Sock Update

My sock work accelerated late last week due to some unanticipated air travel.  First, I finished my mom’s Christmas socks: The yarn is Claudia and the colorway is “Plumicious.”  Since I used the same stitch pattern (rib-and-welt) that I used for the Pansy Socks, I’m calling this pair Plum Pansies. I had 2 inches of yarn left after finishing the toes.  I cut it a little too tightly on this pair!  My friend Kris started a pair using this pattern, too.  It really is quite attractive. 

This stitch pattern must have gotten under my skin earlier than I realized.  As I knit on these at lunch with Heidi a couple of weeks ago, she said “that’s like the cowl I made that you liked.”  Sure enough, the Darkside Cowl (free Rav download) uses this stitch.  I put it in my queue ages ago.  I meant to unravel a scarf I don’t wear anymore to make it, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.

I’ve also been zooming along on my Ecology Socks, which use the new Felici sportweight yarn.  These go super fast because (a) the yarn is sportweight, and (b) they are all stockinette: Sock #1 is done.  I’m past the heel on sock #2 – or rather, the spot where the heel will be, as this is an afterthought heel.  I just put half the stitches on waste yarn and kept on knitting my tube.  I bet I can finish these at the office this week – they go that quickly.  If you need to make some gift socks, this yarn could be a good option!

I went to Knitters’ Day Out yesterday and will report on the fun in my next post.  It was fun!  And, umm, there was a bit of stash enhancement…

New sock projects

In addition to those hats I’ve been working on, my to-knit list also includes a new pair of socks for my mom.  The first pair I ever made for her popped a giant hole (bad photo taken with a flash! but it’s the only one I have…).  This doesn’t surprise me at all – that pair was made from Koigu, which is 100% superwash merino.  That, plus the fact that I knit these a long time ago when I was working socks on size 2 needles, made them not very durable.  I had a similar pair of my own (same Koigu, knit in the same era) that have been toast for a couple of years now.  When Koigu pops a hole, it POPS a HOLE.  Totally non-darnable.  I love the Koigu colors, but I will never ever knit socks with it again!  (Garments for other parts of the body would be fine, though.)

Anyway, she wanted another pair in a similar colorway.  She likes red, but red on the pinky side of red, not the orange-y side.  I kept my eyes open for the perfect yarn at MDSW this year, but didn’t find it.  Then I spied some Claudia on sale at SSYC, and emailed her photos of a few colorways.  I know, I know, Claudia sock yarn is 100% merino.  I’m sort of breaking my own rule. But at least it’s not SUPERWASH merino, and the socks I’ve made with Claudia in the past have held up very well.  Plus, her colorways never pool when I knit them.  I hate pooling sock yarn.

Mom picked Plumicious, which looks like this on the Claudia site:

Because I really liked the way a handpainted multi looked in my Pansy socks, I’m using the same pattern again for these.  Here’s what I have so far:Time to put a heel on!  I’m getting some striping action on these, but at least it’s not pooling.  I think Mom will like these.

I knit some of these at work, but frankly, I’m pushing it a little.  I need my little cheat sheet to keep track of which row I’m on. 

Last Saturday my family went to Hersheypark, thanks to the tickets my kids “earned” by doing Newspaper in Education activities earlier in the summer.  I wanted to take a sock with me, but it needed to be more mindless than the Plum Pansy up there.  So I grabbed some Felici and cast on.  This time, I chose a ball of the new(ish) Felici Sport.  This meant that I didn’t know for sure what size needle to use, or how many to cast on.  I guessed, then adjusted, and then adjusted again (third cast-on is the charm!).  In case you need to adjust, too, I cast on 52 stitches on a 2.5 mm needle (I usually do 64 stitches on a 2.0 needle for fingering weight Felici).  This stuff knits FAST.  Here’s what I got done on the drive and while waiting in line for a few rides: You know how I feel about Felici.  I am just as thrilled with Flici Sport.  These slightly thicker Felicis will feel so great in the wintertime.  I might have to stash another colorway!  (This one is Ecology, by the way.)

I’m planning to knit an afterthought heel on these, so that the striping pattern continues uninterrupted down the front of the sock (like I did for the Positively Pink socks last summer).

Pansies

The Pansy Socks are done!

Those were a pretty quick knit.  I took the time to weave in some reinforcing yarn in the heel flaps.  I used some Mountain Colors Bearfoot (from these socks) that I had around – its wool/mohair content makes it a good felter, and felting is good for heel reinforcement.  Kris and I darned socks at our Knit Night last week, and I darned not one but two holey socks made from Socks That Rock, so I’m being extra cautious about sending these into the world.  I really love the Blue Moon dying sensibility, but this 100% superwash merino sock yarn base is one that I will not be buying any more of.  (Perhaps you knew that?)So now I’ll get back to those grey Jacob Cauchy socks I started before I got distracted by the pansies.

In other news, I’m over halfway done spinning the purple merino/silk blend.  Here is the first bobbin all finished: Yum yum yum!

Purplicious

I’ve read the children’s book Pinkalicious.  I understand that Purplicious is its sequel; I haven’t read it yet. But purple seems to be my color lately!

The first Pansy Sock is done, and I’m almost ready to begin the heel on #2.  Here’s #1:Then I reached into my basket of spinning fiber and came up with this:  I knew this was top by the way it was arranged, but it didn’t have a label on it.  I got this earlier this spring when I placed an order with The Spinning Loft.  I had a gift certificate to use with them and wanted to get a smaller whorl for my Ladybug (as part of my quest to spin a good 3-ply sock yarn).  I’m sure I knew what it was when I ordered it, but I’d forgotten.  I managed to find my receipt online and have decided that this is a merino silk blend.  I have 4.75 oz and I’m spinning is rather fine to make a 2-ply.

The receipt says “Louet merino silk McKensie,” but I can’t find a colorway called McKensie on the Louet website.  Ashland Bay makes a 70/30 merino silk blend called Mckenzie, so this might be it.  The colors online look more gray than purple, but that could just be the photography.  Then again, I think my fiber really looks like the Ashland Bay blend called Purple.  So, whatever…

At any rate, it’s pretty and I like it.  And spinning on the wheel is sooooooooo much faster than spinning on the spindle!

In other fun news, I won a contest on the Novamade blog and got this fabulous BFL dyed by Cloverleaf Farms.  The colorway is “Golden Oaks” – isn’t it gorgeous?This was waiting in the mail when I returned from NC – what a treat.  (Ironically, Cloverleaf Farms is located in Hendersonville, NC, one of the towns we spent a bit of time in during our trip.)  I thought about spinning it next, but I decided to wait until I feel that first chill in the air since it’s so autumnal.  The chill is decidedly NOT here now – we’ve been having highs in the mid-upper 90s every day. 

If you aren’t already familiar with Nova’s blog, I encourage you to visit – she takes fabulous photos and always has beautiful things to show (fiber-y things as well as her adorable children)!

Socks in progress

I’m not sure what I call this sock yet.  The stitch pattern (from the Vogue Stitchionary volume 1) is called “rib and welt pattern,” which doesn’t exactly have a nice ring to it.  The yarn is Socks That Rock Lightweight in colorway “love-in-idleness” (an old name for a wild pansy).  So maybe these will be my pansy socks.  There is some pooling, but it’s not annoying me tooooooooo much at this point.  It looks more painterly than pooly:

The Jacob Cauchys are still on the needles but haven’t seen much action since you last saw them:See what I mean about the decrease area?  I wish I’d put the decrease stitches in the purl area rather than the knit part of the rib.  Next time.

I also warmed up the spinning wheel yesterday and got busy.  I decided not to spend much time pondering which fiber to spin.  Instead, I just grabbed what was on the top of the pile.  I got the 3 oz Jacob/alpaca batt that I got at MDSW this spring.  I separated it into 2 equal sections (the digital scale is so handy for this) and spun the singles.  I plan to ply them today (you’re supposed to let the singles rest overnight).  Hopefully you’ll see some new yarn here soon!

That’s all for today – off to ply now.