Voila! Kanerva

This is my fifth completed project from the book “52 Weeks of Socks” by Laine but the first that I show here. I will do the other four pairs justice with a photo shoot soon.

I do think completing these socks has improved my knitting skills. I now read my stitches (and mistakes) with confidence. The new “me” tries to put the project aside and just take it back after the frustration is over. Mistakes were made and fixed. Socks are finished and loved. It is a good feeling as a maker.

New to me for this project was a 47-inch (120 cm) cable ChiaoGoo fixed circular needle. It does make the difference when magic looping. I do recommend them to any avid sock knitter.

Also new to me is the yarn used. I was convinced to try it due to the fiber blend (75% Merino, 25 % Nylon) and affordability. It seems very soft, so my only hope is that it wears well.

PROJECT INFO
Pattern: “Kanerva” by Rachel Coopey
Sock size: 1, 7.75 in (19.68 cm) circumference
Needle: US 1 (2.25 mm)
Yarn: K+C | Knit and Crochet Hand Dyed Merino Polyamide
Notes: Knit 20 rounds in pattern (row 11 of chart B) before starting toe decreases.
Ravelry: Project Page

Disembarked

My sea legs and knitting objects are home after a lovely vacation sailing around the Caribbean. I still feel the ship moving. Knitting helps me settle and relax.

I finished the pair of socks I had in progress. They are surviving the heat wave with an Eucalan “spa” session.

I cast on the “Camilla” shawl, designed by Carrie Bostick Hoge, on my way to the port.

Each row has close to three hundred stitches. I found my rhythm and am enjoying my progress with the help of several stitch markers and a row counter. A thirty-two inches (eighty-one cm) needle cable keeps the stitches squished but speeds up the knitting.

The pattern is sold on Ravelry individually and as part of the digital book “Madder Anthology 1“. Looks like the hard copy is no longer being offered.

I purchased the Border Leicester yarn from Humbug Farm at the 2017 Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair. Hopefully, two skeins will provide for a big shawl.

PS: More information on the Border Leicester sheep breed can be found here. My shawl Ravelry page is linked here.

Four percent = two pair of socks

Amazon, thanks for showing me “52 Weeks of Socks” at a discounted price. Sure, this Laine Publishing book could help with my goal of reducing stashed yarn. Sold!

About

This book has 256 pages; 52 patterns by 46 worldwide designers. The photography is lovely as is the quality of the paper.

While beautiful and inspiring, “52 Weeks of Socks” is a pattern binder. It does not read as a cohesive collection. It misses the mark in terms of standardization and clarity. For example, the same toe decrease is presented and worded differently from pattern to pattern. There are extensive errata: 20 of the 52 patterns have corrections. The errata are widely disclosed and available at the publisher’s website.

Finished objects

I completed two pairs of socks with stashed yarn so far. That is a whopping four percent of the total patterns of the book. I enjoyed knitting them; the socks flew off my needles. Keeping track of charts, and learning new stitches and techniques appeals to me. I love the challenge of working on non-basic socks!

Next

I should have enough yarn to knit a fair number of patterns from this book. I will blog about WIPs and FOs in another post. Stay tuned!

PS: Laine Publishing just released “52 Weeks of Socks, Volume II”.

Shorties in a new to me yarn…

I noticed a new to me yarn, “Cotton Collage” by Premier Yarns, during a recent trip to a big box craft store. I probably had a magnificent excuse for being in the yarn section of said store.

Two details immediately caught my attention: affordability and fiber blend.

I bought a skein of 246 yards (225 meters) for $3.50 USD on sale. Regular price is $4.99 USD. The blend is: 46% cotton, 33% super wash merino wool, 12% polyamide and 9% PBT which stands for “Polybutylene terephthalate”. This engineered material helps with the elasticity of the yarn. Read more: here.

With the help of a stitch dictionary, I came up with my own “sock recipe”. Pattern considerations: it had to be shorties and needed some structure given the yarn composition. Knitted on US size 1 (2.25 mm), I was able to finished a pair of socks and have leftover for a third sock. Two skeins for approximately $10 USD (before taxes) gets three pairs of hand knit shorties in a 79% “natural” material. Not too bad, ha?

The yarn has high twist and it feels nice to knit with, in my opinion. The downside is the limited selection of only five colors. I guess one could over-dye and hope for a happy accident.

PS: I took notes of my sock “recipe” and will share here for free, of course, in the near future!

Handspun Socks

I have to confess that I had never worn any hand knit socks despite owing at least ten pairs. It had been against my nature to use something “treasured”. I am working on changing those feelings. I do not want to be attached to objects. What I really want to treasure is the craftiness and experiences creating the objects.

The simple pattern is “Socks 101” from the book “Knitalong: Celebrating the Tradition of Knitting Together” by Larissa Brown and Martin John Brown. I bought a second hand copy for almost nothing.

I divided 100 grams of the handspun Targhee in half and knit with two strands on size US eight needles. The socks turn out to be rustic, comfy and a perfect fit. They make me happy!

Links:

Ravelry project page

Larissa Brown’s website

Rose City Rollers No. 1

My first pair of Rose City Rollers will not be the last! I love how they look and fit.

Reasons to love the Rose City Rollers pattern: 

• Pattern is free. Ravelry link.
• Socks are quick to knit and easily adaptable.
• Instructions are best in class and include step by step to complete two different toe shaping.

Project Details

Yarn: Patons Kroy Socks FX in Cameo colorway

Needles: US size 3

Size/Toe: Small / RoundRound

Twins!

I am the proud mama of twin…socks! They are fraternal. It wasn’t planned. Is what happens when one buy too much yarn. But, who am I to judge?

The first pair was knit with Regia 4 ply in color 7200 Moewe.

The yarn for the second pair is Opal. Unfortunately I cannot find the ball band to list the color here 😦

Both pair of socks softened when blocked. They fit wonderfully! I guess one cannot go wrong with either Regia or Opal – both workhorse yarns with fun (similar) colors.

What’s with the purple?

I just finished the second Crazy Zauberball sock!!

My last three pairs of socks share the same colors.

I also finished spinning, plying and washing some Merino fiber. I got close to 480 yards.

Hope that you are having fun with your wool. Have a great day!

Sometimes it takes longer than expected

These socks should have debuted here a couple of weeks ago. I took my time finishing them.

I love my socks, wrinkles included. Yarns & pattern can be found at my project page: here

I also finished plying the last four ounces of a deep stash Merino fiber. The three ply yarn is super soft and spongy. I suffered a “laziness attack” that prevented me to count the yardage. My not at all expert assessment says that I have enough for a shawl

Working on goals…believe it or not

I want to knit three pairs of socks this year. Progress is slow but steady. 

Pair no.1 is  “Vanilla Lattes” in reliable Patons Kroy Socks yarn (75% SW wool, %25 nylon). At $2 per skein, on clearance, I can almost ignore how boring the color is. Ravelry project page here.

I am now looking for the plainest vanilla socks pattern for socks no. two. Can’t wait to use my vibrant Lorna’s Laces Sheperd Sock Multi in Black Purl.

FO: Not actually Pin stripes socks –but close to!

The pattern is called “Pin Stripes” and is free (and popular) over at Ravelry. The yarn is a 75/25 wool and nylon blend from Lion Brand.

The pattern is a level up in the “spiciness chart” as compared to plain vanilla socks.

How I knit. How you knit.

How I knit?
I am a slow knitter. I knit English style.

How you knit?
Love watching knitters on the short Instagram videos tagged #howIknit and #seemeknit

What I am knitting?
Pin Stripe Socks. Details here.

 

WIP: Rusty Stripes Socks

Sometimes the simplest things bring so much joy!

The stats:

• Yarn: Patons Kroy Socks in Rusty Stripes
• Needles: ChiaoGoo Red Lace US 2 (2.75mm)
• Pattern:  Step-by-Step Cheat Sheet for Socks by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

FO: Tutti Frutti Socks

What??? A second pair of socks. Are you proud of me or what? Who ever said sock knitting is addictive was right. I have no plans to become a master sock knitter a la Andi. But, I see simple socks in my future.

I followed Stephanie Pearl-McPhee’s “Step-by-Step Cheat Sheet for Socks” and ended up with a pair of socks. Clever!

The important stuff:

• Pattern: Step-by-Step Cheat Sheet for Socks
• Yarn: Meilenweit 100 Trend (discontinued)
• Bare feet model: my three year old daughter
• Happiness level: orange (a.k.a very high)
• Project page: here

I’m linking in with Tamis Amis FO’s...enjoy one more Friday!