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!"

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.

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.

Garter rib socks in browns

A while back I knit my SO a pair of socks that were mostly walnut with dark brown toes, heels, and cuffs. There seemed to be enough yarn left over for another pair, so I knit them in dark brown with walnut toes, heels, and cuffs. The former were in baby cables, the latter in garter rib.

Pattern: Short-row toe and heel basic socks, by Wendy D. Johnson, and garter rib, by Charlene Schurch.
Yarn: S.R. Kertzer On Your Toes 4 Ply with Aloe Vera, in brown, and unknown base yarn, hand dyed with black walnut, by Little Shop of Spinning
Needles: US1
Modifications: not really

Ordinarily, I do not make the cuffs so long, but I ran out of the dark brown yarn. Usually I switch to a 1x1 or 2x2 ribbing for the cuff, but this time just continued the garter rib. I hope they are tight enough to keep the socks up. If not, I can easily reknit the cuffs, an advantage of toe-up socks.

Now if only the weather would cool off enough for wearing wool!

Walnut baby cable rib socks

I knit both my SO and me a pair of baby cable rib socks lo, these many years ago (2011) in Fortissima Socka Degradee Color fingering yarn. I really liked how they turned out because of the gradient colorway. Alas, they did not hold up very well, wearing thin on the soles. So I decided to knit us some more. I finished mine about a year ago, and just this past week, finished my SO's.

Pattern: Short-row toe and heel basic socks, by Wendy D. Johnson, and baby cable rib, by Charlene Schurch.
Yarn: S.R. Kertzer On Your Toes 4 Ply with Aloe Vera, in brown, and unknown base yarn, hand dyed with black walnut, by Little Shop of Spinning
Needles: US1
Modifications: not really

Even though I have knit these socks before, this time I ran into a lot of (self-inflicted) trouble, especially with the toes. The dark brown yarn was difficult for my old eyes to see. Then I also did dumb things like continue the rib pattern across the sole instead of using plain stockinette. But I persevered and eventually got 'er done.

I've already cast on another pair, as I always like to have a portable knitting project on hand. But I would also like to complete some mittens to match a scarf and hat and sweater. Hopefully, both mittens and wool socks will become unnecessary soon, if this wacky weather ever decides spring has sprung.

Helical yes!

Another pair of tube socks for my g'daughter, from leftover yarn. When it became apparent I would not have enough of the self-striping 'Jollyville', I decided to give helical stripes another try.

Pattern: Short-row toe and heel basic socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Simply Socks Yarn Co Poste Yarn Striping, in 'Jollyville' and Simply Sock in 'Silver Lining'
Needles: US1
Modifications: tube socks - no heel

While knitting helical stripes is fun, I'm not sold on the look of them, perhaps because of the color combinations I have ended up with. The jog between color changes in the self-striping yarn is more apparent, too.

I do like to match the stripes when using self-striping yarns, which eliminates counting rows. One error I made this time, however, was to cast on the toes at a color break, which meant the woven-in end did not match. Oh, well! Wabi sabi!

Oz revisited

Still procrastinating. This time I decided to knit my g'daughter some socks with the leftover 'Oz' yarn. The problem was her feet have grown. For my socks, I knit rounds of 72 stitches, for her mom rounds of 64 stitches, so I took a gamble and made g'daughter's socks rounds of 56 stitches. I also knit them as tube socks - no heel - so theoretically she will be able to wear them for years.

Pattern: Short-row toe and heel basic socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Simply Socks Yarn Co Poste Yarn Striping in colorway 'Oz' and Simply Sock in 'Silver Lining'
Needles: US1
Modifications: no heel

I started these socks multiple times, once before realizing there was not enough 'Oz' yarn for a full pair, then several times as I tried to knit helical stripes, first with 'Silver Lining' then with 'Natural', but neither worked for me. Finally I settled on bands of rainbows interspersed with bands of 'Silver Lining'.

They are a trifle large, but I anticipate g'daughter will continue to grow. Children tend to do that, ya know.

Oops

I finished these socks yesterday, gave them a good soak, and dried them over a floor register so I could wear them sooner rather than later. Aaaand they are too long for me. I don't know what happened, but somehow I knit an inch too far. Were these knit top-down, I would just tear out the toes and shorten them. But they are toe-up and I don't feel like messing with them and hey, my SO needs a new pair of socks, right? At least, he does now.

Pattern: Short-row toe and heel basic socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Simply Socks Yarn Co Poste Yarn Striping (Seattle Coffee Blues) and Simply Sock Yarn (Natural)
Needles: US1
Modifications: Contrasting toe, heel, and cuff

I have a habit of picking colors, be they paint chips or yarn, by their names, as I am a word person, so I couldn't resist this self-striping yarn. My SO is a visual person, and he has been admiring these. We basically wear the same size sock, except his feet are a bit longer. These should be a perfect fit.

I noticed the pair he wore yesterday are getting thin in the toes. Knit in 2011, I think they are holding up remarkably well. I knit them top-down and still have some leftover yarn, so I can fix them up without too much angst. Meanwhile, this pair will make a nice replacement (for a nice man!)

Christmas Island socks

This pair of xmas socks went much smoother than the others, helped by the absence of ribbing except at the top of the leg. They were for my daughter, so they are also in a smaller size than the other xmas socks, so knit up relatively quickly. Thank god.

Pattern: Short-row toe and heel basic socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Simply Socks Yarn Co. Poste Yarn, Striping in 'Christmas Island' and Simply Sock in 'Silver Lining'
Needles: US1
Modifications: Used Turkish cast on

The quality of the dyeing of the Poste Yarn makes stripe matching a breeze. Again, the 'Silver Lining' was a good selection for the contrasting heel. I've also learned that, when folded at the heel, the sock leg should be about the same length as the foot, or there will be complaints about them being too short.

So, three pairs of xmas socks were ready and waiting on xmas eve. I am knitting a pair for my SO, and may just have to knit a pair for myself, as the colorways are so enjoyable. Then I may take all the leftovers and knit up a crazy pair of socks or gloves with them. Wouldn't that be fun?

Santa Claus, IN socks

Xmas is over, and per usual, I didn't quite finish all my xmas knitting. Most, but not all. I'll post what did get done over the next several days, before the xmas spirit departs for the North Pole.

I think I knit these socks twice over, as I struggled with needle size and fabric density and angry knitting gods. I even managed to bind off too tightly, despite using Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off. The needles were a square set which I grew to detest, not because of the shape but because of how sharp they were. Note to self: save them for lace knitting.

Pattern: Short-row toe and heel basic socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Simply Socks Yarn Co Poste Yarn, Striping in 'Santa Claus, IN' and Simply Sock in 'Silver Lining'
Needles: US1
Modifications: Used Turkish cast on

The chicken-legged men in my immediate family prefer ribbed socks, another annoyance, as I have never fully mastered the art of the purl, despite much practice. Fortunately, the troubles of this pair were balanced by the wonderful yarn in wonderfully xmas colors, enhanced by the contrasting heel. 'Silver Lining' worked with every pair of xmas socks I knit.

These socks were for my son-in-law, who is usually non-committal on my knitted gifts. I later asked my daughter if they fit okay, and she said, "I guess. He's wearing them." That is a good sign.

Holiday, FL socks

Because I hate the pointy square needles I am using for one pair of xmas socks, this pair, started at a later date, reached the finish line first. This pair is also the largest to be knit, so I am happy to have them done early. Theoretically, the others should be a breeze. (HA!)

Pattern: Short-Row Toe and Heel Basic Sock, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Simply Socks Yarn Company Poste Yarn, Striping, in the colorways 'Holiday, FL' and 'Silver Lining'
Needles: US1
Modifications: Surprisingly Stretchy bind off

Since these are knit big (80 stitches around), I knew I would need some extra yarn. A worker bee at Simply Socks recommended the 'Silver Lining' colorway, and I *really* like how it looks with the stripes.

Socks will be the death of me

I don't know why I am having so much trouble knitting socks this season. I have reknit as much as I have knit. One plus of reknitting is, after ripping back one heel turn and two gussets, I decided to preserve the yarn striping from the foot to the leg by knitting a short row heel in a contrasting solid color. One of the worker bees at Simply Sock Yarn recommended the Silver Lining colorway, and I am quite pleased with it.

I'm using a set of square DPNs (by Kollage) that are adding to my misery. It's not the shape but the fact they are the sharpest needles I have ever worked with. They pierce the yarn plies, making the yarn seem splitty when it really isn't. The needles also pierce my finger tips on occasion. I'm sticking with them for this pair of socks because I'm afraid to change needles midstream.

Since I have another set of US1 DPNs, I started a second pair of socks for Big Foot, aka my son. I'm using Silver Lining for not only the heels but the toes and maybe some stripes on the leg if I seem to be running short on yardage. The first toe has been knit twice, but the second toe required only two rows of reknitting.

Maybe I am finally getting the hang of sock knitting? (Knock on wood.)

Black socks are done

The almost-most-boring-socks-in-the-world are done. The only thing that might have made them more tedious was to knit them in plain stockinette. I didn't want to use a pattern that was too fancy - these eyes are old - so this one fit the bill.

Can't see the lacework, can you?

• Pattern: Dead Simple Lace Socks, by Wendy D. Johnson (in Socks from the Toe Up)
• Yarn: Lang Yarns Jawoll Superwash Solids, colorway 8304 (black)
• Needles: US2
• Modifications: Used Turkish cast on - 16 stitches total - then increased *every* round (to make toe more rounded) until up to 32 stitches , then started alternating a knit round with an increase round, up to 64 stitches. Used Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy bind off.

Now can you see the lacework?

Side note: I hate-hate-HATE it when toe-up sock patterns end with "bind off loosely". Using a standard bind off, I have never been able to bind off loose enough for socks. For a while, I used EZ's sewn bind off, which worked well, but now I am a devoted fan of Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy bind off. Well done, Jeny, well done.

Now. NOW. I get to knit some colorful socks.

Deja vu

These socks are not the same as these socks. I used the leftover yarn to make g'daughter a pair. These have been finished for a while, but I forgot to take photos until just recently.

Pattern: None to speak of, just Turkish cast on, 40 stitches around, gusset heel, taller than usual for wearing with boots, Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy bind off.
Yarn: ONline Supersocke 6-ply, colorway 1617
Needles: US3
Modifications: I did the toes on two circs, then switched to DPNs for the rest.

I thought about saving these for xmas, but after repeated "fittings" to make sure they were sized correctly, it seemed unfair to hold onto them until then.

105 days until xmas

While visiting my dad in the hospital, I knitted socks. My sister-in-law gushed over them. I never know what to say when someone does this, especially when what is making the knitted item so special is not the knitting but the yarn. In this particular case, the knitting was as plain as can be, but the self-striping nature of the yarn provided a very pleasing result. All I contribute is an OCD-like persistence. At least she did not ask me to knit a pair for her (although I just might).

Pattern: None really, just Turkish cast on, 52 stitches around, gusset heel, taller than usual for wearing with boots, Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy bind off.
Yarn: ONline Supersocke 6-ply, colorway 1617
Needles: US3
Modifications: I did the toes on two circs, then switched to DPNs for the rest.

I didn't try to match the stripes this time other than start at the beginning of a color run so the striping at least lined up. For winter socks, these colors are surprisingly summery looking, like watermelon. Hopefully, there is enough yarn leftover for a pair for my granddaughter; then she and her mom will match.