whoopsie!

apparently, i neglected to include the patterns for the socks from my previous post. whoops!

so, for the curious ...


this sock has been described as "pink lemonade", but it's actually called Rib and Cable Sock by nancy bush, from the fall 2005 issue of interweave knits magazine.

i have made it before, and LOVE it. and, like most nancy bush patterns, it has an unusual construction for the heel turn and the toe. but, i didn't like the heel turn, so kept that basic.

the yarn is a favorite of mine. it's called Sophie's Toes Merino Sock, and can be purchased online via Emily Parson's Etsy Shop. this particular colorway is called "daffodils and tulips".

you can see more versions of the sock pattern via this ravelry link.



the pretty blue socks in progress are the mystery sock from this month's challenge in the solid socks ravelry group. i've never done a mystery sock before, and i am actually enjoying it. it's knitting blindly!

the designer releases a clue (4 total, one each week) each tuesday. i am knitting them in tandem to avoid the SSS.

the yarn i'm using is some knitpicks bare superwash wool/nylon fingering. i dyed it on the stovetop using icing dye. i have tried several patterns with this yarn before, and have ripped them all out. this time, i'm thinking they're a keeper.

you can see more of these mystery socks in progess here.



the last sock is 'wanida' from cookie a's _sock innovation_. again, i have knitted this sock before, and i love the results! this time, i'm doing it in jitterbug. i should finish the first sock, so i can at the very least, weigh it to make sure i have enough for sock #2.

it's almost bedtime, but i think i have a little bit of time to squeeze in another episode of my current netflix series, and knit on clue 3 of the mystery sock.

happy knitting everyone!

too much?

when i was home "recovering", i started multiple projects. in knitlandia, i was "la la la la la la ... let's start a new project ! again !"

so, i started ALL these socks! ... not a really good way to start off a new year, since i'm in the business of not creating more orphans.








so, i think i bit off more than i can chew. the first sock just lacks a toe (and a mate). the second sock(s) is waiting for clue 3 on tuesday, and then the third sock is waiting for ... just waiting.

february knitting

i have knitted this pattern before ... and felt like knitting it again, sort of as a "mindless" knitting project.

this time around, i'm using some jitterbug from stash. i'm eager to get the first sock off the needles so i can weigh it (and determine of i have enough for the mate!). my jitterbug is the old put up, so the yardage may be on the short side.

and of course, while i'm knitting this, i'm thinking, "i really want to knit Bex too!"

another sock i cast on yesterday is a mystery sock for the solid sock group on ravelry. i already have clue 1 finished on the first sock, and i need to go ahead and cast on the second sock ... a clue is revealed each tuesday, with 4 clues total.


the designer is lisa stichweh. she also designed 2 other socks i've knitted:


... snow petals, which i finished last april. and ...


... pillars, which i finished in fall of '09 (and, they too are knitted with jitterbug).

no orphans

no orphans should be my motto. i have been better about finishing pairs in the last year or so. but, this one is still unfinished (from october).


after i finished my blender socks, i decided i need to finish this pair. my motivation is not to finish the socks, but to "free" the needles. i need the needles for another pair.

confession time: so, i did get as far as this photo, then moved the sock to dpns, so i could start another toe up "spice man" sock.

anyways, this yarn was purchased at SAFF back in october. i did cast on that day ... and then a few days later, it was november. in november, i cast on another yarnissima pattern for ska ... firestarter.

and, both are still unfinished!

... and the beat goes ... ON

another pair?! why yes!


i have finished my socks for december ... finally =)

it's amazing how quickly they knitted up, compared to the wintermint socks.

the differences ... these are all stockinette, 64 sts. vs 72, and 2 yarns at a time, vs. 3.

i used leftovers with similar characteristics: wool/nylon, 4ply, commercial. they all knit at the same gauge and have the same wash instructions.

though, i did run out of the purple. a fellow raveler sent me her leftovers so i could finish mine! that's pretty awesome.

right now, these are my favorite socks. i love the bright colors, the "blending", and their uniqueness.

the pattern is called "blender socks" and the intructions for the blending can be found here ....

slacker ? ... not !

i actually finished these socks in record time! ... well, record time for someone that doesn't have much knitting time.


i am a bit addicted to knitting with kroy right now. and the sad thing is, i'm out of kroy !!!

and i'm heading out of town tomorrow, and don't have time to "re-supply" before leaving. whimper. and i don't think my destination will have any colorways i'm interested in.

in the meantime, i will likely go stash diving and find something else that yields colorful results with plain stockinette.

and, to make up for being a slacker .....

after i finished my wintermint biscotti socks, i cast on these. i loved my other kroy socks so much, and i wasn't ready to cast on anything that took more effort than basic stockinette socks (with only 1 yarn!).

i found this kroy jacquard at the local michael's craft store. it was on sale, which makes inexpensive even sweeter.

again, like my other kroy socks, it's basic ... 56 stitches on size 2 needles. i'm on the foot of sock #2.


again, i'm loving the stripes and bright colors. this colorway is called "fern rose jacquard". the funny thing being, there's only a blip of jacquard every 3.5" or so.

again, they are very satisfying to knit. i love inexpensive yarns that are also hard wearing. these are the kinds of socks i reach for over and over again, from the drawers.

yesterday, i worked some overtime ... and was out in the vicinity of a lys i don't often get to visit (well, it's about a 40+ minute drive away from home, the lys).
but, because i had to work on my day off (overtime, time plus time & 1/2 !!!), i felt a bit "rich" and decided to treat myself to some yarn i totally did not need.


i got a hank of this beautiful Unplanned Peacock Studio sock yarn. i was trying to link it on ravelry to my stash, but could not find the correct yarn. i emailed the dyer, and she responded swiftly stating that i do indeed have the 'peacock sock' yarn, but my hank is the old put up, and does have 500 yards (as opposed to the current 462 yards). so, yay! "bonus" as she puts it =)

anyways, the colorway is called 'purple martin', but of course, i messed that up, and told her i had purple martian. yes. MARTIAN. hmmm ....

also in the photo is my new sock knitting bag, in PINK. i thought i had one already. i could swear i had one. and i can also say it's been missing. though, that can't be if i never had one.

i checked my flickr pages with tags such as bag, bags, knowknits, noknits, pouch, etc. no hits with the color pink.

so, now i have one in pink. and, i also bought (not pictured) some kollage yarns square dpns. i just want to try them out. and again, i felt "rich".

and i finished knitting them!

i was talking with a friend this morning, and she kindly reminded me i hadn't updated my blog since the 10th. whoops!


(i still haven't woven in some of the ends) i had to break and rejoin the yarn before and after the heel construction. plus, i haven't woven in the end up at the cuff from my cast on, i just tucked it inside to take pictures =)

these socks are for january's challenge on SKA (ravelry link). lots of members are knitting this cranberry biscotti pattern right now ... it's such a great pattern for using up leftovers or if you have random single skeins of yarn.

and it doesn't take much ... i used 42 grams of the gray, 22 grams of green, and 22 grams of white, AND, i knitted the leg an extra repeat of 30 rows.

i'd like to say i'd knit this pattern again, and maybe i will someday. it's certainly inspiring to see all the different color combinations on ravelry ....




this picture i'm including because some members had asked about the color changes and weaving in ends. well, you don't have to break the yarn when changing colors ... you just carry it up when it's needed. another member would also catch these floats periodically so the loops weren't so big. i didn't. hey, the loops are only about 5/8" long, and they're vertical, and they will probably felt in a bit anyways.

the only thing i did not like about knitting these socks was having 3 balls of yarn attached while knitting. i would get a bit tangled sometimes. i did devised a way to not get overly tangled. the knitting was slow. but, the results are very nice.

i look forward to wearing them and seeing how well they hold up.