skein

Summer of socks 2008

How I've enjoyed this!  It started on 21st June, and ended on 1st September - not quite the whole summer, but I think 10 weeks is just the right length of time.

It gave me an opportunity to get out the sock stash and choose which yarns I might like to knit with for the KAL.  Here, here, here, here and here.  I selected 30 skeins, just in case I managed to knit 3 pairs per week (as if!).  I ended up knitting just 13, but I'm pleased with the final number. Although several pairs were just plain ribbed sock, the majority were patterned socks, either patterns which I had already in stash, or online patterns.  I've managed to up my queue with quite a lot of patterns, thanks to the marvelous FOs on the ravelry boards.  My goals were to try to use yarn which I'd not tried before, or use a pattern. 

Fleece Artist merino sock yarn (used before but I have a lot in stash).

Pattern: Sivia Harding's Cherry Blossom.

Regia Kaffe Fassett Design Lines

Pattern: plain old 3x1 ribbing

Posh Yarn's sock yarn (not sure which type, it's been in my stash for years)

Pattern: Dublin Bay (this is a pdf link)

Cherry Tree Hill Louet Gems (fingering weight)

Pattern: Yarnissima's The Firestarter

Shibuiknits sock

Pattern: Twining Leaves Lace socks

Trekking DK

Pattern: another 3x1 ribbing

Indie Dyer Sock yarn

Pattern: Spring Forward

Knitwitches Sock yarn

Pattern: Cookie A's Trystero

Colinette's Jitterbug

Pattern: Speedway socks

 

Wollmeise sock yarn

Pattern: La Digitessa

 

Regia Short Color

Pattern: Switchback Socks

 

Artyarns Ultramerino 4

Pattern: Jaywalkers

 

Dream in Color Smooshy sock yarn

Pattern: Francie

I've thoroughly enjoyed stepping outside of my usual plain or ribbed socks, and there's a couple of patterns here which I may well knit again in the future.  All lovely yarns tooo.

Phew! this is my fourth attempt at posting.  I accidently restarted Firefox before saving, then I accidently clicked 'delete post' instead of 'save post'. And then typepad started inserting underlines and links, and my photos stopped lining up! 

Francie - pair 13 for SOS08

Phew!  Pair 13 finished!

Pattern: Francie
Yarn: Smooshy (colour unknown due to losing label!)
Needles: 2.25mm circular
Started: 23rd August
Finished:30th August

This is basically a 2x2 ribbing which travels. There's some unusual shaping, but I don't think that this is a difficult pattern at all.
One modification if I knitted these again: I'd not knit such a long heel flap and I'd pick up my usual 16sts at the side of the flap, not 20 sts.  Although the ribbing pulls in the sock, I like a tighter heel/ankle area. 

Now pair 14 are on the needles, but unless I knit a sock tomorrow evening they're not going to be finished!  I'm going to get off the computer and see if I can knit a leg tonight. 

 I don't want this pair on the needles after tomorrow as I have two new socks knitalongs, with monthly themes (more later when I choose yarn and patterns), and I'd like to catch up on the Debbie Abrahams Mystery blanket.  Ooh, it will be strange to get back to my monthly lists!

Francie progress

Francie - one sock down.

This was taken this morning, before work, with an unfinished toe.

And this one was taken just now, with a finished toe. I've not used a flash, so that you can see the meandering 2x2 ribbing.

Now for the bad news.

I will not manage 15 pairs of socks for SOS08.  I've only managed one sock so far, and I'd forgotten that I have a few things on this week and weekend, which will cut into my knitting time.  No sock per day at the weekend!

I have 3 evenings and partial weekend days left. I've this one's mate to knit, and 1 1/2 of another pair.  Yikes.  I'm going to concentrate on these ones this week and not think of a third pair.

I don't mind, honestly.

Because I got into the Wollmeise sock club!!!!  I can't believe my luck! (If you have no idea about the wollmeise yarn, let me tell you, it's gorgeous to knit with, and has great colour and yardage.  It's so popular that when there's an update the stuff flies from her site in a very short space of time. It's so popular that she's had to have a lottery for entry into the sock club.  And I got in!  I know of  one more knitter who has also been lucky, who's also a sock knitter (more so than I am!) - anyone else out there?

I also had a little success on her last update, I'll be sure to post photos!

Jaywalkers SOS08 pair 12

These are toe up Jaywalkers.  I initially tried to follow a toe up pattern with a gusset and heel flap, but as soon as I'd turned the heel, ready to knit the heel flap I realised that this wasn't working at all.
1) I followed the instructions for length, but my heel flap was very, very long!  And the gusset increases were much more than I wanted. Foot length would have been about 12".
2) Although I'm not averse to pooling, the gusset increases make the colours pool so that one side had no pink at all.
3) Running out of yarn.  The gusset and heel flat ate up yarn.  Although this is fairly good yardage I wanted decent length legs.,

Soooo
Frogged back to the start of the gusset shaping, and knitted a short row heel instead. No alteration in the pattern, correct foot length and less yarn used

Pattern: Jaywalkers, worked toe-up.
Yarn: Artyarns Ultramerino 4, shade 1558.
Needles: 2.25mm circular.
Started: August 15th 2008.
Finished: August 23rd 2008.
Modifications:  toe up with short row toe and heel.  I carried on with the pattern to the top, changing the plain knit row to a purl row.

Now, this is pair #12.  I wanted to knit 15 pairs, and SOS08 finishes on 1st September!  I've never knitted more than 1.5 pairs per week, and I have to knit 3 pairs this week if I want to keep to this goal!
I spent yesterday, as usual, trying to find patterns for recalcitrant variegated yarns. Failure.  So I'm knitting using  Dream in Color Smooshy. The pattern is Francie, a 2x2 ribbing which travels.  I'd better get a move on!

Jaywalker progress for SOS08

One sock down, second sock is on the needles.  In my previous post (last Saturday) I was up to the start of the gusset increases (I'm doing this toe up).  I spent all of Sunday knitting on these, only to find that they were ridiculously long once I'd turned the heel and started knitting the heel itself.  Why I didn't pack up long before this I don't know!  Also, the sock striping pattern had altered quite dramatically. 

So Sunday evening I ripped right back and knitted a toe up sock with a short row heel.  No changes in the patterning, and less yarn than with a heel flap and gusset.

Excuse the dim photo; it was taken late at night under poor artificial lighting.

I like the pattern, though the leg is a little fitted!

I'm trying to finish SOS08 with 15 completed pairs.  These are the the 12th pair.  If I finish these off by Friday, it means I have to knit another 3 pairs by 1st September - that's 5 whole days (there's a bank holiday) and 6 evenings.  Can I do it?  Only if I manage a sock a day I think! 

My mind is wandering now, to pastures new.  I'm going to be still knitting socks, under the Sock Knitters Anonymous (SKA) challenge, and I do have lots of squares to knit, but I really fancy knitting a scarf. I'll wait another few weeks and see how the squares work out. 

Meanwhile, for the September SKA challenge I have the option of an orange sock in my own choice of pattern, or an orange sock using a mystery sock knitalong pattern, or any colour sock but using a cookie A pattern (of which I have many).

I'm thinking of knitting with orange anyway, especially as this nice nearly solid orange popped through the letterbox was collected from the sorting office last week. A Yarn Yard August special. Isn't this a lovely orange colour?

Hmmm my monitor isn't showing this off in its true glory! It's very orange, in the nicest possible way. 

Switchback socks - SOS08 pair 11

These have been a long time coming!

- After knitting the leg, heel flap and gusset of sock #1, I realised that the Regia yarn was looking a bit light.  I frogged back to the leg and left resting for a few weeks whilst I knitted other socks.
- I knitted the second leg, decided to knit afterthought heels in a different yarn.
- knitted the feet of both socks, and afterthought heels (just like the usual toe decreases) in some spare Trekking.
- asked Chris to try on the completed socks (a few days ago).
- decided I didn't like the heel and the toes bagged over his toes (i.e. too long!)

So, I frogged back the toes and 8 rows of pattern. Reknitted the toes, decided that I may have just enough  yarn now to reknit the heels in the same Regia yarn, and I did, just!  With about a foot left!  I changed from the toe-heel to a short row heel, which I much prefer.

Here's the before and after finished socks.

Not only are these heels horrible, but you can see the sock is a little too long.

And the new socks.

Pattern: Switchback socks
Yarn: Regia Short Color
Needles: 2mm dpns and circulars
Started:5th July
Finished: 16th August
Modifications: changed the heel to an afterthough short row heel.

That photo above is a bit faded out (bright sunshine, believe it or not!) so here's a shot on the needles.  It shows up the pattern and colour very well.

SOS08 new pair on the needles

Jaywalkers in Artyarns Ultramerino 4, shade 158, toe up using this pattern as basic instructions.

This yarn has been out several times since SOS began back in June, but the yarn and chosen patterns weren't working out.  I think it's perfect for Jaywalkers. The chevron patterning is showing off the variegations well.  I'm on the dodgy bit, where I'm increasing for the gusset, about 12 rows in, but so far, no horrendous pooling. A very easy pattern.  I've resisted doing this so far, being a bit wary of how this pattern is a little inelastic, but this yarn is very springy and it fits fine (so far). 
I'm doing toe-up in case I run out of yarn, the yardage is 191yds/50g, and it's so nice that I'd like to knit it all up with not too much leftover yarn.
These are my 12th pair of socks.  I'm afraid I'm stuck on Switchback.  They're finished, all the ends sewn in, but I don't like the afterthought heels in a different colour.  They're also a little bit too long, so I'm thinking of frogging the toes and 8 rows of the last pattern, and reknitting them.  I'm going to halve the remaining yarn, see if I can knit heels.  Not this weekend, I'm Switchbacked out!

I've started another pair, but only one inch is knitted -  the cuff.  I'll see how these progress before I blog about them!

To tempt me further, I've just received my Get Knitted Lorna's Laces sock club yarn for August.  Fandango, and I like it!

10th pair of SOS08 - La Digitessa

A lovely pattern, I'm quite taken with travelling and twisted stitches at the moment.

Pattern:  La Digitessa by Yarnissima. You should check out her latest design - fantastic knee high socks!
Started: 3rd August.
Finished:12th August.
Yarn:  Wollmeise (part of a kit).
Needles: 2mm for foot, gusset and heel.  2.5mm from then onwards (it's a toe up).

This was a surprisingly fast knit, especially as I had to frog the sock back twice, when I realised that the sock was too tight. The pattern's written for a smaller foot size than mine, so I added an extra cm to the foot.  I had to adapt the last chart as my central pattern was at a different row but it worked out well in the end.
I started sock #2 on Sunday late afternoon, knitted the foot and heel, and worked most of the leg on Monday evening!  I don't get in until 7pm, so this was great progress.  I had 1" of twisted ribbing to work last night, which took no time at all. 

Now onto Switchback.  The socks are finised apart from the afterthought heel.  I've only a few yards of yarn left, so it's going to be with different yarn.  I'm short by 10g (this is Regia, normally ok) but I bet I've started knitted with this yarn and there's a sock leg somewhere in stash!
 

Sunday sock progress

It's getting difficult to think of blog post titles! 
No finished socks this week.

I'm on sock #2 of the Regia Color Switchback socks.  Just a foot and two heels to go.  It's looking more and more likely that I'll run out of yarn for the heels, so I've been hunting around for vaguely similar colours.  The nearest that I've come up with is this Trekking yarn.

I may be able to knit alternate rounds in this and the remaining yarn, but I won't know until I finish this foot!  Commuting knitting this week, I think.

And La Digitessa is coming on well, though I'm having a break tonight.
First sock - done!
Second sock - foot done!  I'm now about to change to 2.5mm needles to work the leg (tomorrow).

I'm supposed to work on just these two next week, so that I can get them included in this current round of SOS08 (deadline Friday) but I need a carrot, and these are:

On the left, Dream in Color Smooshy (label lost, colour name unknown) and on the right, Regia Bamboo.
These are both yarns I've not tried yet (though you can see that I've knitted with the DIC and not frogged) so I'm looking forward to starting new projects.  Just another 21 days left.  I don't want to end up with lots of unfinished socks, so I'm going to try to finish these four off before I even think of starting another pair.

I've joined another sock challenge on ravelry. Sock Knitters Anonymous.  It's a year long challenge, but this time just one pair of socks each month, but you get a choice between technique or designer, with an additional choice of a Mystery sock knitalong incorporating that month's technique. Starts September, and as far as I can see, all you have to do is join the group on ravelry.
September's technique is orange (not really a technique this month, more a challenging colour), or a design by Cookie A, or a Mystery sock knitalong (in orange) designer is Jeannie Fanihi.

So it looks as if my September knitting will be a pair of socks, 3 month's worth of Debbie Abrahams blanket and my Picnic blanket!

La Digitessa progress

Slow.  Starts and stops.  Knit and tink.

So on Sunday I had to rip back to the toe because my 2.25mm needles were making the yarn pool in a vertical pattern. 

Monday evening I managed to knit the whole foot, on 2mm needles, with regular trying on in case they were too tight. 

And this was exactly how the sock looked on Wednesday, despite a whole evening of knitting! Leg too tight.  Not for my leg, but for my instep!  I had to frog back to where I was the night before.

Last night I managed to knit most of the leg and have about 14 rows of knitting left, don't need any more charts, hurray!

This is the front of the sock.   I h5 minutes panic when I reached the last chart, as my centre pattern wasn't as shown on the chart. I'd added a few extra rows on the foot, so this threw the whole thing out. But I've managed to finish this panel quite tidily.

I feel fully confident that I can finish this sock #1 tonight!