this pattern, and I love this yarn, and I am going to finish this pair of socks.

I mean, look at this:

How could I not give it a mate?

Now with Even Less Knitting!

by beth

July 30, 2008

8:41 am

2 Comments on Now with Even Less Knitting!

Yarn

Cross Stitch, In Progress, Knit Picks, Knitting, Moving, Non-Knitting Projects, Real Estate, Socks, Stockings, Summer of Socks, Test Knitting, WIP, Xmas

The last several months have been interesting around here. We decided to try to sell our house and move a couple of miles eastward. We found a house we liked, and we had an offer on our house, and then one day into the escrow, the buyer pulled out. Our contract with our realtor expired, we waited a while, and then we went back on the market with a new realtor. We found a house we liked, and we got an offer on our house with a promise that there would be no problem finishing the escrow in 30 days.

Sixty-four days later, we closed the sale. Week after week, we thought we’d be moving in another week or two. My knitting stuff was among the first stuff packed up (in an effort to keep myself from procrastinating on packing up the rest of the stuff, you see).

Since then, just about the only knitting I’ve been doing has been a sample knit for Knit Picks, which I can’t share until it appears in their catalog.

And, since it’s high summer, what else would I be thinking about but Christmas? Last week, I started work on another cross-stitch stocking, this time one for me. It’s a little more complicated than the one I did for Little Miss, with metallic threads and beads and something called couching that I may have done once before… in junior high Home Ec class.

A while back, I signed up for Summer of Socks. Have I done any socks this summer? No. I started one, but I haven’t made much progress.

Soon to come: pictures of that cross-stitch and maybe some progress on the sock.

FO Friday: Frozen Hedera

by beth

February 8, 2008

9:49 pm

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Yarn

Cookie A., Finished, FO, Hedera, Knitting, Knitty, Sock Clubs, Socks, Yarn Pirate

I’ve been calling these socks “Frozen Hedera”:

Pattern: Hedera, by Cookie A.
Source: Knitty, Spring 2006
Yarn: Yarn Pirate Merino/Tencel in “Icicle”, the December club yarn. I love, love, love this yarn. It’s so pretty.
Needles: Brittany Birch DPNs, size US1.5, 5 inches, set of 5
Comments: This pattern was easy to memorize. I printed it out, but then misplaced the hard copy, so I would just check the pattern online at crucial points. I made the larger size for my Flintstone-style feet, and they fit just about perfectly.

FO Friday: Socks for K

by beth

January 18, 2008

2:21 pm

2 Comments on FO Friday: Socks for K

Yarn

Baby, Baby Knitting, Family, Favorite Socks, Finished, FO, Gift Knitting, Hooded Jacket, In Progress, Interweave, Knitting, Lime & Violet, Loopy Ewe, Retro Rib, Socks, WIP

I was catching up on one of my mailing lists yesterday, and I realized that I’ve pretty much managed to avoid a problem that seems to plague knitters everywhere.

Unappreciated Gift Giver Syndrome.

Those of you who have experienced the UGGS know the symptoms all too well. Aching hands and tired eyes (from hours of knitting), only to have your beautiful gift insulted, abused, or sent off to the local thrift shop, leading to sore throats (from screaming about the unfairness of it all) and strange bruises (from kicking walls, curbs, or other stationary objects in an effort to relieve the frustration).

In these post-holiday weeks, scores of tales of knitters (and crocheters) suffering from the UGGS have appeared on mailing lists and blogs and Ravelry boards.

I have avoided this by protecting myself from the sole disease vector: I very rarely knit for other people. I knit for myself, and if I don’t like it when it’s done, well, I’m not insulted. And I knit for the Little Miss, who, being pre-verbal, can’t complain about what I give her. From time to time, I’ve knit for K, who reminded me several times before the holidays that I still hadn’t knit her a pair of socks.

How could I refuse a wish for handknit socks, I ask you?

So, I cast on in mid-December, and before midnight on New Year’s Eve I was able to present these to K:

Pattern: Retro Rib socks, from Favorite Socks
Yarn: Lime & Violet Sasquatch Superwash in Connect 4, from the Loopy Ewe
Needles: Set of 5 Brittany Birch size US1.5 dpns, one of which snapped just rows from the end of the toe of the second sock. They’re sending a replacement, because they are spiffy that way.
Comments: I really liked this yarn, and I really liked this pattern, although I always wonder if ribbing is easier for those who knit Continental. I’ll have to try it sometime. I liked the yarn and the pattern so much that I’m working up a matching scarf for K, using the pattern from the ribbing at the cuff, on US3 needles. That may be ready for next winter.

I haven’t cast on a new pair of socks yet. I’m still hard at work on the Hooded Jacket – all the way up to the beginning of the hood now.

Christmas Come Early

by beth

December 24, 2007

2:46 pm

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Yarn

BMFA, Feather and Fan, Finished, FO, Knitting, Lace, Lime & Violet, Loopy Ewe, Ravens, Socks, Stash, Stash Enhancement, Yarn

Yesterday, we had a family Christmas get-together, during which I was unable to resist the siren song of my knitting, since I was so close to finishing the Feather & Fan Socks.

Pattern: Feather & Fan Socks by Judith Sumner, from Socks, Socks, Socks
Yarn: Socks that Rock Lightweight in Haida (Ravens series), from Blue Moon Fiber Arts
Needles: Brittany birch dpns, size 2, set of 5, all of which are now dark blue
Modifications: Swapped out the garter stitch ridge at the beginning of the heel for another pattern repeat, did Eye of Partridge instead of ribbing on the heel flap. I also did all the decreases on one sock one stitch over, but it will never be noticed from a trotting horse.

And, they fit! Oh, glorious day, I made a pair of socks that fit on my feet!

I wore them to work this morning and made everyone admire my fancy socks.

I worked half a day today, since the library was open in the morning, and when I came home, there were two packages waiting for me. The first was full of pink and purple loveliness:

When Miss Violet of Lime & Violet put up some her stash for sale, well, the phrase “sharks on chum” really is the best way to describe it. Several items vanished out of my cart when I went to pay for them, but a skein of Doodlebirds Swell Socks in Goth Girl, a pink and gray skein of Austermann Step, and a cotton shawl kit from Rowan made it to my house, along with a note from Adminnie and a Thank You note and candy from V. I promise to do right by your yarn, Miz V.

But that was not all, oh, no, that was not all! (Sorry, Dr. Seuss moment)

A little Loopy Ewe package was also waiting for me. It held two skeins of L&V Sasquatch Sock in Connect 4 to make a scarf to go with the socks I’m working on for K, some Stitchkeepers, and a packet of Entrelac stitch markers, which are very, very pretty.

It was like my own private little yarny Christmas around here.

Lenore

by beth

October 25, 2007

3:50 pm

2 Comments on Lenore

Yarn

BMFA, Covetousness, Knitting, Lenore, Project Ideas, Ravens, Sock Clubs, Socks

Since I didn’t get to go to Rhinebeck, y’all already know I’m not one of the cool kids, right? Well, I’m about to cement that with this admission:

I’m not in the Rockin’ Sock Club, either.

But I want to be. Especially since I saw the pictures of the latest shipment.

*whimper*

I love the yarn. I love the pattern (well, what I can see of it). I even love the name.

Alas.

Say, if someone in the club doesn’t like the shipment, is there a rule or anything about not selling it to somebody else? Somebody like me, maybe?

Wednesday Again?

by beth

October 3, 2007

7:02 pm

1 Comment on Wednesday Again?

Yarn

Cross Stitch, Favorite Socks, In Progress, Interweave, Knitting, Meida's Socks, Nancy Bush, Non-Knitting Projects, Pinwheel Blanket, Socks, Stockings, WIP, Xmas

Oh, I have been busy. But first, an important announcement.

Very, very soon (like, this weekend) Aimee is doing the Lupus Walk. This is a cause near and dear to my heart, so you know I’ve already contributed. She’s getting closer to her fundraising goal, but let’s push it over the top. Besides that warm and fuzzy feeling of doing some good, you could win a prize!

Go, Aimee!

Things have been a little rocky on the health front around here, too, lately. Not, not me, or K, or Little Miss – we’re all fine. (Aside from the pain of teething, that is.) K’s mom, who cares for Little Miss on the days that both K and I are at work, was hospitalized last week. She’s home now and recovering, but I’ve gotten an unexpected week’s vacation. During naptimes, I’ve been working on this:

Nancy Bush’s Meida’s Socks, from Favorite Socks.

It’s a quick knit – ankle socks in sportweight yarn. I memorized the lace pattern pretty quickly. My only real complaint is that only one size is given, with a note to adjust sizing by changing needle size and adjusting the length. I went up to US2s. I’m using Lang Jawoll Sport, which turned out to be a little short. I got down to about 40 stitches around in the toe decreases when I ran out of yarn. I ripped back and redid the toe, decreasing every round (instead of doing the alternating even rounds). This makes for a short toe, but the sock is almost perfect on my foot. I did not continue the slip stitch pattern on the underside of the heel – I just ribbed it.

With 81 and a fraction days until Christmas Eve, I’ve also been working on the stocking:

There was an incident involving a knot, a tangle, and a bunch of ripped stitches, but I’m back to making progress.

Progress is also being made on the Pinwheel Blanket, but no picture of that today. It looks just like the last time I took a picture of it, only bigger, with more stripes.

WiP Wednesday, At Long Last

by beth

September 12, 2007

6:33 pm

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Yarn

Amish Shadows, Cross Stitch, In Progress, Knitting, Non-Knitting Projects, Snicket, Socks, Stockings, WIP, Xmas

This WiP Wednesday thing is working out really well, eh? While I haven’t been posting, I have been busily stitching away on Checking His List.

I’m nearly done with the top half of the chart, if you don’t count the backstitch detailing. Or the lines where Little Miss’ real name goes, which I’m saving for last.

Sunday night, I got together with some lovely ladies from church to do some knitting. I cast on for a Snicket sock, modeled here by the metal piece that sits on the top of our Lava Lamp.

snicket070911

I’m using Catania cotton yarn, which might not have been the best idea ever. For the little cables that make up the lattice pattern, something with a bit more spring to it would probably work better. Especially since I cable without a cable needle. I quite like the way the colors swirl in the ribbing, but they seem to be breaking up differently as I start the lattice part.

I also pulled out Amish Shadows and took a look at it, but I haven’t done any work on it in a while.

amishshadows

I don’t know what to take to see the Yarn Harlot on Saturday. I have a copy of Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles slowly but surely working its way over to my library, so maybe I’ll be able to cast on a simple sock before Saturday. Although I’d need to pick up a couple of small size cable needles first.