New Socks

I have been working on this pair of socks for it seems like forever. It's the same stitch pattern - crocus bud - as my portland souvenir are, but I just got so tired of it.


I got the yarn last year at OFFF from some indie dyer, but have lost the band and have no clue what it's called or who dyed it - sorry.

I think I remember that it's a wool bamboo blend - it has a softness and sheen to it that is very very nice.

Here it is on my new sock blockers that I got from Bobbie in Portland - founding member of the PDX knit bloggers group and new spinner.


And an action shot - how long can a plump grandma stand on her toes before falling over? Taken by Fred at Tempe Yarn and Fiber - that's where I go to sew in my ends on FOs.

Finished Portland Koigu Socks

I love these socks... I purchased the Koigu KPPPM from KnitPurl in Portland when I was up there for the PDX Knit Bloggers meet up.

They are knit in my usual toe up fashion, however I used the patch toe from Duffy for the first time and the sherman heel that Mel explains so well.





The stitch pattern is from the 365 patterns a year calendar - it's called Crocus Buds. It's very simple, but gives a great texture. Very effective for handpainted yarns.


The richness of the yarn and stitch pattern is not fully visible in these pictures. The socks have to be seen to really get the impact.


I have to have more Koigu KPPPM - I can see more in my future - no matter where I have to go to get it.

This is sooo funny

Mamacate had a link to this on her blog today and it's too funny not to share.

I promise I will post pics of the almost completed Koigu Portland souvenir socks soon. I ran into a slight hitch in the cast off and it wants to roll forward - Arrrgh!

They don't fit

Sarah tried on her socks yesterday and she cannot get them over her heel. They are the right length and fit her foot - but the heel and arch are too small.

So I am keeping them for me and will knit her another pair.

Finished Socks

Here are the finished socks for Sarah. I completed them on Thursday night while hanging out at TYF waiting for DeVia to call from the airport.




Fred from TYF took the photos and everyone who has seen them thinks they are cute. I hope Sarah likes them too.





I will try to get the pattern written up sometime soon. They are knit from Panda Wool and the ruffle is Tango. Amazing color match for yarns from too different makers.

Finished Socks

My sister Juanita spotted this yarn as soon as it came into my house from Ray and put her name on the ball band - so here are Juanita's socks...

Superwash merino and nylon - toe up with the figure 8 cast on and the YO short row heel - my standard sock recipe - the stitch pattern is an offset broken rib that I unvented to show off the colors. the instep and leg are knit as follows: k2 p2 for three rows, k for two rows, p2 k2 for three rows and repeat. The gauge for this stitch pattern kept the yarn in stripes rather than any pooling. Juanita really likes them, she put them on even though it was 110 degrees yesterday. Said they are the most comfortable socks she has ever worn

Yarn P0rn

Look at what was waiting for me when I got back from Portland..... It almost made coming back ok in a small, non-heat related way.




This is two more huge skeins of sock yarn from Ray. I just can't say enough about this yarn. My favorite LYS just placed an order from him - so now I can go fondle his yarns before buying them!




My first order from Knit Picks. I've heard lots of great stuff about their yarns from Melissa, and met the owner at the PDX Knit Bloggers meet up. So here are 3 pairs of socks just waiting their turn.



This is some test yarn sent to me by the distributor so that I can knit it up and give my opinion. Who'da thunk it?

Another pair of socks

My sister Bonnie is such a little foot and her feet get cold easily, so even though she lives down here in the desert (or HELL as I usually call it) I made her some wool socks



The yarn is Noveau Riche from Knitivity and the pattern is a chevron with an eyelet rib. I liked the look of the chevron on the Jaywalker sock, but I knit socks toe up and that made the chevron point the other way. I also wanted a more open look, so I changed the increase from a Kfb to a YO which created a wonderful eyelet rib running up the center - but you can only see it when the sock is on the foot.



It's knit over 60 stitches, toe up, magic cast on, YO short row heel.

Lots to say - more later

I have a bunch of stuff to blog about - finished my sister's socks, knitted for the 4th at my favorite LYS, cast on the first clue for the MS3, and the most important thing of all - I got a call today saying that the waiting list for SOAR finally got to me!

Yippee! I am going to SOAR this year!.

I will try to take some pics tomorrow morning before work.

On Saturday, DeVia and I are off to Portland again. She will be at a conference, but I will be hanging out with the PDX bunch and trying to get a group together to go to Woodland woolworks on Monday or Tuesday.

Insidious LYS

I ran a couple of errands yesterday - I needed a couple of dpn point protectors that I can only get at one LYS and needed to replace a broken brittany size one at the Place I Love. It was only going to be a couple of quick stops, cause I wanted to get home and start the second chevron sock for my sister.

It was a quick trip at the first place - they have just moved and are always too busy for me to feel comfortable there. When I got to the second store, I got my needle replaced and Terry started showing me the new yarns. I showed her the sock I finished out of Ray's yarn and we started talking. Then I sat down at the table and the next thing I know there are a few people around.

I showed a couple of people how to do the magic cast on and by 7:30 or so had finished the foot of my sister's sock.

I am not sure how, but this yarn followed me home.

I have not knit with cotton blends before, but I love the colors. The single skein is a ribbon yarn that I experimented with that forms ruffles when you knit it. It matches the sock yarn exactly and I am going to put some ruffles at the top of the socks I am going to knit for Maegan. Pink is her favorite color. It's all I can do not to cast them on right now, but I am determined to finish this other sock first.

I have also decided that the knit/spin from stash 2007 does not include sock yarn - thanks Wendy.

Another Finished Object

or rather two of them - socks count for two - right?



Here is the pair of socks that I started on my trip to Mom's right before Mother's day weekend. I started the second sock on my trip to Portland to see the Yarn Harlot. She said that she liked the yarn - it's from Ray. The stitch pattern is an offset rib with a couple of knit rows between - like this k2 p2 across for 3 rows, k two rows plain, p2 k2 across for 3 rows, k two rows plain. figure 8 cast on with 12 stitches and a YO short row heel down to 12 stitches and then back up.

It's my generic sock formula with a pattern stitch on the instep and leg.

I finished the socks last night at the guild meeting and cast on for a new pair immediately. This new color is very intense and I think I am keeping them for myself.



I'm trying to figure out what kind of pattern to do on the instep of this one.

Socks for my sister

This is a chain plyed BFL dyed by Spunky Electric that I spun up last year. It knit up so nicely for these socks. I used my toe up recipe and did an interesting pattern on the instep and legs.

It's a K2P2 rib for 3 rows and then 2 rows of plain knit - repeated

This gave an interesting texture to the socks and made them very stretchy - I didn't get a close up of the pattern, but should have.

Update on the socks from Ray's sock yarn

I love this yarn. The diagonal striping is fabulous - I love the white lightning strike up the center portion of the one is very cool.

It's hard to see in these pictures, but the leg is coming out pretty too, more later

Cheating on my tofutsies - Sock yarn review

I am working on the second sock from my second skein of Tofutsies yarn, but when this arrived - I had to find a set of needles and cast it on immediately.

It's the sock yarn that I ordered recently from Ray. Just shut up about the spin/knit from stash 2007 - I could not refuse this color. The yarn is 75% merino superwash and 25% nylon and it knits up very nicely.

This skein photo does not reflect the accurate colors of the yarn -

This picture is better











This is best of all - look at those colors come to life. I am trying a new stitch this sock. It's a four stitch basket weave. I like how it complements the sock colors without being too busy.

Green Socks

I finished these green socks quite a while ago, but pulled them out to wear recently. I have completely crossed over to the dark side of knitting - yes that's right! I know wear socks as well as knit them.

For a long time, I considered my self on the grey side - I knit socks but did not wear them. Barefoot is the way to go as far as I have always been concerned, but the weather here has hit a cold spell and I tried on these green socks.

That was all it took. These have a cable running up each side of the instep and then two cables on each side of the leg. This is a 2 ply handspun superwash merino. I cannot remember who I got the fiber from.