Tag Archives: sock knitting

Every Stitch An “I Love You”

Posted on by

6

When I knit something for someone, I spend hours thinking of her, imagining her smile when she sees what I have made, hoping she will love it. A knitted gift is so much more than a mere pair of socks or hat or sweater. It is “I love you” said tens of thousands of times – one “I love you” for every stitch. But even a pair of socks cannot contain enough stitches for my mama.

My mom’s birthday was yesterday, and I was so excited to give her these socks (project page on Ravelry here). They are Esther Socks in MacKintosh Skye Sock Yarn Twilight.

Three things about this knit -

1. This pattern is so gorgeous. It was easy to memorize and turned out lovely. That said, there were a few quirks. The cuff is a bit tight and hard to get over my heel, and the difference between the small and the large was a whole ten stitches! I had to choose between too small or too large, not an easy choice for a gift. I chose too small hoping to stretch them a bit when I blocked them. It worked, but I was a little unsatisfied with it. Also, it was originally written in German and the translation is a little awkward. I relied pretty heavily on the Ravelry notes of those who had gone before.

2. I made some modifications (big surprise, I know). I only did one repeat of the pattern for the cuff before diving into the heel. As for the heel, I used my new love, the sweet tomato. I also switched the direction of the cables on the second sock so that the two socks would mirror each other. Mom will probably never notice, but it pleased me greatly to do so. :)

3. This yarn is a bit normal. Nice, but not fabulous. It knit up normally, it felt normal on my feet. The color is nice, but not fabulous. Maybe I am just still reeling from the amazingness of the Casbah, I don’t know. It is good yarn. It is a pretty color. Not every ball of yarn is going to knock me over, I guess. That said, I would buy more in a heartbeat!

Another happy pair of feet wrapped in knitted love. My job is done here.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Green

Posted on by

2

The Boy’s Green Sweater

Driftwood Cardigan in Dream in Color Classy, Emerald Darkness

With matching hat of my own design.

My boy wasn’t too comfortable modeling, so we went the silly route. :)

Three things about this knit.

1. The pattern was less than great. First of all, I made the mistake of assuming that it covered the size that I needed (it didn’t), but that was a minor thing. Being top-down, I just made it big enough with no problem. Secondly, the pattern was written as if it were just notes taken while someone knit it. It felt very unorganized and incomplete. I had to rely on my experience to make it out and I felt that for a written pattern it should have been better. Once I got the gist of the thing, I stopped following the pattern at all and just winged it. Not exactly what I spent $6.25 for.

2. This is not the first time I have used this yarn and my opinion of it hasn’t changed. It isn’t very luxurious and it isn’t my favorite to use, but it wears wonderfully and is machine washable, so it is a good choice for The Boy, who tends to be hard on his clothes. Another good thing about this yarn is the yardage – a full sweater and hat made from less than four skeins of yarn. And the color! Oh the colors of this brand are so amazing!

3. I got some really spiffy ebony buttons from this Etsy shop. They look awesome. I had played with the idea of using snaps and ribbon, or even a zipper, but the buttons won in the end. I am happy with how it looks.

Getting The Boy to model for me wasn’t hard, but he sure was glad when it was over. Look at him go!

I am glad this one is done, too. Time to knit a sweater for me. I already wound the four balls of Malabrigo Sock needed for it, but confess that I am on a sock knitting kick that doesn’t seem to be letting up.  See?

Socks of my own design, Shibui Knits Sock, Spectrum

Simple Pleasures

Posted on by

4

Handknit socks in Handmaiden Casbah. No pattern, just mindless knitting and amazing results.

Three things about this knit.

1. The pattern - I cast on 64, worked a 2×2 rib for about 1 inch, and immediately went to the heel. I was really excited to try out the sweet tomato heel and I was not disappointed. It is awesome. I worked 3 wedges of the sweet tomato heel, then knit the foot to 2 inches short of the length of my foot (maintaining a 6×2 rib over the top of the foot) and finished off with a regular toe and a kitchener graft over 10 stitches at the very end.

See the heel? Cool, huh?

2. The yarn - heavenly. The colors are splendid, the cashmere is so soft, this yarn is amazing. I could gush for pages but I will just say this one thing – get some. You’ll love it. Oh – and this little pair of socks used less than half, so I still have a good amount left over! Yippee!

3. The next time – This was the first time I have ever attempted to knit socks without a pattern and I am pleased with the results. Next time I need to remember a few things. One: knit a longer cuff. Two inches at least. Two: do something prettier than 6×2 ribbing. Three: Well, I guess that is it. These socks are pretty close to perfect.

Oh, and one more thing. After knitting and wearing several pairs of socks I have discovered that I tend to wear holes in my socks on the balls of my feet. I tried a new trick to reinforce these socks in that area and I will tell you all about it tomorrow.

Randomly Speaking

Posted on by

1

A few thoughts -

1. I knit this adorable little something but I can only show you a tiny peek. My niece is turning one this weekend and I have a lovely gift made just for her. I can’t wait to give it to her. And now all my girls want one, too (it always works that way, you know).

I’ll show you more later.

2. “Mama,” The Boy said to me the other day, “I know you already know this, but I just can’t believe it. Anneli is your sister, but that is just too crazy because she is so young and you are so old!”

3. I found a use for this.

Handmaiden Casbah in Blackberry

I am making some super simple, extra lovely socks for myself. I am halfway through the second sock and will be wearing them in no time. I can’t wait! This yarn is definitely my new favorite. It is fabulous!

4. I have more yarn on the way. I have to say that Eat. Sleep. Knit has an amazingly genius business strategy and I keep getting sucked back in. I make an order, and with it comes a lotto ticket worth five dollars. I save up a few of these and mail them in. The $15 credit calls to me day after day. I dream about my free yarn (what will I choose?). I let it linger and ferment in my brain until one day, at long last, I go on a shopping spree and buy all the yarn!!!! I need $75 to get free shipping! I need 1200 yards to get to the next marathon milestone! I need the odd skien of _____ just because it is worth 200% for the marathon! I got off easy this time (I will show you what I got as soon as it arrives). But we all know that in that box that is on it’s way is another yarn lotto ticket waiting to start it all over again. Genius, I tell you. Those folks are geniuses!

5. It is cold in my house. Sunny and warm outside, but I am freezing. Time to go sit in the sun. And knit. In the sun. Oh, yeah.

6. One more thing. This blog will be turning two years old on April 8th! It’s party time all next week. But more on that later….

DNR (Christmas Countdown Day 17)

Posted on by

1

There I sat darning my socks. Again.

I have breathed new life into these, my first pair of handknit socks, many times now. So many times, in fact, that I have run out of the original yarn and now use some other remnant of purple sock yarn.

I love these socks. I wear them three days a week, minimum. (hence the constant need for repair) I would hate to give up on them and throw them out. But, how long can I keep this up? When is enough enough? When do I sign the “do not ressusitate” order and let them die a natural death?

These are the tough questions. And the sad answer is that, while I could probably go on darning these till doomsday, this is going to have to be the last time.

Because I just finished another (better) pair of purple socks. And I am a sock knitter, now. There are so many more beautiful handknit socks in my future, why should I hang onto the past?

Nutkin (Christmas Countdown Day 15)

Posted on by

1

Hey, look! I finished my socks!

Nutkin in Done Roving Frolicking Feet Wild Blue Yonder

Three things about this knit:

1. This is the yarn from Wonderful Mother in Law. I love it. The colorway is gorgeous, the wool feels lovely running through knitting fingers, and my feet are loving it, too. Bonus – these socks only used 52 of the 100 grams! I am seriously thinking I could make those Turkish Bed Socks with it….

2. This pattern shows off this yarn perfectly. Plus, it was well written and easy to memorize and it flew off the needles very quickly. My only complaint is the short row directions, which leave holes. On the plus side, by the time I got to the toe of the second sock, I was proficient at it.

3. When one looks up this pattern on Ravelry, one reads a lot about the holes I mentioned above and that the socks twist. Yes, my socks twisted a little, even when I took great care to prevent them from doing so. Fortunately, the twist doesn’t bother me one iota.

So, another pair of happy feet.

Who would have thought I would become a sock knitter?

A Little Spoiled? (Christmas Countdown Day 4)

Posted on by

5

Wonderful Mother In Law has been visiting since Thanksgiving.

Now, I know that some women like to complain about their husbands mother. Not me. I am spoiled. I got a good man who has a wonderful mom.

So, today Wonderful Mother In Law is leaving and we are all sad. In a few hours she will get on a plane and fly away. We will miss her terribly. In the words of The Princess, “I want to keep her.”

But, that is not what this post is about. This post is about a gift that Wonderful Mother In Law gave me while she was here.

On the third day of her visit, we went shopping in Old Town Clovis and stumbled upon a cute little yarn store, the Knit Addiction. I was reluctant to go in, as I have been so good this year, sticking to my resolution to knit only stash yarn and not buy any yarn at all. But, what knitter could resist a yarn shop, really?

We entered a lovely little place filled with yarns to delight the senses, and Wonderful Mother In Law says, “Pick something out.”

:)

As I perused the merchandise, fondling this yarn, sniffing that one, I came across a Jordana Paige Satchel. A purple Jordana Paige Satchel.

I lifted it off the shelf. I opened it. I closed it. I looked for the price tag. I put it back.

Moving on, I finally settled on a skein of sock yarn I had never heard of before. It is my new favorite yarn. (I know, I know. I say that about every yarn.) I took it in my greedy hands and turned to show Wonderful Mother In Law that this yarn, this skein of purple merino heaven, this was what I wanted.  But when I turned around, there she was at the register buying the purple Jordan Paige Satchel! She took the yarn out of my hand, added it to her purchase, and thus became my favorite person ever.

That is my composed, “What a beautiful bag I own” pose. This is how I feel:

I have already knit half a pair of socks with this yarn.

Done Roving Frolicking Feet in Wild Blue Yonder (The socks are Nutkin, but more on that another time)

A little spoiled, perhaps?

Autumn Bliss (for knitters, that is)

Posted on by

0

Ah, Fall. The chill in the air. The cloudy mornings. The bite in the wind that tells you autumn has finally arrived.

The time for knitters to rejoice. Out come the sweaters and shawls that have been stashed away. The scarves and hats that have been forgotten all summer make their return.

And the socks. Oh, yes, the socks.

This is why I knit. (well, not why. But definitely a big perk.)

I know you have seen these before, but as I slipped them over my cold toes this morning I remembered how much I really love them. My first socks (knit for me), newly darned and ready to go.

Contented sigh.

Dream In Color… ful Socks

Posted on by

4

I was starting to think that I would never finish these… but I did!

Kai Mei Socks in Dream in Color Smooshy Buttercup (not modeled because they are too small for my ogre feet)

These socks are so pretty and I am glad that I finally got around to knitting them.

Three things about this knit:

1. I love this yarn. I love the way the colors never stripe or pool, but just freckle a little with bits of pink and peach and dark yellow. This yarn was leftover from the sweater that The Bookworm and I collaborated on last year. I bought an entire skien just to knit 18 st of yellow flower centers and it has sat in the stash ever since just waiting for the perfect project.

2. I started out knitting these 2 at a time, but had to work them one at a time for heel, gusset and the ends of the foot, about 2 repeats of the pattern before the toe. It was a little bit of a pain going back a forth between the one long circular and the DPNs, but I got them both finished at about the same time, and that is what matters. No second sock syndrome for me!

3. If I ever knit these for my feet, I will need to cast on more stitches and add a couple of pattern repeats. I wonder, too, if the cuff should be knit in a smaller needle size than the foot to keep the ribbing tight? It will have to be fiddled with for sure.

Alas, these are not for me. I hope the feet that these are headed to are made very happy.

I think I could knit this pattern again (see #2), so someday my feet may be so lucky.