more socks ....

... because i cannot reveal the "secret project" for christmas. so, we'll just have to look at socks, and maybe pretend they're christmas stockings.

today is thanksgiving day, and i'm thinking about christmas. go figure. i am always looking ahead. and maybe that's why it takes me so long to knit socken mates, because after the first sock, i'm looking to see what else i can knit on.

though i should be knitting the mate of my montgolfiere sock, i've had the bug to knit socken mates. making mates for orphans should never be dismissed. the poor orphans have been orphans long enough, and there are others much older ... waiting.

but, i have finished two pairs of socks, by merely knitting 2 socks. i like that.

first up, i finished the lovely green goblin socks (sometimes known as 'rick' from _sock innovation_).


they were fun to knit, and it's even more fun when you don't have to think, because you can just look at socken #1 and know what to do next (other than following the chart). and i feel they're rather season appropriate as they're very "christmas green" with the diagonals of candy canes. they'd make a great gift for someone, but i am way to selfish to give these up.

as soon as i kitchner stitched the toe on the green socks, i cast on the mate of my old "pillars" socks. these are from the summer of '08. i finished the first sock on a trip to mexico, and never bothered to cast on the mate. why, ... who knows !


they are crazy pretty ... i LOVE the yarn ... it's colinette's jitterbug in colorway vincent's apron (i think). anyways, the yarn has a great twist, and amazing stitch definition, not to mention the fabulous semi-solid variegation. i love semi-solids.

i've been waiting a long time for a day like today ... a day with no commitments, and some sunshine.

ps ...

... i finished these too.


this is "jules" by kate blackburn. the yarn is knitpicks stroll handpainted in colorway tea party. these will be a christmas gift.

blogging in my head

sometimes, i do all the things i should do for the blog, such as knit the project, take pictures, download/upload, move on to the next project, post pictures to flickr, update ravelry, and then i forget to actually post the information on my blog. oops.

i was talking with mom this morning and telling her about my green socks, and i said, "they're on the blog" ... then it occurred to me that maybe they weren't on the blog yet. yeah, another "oops".

that said, there has been progress! i finished the first montgolfiere sock.


when i finish the pair, i will be blocking these. they need to settle down a bit. there is a gauge difference from the sole stich pattern and the instep, and the instep is rather lumpy. but, it will be fine with a good blocking.

i am very pleased with how this sock looks. i'm just not quite ready to jump into knitting the mate yet. i am thinking i will save that event for the weekend.

in the meantime, i sort of needed a small project to carry around in my purse. i actually picked up an orphan from the summer, and cast on the mate to my green goblin socks (otherwise known as "rick" from cookie a's _sock innovation_). i knitted the first sock in the summer for a kal on ravelry. once the kal was finished, i never went back to knit the mate. but i decided it would be good to knit on it as a mindless knitting project.


i started the mate on the 11th, and finished yesterday. but, i will have to wait until the weekend to take proper finished pair photos.

i might actually be enjoying this single sock knitting. i have quite the stash of orphan socks, so just knitting one gives me a pair. that i like!

since i finished the green socks, i did pick up another orphan ... pillars. this lovely sock had its first birthday back in august. i figured this one would be rather painless to knit, and mindless as well. and i have already decided on my next rescue ... hedera from 2007!

sock challenge

each month in ska (sock knitter's anonymous)(ravelry link), there is a challenge. this month's challenge includes a technique (mosaic or slipstitch knitting), a mystery sock (which includes the technique challenge) or a designer (this month is chrissy gardiner). i had planned on doing a sock by the designer, chrissy gardiner, since i really wanted to try one of her socks from her _toe up_ book (and use the work sheets to get a great fitting reverse engineered heelflap sock).

and then i started looking at mosaic patterns. that's when i found this pattern, montgolfiere, by stephanie van der linden. this pattern had been in my queue for a bit, and i had forgotten about it.


i went digging in the stash, and found some rowan true 4ply botany. this yarn has been discontinued for some time. sometimes when a yarn is discontinued, it seems a bit more *precious* as it's highly unlikely i'll come across it again.


i am enjoying the knitting, though i do not look forward to the mate. this sock is not mindless, and requires constant attention to the chart. even with all this chart chasing, i still have made mistakes. so far, i've corrected the ones i've discovered.

this sock is going to be quite cushy, as the bottom of the foot is quite thick. i even turned the heel with two strands held together so it would be as beefy as the rest of the sole.

and the not so challenging ...


(unless we count mere finishing!) i pulled these out the other day, and it seemed all i had left was a bit of foot and a toe. it amazes me how long such a simple task is left unfinished for months, or years.

this yarn is a favorite of mine. it's paton's kroy sock yarn. you can find it in craft stores. it's inexpensive. and it's a work horse yarn. it's a bit heavier than most fingering yarns i've knitted, but it still makes a great socks.

this pair is going to be a gift.