totally skewed!

i have finished my first skew sock!!!






i have to say i LOVE it. it's just COOL! i have no idea how the designer came up with the contruction. and i giggle every time i think about the big O (origami moment ... when the fabric folds over and becomes a heel). if i was as enamored with the look as much as i am with the look & fit of jaywalker, i'd have a new favorite pattern for those striping yarns. as much as i say i love love love this sock pattern. i do have one gripe ....

it's snug to take off and on. that's it. and i don't even have a high instep or "fluffy" ankles. and though the designer has some hints on how to modify for fit, my brain just doesn't want more of a challenge. so, i will knit sock #2, same as sock #1, and call it a day.

this sock yarn is a favorite of mine, of the craft store variety ... it's lion brand's sock ease. i LOVE it. it's only $10/ball (and MUCH cheaper if you have a craft store coupon). the quality is high. i've used it a few times for socks. ie: my spiceman socks, my sunny jaywalkers, and my fabulous beer cozy !

if anyone is wondering about the red sock in the background, that would be my favorite summer sock(s) ... my red summer sockens. i knitted those a few years ago, with some panda cotton sent to me directly from crystal palace yarns (as they have FABULOUS customer service and had helped me with a yarn issue). they sent me yarn for the red socks, and these pretty papaver socks, and some 6" bamboo sock needles.

skew? SKEW you! LOL!

... we are into another month, and another challenge ... unusual construction. this is the beginning of skew. it's been on knitty for awhile, and it was "love at first sight", but ... it's one of those patterns for which fit might be "tricky". so far, i'm knitting as written, and the fit is good. but, i've "paused" (i do that when i get to part/transition, where i must make a decision). i think i've now knitted enough foot to begin the ankle section. i just need a good block of time to think it over and proceed. so, that won't be 'til the weekend.

this yarn is a MY craft store favorite, it's lion brand's sock ease. SKEW looks great in yarns that stripe ... it accentuates the bias fabric. i have A LOT of self-striping yarns in stash, but had a hard time finding the perfect one. the colorway is called rock candy.

mystery solved!

these have been a long time coming. and think, each sock is only 1/2 a pair!

these are the mystery socks from ska, designed by verybusymonkey (ravelry link).

the way a mystery sock works, is each week, the group is given 1 clue. by the 4th week, we have all the clues to knit from cuff to toe.

i couldn't decide which yarn i liked best for the socks, so i started two different socks. and guess what, i like both!

the yellow sock yarn is a bit finer (it's knitpicks tonal sock in golden glow). the raspberry sock is a bit thicker (it's dizzy lizzie's sock yarn). but, both were knitted on 2.25mm dpns. they are also mirror images of one another (as the pattern is written).

these socks also use the technique of lace, meaning there are "holes". there's no cabling.

and, a MONSTER !

this is bea! she's from this book ...



i was nowhere near my stash, so i took a little trip to the local hobby lobby, and picked out some of their cotton yarns (as they had some really nice colors!)



and, i started knitting, and knitting, and knitting ...





i learned how to knit a "jogless jog" while knitting stripes



and i learned that i liked the lifted increase better than the kf&b when knitting with cotton ...



i still need to glue her teeth on, and stitch her a belly button, but essentially she's finished.

bea is for a swap in the Danger Crafts group on ravelry. my swap partner lives in texas, and she's knitting me a mystery monster. unless she's snooped in my project pages or blog, then this should be a surprise for her.

in the meantime, mom wants a monster too ... she picked out these greens from hobby lobby:



the lighter shade of green is also the "i love this cotton!" yarn, but it also has a strand of sparkle wrapping the yarn. (mom wanted "bling")

blue lace

i'm knitting these socks for the march challenge of ska ... one of the techniques is "lace".

i do have to pay attention to the pattern, somewhat, since every round does have patterning. to keep up, i'm using both my kacha (row counter) and magnet board.

i have bitten off more than i can chew since the new year, so it has been slow knitting on these. but, i really enjoy the pattern! it's called magic mirror by jeannie cartmel.

the yarn is also a favorite ... it's cascade heritage. it's a bit on the thin side, like lorna's laces shepherd sock. it has a nice smoothe twist. and the price is very reasonable.

SAFF socks

i bought this yarn at SAFF last october. like my brown socks in the previous post, this yarn is also miss babs yummy sock yarn.

i was so eager to knit with this colorway, that i would the hank into a ball in the car on the way home. and then i cast on my socks! and then they languished .....


this might be my last pair of spiceman for awhile. i think i've now knitted this pattern 4 times!

one pair off the needles!

this pair was the closest thing i had on the needles that i could call "mindless knitting".

i knitted this pair for ska's february challenge of "man socks". the challenge stated that the socks had to be designed with the Y chromosome in mind.

and these were .... but, i didn't want "man socks" ... so i sized them down with smaller yarn & needles.

the pattern is called twined rib socks. you can find the pattern here on ravelry. i also happy to report i FINALLY used a ball of stashed sock yarn that i bought at the first SAFF event i went to in 2007. the yarn is miss babs 'yummy'. it's a 2 ply superwash merino, and it has a nice hefty twist, kinda like koigu.

so now, when i look at this picture ...


... i can at least mark one pair off the "to knit list". (if you click on the picture, you'll be taken to flickr, and the photo has notes as to which socks are which design)

and when i look at that picture, i unfortunately realized it's missing 2 other pairs ... the jitterbug wanida socks (one knitted/finished, 2nd partly cast on) and the blue lace ones from my previous post (toe up, and i just turned the heel).

casting on

this casting on thing is getting a bit out of control. but it's so much FUN! with a new month comes a new monthly challenge. this month ... lace.

i know, that's not overly challenging for me, but i want to participate in my group, sock knitters anonymous (on ravelry).

i chose this pattern by jeannie cartmel (she's jeanniefanihi on ravelry). it's called "magic mirror". it does fit in the lace catagory, as it has the yo's and decreases. perhaps it's a stretch, since the lace isn't really the 'feature' as much as a 'vehicle' to get the pattern of twisted ribbing to shift.


i'm using cascade heritage for this project. that decision was a no brainer, as i'd just purchased it on saturday. also, it's nice and smooth, and really shows off the stitches.


on saturday last weekend, i went to a new LYS, Yarn Tree Studio. i really enjoyed the yarn selection and look forward to the store's growth (hey, this was only their first week!).

being the sock knitter i am, i was "weak" and got more yarn ... the blue cascade heritage on the left, and the golden ella rae lace merino on the right. now, the yarn on the right might end up something other than socks, as it's handwash and has mega yardage (460 yds). that would surely be enough for a shawlette.

i only plan 1 other cast on for this month ... there's also a mystery sock in this month's pot. and again, it's one of my favorite designers. that's hard to resist. i'll surely post pictures and notes, once i decide on a yarn and offically cast on.