no pairs, just singles here

i am knitting socks like a mad woman ... but, aren't i always? i have more handknit socks than most people have store bought socks. and i keep knitting them.

i've had a heck of a time getting good pictures of this one though ...


this is a birch leaf sock by nancy bush, from the book _a gathering of lace_. i've had the book for years, but somehow this sock pattern kinda fell from my radar.

i'm having trouble getting good pictures of it too, because my yarn choice (Wendy Sunbeam St. Ives 4 Ply Sock Wool) has that rustic look and feel to it ... and it kind has a hairy halo. the yarn is heathered, and up close, almost has a kettle-dyed look about it. it's a good basic wool/nylon blend that will last for years.



i am almost finished with the cuff of the mate, so this sock won't be an orphan for long.



here's another sock on the needles. it was suppose to be my "summer sock". this pattern is cookie's new summer sox pattern (pdf link). i could had chosen a more season appropriate yarn, but instead chose socks that rock lightweight in cobalt bloom. though this yarn has been in stash for more than a year, this is the first time i've knitted with the stuff. and, it's so not lightweight. it's rather "beefy". but, i wanted pinkish socks. so, when the weather turns, i will have some very warm and wooly summer sox.

and just to keep things sane around here, i of course have a plain stockinette stitch sock on the needles ...



this pair is close to completion. i am on the foot of the mate. the yarn is paton's kroy stripes. it's great for mindless knitting (and knitting in a movie theatre). i knitted the leg of the first sock when i saw Land of the Lost.

with so many socks on the needles, you'd think i wouldn't be planning my next pair ... but i am. just this morning i was thinking about these pretty sandalwood socks from IK winter 2008. of course, by this afternoon, i may be planning for something completely different.

more blue socks !

i'm starting to wonder if blue is my new favorite color ....

these too are recently finished. these are my sunshine socks from cookie a's new _sock innovation_. i belong to a kal on ravelry for the designs in this book. i did not participate the first month, because i had already knitting both the patterns they offered. this month, both patterns were 'new to me'. but i picked the option from the book vs. the other (nebula). i could knit both for the month, but i don't think i can finish another cookie design before the end of the month, and i have other socks on the needles.

my favorite thing about the pattern is the yarn. it's shibui sock (in colorway 2955, midnight). the yarn has a lot of 'boing' and body. the socks are heavy ... i used up all but 7 grams (finished socks weigh 97 grams) (yeah, i know 97+7 doesn't = 100).

the stitch pattern eats up the yarn. the leg has 80 stitches. that's a lot of yarn when your yardage is on the skimpy side. the saving grace is the leg isn't that tall, so there's enough yarn to get to the toes.

this yarn has been in my stash for a little while (maybe 2 years?). it was nice to finally knit it. and i love the results. i love how the yarn seems more semi-solid in the leg and toes, and does this blotchy-pooling thing on the foot. i have another colorway in stash, which i might use for another cookie pattern from the same book.

chalet

i have finished some socks, but i keep forgetting to post them. these are the chalet socks from nancy bush's _folk socks_. after some knitting, ripping, and knitting, they are done.

the pattern wasn't as difficult as i imagined it would be. in the past, i found the symbols used for the traveling stitches very confusing. but, with a post-it note, keeping up with the chart was managable.

if my sticky note fell off, however, it was tricky figuring out exactly which round i was on (i blame the twisted stitches for that).

i used knitpick's bare superwash merino/nylon fingering yarn. i bought some awhile back to dye. i have dyed some, but this time i used it undyed. i figure i can always overdye the socks if i find i'm not wearing this color. of course, me and dyeing is always a gamble. i don't usually get the color i intended.

though not technically summer yet, it sure feels like summer. these socks, and many others, will be waiting for cooler weather before they're worn (like, maybe october?).

yummy socks!

i think what i like about this yarn and pattern combination so much is it reminds me of ribbon candy ... and the pattern mimics an interlacement of ribbons. it's just pretty.



this sock is wanida from cookie's new _sock innovation_. the yarn is malabrigo sock in archangel. knitting with this yarn was nice. i would certainly buy it again, if i found it in a colorway i could not resist (like this one). the pattern was virtually mindless.

i made some mistakes here and there, due to movie watching. but for the most part, all that was needed was a quick glance at the chart. i didn't even need a post-it to keep track of rounds.

should you want to knit this sock, remember there is a mistake in the pattern, one that i have not seen listed on the errata yet.

i posted this note on the comment page for wanida on ravelry:

"i say there’s something definitley wrong with the heel flap set up in wanida.

if knitted as written, you will be off.

but, it works out just fine if on the last round of the leg chart to knit to the end minus 1 (knit only 7 of the “red” stitches). then, in the heelflap, place the next 33 sts. on hold, then do row 1 of heel flap.

everything lines up that way."

it's raining today, and i'm kinda antsy because i want to cast on something new and i don't have full access to my stash :(

sock addiction

it is way past my bedtime, but i just wanted to post these socks. i am in love with this pattern! it's wanida from _sock innovation_ and i'm using my archangel malabrigo socken yarn. the color is crazy. so. much. color. the yarn is soft and yummy.

but the pattern ... i love its simplicity. it's almost mindless, with nice little rest rounds alternating with pattern rounds. i can definitely see myself knitting this again - which i will try not to do, as sometimes that "spoils" it for me.

i am on the gusset of the mate, so this is soon to be a pair.

more sockens

sockina on 2.25mm dpns

i just finished these mindless socks the other day, and am itching to cast on something new. problem is, i don't have full access to my stash right now ... and i can't decide which yarn i do have can be "sacrificed" to just a "plain" sock. perhaps, i should just pick one and a sock pattern with an easy to memorize pattern.

i know it's ridiculous, but sometimes these sock yarns seem too precious to knit. i know!

we caught a break in the rain a little earlier today, and i used that time to snatch up some socks for picture time. my hands were full, and i "lost" a sock on the stairs on the way out ... therefore, there aren't any pictures of my first finished marlene.

but, i did get pictures of a couple of other in progress socks.

knitpicks bare superwash merino/nylon on 2.25mm dpns

these are the chalet socks by nancy bush (from _folk socks_). there's a tremendous amount of chart chasing with this pattern. i have a post-it that i move up after every round to keep track of where i am. the knitting is much faster on the foot, now that i am only patterning on the instep.

i also decided that i'm going to rip back on the first sock. i think there's enough space to fit in another repeat of the chart before the toe. the way it's knitted now, it looks kinda incompete.

cascade heritage on 2mm dpns

milo (from _sock innovation_) is progressing nicely as well, but it's another one that's going to need a rip-fix. i was not paying attention to the pattern and forgot that the instep has more stitches than the sole. of course, i didn't realize this until i was almost finished decreasing the toe and noticed that i had more stitches on the instep than the sole. whoops.

blue baudelaire

i finished my blue baudelaires. the fit is really nice.

sockotta is one of my favorite summer socken yarns. it knits like cotton, so it's not about the knitting experience. i like the crisp stitch definition, and the hardly noticeable tonality of the yarn. and, the price point is very nice too (cheap!).

it can be a challenge finding the right pattern for sockotta. the yarn has no stretch, so you have to find a pattern that will provide that for you. the baudelaire pattern is semi-ribbed (there are 3 purl stitches on either side of the cables, and two purl stitches down the center of the lace panels).

i did enjoy knitting these. and i love the results. i will have to resist knitting another pair with a different yarn. there are so many socks in my queue right now there's no time for repeats.

almost a pair

i'm thinking i have too many incomplete socks on the needles, and am beginning to grow my orphan stash. that's why i'm knitting as fast as i can on these socks.

this is knitty's baudelaire, yet another cookie design. it's knit toe up with a gusset and heelflap. what's made this sock more challenging is the yarn choice ... it's sockotta, a wool, cotton and nylon blend. it is like knitting with pure cotton. i started the foot with a 2.25mm needle and then switched to a 2.5. the sock doesn't have a ton of stretch, but it has just enough.

i just started the leg of the mate, so i'm about 75% finished. i'm going to try to stay on course and finish the pair, though i am quite distracted by wendy johnson's new _socks from the toe up_.

i have to tell myself, "finish these first then you can start a new one." though, i also need to finish my chalet socks, and my sockina socks, and my marlene, and ......

the reason why i think i have too many socks on the needles is i want the needles to start new ones, but they're all tied up with wips. i might have to put in a knitpicks order so i can do some more magic loop!