Socks...the Year in Review

2006 was my first full year of sock knitting. I can easily say I am addicted to knitting socks. I completed 20 pair of socks this year. 17 of those were adult size for me, 2 pair were for my youngest 2 boys and 1 pair was an infant size. The majority of these socks were knit in stockinette, but a few were knit using stitch patterns. Some of the patterns I used this past year were, 2x2 rib, 3x1 rib, Melanie's Twist Stitch, Leaves of Grass, Waffle Rib and Garter Rib (both from Sensational Knitted Socks).

I only have one pair of socks on the needles going into the new year and I just started it today.


Lisa Souza, Miss Violet's Pink Ribbon colorway

I have lots of socks planned for 2007. I plan to start the new year off by making more socks for my kids. I also plan to use more stitch patterns this year. And I will definitely be making Monkey early in the year.

Scaponia Socks

Another finished pair and the last for 2006!


Pattern - my usual top down with Eye of Partridge heel flap and kitchenered toes
Yarn - Socks That Rock, Scaponia in mediumweight
Needles & Gauge - Size 2 DPNs, 7 st/in

More Finished Socks

I finished another pair of socks Tuesday.


Pattern - my usual top down with Eye of Partridge heel flap and kitchenered toes
Yarn - OnLine Winter Color #887, 6-ply
Needles & Gauge - Size 2 DPNs, 7 st/in

My Lisa Souza order, containing Miss Violet's Pink Ribbon yarn arrived last week. I will be winding it for use very soon. It is next up to jump on the needles. I'm going to try to stay focused and finish the STR Scaponia socks first.

Surprise! It's not socks!!

I have an almost finished object to share and it's not socks! I borrowed the book, 'knit', by Janine Flew from the library almost 3 weeks ago. I immediately fell in love with one of the patterns for a bag made with Noro's Silk Garden. After 2 weeks of deliberation, I went to my LYS on Friday after work to pick out yarn. I cast on for the bag as soon as I got home. I threw caution to the wind and didn't swatch either. I know, I'm a bad knitter, but I figured it's a bag, it doesn't have to conform to a special size. And it worked out fine in the end! With the holiday weekend and festivities, I wasn't sure I'd have a lot of time for knitting, so I was quite surprised to find myself finished with the bulk of the knitting Christmas night.


Pattern - Casual Bag, from the book, 'knit' by Janine Flew
Yarn - Noro Silk Garden color #247

I still have to get a button and knit some I-cord for the closure. And, while I don't think I'm going to line the bag, I do plan to line the strap. The pattern suggested ribbon for the strap lining, so I'll have to pick some up. I loved watching the colors change as I knit with this yarn. I love the yellow stripe that's on the front of the bag (this color only appeared in one of the 3 balls that I purchased).

I have now gone back to knitting socks and in fact, finished another pair last night (details in a future post). I still have one more pair on the needles and hope to finish them before the new year.

A Pair and a Half

This weekend I completed another pair...



Pattern - my usual top down with Eye of Partridge heel flap and kitchenered toes
Yarn - Yarntini sport weight, colorway = Luxury
Needles & Gauge - Size 2 DPNs, 7 st/in

and a half.


OnLine Winter color #887, 6-ply

A Little Yarn P*rn

I have a little bit of yarn p*rn to share.

First up, Lavender Sheep sock yarn. Colorway is Mountain Sunset.



Next up, Cinnamon Stitches Giddy Feet sock yarn. Colorway is Amaretto Cheesecake.



I am still patiently waiting for my Ms. Violet's Pink Ribbon from Lisa Souza. I already joined the knit along and plan to cast on as soon as it arrives.

What's on My Needles?

I currently have 2 sock projects on the needles. The first is Yarntini sport weight yarn that I purchased from Pure Knits. This color is called Luxury.



And the second is OnLine Winter color #887, 6-ply. I purchased this yarn on vacation this summer at Knitting Sisters in Williamsburg, Virginia.



Both socks are being worked top down in stockinette. The Yarntini yarn is buttery soft and has been great to work with. The OnLine yarn is not very soft. I'm guessing hoping it will be like most other not so soft yarns and soften up with washing. I've also had a little trouble with this yarn splitting. I have another ball of OnLine 4-ply in my stash, but I'm thinking I probably won't buy any more of this yarn.

And speaking of buying yarn....
I broke my yarn fast this week. I was reading blogs Tuesday morning and Lavender Sheep said something about a shop update. So, I clicked on over and couldn't resist the Mountain Sunset colorway. After a few seconds of careful deliberation, it hopped into my cart and off to the checkout I went.

Then, yesterday, Lisa Souza announced a new colorway to help Miss Violet (of the dynamic duo Lime & Violet) with her impending medical costs. Being a fan of both, I had to have a skein of this. I ordered a skein of the sport weight variety, because I'm enjoying how quick the sport weight yarns knit up (which equals more socks, faster).

I doubt I'll have a completed pair of socks to share after this weekend, since I am still on sock #1 for both of my current projects. So, stay tuned for yarn p*rn when my new purchases arrive.

Opal Acapulco

Fresh off the needles...



Pattern - my usual top down with Eye of Partridge heel flap and kitchenered toes, Stitch pattern is Garter Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks
Yarn - Opal Acapulco color #1304
Needles & Gauge - Size 1 DPNs, 9 st/in

Wild Thing

I think these may be the quickest socks I've ever knit for myself. They took me 10 days to knit.



Pattern - my usual top down with Eye of Partridge heel flap and kitchenered toes
Yarn - Sock Hop, Wild Thing colorway
Needles & Gauge - Size 1 1/2 DPNs, 7 st/in

I loved working with this yarn. Because it's handspun, I never knew which color would turn up next. I think that's part of the reason why I was able to knit this socks so quickly. I have another colorway of this yarn in my stash. I have my next several pairs of socks already planned, but I might just have to move the Sock Hop up to the front of the line.

Random Thoughts

No pictures today. Getting home at 5:00 makes it difficult to take pictures. Without the natural light, the pictures turn out dark.

I recently came up out of the dark ages and started listening to podcasts. Knitting podcasts to be specific. At the suggestion of a blogless friend, I've subscribed to and downloaded previous episodes of the Lime & Violet podcast. I am finding them to be very entertaining, but also dangerous with all the yarn p*rn segments.

I have decided to go on a yarn fast between now and the end of the year. I purchased a lot of sock yarn (14 skeins to be exact) at Stitches a couple weekends ago and my sock yarn stash is getting way out of control. It is no longer contained in the cabinet I purchased for the purpose of storing my sock yarn. It has now overflowed onto a closet shelf. I figure I can go six weeks without acquiring any new stash.

In an attempt to get my stash back to a more manageable level, I am also going to try to knit another 5 pair of socks by the end of the year. This is huge for someone like me. With 3 kids, a husband, house, dog and 40-hour a week job, I don't get nearly enough time to knit. But in order to make things go my way, I am planning to use sport weight or 6-ply for my next few pair of socks. I have some Yarntini sport weight, more Socks That Rock medium weight, and ON-Line 6-ply lined up for my next socks.

I currently have two pair of socks on the needles. Opal Acapulco socks - still on sock 1, but I am working on the foot now. Yesterday, I cast on my first Sock Hop sock. I am already past the heel on the first sock!! This is my first time using handspun and I think it went so quickly because I was anxious to see what color yarn would come up next. I'm hoping by Wednesday to have a mismatched pair to show.

I've got a really long weekend coming up. 5 days of knitting bliss! Well, it won't be a full 5 days. Part of one day will be spent eating and another will be spent shopping. But, I hope to have lots of knitting time in between. And maybe a pair or two of completed socks before the weekend is over.

Lime & Violet Socks

I finished my Lime & Violet socks today.



Pattern = Waffle Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks for the leg, stockinette for the foot
Yarn = Lisa Souza Sock!, Lime & Violet colorway
Needles & Gauge = size 1 DPNs, 9 stitches per inch

Scottish Highlands Socks

I completed my Socks That Rock socks yesterday.



Pattern - my usual top down with Eye of Partridge heel flap and kitchenered toes
Yarn - Socks That Rock mediumweight, Scottish Highlands
Needles & Gauge - Size 2 DPNs, 7 st/in

Stash Enhancement = Yarn P*rn

Yesterday I attended my first Stitches event. I went only for the shopping and I had a great time. It was all about handpainted sock yarn for me. Here's a group shot of my haul.



My first stop was the Blue Moon booth. I picked up 3 skeins of Socks That rock in lightweight and 2 in medium weight


from left to right: Queen Rock, Tanzanite, Fire on the Mountain

from top to bottom: Chickabiddy and Rooster Rock

Then there was the stop at the Cloverhill Yarn Shop booth.


from top to bottom: Cloverhill and Fiesta

And Ellen's 1/2 Pint Farm


two un-named colorways

And Lisa Souza


from top to bottom: Mars Quake and Shade Garden

And Sheila and Michael Ernst were I picked up this Fly Super Sport


color = Ruby Redmond

And Misty Mountain Farm for a skein of Jubilee


color = Berry

And last but not least, Maple Creek Farm. They aren't on the web yet, but hope to be by the end of this year.


color = Red Tigereye

I also finished a pair of socks yesterday. Watch for them in another post later today.

Socktoberfest

As this year's month long celebration of socks comes to an end, I thought I'd post about my October sock progress. I didn't set any goals for myself, but I always expect to get more done than I actually do.

I finished 2 pair of socks this month.
Both of these were knit-along socks. The pink ones were for the Hop Along and the green ones were my Mystery socks.


I also started 3 pair of socks this month.
My first pair of Socks That Rock socks, another knit-along sock, and a pair of Opal socks.


The spirit of Socktoberfest will continue for me even after October ends. I am a sock knitting addict with lots of stash (and plans to buy more at Stitches East this weekend).

Check Out This Heel

Aren't these stripes cool? This is the heel on my first Lime & Violet sock. I never expected the heel to stripe like this since the patterning on the leg was so random.

Mystery Socks - Finished!

I finished my Mystery socks yesterday (Blogger was being uncooperative and wouldn't let me post). I'm really happy to have them done because I started them about 2 months ago.


Pattern: Leaves of Grass Anklet (modified)
Yarn: Spirt Trail Fiberworks
Gauge: 9 st per inch on size 1 DPNs

A close up of the pattern can be found here.

My First Socks That Rock Sock

I finished my first Socks That Rock sock this week.



This is the Scottish Highlands colorway in medium weight. The second sock is on the needles.

I also just learned that Blue Moon Fiber Arts will be in Baltimore next weekend for Stitches East. I am very excited and hope that they won't be sold out before I get to their booth on Saturday.

Updates on my other socks will be coming soon.

Sunday Socks...featuring the color Green

All of my socks in progress have green in them.

My second Mystery sock is growing slowly. Pattern is Leaves of Grass.


My first Socks That Rock sock is almost done. I just need to decrease for the toe. Color is Scottish Highlands. The yarn pooled in the gusset. The first pic is of the side that I like the second is of the side that I don't like as much.



And my first Lime & Violet sock is growing. Pattern is the Waffle Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks.


I also completed a non-green (it's maroon), non-sock (it's a hat) today. This one is for my youngest son.

Pink Lemonade Socks

I finished my Pink Lemonade socks earlier in the week. It was too late to take pictures when I finished them on Wednesday and my son had a game last night, so I finally have time tonight to blog about them. The pictures I got tonight in the dark aren't great, so I'll try again for better pictures tomorrow. The picture has been updated.

After completing the first sock quickly, I put them away to complete my Can't Elope socks (and baby afghan). The second sock was just as quick to knit as the first.



Pattern - my usual top down with Eye of Partridge heel flap and kitchenered toes
Yarn - Black Bunny Fibers Pink Lemonade colorway
Needles & Gauge - Size 1 1/2 DPNs, 8 st/in

Sunday is for Socks!

Today has turned out to be a great sock knitting day. Early this morning, I cast on for the first sock of a new pair. I've just about got the leg the length I want it. This is Socks That Rock, Scottish Highlands.



I finished my first Mystery Sock finally. I was really worried that I would run out of yarn before finishing the sock, but I made it with a little bit to spare.



Here's a better shot of the Mystery sock that shows the pattern. I had to lighten the picture a bit to get the pattern to show up.



And last but not least, I finished the heel flap and turned the heel on the second Pink Lemonade sock. These are my Hop-A-Long socks.



Since the night isn't over yet (and I'm planning more knitting time after the kids take baths), I'll definitely finish the leg on my Scottish Highland socks and hopefully, cast on and complete the cuff on my second mystery sock.

What's Next??

My next few projects will be socks, of course. Since I joined the Lime & Violet KAL I will be knitting a pair of socks with my Lime & Violet yarn. I haven't decided if I will use a stitch pattern for these or if I will do my usual stockinette socks. I'm leaning towards using a pattern, since I had lots of extra yarn from my recently finished Can't Elope socks.



I will also finally be casting on my first pair of Socks That Rock yarn. This is Scottish Highlands in Medium weight. These I'm going to do in my usual stockinette sock pattern. I want to get a feel for how far the yarn will go.



And last but not least, Opal Acapulco color #1304. For these, I'm definitely going to pick out a stitch pattern (maybe something from Sensational Knitted socks).



And I didn't even realize until I took all three of these yarns out to take pictures that they all have purple in them.

Blue & White Afghan - It's DONE!

The baby afghan is finally done. I finished it up last night, and of course, I forgot to bring it to work today so I could deliver it. But, now I can concentrate on socks. YAY!!



See this post for details on the pattern.

Socktoberfest Questions

Lolly asks....

When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?
-- I took a class last fall (October, I think) at my LYS to learn sock knitting.
What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?
-- My first pair was done with Knit Picks Simple Stripes. They have a huge hole on the one side at the beginning of the gusset, but I still wear them anyway. Since they are less than a year old, they are holding up well. Here's a pic.

What would you have done differently?
-- Fixed the top of the gusset so there wasn't a hole.
What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?
-- I've liked all the yarns I've used, so far.
Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?
-- Before I learned to knit socks, I crocheted them. Now, I use DPNs. Here are a few pics of my favorite crocheted socks.

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)
-- I currently use only a heel flap because that's all I know. Someday I'll branch out and try other things.
How many pairs have you made?
-- Crocheted = 10, Knit = 8 for me (and 2 more on the needles), 2 for the kids, and 1 for an infant

It's Starting to Look Like an Afghan

The baby afghan has taken shape. I still have to finish the border.



Pattern - Post Stitch Squares, Leisure Arts Leaflet #2756, Make One For Baby
Yarn - Bernat Softee

Knitter's Tea Swap 2 Package Arrived

Today, my package from Knitter's Tea Swap 2 arrived. My partner was Becky. She sent lots of great stuff. Wanna see?

First the yarn. Socks That Rock Lightweight, Waterlilies and Misti Alpaca (and a scarf pattern for the Misti Alpaca).


Next the tea. Earl Grey Lavender, Bombay Chai, Lavender Mint, Hibiscus Ginger Orange, and a sampler pack with Earl Grey Lavender, Tropical Green Tea, Golden Flowers Herbal Tea, Sweet Ginger Peach, and English Breakfast


And the treats. A box of shortbread cookies and some German chocolates (I've already had to share these with my kids who helped unwrap all the goodies.)


And the other goodies. A tea cup with infuser inside. A tea bag squeezer. A tea infuser. And a little pouch (see the pic below for the secret the pouch holds).


And inside that little bag were these.