slacker II

wow, i don't think i've ever skipped an entire month before ... there is a first for everything!

i have some finished pairs to share here. august was my "finishing" month. each august, i take the time to rescue some of my sock orphans, and complete as many pairs as i can. last year, i completed 10 pairs. this year, not quite so many.



this first pair is called  Linaria Bipartita Socks by Hunter Hammersen. i had started them last january, and then got sidetracked. the yarn is dream in color smooshy. my ravelry page is here. i think they're crazy pretty, and it's a shame i didn't finish them sooner. i think part of the reason i waned on them was the knitting experience. the pattern is easy enough, but there was a "shift" sometimes when there was a cable manuever that occurred when changing from one round to the next.

also, i knitted them with my signature dpns. they're very nice needles, but they are WAY pointy. they're probably my pointiest dpns.

the next pair i finished was a mystery sock design from march of last year. i actually knitted this pair twice (once each in 2 different colorways/yarns).  the pattern was later formally named Cadence.



i really love this pair! the yarn is knitpicks stroll tonal, in colorway "golden glow". the socks are mirror images of one another. a word of advice, ... this is not the pattern to stop part way and expect to be able to pick up and know where you are. it took me a lot of time to figure out where i was in the pattern. my ravelry page is here.

after the yellow socks, i next worked on my christmas socks. i had cast them on before christmas, thinking i would finish them for the holiday. i was optimistic. lol!



the yarn is a very basic craft store yarn ... red heart's "heart & sole" in the christmas colorway. the pattern is Spice Man, by Yarnissima. i've used this pattern many times, and it's still a favorite. i was determined to use every bit of yarn ... which i did (it's a toe up pattern). i look forward to wearing them as we come into the "sock season" (hey, it doesn't have to be christmas to wear green/red/white socks!).

the tough part with these socks was the endless 1x1 twisted rib legs. just take "twisted" out of the equation. 1x1 rib is bad enough (for a knitter that doesn't knit continental). BUT, the legs do stay up. so, rock on 1x1 ribbing!

this pair was my personal favorite for the august finishing season.



this was the perfect marriage of yarn + pattern. yarn: Lola Doodle's Classic Sock. pattern: Breaking Hearts Socks by Cristi H. Brockway (otherwise known as "turtlegirl" ... her blog is in my sidebar).

i purchased the yarn online from one of my SKA "friends". and Cristi, she's a local knitter that i've run into a couple of times at regional sheep & wool festivals.

i LOVE THESE SOCKS! really. here. let me show you how much ...







yes, i really do love these socks.

the next pair i finished was my second pair of Wanida (pattern by Cookie A).



the first time i knitted this pair, it was also with a variegated yarn, though more "tame". also, the pattern was fairly new in publication, and no errata had been printed yet, so i followed my notes i had written into my book.

this time, i used an old ball of Jitterbug. jitterbug is a heavy fingering. (ps. every time i write Jitterbug, i have to go back and correct because i keep typing jitter"but"). and this particular colorway did a fabulous job of striping.

this pattern is in my "book of favorites". it's a bit challenging, simple, sometimes mindless. my project page is here.

now, this is the oldest pair i finished. i started these in 2008. no worries, i might have some even older unfinished pairs.



the picture doesn't represent a finished pair. trust me, they're finished. it's just the only picture i've taken thus far is way crappy. i took the picture at the last minute, so i could post them and get credit for them in that particular august challenge. the really really bad finished picture is here, if you must see.

august is finishing month for me, thanks to my friend Christine (mapleweave on ravelry). she's my sock "sole" mate. we're both incredibly guilty of knitting sock orphans.

when i finished all these socks, my name went into a hat for a drawing. i had at least one chance for each pair i finished. but you know how the "odds" work ... even though i had at least 6 chances, there were many others that had only 1 chance.

though, i still won something. i won this lovely hank of yarn from Giant Creek Yarns.



i got to pick the colorway. i wanted a nice semi-solid, for either something mindless, or complex. it's really beautiful!