no pairs, just singles here

i am knitting socks like a mad woman ... but, aren't i always? i have more handknit socks than most people have store bought socks. and i keep knitting them.

i've had a heck of a time getting good pictures of this one though ...


this is a birch leaf sock by nancy bush, from the book _a gathering of lace_. i've had the book for years, but somehow this sock pattern kinda fell from my radar.

i'm having trouble getting good pictures of it too, because my yarn choice (Wendy Sunbeam St. Ives 4 Ply Sock Wool) has that rustic look and feel to it ... and it kind has a hairy halo. the yarn is heathered, and up close, almost has a kettle-dyed look about it. it's a good basic wool/nylon blend that will last for years.



i am almost finished with the cuff of the mate, so this sock won't be an orphan for long.



here's another sock on the needles. it was suppose to be my "summer sock". this pattern is cookie's new summer sox pattern (pdf link). i could had chosen a more season appropriate yarn, but instead chose socks that rock lightweight in cobalt bloom. though this yarn has been in stash for more than a year, this is the first time i've knitted with the stuff. and, it's so not lightweight. it's rather "beefy". but, i wanted pinkish socks. so, when the weather turns, i will have some very warm and wooly summer sox.

and just to keep things sane around here, i of course have a plain stockinette stitch sock on the needles ...



this pair is close to completion. i am on the foot of the mate. the yarn is paton's kroy stripes. it's great for mindless knitting (and knitting in a movie theatre). i knitted the leg of the first sock when i saw Land of the Lost.

with so many socks on the needles, you'd think i wouldn't be planning my next pair ... but i am. just this morning i was thinking about these pretty sandalwood socks from IK winter 2008. of course, by this afternoon, i may be planning for something completely different.

more blue socks !

i'm starting to wonder if blue is my new favorite color ....

these too are recently finished. these are my sunshine socks from cookie a's new _sock innovation_. i belong to a kal on ravelry for the designs in this book. i did not participate the first month, because i had already knitting both the patterns they offered. this month, both patterns were 'new to me'. but i picked the option from the book vs. the other (nebula). i could knit both for the month, but i don't think i can finish another cookie design before the end of the month, and i have other socks on the needles.

my favorite thing about the pattern is the yarn. it's shibui sock (in colorway 2955, midnight). the yarn has a lot of 'boing' and body. the socks are heavy ... i used up all but 7 grams (finished socks weigh 97 grams) (yeah, i know 97+7 doesn't = 100).

the stitch pattern eats up the yarn. the leg has 80 stitches. that's a lot of yarn when your yardage is on the skimpy side. the saving grace is the leg isn't that tall, so there's enough yarn to get to the toes.

this yarn has been in my stash for a little while (maybe 2 years?). it was nice to finally knit it. and i love the results. i love how the yarn seems more semi-solid in the leg and toes, and does this blotchy-pooling thing on the foot. i have another colorway in stash, which i might use for another cookie pattern from the same book.

chalet

i have finished some socks, but i keep forgetting to post them. these are the chalet socks from nancy bush's _folk socks_. after some knitting, ripping, and knitting, they are done.

the pattern wasn't as difficult as i imagined it would be. in the past, i found the symbols used for the traveling stitches very confusing. but, with a post-it note, keeping up with the chart was managable.

if my sticky note fell off, however, it was tricky figuring out exactly which round i was on (i blame the twisted stitches for that).

i used knitpick's bare superwash merino/nylon fingering yarn. i bought some awhile back to dye. i have dyed some, but this time i used it undyed. i figure i can always overdye the socks if i find i'm not wearing this color. of course, me and dyeing is always a gamble. i don't usually get the color i intended.

though not technically summer yet, it sure feels like summer. these socks, and many others, will be waiting for cooler weather before they're worn (like, maybe october?).

yummy socks!

i think what i like about this yarn and pattern combination so much is it reminds me of ribbon candy ... and the pattern mimics an interlacement of ribbons. it's just pretty.



this sock is wanida from cookie's new _sock innovation_. the yarn is malabrigo sock in archangel. knitting with this yarn was nice. i would certainly buy it again, if i found it in a colorway i could not resist (like this one). the pattern was virtually mindless.

i made some mistakes here and there, due to movie watching. but for the most part, all that was needed was a quick glance at the chart. i didn't even need a post-it to keep track of rounds.

should you want to knit this sock, remember there is a mistake in the pattern, one that i have not seen listed on the errata yet.

i posted this note on the comment page for wanida on ravelry:

"i say there’s something definitley wrong with the heel flap set up in wanida.

if knitted as written, you will be off.

but, it works out just fine if on the last round of the leg chart to knit to the end minus 1 (knit only 7 of the “red” stitches). then, in the heelflap, place the next 33 sts. on hold, then do row 1 of heel flap.

everything lines up that way."

it's raining today, and i'm kinda antsy because i want to cast on something new and i don't have full access to my stash :(

sock addiction

it is way past my bedtime, but i just wanted to post these socks. i am in love with this pattern! it's wanida from _sock innovation_ and i'm using my archangel malabrigo socken yarn. the color is crazy. so. much. color. the yarn is soft and yummy.

but the pattern ... i love its simplicity. it's almost mindless, with nice little rest rounds alternating with pattern rounds. i can definitely see myself knitting this again - which i will try not to do, as sometimes that "spoils" it for me.

i am on the gusset of the mate, so this is soon to be a pair.