My Visit to the Frog Pond
I tried this sock on before I got to the heel flap and it was really tight going over the heel. I decided to forge ahead and see how it fit after finishing the heel flap, I thought maybe it was just tight because I had all the needles in it. Nope... It was still way too tight.
So, this happened. I could have made another pair of socks that were too small, or I could start over. As you can see, adult beverages were involved.
And what we now have is a lovely cake of yarn. I still love the colors, and just need to rethink the pattern. Either add a purl stitch between each repeat, or knit every other row.
And, so, I started these, that's Harley checking out the new sock. I saw the pair that Kathy made and I thought this would be the perfect pattern to bring on my trip. The yarn is easier to see on the needles, the other yarn had a splotch of tan almost the exact same colors as my needles that made it difficult to see in poor light. The pattern is Cable Twist Socks from Hello Yarn. Like Kathy, I modified the pattern a bit as I'm using sock yarn rather than worsted weight. My pattern repeat is 9 stitches, 6 in the cable and 3 purl on US size 1 (2.25mm) needles.
I have a few more items for my Dulaan Project box. 5 more caps and 1 1/2 pairs of socks bringing my total to 9 caps and 3.5 pairs of socks.
I also went over to Michaels and dropped off 26 squares for the Warm Up America project. Not as many as last year, but still enough to make a half of a quilt.
Socktoberfest Sunday Sky
It's Socktober and I've made some headway on my Socktoberfest socks. I love,
love LOVE the colors! (Click for big.) This is sock number one and I'm thinking of bringing it as my plane project on my trip to San Francisco, but I'm worried about the lighting on the plane. One of the colors almost matches the color of the dpn's and more than once I've thought I dropped a stitch.
Cisco and I are headed out to San Francisco, actually Oakland, again this year to hit the
Bay Area Bead Extravaganza, better known as B.A.B.E. We'll be hooking up with some old friends we haven't seen in awhile and be putting faces to people we've known for years on the net. I am
SO looking forward to this.
I've finished a few more items for my Dulaan box, three hats and another pair of socks. So pretty! I found I can finish a hat in one evening and a pair of socks in less than a week. I'm using
Bernat Softee Baby for the pair of socks in this picture.
I'll be able to get two pairs of socks per skein. This pair was done on US size two needles. I took them and the rest of the skein to the Post Office when taking care of other business and asked them to weigh them separately. The pair of socks weighed 1.8 ounces and the rest of the skein weighed 2.3 ounces. I stepped up the next pair to US size 3 needles and I think I'll be using most of that 2.3 ounces. They are noticeably different in size, so I think I'll keep doing that with each skein.
And, I'll leave you with some Sunday sun and sky. It was cloudy most of the week (and weekend) with the sun popping only through now and then.
3 for 3 with a Bonus
I
had have so many UFOs that I decided I had to set some goals. Last Thursday I decided that no less than three items would be finished by Monday evening. I met my goal and then some! Click pics if you want to see larger pictures.
First up, I finished Mom's Christmas socks. All I need to do is wash them. These came down to the wire. I was done knitting by midnight on Monday, but had the toe left to kitchener and weave in the ends. Because it was late, I left that until Tuesday morning. I don't think that was cheating, if I'd done that, I'd probably still have spent Tuesday morning fixing what I screwed up. LOL
The stitch pattern is the Small Herringbone Rib from
Vogue Knitting Stitchionary Volume One, pattern #67 on page 46. (Thanks for asking, Annie!)
I also finished my 4th scarf for the
2007 Red Scarf Project. In truth, it's really only my third, but Einstein Bros. was a drop off point last year and my local store had no clue what I was talking about when I went in to drop off my scarf. I even called ahead of time to make sure they were participating. Surprisingly, Einstein Bros. isn't participating this year. Oh, boo-hoo.
My third item to finish was my first pair of socks for the
2007 Dulaan Project. I bought this yarn in anticipation of learning how to knit socks, it's an acrylic yarn by Bernat. They feel really soft and the yarn was a pleasure to work with.
The bonus is the cap I made in one evening. It's a simple 2 by 2 ribbing in a bulky novelty yarn (Lion Brand Landscape) and will be a great diversion and instant gratification project when I get bored with the other 4,723 things I seem to have in progress. It's a one skein wonder!
And so, I met my goals and then some. I also started another sock for the Dulaan Project and knit a few rows on my Log Cabin afghan. By the way, you have to go visit
Susan's blog and see the Log Cabin afghan she's started in Cotton Ease. Now I know what I'm going to do with my Cotton Ease stash. By the way, again, but rumor has it that Lion Brand is bringing back Cotton Ease in new colors.
To celebrate all my finished objects, it seemed only fair that I get to cast on for another pair of socks. It
IS Socktoberfest after all. See, these are so fresh that they've been cast on, but not joined (taking care not to twist the stitches). How... Octoberish!
Socktoberfest and Me
Because it's Socktoberfest, I thought I'd answer questionnaire that
Lolly had up on her blog.
When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class? I made my first pair of socks this past February and there's been no stopping me since. I took a class at my
LYS, my Christmas gift from B. Actually, I'd tried taking the class twice before and things didn't work out. The first time, there weren't enough people signed up and the second time I was out of town for the second class, so I didn't sign up.
What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?My first pair was made with Sockotta, 45% cotton, 40% Superwash Wool and 15% Nylon in bright pink and yellow. They're holding up great! Then again, they're only 8 months old and I've worn them maybe a half dozen times.
What would you have done differently?I would have stuck the U.S. size 2 dpn's I'd brought rather than the size 3's they recommended after swatching.
What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?All of them, so far. Well, the Paton's Kroy maybe not so much, it seemed harsh to work with, but made a nice fabric after being washed. I think the nicest yarn I've had the chance to use was the
Claudia's Hand Painted that was donated to the
Socks for Soldiers group.
Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method? I a DPN kinda gal. Haven't tried socks on 2 circulars, or the Magic Loop yet, but both are on my list of must try. Crochet? Never say never, but I think not.
Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)So far, I've only done flaps.
How many pairs have you made?16 pairs and 3 pairs on the needles. Whew! That's a lot of socks in 8 months!
I tried this sock on before I got to the heel flap and it was really tight going over the heel. I decided to forge ahead and see how it fit after finishing the heel flap, I thought maybe it was just tight because I had all the needles in it. Nope... It was still way too tight.
So, this happened. I could have made another pair of socks that were too small, or I could start over. As you can see, adult beverages were involved.
And what we now have is a lovely cake of yarn. I still love the colors, and just need to rethink the pattern. Either add a purl stitch between each repeat, or knit every other row.
And, so, I started these, that's Harley checking out the new sock. I saw the pair that Kathy made and I thought this would be the perfect pattern to bring on my trip. The yarn is easier to see on the needles, the other yarn had a splotch of tan almost the exact same colors as my needles that made it difficult to see in poor light. The pattern is Cable Twist Socks from Hello Yarn. Like Kathy, I modified the pattern a bit as I'm using sock yarn rather than worsted weight. My pattern repeat is 9 stitches, 6 in the cable and 3 purl on US size 1 (2.25mm) needles.
I have a few more items for my Dulaan Project box. 5 more caps and 1 1/2 pairs of socks bringing my total to 9 caps and 3.5 pairs of socks.
I also went over to Michaels and dropped off 26 squares for the Warm Up America project. Not as many as last year, but still enough to make a half of a quilt.
