Hooray, I finished a pair of socks for the first time in ages! This is only my second finished pair for the year, which is not typical for me. I actually cast on socks with this yarn on January 1. I was going to knit some paw print socks with some purple Araucania Huasco Sock Kettle Dyes, but it was slow going and then I gave up and decided to knit some simple socks instead. THREE MONTHS LATER, I have finally finished these simple socks. I’m not thrilled with them either.
On the first sock, I dropped a stitch and didn’t realize it until many rows later, so I used a crochet hook to bring it back up, but it was so many rows that it puckered the yarn a little bit. Maybe that will loosen up in the wash? And then, LOOK. They are not the same length. I know it won’t matter when I wear them but it bothers me nonetheless. These have now been tucked away in my sock drawer for fall, when I will pull them out and be happy to wear them because they’re such a pretty color and I will have forgotten how annoying the process was.
I really don’t know what to do with this blog. I rarely write anymore – partly because I have limited mental energy to spend on it, and partly because it feels like it’s just sharing knitting photos, which I can do more easily on Instagram. What’s the point of doing it here too? Plus I’m nearing capacity on my photo storage again, and my options are either delete old photos (don’t love this idea) or pay an obscene amount of money to upgrade to a plan with a bunch of bells and whistles I don’t need (not gonna happen). I suppose I can keep going as I have been, just writing when the mood hits me, though I’ll still eventually hit that pesky image storage limit. If only WordPress offered a little add-on for that!
Still, with all that said, I have been knitting, of course. I finished a sock and cast on another. The new sock is in Saucon Sock yarn from Kraemer Yarns. I reviewed this yarn eons ago and that pair of socks has been one of my favorites, and it has been the most durable pair I’ve ever made – they still look almost as good as when I made them. (Note: I machine wash my socks, dry them on the lowest setting for about ten minutes, then lay flat to finish drying.) And because of their cotton content, they’re so good in the spring. After thinking about it for ages, I finally ordered three more skeins to make more spring shortie socks. I cast on a cowl in my new squishy Malabrigo Noventa. In a moment of weakness, I ordered Joji’s most recent purple bags (and I LOVE them!).
Recently I finished several books I really enjoyed: Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan (Picoult is the best at those mid-book twists), Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen (fact-based fiction about Helen Gurley Brown taking over Cosmo magazine), and The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz (another one with a mind-blowing twist). We’re caught up on the US version of Ghosts, so now we’re watching the UK version and really enjoying it. They seemed really similar at first, but now that we’re in the second season, I’m seeing more variation.
And I’m happy to report that Grace appears to be holding steady. I haven’t noticed any decline in the last couple of weeks, although we have had a few overnight accidents thanks to prednisone’s unfortunate side effects. There might be not-good things happening internally that will cause issues in the near future, but so far she’s just living her best life and stealing as much food as she can.
Knitting is so funny, the way the process starts in my brain. Sometimes I have the urge to knit a sock, sometimes I crave a big lacework shawl, and apparently sometimes I just crave a color. I’ve been craving pink lately, which is what originally sent me to my stash on Saturday. A particular skein of bright pink jumped out at me, and originally it was going to be a cowl, but then I thought, oh, this might not be the most flattering color right up against my face. What prompted that thought? Who knows. I do wear pink, so it’s probably just a bunch of hooey and was just a stupid way for my brain to say this yarn wanted to be socks. And it’s well on its way to being a simple little shortie sock with a ribbed cuff and a garter stitch heel.
Along with that sock, I cast on four other projects … and finished one! When you knit a bulky weight hat on size 15 needles, it goes very very quickly. Normally I love a pompom but I might keep this hat unadorned. The pattern is Urth to Major Tom (I can only find it on Rav but it’s free!) and the yarn is Baah Yarn Sequoia. Our temps are in the upper 50s for a couple of days and then we’ll be back down to low 30s, so I’ll get some use out of it soon enough.
Do you have the day off work like me? Here’s hoping we get plenty of knitting done!
Bah. Last week I showed you my two new sock projects and told you how I was excited to get back to them, remember that? Well, after finishing my Turtle Dove, I pulled them out, excited to get back to socks. The Pawprints sock was first. I’d apparently done one repeat of the 16-row lace pattern, so I started another one … and quickly remembered why it was in hibernation. The lace pattern changed each RS row, and each time I had to readjust the stitches on my DPNs to account for a k2tog or ssk or yo falling at the end of a needle. There was no combination of stitches I could consistently keep on each needle as I worked through the 16 rows. It drove me absolutely BONKERS. By row eight I was muttering under my breath, by row 16 I knew I’d never complete this pattern as written. For me, sock knitting needs to not be fidgety or fussy or annoying — and adjusting my stitches constantly is definitely annoying for me. And no, I don’t want to switch to a 9″ circ or two circs or magic loop. I love knitting socks on DPNs, that is my jam. This pattern is not my jam, and that’s okay. The yarn, however, LOOKS like jam and I love it, so I’m going to frog that lace, drop down from 70 stitches to 68, and reknit a perfectly boring ribbed sock.
Oh but I still have that Wonder Woman sock, you’re thinking? Yeah, about that … I got ready for the design, which I knew was charted. I flipped it so the chart was horizontal and I could read it correctly, and realized that the stitch key was oriented the opposite direction. There was no way to have both the chart and the key oriented the same way so I could easily reference then both while knitting. Not only that, the chart referenced some lateral braid stitch, which wasn’t described in the key but on another page, and I’ll be darned if the whole damn thing didn’t just sound like a big pain in the ass, which is, again, not what I like for my sock knitting. I will still be knitting Wonder Woman socks but they will not have any fancy logo on them. The colors alone will have to show that they are Wonder Woman socks.
This experience has only served to reinforce what I suspected: my sock knitting has to be very simple. Lace and cables and fancy stitches all their place in my knitting, but that place is clearly not socks. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go frog a purple sock.
Guys, I miss Sock it to me Monday. I miss knitting socks and seeing the socks other people are making (okay so I still get some of that) and just having the tiniest bit of something fun on Monday. SO! I will share the two socks on my needles that I have barely touched since casting them on at the beginning of the month.
On the left is a Wonder Woman sock. I still have several rows of stockinette to knit before I get to the WW stitch pattern, which is charted only and I’m not a fan of charts which is why I haven’t gotten very far on this sock. I think I’m going to do the leg yellow and the foot red. And the heel blue, of course. It might look weird but whatever.
The other sock is my paw print sock. Do those look like paw prints? I am not convinced and prefer my lace in shawls which is why I haven’t gotten very far on this sock.
But! I miss knitting socks so I’m going to get back to at least one of them … probably … as soon as I finish my Turtle Dove sweater.
Today is Veterans Day (THANK YOU, veterans!) and that is a bank holiday, so I have the day off and I’m so grateful for that. While I waited for clue two of my MKAL, I was able to finish a pair of purple shortie socks. Of course now we’ve hit the days with highs of like 37 and shortie socks don’t quite meet my needs, but heck, it’s Missouri. We might get a random warm day next week. I’m pretty sure this leftover ball of yarn was from New Garden Farm, a local indie dyer, but I can’t swear to it.
Yesterday was the launch event for the veterans group at work and my worries were all for naught! Everything went smoothly, all the people were friendly and delightful. Yes, I did bite into what I thought was a chocolate chip cookie only to discover it was raisin, but I recovered and went back for a peanut butter cookie instead. It’s just been such a rewarding feeling being part of such a cool project from almost the beginning, and I’m excited to see what comes next.
Right, off to start clue two! Happy Friday, friends!
It is Monday and I have two completed socks to share with you!
Okay, yes, you’re right — they’re not matching socks, but it’s still sock progress. The left is Uneek zebra yarn from Urth, and the right is a DK from Desert Panda Fiberarts. It’s much richer and deeper than it looks in this photo. I’ll try to do a better job when I finish the pair!
Happy Monday, friends. I wish it was still the weekend!
Remember when Sock It To Me Monday used to be a thing?? I do, vaguely! And since I have a finished pair of socks to share, I thought I’d resurrect it.
After finishing a sweater and a shawl, I wanted to see what else I could finish before the end of the month, and this pair of socks was the only feasible option. I was about halfway through the cuff on the second sock when I got bored and set them aside, so it it only took me a couple of days to power through the rest.
The yarn is Ruby & Roses, colors are Disco Ball and Strobe, I think. I wish you could see the sparkle from the stellina but rest assured, it’s there and it’s delightful. Now I just need some cooler weather before I can wear them!
Blogging is not where it’s at for me these days, it would appear! Still, I wanted to pop in and share my latest finished objects … socks. Simple knitting IS where it’s at, I guess, and socks are the top of the list for me. I’ve got two new pairs to add to my already-overflowing sock drawer.
I’d really like to cast on a new sweater but I don’t have a sweater quantity of anything right now. I’m pondering Joji’s easy bulky one, maybe with one of Woolfolk’s yarns. Wouldn’t that be so cozy? Until I get that yarn, though, I’m casting on some new socks asap. Would you believe I only have two WIPs right now? One is a cabled scarf, which I’m enjoying but scarves are long, and one is a Musselburgh hat, which is a crap ton of fingering-weight stockinette and I’m using a black tweedy yarn so it’s not the funnest thing to work on. I’m planning to cast on at least two new projects this weekend, maybe three!
We also finished a big home project. We had a house we’d been renting out and decided it was time to sell, so we spent the summer getting it cleaned up, painted inside and out, and doing odd jobs to fix little things. After one eight hour day of yard work last weekend, we declared it done and had the realtor come take photos this week. Can’t wait to get it sold!
It’s a little bittersweet, though: we bought this house when I was just 22, and we raised our kids in this house. Lots of great memories here. Crazy that we’ve owned this house for half my life! Still, it’s not the right place for us anymore and I’m ready to simplify.
Instead of knitting the second sock of the pair I started a couple of weeks ago, I decided I really needed to knit socks to match my new rainbow sweater, or at least pretty close.
The yarn is Mamma Mia! from Leon Alexander yarns and I added a solid purple for accents. Since it’s all stockinette, it’s a fast knit so the second one should be done soon!
Is there such a thing as too many handknit socks? Asking for a friend!
bonnyknits 