merry christmas from the SOUTH

and again ....

so, between the knitting, christmas shopping, and movie watching, i also baked my cake. and, i'm now too tired and stuffed (from snacking on the trimmed parts) to even have a slice.

it's my birthday, and i'll whine if i want to, whine if i want to .....

one of my favorites

there are A LOT of sock yarns out there. regia is my favorite commercial sock yarn, and my favorite indie-dyer is emily parson of Sophie's Toes. and, my favorite sock yarn i can find in many craft store chains is good old patons Kroy.

which, this is .... patons kroy socks stripes. i had to have this colorway when i saw it. it's so cheerful! it's called sailor stripes.


i finished the first sock this morning, and am already part way down the leg of the second sock.

never enough time!

i finished a pair! and i really like them! i wanted a mindless project to work on, one without deadlines (self imposed) or rules. and, i really wanted to knit this yarn in stash (which, i had bought at SAFF in october). AND, i really wanted to knit another pair from _sock innovation_.

nancy bush's _folk socks_ will always be my favorite sock book, but i have knit the most projects from _sock innovation_.

this sock pattern is called Lindsay. i often find things to change about a design, but loved the aesthetic so much, i did not modify the pattern. i actually knitted a garter stitch short row heel and toe. and grafted the full width of the toe to the foot.

and after making such a pretty and intricate sock, i had to slum it with some patons kroy stripes and go for a basic stockinette pair.


now ... this IS a mindless project !

i've been knitting up a storm!

you know how when you ask someone for their phone number (especially if they have have a cell phone) and they cannot tell you their number, but have to look it up? that's kinda how my blog gets behind, because i don't stalk my own blog!

there has been A LOT of knitting. some of the pairs i've finished are just trying to knit mates for the most recent orphans.

the latest pair i finished is this, which i had started at the beach this past summer.


the yarn is wisdom yarns poems sock. mom picked it out because of the colors. and the colors are really that nice. but, the knitting wasn't "nice". the yarn is a single ply, and kinda "hairy". not like a mohair halo, but more like a burlap sack. and i used my new signature dpns for this project, and those needles were just too pointy for the hairy bits. but, they are done, and blocked, and pretty, and i'll never knit with that yarn again.

i also finised a pair of jaywalkers i had started last july, with paca peds yarn.


jaywalkers is one of my "go to" patterns. i have mastered the jaywalker! i always knit the smallest size on 2.5mm needles, cast on 60 sts. and then increase to the stitch count for the smallest size (76 sts i think). and after i finish my gusset decreases, i do one more set of decreases only on the next plain round, to make the foot a bit more snug. and that is the secret of the great fitting jaywalker! (well, at least for my fit)


this pair was also for a bit of "mindless knitting". sort of. i did have to pay attention to the rows and the chart, a bit. the pattern is paraphernalia, and the yarn is joann sensations bamboo & ewe. i've used the yarn before, and i like it enough for a craft store yarn.

and then, lastly, i cast on a pair for december (though, i'm not knitting these for any kal ... i need a break).


this is lindsay from cookie's _sock innovation_. i have knitted a good number of the patterns from that book, and i'm certain i will eventually have them ALL knitted. and, i really love the yarn. i don't know what inspired me to pick up this pink, other than i was trying to branch out, colorwise. the yarn is miss babs bamboo baby. i got it at SAFF in october, and wound the hank into a ball on the way home.