A pair of Juta's

Pattern: Juta's Stockings from Folk Knitting in Estonia by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Times Remembered Nantucket Heather in Wild Strawberry
Needles: Size 1 (2.5 mm) Knit Picks circulars
Modifications: I used my regular round toe

I finished my Juta's Stockings yesterday and I must say I'm very pleased with them. The pattern was, of course, very well written and super easy to follow. After the first round it was very easy to memorize the pattern. The pattern on the leg is very similar to the Dublin Bay pattern and I like how these lacy panels work with an almost solid colored yarn.



Unlike Pat, my perfectionist side wasn't bothered in the least by the difference in the k2 togethers and the ssk. I think mine look equally neat. Instead, I was bothered by the difference in the size of the lacy holes on the foot portion. The holes were decidedly different after a k2 together than they were after a ssk. It drove me crazy. I'm sure you can't see it in the photo but trust me the holes are different.



Overall, however, I'm happy with the pattern. I think it makes a nice looking and nice fitting sock. The yarn I used is much different than my usual sock yarn. I bought it at NH Sheep and Wool for less than $4.00 a skein. It's 100% wool and is much more "rustic" than the luxury yarn I'm used to. It wasn't rough and it didn't have any debris in it. It was nicely spun and had no knots or slubs. After I got used to the rustic feel I really enjoyed this wooly feeling yarn. It's not the least bit itchy on the skin either. When I handwashed the socks yesterday, there was quite a bit of color in the wash water. I'm hoping this is a one time thing.

Now I'm gearing up for Summer of Socks which starts tomorrow. Although I had been planning to knit Brigit from Socktopia, I found that the yarn I wanted to use didn't match the gauge for the pattern. Rather than switch yarns I've switched patterns. I feel a little like a lemming but I'm going to knit Embossed Leaves from Favorite Socks with the Louet Gems I frogged from my failed Whitby. I'll get to Brigit another time.

Apple Pie a la mode

Yarn: Apple Laine Apple Pie Red Delicious
Pattern: Just my simple plain vanilla socks
Needles: Size 1 US Knit Picks socks

This yarn is SO yummy. It is 50% wool, 20% mohair, 20% silk, and 10% nylon. The socks are super soft and cushy but I know they'll wear like iron. I loved how the colors just randomly appeared. No striping, pooling or flashing. This could be my new favorite yarn (I say that a lot but I really mean it this time). Of course, I bought it from my favorite source - The Loopy Ewe.

This picture shows the color better:

I was hoping to finish these socks for my second May pair but just couldn't manage to finish until last night. It has been a very, very stressful week here and I am so glad to have had my knitting to see me through. It's hot and sticky here today but I can't wait for the next cool day so I can wear these socks.

Skinny Dipping

It was a beautiful day at the ball fields yesterday which was a good thing since I was there from 8:30 in the morning until 6:00 in the evening. It was a hot one but the sun played peek-a-boo with the clouds which helped it to feel not quite so hot. There was a nice breeze and very little bugs. All the boys had games and I was able to watch them all. I even managed to finish my Skinny Dipping socks (kitchenered toes and all) while there.

Yarn: Skinny Dipping by All Things Heathered
Pattern: Summerfield by Lisa Parker at Wildhorse Farm Designs (Loopy Ewe Summer Sock Club pattern)
Needles: Size 1 US Knit Picks Circulars


I promised you a skinny dipping story when the socks were finished.

A long, long time ago when I was much younger and thinner and had never birthed children, I had some friends who were in a band. Friends and I used to spend many an evening at local bars listening to the band and dancing. We were a tight knit group of friends - as only young single 20 somethings can be. One of our favorite bars was a tiny granite building called The Stone Church. We loved The Stone Church but it was small and there was no ventilation and, this being the 80's, the room would fill with smoke by the end of the evening. By closing time we were sweaty and stinky and not quite ready for the night to end. We'd often meet at a dam not far away and skinny dip all that sweat and smokey smell away.

One night, I noticed a tall, blond man with a friend of mine. He was cute and jumped right in to dance and drink with the rest of us. Toward the end of the evening I invited him to join us to go skinny dipping. He was game and I admired his spunk for being willing to join a group of strangers and get nekkid. And that folks is how I came to see my husband naked on the very first day I met him.
Nightswimming deserves a quiet night
I'm not sure all these people understand
It's not like years ago,
The fear of getting caught,
Of recklessness and water
They cannot see me naked
These things, they go away,
Replaced by everyday

Nightswimming, remembering that night
September's coming soon
I'm pining for the moon
And what if there were two
Side by side in orbit
Around the fairest sun?
That bright, tight forever drum
Could not describe nightswimming

Whitby

She looks like a lovely Whitby, no?

Truly I enjoyed every moment of knitting her. The Louet Gems is a dream to work with and the pattern was memorizable right from the start. I even enjoyed knitting with my old Pony Pearls that haven't been used in years.
You'd think that I'd be happy and celebrating the completion of the first sock and eager to start the second. The problem is the sock doesn't fit. Oh I know it looks like it fits but it fits like a latex glove. It's just too darn tight. My gauge is a smidge off from Nancy Bush's but that's not unusual for me. I typically knit to a much tighter gauge than she and my socks still always fit. My gauge was only off by 1/2 a stitch. I got 7 spi whereas she got 6.5. Normally my gauge is more than a whole stitch tighter than hers.

What to do?
I can't wear the sock as is. I'd lose feeling and blood flow to my feet. I could go up a needle size but I'm not sure that would be enough and truthfully I like the fabric at 7 spi. I could add stitches between the diamonds and the cables and add a couple more ribs to the back - bring the stitch count from 51 to 59 or so (I haven't done the math yet). For now, it's just resting. I didn't cut the yarn or kitchener the toe or rip it out yet.
I started working on my second Mexicali Peppers sock again. That's disheartening also because I know I won't have enough yarn to finish. I guess I've got to knit until I run out before I plan a solution - see how much yarn I'll need. I'm not opposed to contrasting toes but I'm not sure what the Perchance to Knit base yarn is and I'd like to match it. Maybe my friend, Sheri, at The Loopy Ewe could help me figure that out.
April may be my first sockless month in a long time.

Cable Rib Socks

Pattern: Cable Rib from Interweave Press Favorite Socks
Yarn: Yarn Pirate's merino/tencel blend in Malamute
Needles: Size 1 & 2 Knit Picks circulars

I was so happy to finish the Cable Rib socks this morning that I went right outside in the below zero temps to try to get a good picture of them. I have found this colorway difficult to photograph and I wanted the pattern to show up too. I just parked my butt in my driveway and took some photos.

I don't usually worry about running out of yarn on my second sock but I started worrying as soon as I finished the first sock. I made these socks longer than my "normal" socks (a little over 7 inches from top to heel) and the ribbing and cabling use lots of yarn. Thankfully, the worrying was for naught as I had a nice ball of yarn left over.

When I first started knitting with the merino/tencel yarn I wasn't too fond of it. It felt kind of stringy. As I got used to it, however, I came to love it. I'm not sure what the purpose of the tencel is but the socks feel wonderful. The cables and ribbing make these very leg hugging socks - no worries about these puppies slipping down. I really enjoyed the pattern. It was simple to memorize by the first repeat. I love so many of the patterns in this book but I was looking for something that would work with this yarn. I think I made a good choice.

This will be my last Project Spectrum project for this triad of blue, gray and white. Truth be told, I am bone tired of these icy cold colors. I'm ready for SPRING and some new, brighter colors. My current sip is not very colorful but it is greenish in a khaki sort of way. I'm using Claudia Handpainted and going toe up because this time I know to be worried about the yardage. I'm almost to the heel of the first sock. I'm feeling confident that this short row heel will go much more smoothly than my last short row heel that had me pulling my hair out.

Just wait until you see my new yarn for my next project. I promise it's bright and cheerful and very, very springlike. It's made by Perchance to Knit - I bought it when The Loopy Ewe had their giant update a few weeks ago. It's certainly not like any yarn I've knit with before but I needed to make a drastic change to chase away these winter blues.

First Cable Rib

The first Cable Rib sock is finished. I really wish I had a better photo to share but it's WAY too cold to go outside to take a photo. I'll get a good shot when the pair is complete. Let me just say that I really like the pattern. It's quite simple with a 6 stitch cable on each side of the leg and the cables cross every 10 rows.

I have totally changed my mind about the yarn. I'm using Yarn Pirate's merino/tencel blend in a colorway called Malamute. If you had a Malamute dog you'd totally understand the naming of this yarn. I didn't care for the yarn at first but as I knit with it and got used to it I decided I really like it. This pattern pulls in quite a bit with the 2x1 ribbing and the cables but the yarn seems to have nice elasticity. It definitely has good stitch definition (even if the photo doesn't show the cables very well). I wish I had a digital scale because I'd like to weigh the remaining yarn and sock to compare them. I'm just hoping I have enough to complete the second sock.

Speaking of worrying about running out of yarn ... I want to start a pair of socks with some Claudia Handpainted that's been sitting in my stash. I tried to start a pair of socks a couple of weeks ago with it but had gauge issues. The yardage is also an issue with me (with my size 10s). I've decided to bite the bullet and do these socks toe up. I hated the last pair of socks I knit toe up and vowed never to do it again but this yarn is really calling for it. I'd prefer to do them toe up but with a heel flap and gusset. I just want a plain vanilla pattern, toe up, with heel flap and gusset. I'll be searching. I need pictures and very small simple words.

I'm coming around

After saying last night that I wasn't so sure I had picked the right pattern for this yarn I decided to try the sock on. Wow! What a difference. The cable doesn't show up well as I'm knitting and I thought it was all but lost in the yarn. Once I tried it on, however, the ribbing and cables spread out nicely and I'm quite pleased with the pattern.



See what I mean?

Okay, it's 40 degrees outside and we're expecting a snowstorm tonight into tomorrow. I didn't get my morning walk in today so I'm putting on my sneakers and heading out for a 4 mile walk.

Conwy socks finished

Pattern: Conwy from Knitting on the Road
Yarn: J. Knits Boston
Needles: Size 1 Knit Picks circs
Modifications: I only decreased to 64 stitches at the gusset instead of 60 and kept the foot at 64 stitches until the toe.

These are the first socks I've ever knit with decreases in the leg. They fit like a dream. I could have made them an inch longer in the leg and been a little happier but they seemed like they were going to be too tight if I pulled them up higher. I liked the twining cables but was very glad to have my Knit Picks needles with their very sharp points or I might not have finished the pattern. I'm not too quick so I didn't memorize the pattern right away but once I did it flowed.

The J. Knits yarn was mostly a pleasure to work with. The color variations are wonderful - I love the dark blue that runs through this yarn. The yarn is very soft and very strong. It has nice spring to it. There were a few slubby areas and it had a tendency to be somewhat splitty (which is a definite disadvantage in this pattern).

I love socks

Christine, over at Pointy Sticks, is having a little anniversary contest. She wants to know all about socks - why we knit them, what we like about them, what kinds of yarns and patterns we like best - basically anything about sock knitting. I'm listening to my first ever Podcast right now as I type. Squeee!!

I learned to knit 14 years ago from a dear friend who worked a wonderful LYS. She worked on Sundays and I sat in the store, visiting with her, while she worked. That year I knit 5 Christmas stockings for my husband, myself, my mother and father in law, and one brother in law. I also became pregnant that year and knit tiny baby hats and a baby blanket.

Over the years, I knit many mittens, a slew of hats and the occasional sweater. The thing is, I hated knitting sweaters. I thought it was just because I didn't know how to seam properly so I took finishing classes but the fact of the matter is I really don't enjoy knitting sweaters. For years I felt like a second class knitter because I only knit small projects. I wondered if I could even call myself a knitter if I didn't knit fabulous sweaters or huge afghans.

I don't remember when I discovered knitting socks. It was a gradual thing. I knit the socks in the back of Homespun, Handknit and a couple of other socks that I found in knitting books or magazines. I loved the process and found heel turning and grafting to be quite easy. I made a couple of socks which didn't turn out so well because the first row was too tight and I didn't know how to make it any different.

Finally, one day I discovered the Socknitters list on yahoo. It was like I'd found a home. Now, the Socknitters list is not my all time favorite list by any stretch (way too heavy handed moderating for a darn knitting list) but it was on this list that I learned that I AM a real knitter. That I can be a real knitter even if I only knit socks for the rest of my life. Soon after this I discovered Nancy Bush and I knew that sock knitting had a real and deep history.

I recently went through a long period when I didn't knit at all. I completely lost my knitting mojo. When I returned to knitting last August, the first thing I knit was a simple pair of Regia socks with yarn from my stash. I started a new knitting blog and found wonderful knitting blogs to keep me going. I discovered all the wonderful new sock yarns and great new sock yarn vendors.

I love knitting socks because I love having socks that fit my large feet. I can knit socks exactly how I like them - wool socks with cuffs that aren't too tight, with cuffs that don't come up too high, and with long enough feet. Sock yarn has come a long way and I enjoy all the wonderful soft yarns available to me. Some of my favorites right now are Lorna's Laces and Cherry Tree Hill but I'm slowly discovering smaller indie yarns and I'll be sure to have favorites soon.

I prefer to knit my socks cuff down, one at a time, on two circs. I adapt all my patterns to be knit on two circs as I find it much more comfortable than using double points. There are too many favorite patterns to list but if I could only knit Nancy Bush patterns for the rest of my life, I wouldn't get too bored.

Fancy Silk Socks

I completed the Fancy Silk Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush for the January Challenge of the Knitting Vintage Socks KAL. This is my first sock from Knitting Vintage Socks and I enjoyed it tremendously. I followed the pattern almost exactly. The only modifications I made were to knit the fancy cuffs on a size larger needle. The smaller needle made a cuff that was just too snug. I also added 10 plain rows of stockinette after the last pattern on the foot. I didn't want the lacey part on my toes.

The pattern was well written and easy to follow. I never memorized the 12 row pattern repeat but I got the hang of it quickly. I like patterns that have row repeats because it makes it easy to make both socks the same and it keeps you motivated. Every time I sat down to knit these socks I attempted to complete a full 12 rows rather than put the sock down mid pattern.

I'm still working on my stealth scarf. It's hard to complete a project that can't be knitted a night. I don't really care for knitting scarves because I always get bored before they're finished. The cashmere, however, is wonderful to work with and my husband is sure to love the scarf. That keeps me going.

Finally, thank you to everyone who offered such kind thoughts on my father's passing. His funeral is this Thursday. It should be interesting as the only family my father has is his four children from two marriages. The children don't know each other very well. My father was a long time AA member and an AIDS educator for the state - some interesting people should turn out from his associations. My oldest son has decided to attend the funeral with me. He was the only grandchild who knew my father at all.

Flathead Cherry socks

First finished objects of 2007. Sheri at The Loopy Ewe is collecting pictures of socks in trees or bushes. I took this picture this morning on my ice covered rhododendron. Ooohhh ... it was COLD out there.

The Bearfoot Mountain Colors socks in Flathead Cherry. My 7 year old son gave me this yarn for Christmas. It's the first time I've knit with Bearfoot. I used a simple Garter Stitch Rib and only 56 stitches on size 3 needles. I'm not sure I'm too fond of the fabric - I don't know if it's the yarn with the mohair content, or the sport weight yarn, or only getting 7 stitches to the inch. We'll see how I feel about them once they're washed. Right now they just feel kind of squishy.

The stealth scarf is growing. It's at 24 inches now. I'm hoping to get 30 inches out of the first skein as I think a 60 inch scarf would be perfect. It's moving along and I'm enjoying the pattern. The cashmere yarn is a dream to knit with.

Now that the Bearfoot socks are done I'll make faster progress on my second Fancy Silk Sock. I shouldn't have any trouble getting them done by the deadline of January 31 for the January Sock challenge.