Splash socks

Here is another FO that I forgot to blog about: a pair of socks, destined for my son, a.k.a. Big Foot. For his socks, I cast on for 80-stitch rounds, knit 80 rounds for the foot and 80 rounds for the leg. That seems to be a good formula for his feet.

Pattern: Short-row toe and heel basic socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Simply Socks Yarn Company Splash Sock, colorway 1321
Needles: US1
Modifications: None

A fiber friend belonged to a SSYC yarn subscription or something like it, and the sock yarn was piling up, so she gave some to me. Everytime she saw me working on these socks, she commented on how much she like the yarn. No backsies allowed!

As I have said before, socks are my portable project. If I anticipate having to wait somewhere, I bring either a book or socks to knit. It seems like when I do, the wait is short. Today I did not take anything with me to the vet (besides the dog), and the wait was l-o-n-g. Isn't that the way these things go?

I like to match self-striping socks, although at times I have worked off either end of the cake, so the stripes are reversed. Overheard at a fiber festival: "If you want socks that match, go to the store!"

Toe-up anklets

Since there was enough yarn left over after completing the top-down anklets, I decided to knit another pair, toe-up this time, with the intention of using up all the yarn. Mission accomplished!

Pattern: Short-Row Toe and Heel Basic Socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Some kind of sock yarn I must have dyed at a dyeing workshop of some kind
Needle: US1
Modifications: 2x2 ribbing for the leg

I haven't worn these yet, as our whiplash weather doesn't stay cold for very long, but I hope the extra ribbing helps keep them on my feet better than the top-down ones. Otherwise, not much to report on this pair.

Top-down anklets

Sometimes after a day of wearing handknit wool socks, my lower calves itch. Yet I like to wear wool socks to bed in the winter. My solution to this dilemma is to knit some anklets.

Pattern: Short-Row Toe and Heel Basic Socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Some kind of sock yarn I must have dyed at a dyeing workshop of some kind
Needles: US1
Modifications: Knit top-down

Ordinarily, I knit socks toe-up, but for some reason I just could not get this pair going that way. So I knit them top-down. The heels are still short-row, but the toes are simple decreases, ending with the Kitchener stitch.

Since there was no way to make them match, I knit each one from a different end of the yarn cake. For some reason, they are loose, even the ribbing at the top, so they don't stay on very well. But they suffice for their intended use. If I were to try again (and I am), I would knit toe-up and make the tops longer, especially the ribbing.

BIG zebra socks

Sometimes you try something new and it works out. Sometimes not. These socks are in the latter category.

Pattern: Short Row Toe and Heel Basic Socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Zwerger Garn Opal 6-fach/6-ply, in 5306 (black) and 1450 (black and white)
Needles: US3
Modifications: None

I *thought* I had knit socks with this yarn before, but now I am wondering. The resulting socks are HUGE and thick and, after wet finishing, overly fuzzy. I see a future of pilling after very little wear.

I would not recommend this yarn for any project unless you want a halo effect. I knit the toes, heels, and cuffs in the solid black, but it doesn't match the black in the "zebra" yarn. It's not very often that I am this unhappy with a knitting project, but there you have it.

Xmas socks for my SO

Nothing says I LOVE YOU like a pair of handknit socks... unless the intended recepiant does not want handknit socks. My daughter and granddaughter are not interested, but my SO is happy to get them.

Pattern: Short-row Toe and Heel Basic Socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Some kind of sock yarn from the estate sale that visited the spinning guild, feels like merino and nylon (ball band lost); Simply Socks Yarn for toes, heels, and cuffs, in 'Natural'
Needles:US1
Modifications: None to speak of

Why do I knit socks toe-up? Why do I knit the toes, heels, and cuffs in constrasting yarn? Because after years of knitting top-down socks and skating perilously close to running out of yarn, I figured that it would be better to run out of yarn on the leg. The contrasting yarn is extra insurance, as who wants short socks?

This colorway is "interesting" - wide bands of blues interspersed with narrow bits of white. I'm glad I was able to line up the stripes. The contrasting toes, heels, and cuffs also allows me some room to make the socks match.

Xmas socks for my daughter-in-law

If someone appreciates handknit socks, I am happy to oblige. My son and his (now) wife are just like that. As xmas approaches, though, I get a little frantic about getting theirs knitted in time. One pair down.

Pattern: Short-Row Toe and Heel Basic Socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Some sock yarn I purchased at an estate sale; if I have the ball band, I don't know where it is, but I'm guessing this yarn is merino and nylon. The cuffs, toes, and heels are in some sock yarn I purchased at Simply Socks, but yarn information is long gone.
Needles: US1
Modifications: None to speak of; used Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off.

Initially, I was a skeptical that I could match the stripes, so started off not doing that. But once I saw the pattern repeat, I ripped back and started sock #2 over again.

Matchy match!

Pinkish socks

I like red. I like pink. So when I saw what looked like sock yarn at The Estate Sale (how the fiber guilds refer to an estate sale we all sampled from), I glommed onto it, despite the missing ball band.

Pattern: Short-row Toe and Heel Basic Socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Unknown self-striping sock yarn - no ballband, but it looked like sock yarn so assuming a mix of superwash wool and nylon - and some sock yarn I purchased for contrasting toes, heels, cuffs which also is missing its ball band
Needles: US1
Modifications: None to speak of

After dividing the yarn into two cakes, I thought the stripes were too random to match. After knitting with it a bit, however, it became apparent that I was close to the pattern repeat. So I ripped back to the toe and matched the stripes.

And it was a L-O-N-G pattern repeat.

The finished socks feel very soft - maybe the wool is merino? I'm looking forward to wearing these this winter.

Ice dyed socks

Even though I have plenty of sock yarn, sometimes I buy more. After a weaving guild program on ice dyeing, I had to buy some ice dyed sock yarn I came across at Three Moon Fiberworks. I was afraid it might look "camo" but it turned out fine.

Pattern: Short-row toe and heel basic socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Happy Days Fiber Arts Sock Weight in 'End of Harvest' for foot and leg; Zwerger Garn Opal 4-Fach in 'Natural' for toes, heels, cuffs
Needles: US1
Modifications: None I can think of

Since these were for my SO, I cast on for a 72-stitch round. My go-to recipe is then to knit 72 rounds from toe to heel and 72 rounds from heel to cuff. This ratio seems to work well.

I'm not a fan of merino for sock yarn, as I think it doesn't hold up as well as other wools, but it is very soft. I think I'll enter these in the county fair.

Bigfoot socks

Believe it or not, I am still wrapping up posts about xmas knitting projects. I have only one photo of the pair of socks I knit for my son because I forgot to take any beforehand. He kindly sent this one post-holiday:

Pattern: Short row toe and heel basic socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Lana Grossa Meilenweit, colorway 4720, and Opal Uni Solid, colorway 3081 (natural) for the toes, heels, and cuffs
Needles: US1
Modifications: I knit these from the top down, so the toe is a 'wedge' toe, not the short row

I used an alternating 2x2 longtail cast on, casting on 80 stitches. The 20 rows of 2x2 ribbing felt a bit much, but ended up matching the toe length well. The foot is about 80 rounds and the leg is about 80 rounds. They fit my son's size 13 feet well.

While I love my son and love knitting him socks, the 80-stitch rounds get to be a bit much. For the next pair, I may use a DK weight sock yarn, just to give myself a break.

Mended

That damaged gray sock I displayed a week or so ago is all fixed. It helps that I not only had notes in Ravelry about these socks, but also a blog post. While not exactly a twin to its sibling, certainly functional.

One issue was this pair of socks was knit from the toe up, using a Turkish cast on. The repaired toe had to be done in the opposite direction. I supposed I could have worked harder to make the toe rounder, but after some use, I'm sure my SO won't be able to feel the difference.

While I was able to duplicate the colors on the toe, I didn't make the effort on the cuff, as it would have meant breaking up the remaining yarn to get at the correct shade of gray. Anyway, challenge met!

Knitting: Besides fixing the above socks, I finished the balaclava; separate post to follow. The ice dyed socks continue to be my portable project.

When I arrived at last week's spin-in, I asked how many handknits one could wear at one time. I had on a sweater, a scarf, a hat, mittens, and socks, all made by me. I guess I won.

Socks for Michele

I know Michele doesn't read my fiber blog, so it's safe to mention her name here. These socks will be her xmas present. Not the prettiest sock yarn, but very funtional.

Pattern: Short-row toe and heel basic socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Zwerger Garn Opal Elemente, colorway 1079
Needles: US1
Modifications: Knit from the top down, so wedge-shaped toe, closed with Kitchener stitch

I started these socks toe-up six times, 5 using the "easy" cast on, which just would not cooperate. Finally, I went back to the short-row toe. 72 stitches around.

And I hated how the toes came out. So I scrapped them and started top-down, from the cuff: alternating long tail cast on, 2x2 ribbing for 20 rounds before switching to stockinette.

I was able to match the patterns between the two socks, until I hit a knot in the self-striping yarn. I blithely snipped out the knot and carried on. Just short of the toe, I realized the socks no longer matched. Heaving a huge sigh of resignation, I ripped back, found where the patterns matched, and finished.

Now I am happy with the results.

Non-matching socks

As I've explained before, I like the socks I knit to match. However, when I tried to pull the yarn out of the center-pull skein, a mess ensued. So I gave up on the idea of matching socks - these are for my SO and he doesn't mind - and just took off with them.

Yarn: Zwerger Garn Opal Harry Potter, in 'Hedwig' (2352) colorway
Pattern: Short-row Toe and Heel Basic Socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Needles: US1
Modifications: Instead of the short-row toe, I did an easy-toe cast on, starting with 16 stitches to produce a more rounded toe.

The yarn is from the estate sale that occurred over multiple spinning guild meetings. Ordinarily, I shy away from commercial tie-in things (no offense to Harry Potter fans), but I do like the yarn patterns.

These will go to my SO as soon as I've had a chance to share them at the next spin-in and the guild picnic.

Supported spindling

This past week we had a new member join us for weaving guild (and besides becoming a member, she also volunteered to help with our social media!) She sat next to me and spun silk on a pretty supported spindle. Before I got a wheel, I tried spinning with a spindle, but it was just too slow for me then. Now, when I may want to spin up a few yards of something for a tapestry, a spindle sounds like the perfect tool. Alas, I gave away all my spindles, so now I am shopping for replacements.

Knitting: The basket weave socks are coming along slowly - I'm not very adept at purling on double pointed needles. The mindless socks are underway, perfect for knitting during commercials and at meetings. Needless to say, they do not match.

Spinning: Still working on the beige singles and the merino/silk blend singles.

Yesterday was the first Saturday spin-in at the Little Shop of Spinning. A subgroup of us meet up for lunch ahead of time, which extends our chat session. Our discussions are not limited to fiber, sometimes we really get going about subjects like joint replacements, but the talk is always lively. I eyed the spindles in the shop, but I think the style I want is called tahkli. Since I didn't buy a spindle, I bought a(nother) hand-dyed braid.

Spinning guild is this Tuesday, and the estate sale goodies are supposed to be there. It was a bit overwhelming the first time I saw all that fiberlicious goodness, but now I have a clearer idea of what I am interested in. We'll see how out-of-control I get.

Grayish socks

As promised, here is a posting about Bigfoot's xmas socks. Until I finished them, I didn't realize that the non-gray areas were not the same, but in the pix this variance is barely noticeable. I think it worked out.

Pattern: Short-row Toe and Heel Basic Socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Zitron Trekking Sport (colorway 1498) and XXL (colorway 703)
Needles: US1
Modifications: None to speak of

Per usual, I used the solid gray for the toes, heels, and cuffs. For this size, each round is 80 stitches. As a test of my new "recipe", the number of rounds from toe to heel and heel to cuff are each 80. I'll be curious to see how these fit.

I was going to make my SO a pair of socks from the leftover yarn, but I really did not like either of these types. Both are "light fingering" and felt like they still contained lanolin, so they were slippery on my metal needles and difficult to work with. I will cross this brand off my sock yarn list.

Clover redux

I knit a pair of socks for a friend back in 2017. When I saw them on her, my first thought was "Too small!" But she insisted they fit "perfectly". Well, they wore out rather quickly. I took them back to repair, but repair seemed pointless because there would still be too much stress on the fabric.

The yarn had been discontinued (at least, in that colorway), but I was able to find some on Ravelry. I reknit the socks from scratch, substituting a different yarn for the toes, heels, and part of the cuff, because I knew I would not have enough of the main colorway. The feet are knit with the fresh yarn; I reused the leg yarn for the legs. And I think they turned out pretty good.

Pattern: Short-row Toes and Heels, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Patons North America Kroy Socks FX, colorway 'Clover Colors' and Simply Socks Sock Yarn (I think) in 'Natural'
Needles: US1
Modifications: None to speak of

The reason the cuffs are part 'Clover', part 'Natural' is I was also running out of the 'Natural' yarn as well. When finished, there was just a bit leftover from each.

For the original socks, I cast on 64 stitches. For these, 72 stitches. It seems most people I knit socks for need the latter, yet most yarn patterns call for the former. Go figure.

Toe-up socks in Holly, MI

Are these xmas socks or VD socks? While I was knitting them at the February spinning guild meeting, someone asked me if they were Valentine socks. Given the name of the colorway, I think not. But they could be used for either.

Pattern: Short-row Toe and Heel Basic Socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Simply Socks Yarn Company Poste Yarn Striping, colorway 'Holly, MI'; toes, heels, cuffs (probably) in SSYC Simply Sock in 'Natural'
Needles: US1
Modifications: None

One of my pet peeves is patterns that direct the knitter to "bind off loosely". Sometimes you just can't get that bind off loose enough without producing ripples. Leslie Ann Bestor's book Cast On Bind Off contains many ways to "bind off loosely". My favorite one for socks is Jeni's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off. Basically, you introduce an extra stitch between each stitch on the needle, using yarn overs or reverse yarn overs. Works like a charm!

The Ivy socks are finished!

Once upon a time, I would try to knit a pair of socks in a month. One year, I think I knit a pair almost every month. I started this pair March 20 and despite being (mostly) diligent, I didn't finish them until yesterday.

Pattern: Short-row Toe and Heel Basic Socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Simply Socks Yarn Co Poste Yarn Striping, colorway 'Ivy, VA' and Simply Socks Yarn Co Simply Sock, colorway 'Golden'
Needles: US1
Modifications: Not enough 'Golden' yarn for the cuffs, so I used the self-striping yarn until the last five rows or so

If you read this blog regularly, you might have noticed that I knit most socks in yarn from Simply Socks Yarn Co. Although SSYC is mostly an online business, it is local to me. Also, the Poste Yarn is made with Corriedale instead of Merino, which I think lasts longer.

It's not the knitting that bothers my shoulders but the purling. I must do something hinky with the purl stitch. I am going to take a break from knitting altogether for a while - plenty of other stuff to do - but I still have a fair amount of sock yarn in my stash that I don't want to abandon.

That 70's Kitchen socks

I am guilty of choosing colorways based on their names. While I would have thought the colors for this colorway should be avocado green, harvest gold, and burnt orange, I still liked the way they look. I also liked the sunny yellow I used for the toes, heels, and cuff. So cheerful!

Pattern: Short-Row Toe and Heel Basic Sock, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Simply Socks Yarn Company Poste Yarn Striping in 'That 70's Kitchen', Simply Socks Yarn Company Simply Sock in 'Golden'
Needles: US1
Modifications: Jenny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off

These were specifically for a friend who decided I needed her Roomba. That's a fair trade, right? Handknit socks for a Roomba? The swap occurred tonight. The previous pair of socks I knit her developed a hole in the heel, probably because they were knit too small. Because I have big feet, I think everyone else has small feet, but this is not so. I knit this pair to fit me, so they should be comfy on her. And last longer.

Included in tonight's swap was the holey pair of socks. I'm not sure I can repair them, so I might turn them into a pair of fingerless mitts.