Tag Archives: sock

Road Trip Wrap-up

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We’re back! We had a fantastic trip down to Mt. Shasta (which is conveniently located exactly halfway between Seattle and LA, where our friends live). It is a gorgeous place- beautiful scenery, fantastic weather, tasty food! I’d definitely go back again.

And the kids even managed to hang the whole drive down. I got so much knitting done! I made it all the way past the gusset of the first sock in basically one go. It was fantastic.

However, the way back was a different story. Who knew that 2- and 5-year-olds didn’t want to 20+ hours sitting in the back seat of the car? Basically, what ended up happening was that my husband (the hero that he is) managed to wedge himself in-between the car seats in the back and entertain the kids the entire way back while I drove as fast as I could to get us home. So, obviously, I didn’t get the full knitting time I was hoping for. (Honestly, knitting on road trips is the only practical application I can see for self-driving cars.)

It was a fantastic trip, despite the lack of knitting time, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat (but maybe not for a couple weeks).

Do you prefer to be the driver or the passenger on a road trip?

Done and Dusted

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Not much to report this week, just that I finished my self-striping socks! Woo!

And, just like I said last week, it took maybe 20 minutes to finish them up. 30 if you include weaving in the ends and blocking them. Sure, I could have pushed through and finished them last week, but it was kind of nice taking my time with them and only working on them when I was really in the mood.

I’m glad I got them done, and I’m so pleased with how they turned out. The colors are so pretty. And, the fabric is so soft and smooth, especially since I knit them with smaller needles than I usually use.

I can’t wait until the weather turns and I can wear them!

Have you finished anything lately?

So close, so far

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I was totally determined to get these socks done this week, but it’s just not happening. Not from lack of trying (sorta).

I got close. I’m halfway through the toe decreases on the second sock. In fact, if I hadn’t sat down to write, I could probably have finished by the time I post this.

But, you know what, I’m a-OK with leaving them as they are right now. The socks are pretty. They’re going to be lovely when they’re done, but it’s hot outside. It’s not like I’m itching to put on a pair of new wool socks right now, anyway. And I’m super tired after almost a month of near daily playdates and almost constantly entertaining my kids, so I’m going to give myself a break. (School is out for the summer, and it’s become wildly obvious (again) that they’re both huge extroverts. They need to play with kids and get out of the house every day, or they turn into little chaos gremlins. I, however, am a big old introvert (hence the knitting), which means that every playdate and outing I set up for them leaves me fully overstimulated and exhausted.)

Anyway, all that’s a long-winded way of saying, the socks aren’t done yet. They will be done, and soon, but not yet.

How hard do you push to finish a project?

1.5

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I’m one and a half socks deep into this project, and I’m still making progress. Something that doesn’t feel like it happens much these days.

I did my best to match up the stripes, but my first try, I was wildly off. I ended up having to frog basically the whole leg portion and re-knit it, which is never my favorite. But I’m so glad I did!

They’re not an exact match, but if you look closely at the colors, they’re actually dyed slightly differently, so no matter how careful I was, I could never have matched them up perfectly. I guess that’s just how hand-dyed yarn goes.

I was a little bummed about it at first, but the more I look at it, the more I like it. That little bit of variation makes the socks even more interesting.

Do you try to match up your socks perfectly, or do you go with the flow?

Gorgeous

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Y’all. I can’t get over how beautiful this yarn is turning out! I’m literally making the simplest, most vanilla socks ever, yet I can’t wait to pick them up. The colors are blowing my mind!

Look at it!

It’s like a gorgeous jewel-toned sunset or something! I love the subtle blue/green stripes at the top, and how the yarn changes so slowly into a deep fire-y red. I can’t wait to see what this yarn does next!

Looking at the ball of yarn, I’m guessing that it’s dyed so that the pair will be twins (or at least siblings), but there won’t be any repetition in the stripe pattern within the sock. I have to say, I really lucked out here- I thought I was just getting a pretty (but fairly normal) variegated skein of yarn. Turns out I’ve got myself a full-on work of art!

Plus the yarn base is so lovely. I thought it was going to be a little thin and splitty, but it’s really nice to work with. I’m knitting it up on US1s, and the fabric is coming out soft, firm and silky. (Which makes it sound like tofu. Or maybe I’m just hungry.)

I’m honestly a little bummed that I’m going to have to turn the heel soon. I kind of just want to keep knitting the leg so that I can see the entire stripe pattern all laid out.

Have you ever surprised yourself with a skein of something really special?

And Something Else Different

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I’ve *technically* finished my crochet sweater, but I just am not sure about it. Maybe the sleeves need to be shorter… or longer? Or maybe it’s just not the sweater for me. I don’t know. But either way, it’s in time out for a minute. I’ll show it to you later, don’t worry.

Anyway, I was looking for something else to work on. Something simple and brightly colored and something that is sure to be successful. I dug around and found, in the bottom of my WIP box, this just-started sock. It’s just a regular-degular sock in Felici from a couple years ago. I could make it in my sleep, which makes it easy to pick back up again.

It was about three inches long when I found it, and now I’m fully around the heel. It’s funny though, I truly don’t know when I started it. Last year? Maybe. Longer? Could be.

But, I suppose that’s the good thing about knitting, you can put it down and pick it up again months (or even years) later.

What’s the longest you’ve had a project in hibernation before you started working on it again?

Done and Done!

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You guys! I think my mojo is back! (Or at least kinda back.) I’ve finished my little blue socks and I love them.

Did they take longer than I expected? Yes. Did they turn out nothing like I had intended? Absolutely. But am I pleased with how they turned out? Totally!

I think I really like this length. I usually (always) make socks with legs that are about twice this tall, but I kind of love how they turned out. They took quite a bit less yarn (so I didn’t have to play yarn chicken!) and were a much quicker knit. I think they’ll be a great fall sock, for when I don’t necessarily want a big, thick “middle of winter” sock, but I still want to pull out something soft and cozy.

Now I just have to wait for it to cool off enough to wear them!

What finished projects are you excited about lately?

Keeping it Chill

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I’m keeping the pressure off, and I’m making headway… slowly. In the last week (when previous versions of me would have already finished an entire pair of socks), I’ve turned a single heel.

That’s right. I have taken a whole week to make a heel on a sock. Something I’ve done a million times and usually will take me no more than an episode (or maybe two) of whatever crime documentary I’m watching. I can’t even say I was using that time to make the sock leg longer, because, I didn’t add any length at all to the leg since the last time I told you about it. I could probably count the number of times I’ve made socks this short on one hand.

But, you know what, I’m kind of digging this length. It’s cute! I like the zig-zag pattern, too. I think it could be nice as an embellishment on the top of a long sock, or even a repeating pattern down the length of a sock. Who knows, maybe this’ll end up as a self-published pattern with options on the length. It’s been a minute since I’ve written up a pattern just for myself.

And, after all that grumping about how slow this sock is going, I just want to pause for a second and say: I love a slip-stitch heel. It’s so cute. It’s sturdy and attractive. I’ve seen people checkerboard the slips, which is nice enough, but I really like the faux-ribbing that happens when you stack them up. It’s definitely my favorite sock heel.

Are you working on anything currently?

Pattern: Phinney Ridge Socks

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Woo! New pattern day!

And this is a good one- it’s socks!

Introducing, my newest (and current favorite) socks: Phinney Ridge Socks!

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Look at them in all their stripey goodness!

They’re fairly simple top-down socks with stripes from cuff to toe with an interesting slipped-stitch pattern along the tops.  (The slipped stitches make them look much more interesting/difficult than they actually are, which is something I always look for in a pattern.)

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These guys use a skein of solid black, and a pack of contrasting mini-skeins, but they’d be a great way to use that special hand-dyed variegated yarn you brought back from your last trip to New York, or maybe a really great ombre-dyed skein that you bought on impulse three years ago and haven’t figure out how to use yet.

If you’re looking for other patterns for your fancy-pants sock yarn, you should check out the rest of this Knit Picks collection! Outrageous Insteps is all about using those special skeins of sock yarn.

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I really like these chevron-textured socks!

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And the crazy slipped stitch pattern on these bad boys is super cool! I’ve never tried slipped stitches like this before!

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And these socks‘ little one-stitch cables on the striped background- perfection!

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I can’t wait to dig into my yarn stash and find something really special to try on some of these patterns.

Do you have any particularly special skeins you’re looking for a pattern for?

First Sock Syndrome

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We’ve all heard of Second Sock Syndrome– that affliction that makes it nigh on impossible to make yourself knit the second sock of a pair.  I admit, sometimes I get a little flare-up of SSS, but it’s something that I try really hard to avoid.

But, I have to admit that I live with a related affliction.  Something just as (if not more) deadly than Second Sock Syndrome, but perhaps a little less common.  I’m here to raise awareness about FSS.  That’s right: First Sock Syndrome, otherwise known as Cuffonly Sockitis.

I realized that I might be having a bout of FSS this weekend when I went to grab a set of my favorite sock needles for a new project (5″ bamboo US2 dpns, if you’re wondering). I have 5 or 6 sets of these needles, so I figured I’d be able to just grab some from the jar on my bookshelf and go on my merry way.  But no!  I couldn’t find a single needle!

It turns out they’re all being used in socks.  And not second socks.  That would be too easy- just a couple hours work to free my needles and finish off a brand-new pair of socks!  Not a single sock in my house is past the heel.  They’re all firmly stuck mid-way down the cuff.IMG_0193I don’t even remember starting this sock.  I think I started it literally before we moved… almost 4 years ago.IMG_0195And this one… I don’t even know what to say. IMG_0198It looks like I started it, got bored with it, put it down, picked it up again, completely forgot what pattern I was working, and just guessed until I got a couple more inches knit.  Look!  You can clearly see where I totally forgot what I was doing.IMG_0202.JPGClearly, I have a problem, and clearly, I’ve got some knitting to do to finish/fix these socks.

Or maybe I’ll just go buy another set of dpns.

Do you ever get FSS?