Five pair!

These were giftie socks, started in August and done by Thanksgiving. No one read blogs, so I *could* have posted sooner, and in fact had every intention of doing so, but the picture sat on my camera until last night!so, without further ado, I give you five pair:
From left to right

• Louet Gems Sport in Linen, Cat Bordhi's Riverbed Master pattern, for the FIL's size 9 feet
• Louet Gems Fingering in Champagne, Cat Bordhi's Cedar Master Pattern, for Mom's size 8 feet
• Louet Gems Fingering in Teal, Beaded rib with short row heel, for the MIL's size 5s
• Louet Gems sport in Charcoal, Cedar Master pattern again, for grandpa's size 11s (!!)
• Lang Jawoll Color in faded lime, Embossed leaves pattern, for grandma's size 7s

I learned quite a bit making these. The Embossed leaves were the first, and I used the Italian Tubular cast on, which I plan on using again and again. It's fiddly, both to learn and use, but it looks so professional and doesn't bind AT ALL. Plus? Using Cat Bordhi's new book is so much fun! Really makes you think about how the sock can be put together. And they feel heavenly, what with the heel flap that doesn't need stitches picked up. And either of the cuff downs feel really nice on the ankle, too!
So, that makes eight pair completed for me this year. Not one every two months, but at least I met the total count! (I'm not counting the pair of Sockotta mit Bambou that I made over Thanksgiving and I can't locate in the laundry to photograph!) Thanks for the KAL! I had fun everyone!

Down to the Wire Christmas Socks

A special bonus edition of the December socks. (A Christmas special, even.) I finished these in the wee hours of Christmas morning. Giant men's socks do tend to go on forever and ever...

I did these with the magic loop (US size 3 needles, I think) and two entire skeins of Regia Color 4-ply yarn.

Sundara Basketweave Socks

The first of (hopefully) several socks for December. (Specifically, December 25th.) These are the Basketweave socks from Sensational Knitted socks. The yarn is Sundara Sock yarn in Marina over Icicles from her permanent collection. The yarn is really soft and her colors are lovely. I used the magic loop method for these. I don't think I like it as much for thin yarns, even though I find it appealing in concept.

Tiny Fixation Sock

I recently picked up the keychain sock blocker from the Loopy Ewe, and it came with a pattern for a little sock to fit the blocker (of course). Naturally, I had to make the sock. It was adorable (though I did decide to modify the pattern little to use 18 stitches around instead of 16). It was also a very quick knit, so I made a couple more.

I am thinking that some of the people I wanted to make Christmas socks for may get little placeholder socks while I finish their actual socks (since I want to make more pairs than I have time for). I am also considering making a little sock souvenir from each pair for myself, but perhaps that is too crazed.

Secret Pal Socks

I knit these socks for my last gift package to my secret pal.

Pattern: Apple Harvest Socks from Northern Sunshine Designs
Yarn: SnapDragon from White Willow Market
Size: 11 1/2 US shoe size
Modificatons: Casted on 84 stitches and added k1p1 to heel flap
Start: November 3, 2oo7
Finish: November 27, 2007

November Socks

Another pair of Christmas socks finished. If only Christmas were six months away, rather than one, I might finish all the socks I'd hoped to finish.

These are Nancy Bush's Gentleman's Socks with Lozenge Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks. The yarn is from Fearless Fibers in smoke. Needles were US size 0.

October Socks

Made from Fearless Fibers sock yarn in Infatuation, with the heels and toes out of Lorna's Laces in Manzanita.

(More Christmas socks finished, hooray!)

September Socks

I actually didn't finish these until October 1, but there was a small delay due to running out of yarn. (I had enough for a pair for me, but not for a pair for a man with wide feet oops.) Fortunately one sock got made out of each, so there's no issue with dye lots.

This is my third pair of Christmas socks, and I have a fourth nearly done. It's going to be tight though.

August Socks

Sideways Socks Supreme

Finally finished the Sideways Socks out of Cascade fixation. They make thick socks, but the stretchiness really helps this style of socks fit right.

Thanks to a tripod and a swiveling LCD monitor on my camera, I was able to take this picture of myself in the socks. (I am sitting in a chair, not balancing on my toes.)

Anniversary Socks

I have finished the first of (hopefully) several pairs of Christmas present socks. (I know Christmas is half a year away, but I have notions of making perhaps half a dozen pairs.) Now, will I be good and finish one of my other partly complete pairs before starting a new pair. Hmm...

This pattern was pretty straightforward, though I wound up doing a more normal toe with a Kitchner stitch graft rather than the one in the pattern. Hopefully my mom will like them.

Yarn is Fearless Fibers Superwash Sock yarn in the "Infatuation" colorway.

Finished and Unfinished Socks

Remember my first post about my current socks projects? I had five pairs in progress then, exactly three months ago. Well, since then I have...

...finished two of the five unfinished pairs
...frogged two pairs for new patterns, resulting in one an entire sock (Sideways Sock Supreme from Socks, Socks, Socks and about two inches of the Bed Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks
...started and finished a whole new pair for which I didn't even have yarn when this picture was taken
...turned the heel on the last pair, but didn't finish it.
...started another new pair (the Anniversary Socks from Favorite Socks) with some other new yarn
...made a mate for a sock that lots its mate almost ten years ago



I guess I still have a problem, but at least now I only have four pairs on needles.

Erde Austermann Jaywalkers

I finally finished the second pair of Jaywalkers (after making a pair and a half of sideways-ish socks in the middle). Here they are. I love the feel of the Austermann yarn and wish it also came in solid colors.

Pair #3:French Socks

These are the most comfortable pair of socks I've knit for myself thus far, although I wouldn't have known it by the way the pattern looks. It's so stretchy though, and fits perfectly. This project did have it's share of headaches though. I don't think I really blogged about it, but I had to knit the toe on one of the socks 5 times, and twice on the other. This has never happened to me before. Maybe I'm distracted, maybe my row gauge is WAY off, but in the end, I knit 4 extra pattern repeats, didn't knit any of the 4 plain rows before the toe decreases, and now they fit like a dream. Just like that. (BTW, my feet are size 8-1/2, so similarly sized knitters, be forewarned.)

Let's take a little closer look at that pattern:
This picture is exactly true to color -- the one above is just a bit dark.

PROJECT SPECS

Pattern: Child's French Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Lorna's Laces in Grapevine
Needles: Susan Bates, aluminum DPN's, set of 4
Notes: 5 extra pattern repeats, for a total of 25 from cuff to toe. Did not knit the 4 plain rows between last pattern rep and decreases for toe.


~Faith from The Needle And The Damage Done

Opal Hundertwasser Socks

Sideway Sock and The Magic Loop

I finished off my Opal Hundertwasser Socks last night, in a miss matching pair in the style of the socks on the label. The first sock (right one in the pair) was a sideways sock using something like the pattern on the inside of the label as I mention in my previous post. I think I overdid it on the short rows on the sideways sock, though and the foot is just plain too long. It makes for a very slouchy, floppy looking sock, especially next to the lean, well fitting "normal" sock. The sideways sock looks a little bit better on my feet (below), but still isn't great. I ran across someone's discussion of her attempts to devise a better sideways sock, and so perhaps I will wait and see what her outcome is and reknit the sideways one. I'm going to track down a copy of Socks, Socks, Socks too and see what that take on the sideways sock is.


The second sock (left side of first picture) was just a plain sock made using the Magic Loop technique. I'm don't I'm a convert yet, but I see some benefits. I used 32" (80cm) size three Addi turbos. They are smooth enough that you can knit pretty fast (it was a pretty simple pattern too), but I found I would occasionally accidentally pull my needle right out of the stitches when there were only one or two on the needle. The other thing I didn't like was that I had to knit the first and last couple of stitches of each needle pretty tightly to keep ladder from forming. Plus, I am kind of a sucker for the way really nice wooden needles feel; they're just so luxurious.

But there, socks for May. (And sock blockers too!)

New to the KAL

Hi I'm new to the KAL and new to knitting as well. I'm a crocheter first and struggled to learn to knit but it finally clicked and I jumped right in and knit my first pair of socks. I'm a SAHM mom and we homeschool. I'm also learning to spin. I have a blog where I share about all things fiber, talk about my kids, dh too sometimes and the books I'm reading. You can check it out here

These are not the greatest looking but they fit.

I'm counting thees as my April pair. More on my blog here

I have a much prettier pair on the needles right now. Using #1 dpnsand Gedifra Fashion Trend sock yarn. I'm following the same tutorial/pattern from my previous pair.

Sorry about the pics it's a bit blurry.

Thanks for letting me play too

What to do with leftover sock yarn

Using some leftover yarn from a pair of socks for myself, I made these baby socks by knitting an adult sock pattern on needles that were 4 or 5 sizes smaller than called for. (It was a pattern meant to used with heavier than normal sock yarn.) Not having any babies on hand, I had to guess at the length, and it turns out a 10 month old has much longer feet than I realized. These probably should have been an inch to an inch and a half longer than they are. Well, no doubt another smaller baby will appear before long. :)

Pair No. 3 - AKA, the "I Hate Sockotta Yarn and Finished These Socks Out of Pure Spite" socks

Catchy title, eh? This yarn was the first sock yarn I bought. I do still love the colors, and as I've mentioned before, I'm big into stripeys on my feet. :-) But I hated working with it. The first sock attempt I made with this yarn (my first sock ever, for that matter) was a total disaster. Well, unless you are Shaq. It probably would have fit a pro basketball player's foot. So I bought some different yarn and tried again. Then I came back to the Sockotta and made a different sock pattern, thinking maybe the pattern was the issue. It turned out OK. So I had a bigfoot size sock, and a slightly better sock of a different pattern. I ripped out the bigfoot sock and set the yarn ball aside because I had bought my lovely Austerman Step yarn and wanted to knit with it. After I finished that pair of socks, I picked up the Sockotta again to make the second sock of the pair. And I still hated it.

Yarn: Sockotta (in case you haven't noticed) in an unknown colorway.
Needles: Brittany DPS's, size 2
Pattern: Retro Rib from the Interweave Knits book. Love the book, Tracy!

Now I am going to cleanse my sock palette and knit some pretty pink socks with Tofutsies. I actually made a gauge swatch and everything. :-)

PS: No offense meant to anyone that loves Sockotta. I just personally didn't like it. :-) But that won't stop me from wearing my slightly oversized socks on a regular basis. Ha!

Finished pair! (1/6 done with the challenge)

Pattern: Diagonal rib from Favorite Socks
Yarn: Denim from Oldfield Creek Sock and Yarn

I originally planned to make these for my husband, but I was worried about running out of yarn, so they ended up a bit too short for him. He also wanted thicker, wear-around-the-house socks, so these are mine. I liked this pattern because it was different on the right and left foot, thus helping with second sock syndrome. The yarn is a pretty colorway and they feel nice on my feet.

Up next: my younger daughter Meredith convinced me to knit up my Tofutsies yarn for a pair of socks for her. Planning to try a toe-up pair.

Lessons Learned

Not only am I a slow poke knitter, I specialize in ill-fitting socks! I love the way they look and this pair was my first attempt at stranded knitting. I learned a lot and I'm happy with them even if they are unwearable.

Yarn - Regia

Needles - KnitPicks size 2 circulars

Pattern - they were going to be the Mosaic Maze socks from SKS, but I just kept going with the stripes

Method - toe-up, one at a time, Magic Loop

More details at Forward Motion

One Sock Down

I have finished a sock. This is another pair of Austermann Step Jaywalkers, only I have made some modifications to the pattern based on my experiences with first pair. With them I found the ankle slightly tight and the foot slightly loose, so I went down a needle size and made the ankle in the larger sock size. When I got to the foot, I just did the double decrease on the first knit row to get down to the right number of stiches. I also carried the zig-zag pattern about halfway down the heel flap for better shaping. My last modification was to replace the ribbing with a ridge that would bend with the zig-zag. Initially I was pretty pleased with this change, but as I got farther along, I noticed it was curling too much. For the mate, I am trying a second row of all purl to see if that helps. In the meantime, I am contemplating the merits of a simple crochet edging to keep it from curling.

Yarn is Austermann Step in Erde (#12). Needles are size 0 Sox Stix. Pattern is Grumperina's Jaywalkers.