#11 and a half

 I thought I was ready to knit a whole sock in multiple patterns and multiple yarns.  I spent the whole day knitting this sock. It fits perfectly which is the nicest thing I can say about it. 

Could it be that I bit off more than I could chew?  I am not in love and really don't want to make the second pair. Is that giving up too early? Won't the second one be an improvement over the first? Perhaps, because the experience will help, but then the first one will always be a reminder of what I messed up. I'm not going to point out the mistakes as they are myriad, on the other hand they may not be visible as you rush by on a speeding horse.

 

They do feel wonderful on the foot. Cozy and soft after the miracle of steam blocking. 

 This sock project was meant to teach me new techniques and to improve my skills. I have learned a lot and now I am not afraid of things that once baffled me. More stitches per inch make a nicer sock, and casting on with magic loop has really made cuff down socks so much easier. Not to mention the cut through afterthought heel which I really love, no more holes at the corners. And best of all sock blockers and steaming are a revolution for the whole process. The finished socks are so soft and drapey after steaming and it's so fast compared to the old way of blocking. 

All that being said...I can always come back and knit the second one, but for now I will start fresh and try to remember that I never saved my homework from school and yet it still helps me today.

#11 Pinstripe Sock

 The second variation of  The Solution sock. This time I used my own hand dyed sock yarn paired with Knit Picks Chroma Fingering in Mocktail colorway, the main body color.  Both are merino and nylon and I used size 2 for everything but the foot which was size 1 needles. Cast on 64, which turns out to be the right size for my foot. Yay!  I attempted to match the main color and had to unspool a massive amount of beige colored yarn to get near to the same color to start sock #2. Close, but not close enough. Nevermind I still love these. 

 

Sock one starts light blue then yellow, and sock two goes from pale orange to blue. The contrasting yarn is multi-colored (the heel shows it ) and looks entirely different against the main color.

 Matching is overrated. 

 So glad I made these. Sigh.

#10 The Solution Sock

The problem : I have tons of variegated yarns which are irresistible in the skein but when knitted up they are... meh. They won't make a pattern and result in blobs of color that doesn't equal how beautiful they look when I fell for them unknit.                             

The Solution: Use two contrasting variegated yarns and let happen what happens!

Here's what I did. With the darker yarn in my left hand I knit Continental and in my right hand with the lighter yarn, I knit English. One stitch with one yarn and one stitch with the other.  It was tricky at first but I got the rhythm going and I was thrilled with what I was seeing develop.

 Even the inside of the sock looked wonderful. Those tiny circulars which I had hated became my best tool. I just love them now.

 Look at the patterning now! Vertical stripes, horizontal bands and wonderful color. Woowoo!

 The second sock was even easier because all the doubt and angst was gone and I could watch TV without getting lost. 

 I used just the darker variegated for the heel, toe and top ribbing. The foot was the same kind of yarn but solid Terra Cotta color.  The pair are in the 'brown' family but I still love them (not a brown fan). And the fit is perfect. Here's my trick for top down socks ( not my invention, but still) I cast on with long circulars and knit the cuff and then switch to the tiny circulars for the leg, and then for the foot, heel and toe, back to long circulars.

 I have so much dark and murky variegated yarn that I am considering buying more in lighter values. O dear, I'm falling down the rabbit hole, again!. 

Koigu Hand Painted Premium Merino and Prism Merino, Madeline Tosh Sock for the lighter variegated, size 2 needles throughout. Cast on 64. Afterthought heel.

#9 Peas and Carrots

  On July 10 I started another pattern by Summer Lee and got lost quickly and started over several times. I blamed the tiny circulars, and not being able to print out the pattern onto paper, and instead tried to read it off my laptop. Duh. I wasted a whole day trying to use other needles: two circulars, double pointed needles etc. to no avail. While this start looks good in the picture, it was way off the pattern and I couldn't figure out how to get back to the right place. So frustrating. 

So I ripped it all out and began again the next day. This time I made up a design
and was determined to make this work. Still trying to find the right needles and finally returning to the tiny circulars and lo and behold, I actually got them to work for me. The first sock was tedious as I was still learning, but by the second sock, knitting the cuff just flew! Amazing. 

When I finished the pair, it was bury the ends time and the first sock was a mess, but by the second sock I kept up with the burying as I knit. 

Cast on 64, Using size 2 for the cuff and leg, and size 1 for the foot, toe and afterthought heel. Various merino/nylon yarns.

 

#8 Ode to Barbara Socks

 O I love a project like this, where nothing fatal goes awry and I can sail through to the finish line, enjoying every bit of the knitting. This is another purchased pattern from Summer Lee, hence the name. At this time in my life I know of no Barbara, but nevermind. If I were to name this pair it would be Honeydew Melon socks, based on the yarn color. I used a heavier weight yarn for the cuff, toe and heel for added strength. Cast on 64 sts and used Magic Loop with size one needles. Afterthought heel, my fave. 

 The ribbing provides a nice fit.

 On the feet is where the sock yarn really performs. I used Knit Picks Stroll fingering, 75% Superwash merino, 24% nylon. These socks could be worn on a 98 degree summer day, as they are light as a feather. 

 My self imposed challenge was to read a lace chart and try to not get lost. This was a super easy chart of only eight rounds and I had no problems at all. Yay!!!

 I will definitely make these again and maybe repeat the lace panels around the sock. Just because I can!

#7 clog socks

I did not knit these beauties, but fell totally in love with these heels. I am totally a weirdo. This is a design by Summer Lee and I actually purchased the pattern. (!!!) Love the way the cable is framing the tapering heel and I had to make them. The pattern is written for DK weight yarn and comes in several sizes. I went for the small which casts on 48 sts. My first mistake.

Attempt number one. Looks good now, but when I tried to put it on, not good.  I screwed up the larger cable and that made it too tight to get on my foot.  

The heel looks good, but since I couldn't wear this size, I undid it completely. 

Love the eyelets and how the cable frames the heel. Sigh.

Attempt number two. I continued to screw up the cable but did manage to get the second sock on the foot, but I really don't like the stretched out look between the cables. Again, I ripped it out completlely.

I decided that I would redesign the whole thing so that the space between the cables would be prettier, and what the heck, might as well do a different cable that would cause me less angst.

Third attempt. I changed to a new cable, a three stitch mock cable, and that worked better. And I switched the purl stitches to knit stitches.

It fits. So you would think that I conquered this pattern. But you'd be wrong. 

The finished socks. The center back cable that splits for the heel is different from each other. The one on the right is correct and the one on the left is longer, or has more rows before the crossing stitch is made. The same is true of the three stitch mock cables on the sides of the sock. 

But the really big problem is that the knitting itself is just too stretched for my liking. I should have gone for the next larger size casting on 64 stitches instead of 48, which would result in a denser fabric and less big holes on the heel itself.

Live and learn. Can't win 'em all. Better luck next time. The pattern itself is beautifully written and  I will make it again, and found some DK weight in my stash from Madeline Tosh, so after the sock currently on my needles I will give Clog Socks another try. 

     

#6 Tiny Chex

 This is my first time to try colorwork, in the round no less.  Squeeeee, I am so excited. I got up early Sunday morning (before church) and knit two toes, just to see how the yarn would look. Then decided to begin trying colorwork. I used red variegated Koigu and my own hand speckle-dyed merino/nylon sock yarn from Wool2dye4.com. Simple pattern of two by two, by three rounds. 

The needles were a major investment. I was advised by the Sock Guru-ess Summer Lee that colorwork is best done with Chiao Goo Twist Short needles.

Two sets were included, so it sorta hurt less to spend $32 for this teeny packet.  The needles are different lengths to make it easier to hold when doing socks. So they say. I was all thumbs at first having to hold and knit two yarns in both Continental and then English style. But I knew this was the challenge and I was determined to get the technique. FYI I am an inveterate Continental knitter, but now I feel like English is a good thing to have in my repertoire.

 Inside the sock, where all the floates are visible. One must not knit too tight, and one must use a larger size needle than for a single color sock, as the floats diminish the stretch of the knitting. 

  And here they are finished.  Afterthought heel again which worked perfectly and with this pattern I was easily able to site the heel exactly for both socks. 

 

Not terrible, no puckering and it feels cozy on the foot, but it was not too smart to use two hand dyed yarns as the pattern is not as crisp...O well. It's a learning pair.

 The fit is just right and I am so relieved. 

I noticed an abundance of red socks from my output. That will change as I have a desire for sweet pastels and Fair Isle patterning in bright colors. So inspired. 

Well, it's the last day of June and I have finished six pairs (not counting the four that were started ages ago and got finished before the Sock Project got rolling). 

I've learned toe up construction, magic loop and English knitting, different heels, lace, stripes, cables, and colorwork, and that is the tip of the sock iceberg.

I bought and assembled this bookcase (Walmart) for all my sock yarn, and put it on bed risers so I could easily access the colors I want to use without having to kneel down. My little chair and lamp fill the corner and it sits across from me as I knit. So lovely. 

I've spent a goodly amount on new yarn, but it was all on sale and that's my justification. Also I am using my tax refund, which has yet to come in the mail, but never mind.