socking it to London

So my lovely brother and his wife have birthdays on consecutive days and are currently living in London so these socks were completed some time ago. They did however arrive safely and were unwrapped over the weekend.

For my SIL I revisited one of my favourite patterns which I've also made for my mum, see here. This however is the alternative version with the lace pattern continuing all the way down the foot (straight laced). The cables are mirror images of each other which adds a little interest.

The pattern: Haleakala by Cookie A

Yarn: Caper Sock by String Theory

Colour way: Charcoal

And can I say this yarn is really fabulous. As well as a sensible nylon component for durability it also has 10% cashmere for sheer delightfulness.

For my brother, I knitted my new favourite sock pattern for blokes. I think I might be knitting this one again. It's a kind of faux argyle sock pattern using travelling cable stitches which really 'pop'.

I also think the eye of partridge heel looks really good with a variegated yarn.

The pattern: Business Casual by Tanis Lavallee

Yarn: Caper Sock by String Theory

Colourway: Peacock

And can I just say that I was a little disappointed that the colours weren't a bit more lurid - I think my brother can really pull off a cheeky business sock :-)

delightful do-over

Here's a trap for young players. When reading a sock pattern for sizes you need to distinguish whether the measurements are for your foot or the finished sock. Because of the delightful stretchiness of wool on most socks the finished product is about an inch smaller than your foot - unless you like your socks slouchy.

Anyway, earlier this year it was one of my very good friend's birthdays and I thought I'd make her some socks too - even though she's not a relation. I loved the look of clandestine by Cookie A. It's available here. They came out great. See here for more info.

But they were too big. Aaaarrrggghhh. The socks were 8 inches not for a foot of circumference 8 inches, so for my friend's petite foot they were no good. On a side note they fit me perfectly and I'm not that disappointed to have them back.

Because the lace repeat is so large I didn't think I could size them down. So I went looking for another pattern. I settled on Blackrose Socks by Suzi Anvin available here. Part of the appeal of these socks was that the pattern came with multiple sizes including a sufficiently small small.

So here are the do-over socks which thankfully do fit this time :-)

I love that once again there's a left and a right sock. I love the lace pattern - it wasn't too hard to memorise. I wouldn't mind making these again with a darker yarn to really show off the lace pattern.

I also love the clever construction on the gusset - how the decreases are worked into the edge of the pattern.

And a big shout out to String Theory and their Caper sock yarn: so delightful to knit with. It has nylon for durability and cashmere for squishyness. Fantastic. You can try for yourself - go here.

Love it.

wip wednesday is back

Well, I was waiting for some artisan sock yarn from the amazing hazelknits as part of my great sock gift project. BTW totally not their issue, but mine in not ordering it soon enough. They get their yarn out so fast, less than a week from ordering from the US and it was at my door. But it meant that I could work on some socks for me while I was waiting. April and June are busy times in our families for birthdays....

Anyway, I got started on my Cookie A sock club socks. The pattern is called Wayward and is for the exclusive use of members until February 2013 after which you can buy it from ravelry.com

I put the socks on to circulars for photographing and to check the fit. They are so beautiful and more complex than anything I've ever knitted. Each row is different because of the way the cables travel across the sock. So you have to sit and concentrate but the result is worth it.

The wool is so soft and squooshy. Lovely to knit with. And still gives decent stitch definition because of the twisted stitches I think.

The other exciting thing is that I've learned to cable without using a cable needle. It makes the knitting a bit quicker which is nice with such a complex pattern. Watch this video to learn how. Pretty easy and not too scary after all. 

These however, are the socks I can take out with me and I don't need to keep referring to the pattern. I don't knit with variegated yarn much. This is the same pattern that I used for Deb's socks. This photo doesn't really capture the colour mainly raspberry, green and a little purple. 

Although these socks were started on the 7th of October I'm pleased that they're still chugging along. I find to counter act the so called 'second sock syndrome' you just need to cast on the 2nd sock immediately when you've finished the first one. At least then you've done the fiddly bit and it's not too daunting to pick them up down the track.

Good fun. Nice to feel like you're achieving something, as a stay at home mum so much other stuff is repetitive and is never done. This is different.

cute blueberry socks

The first family birthday of the year arrived. We enjoyed a beautiful meal as mentioned below. And I managed to get the socks knitted in the nick of time.
These are a cute pair of lacy cabled socks. I've ravelled these socks here.

heel view

Once again the pattern goes down the heel flap which I really think is nice. The other cool thing about this pattern is that you do the cabling without having to use a cable needle (and you can do an odd number of stitches cable). It also gives it a lacy look, as the cabling method is a bit holey. Cute.

Now to get started on the next pair. Not long til the next birthday.

addicted to sock knitting

I've been knitting for a while now. Mainly children's jumpers (they're quick and you can be sure they'll fit them at some stage), and accessories such as scarves and hats. But to tell you the truth I was intimidated by socks plus I didn't much see the point (I don't wear socks that often and you can just buy them quite cheaply). Well obviously that's all changed.

This is because
- they're easy to transport around
- they don't take that long to make
- they make a good gift for the person who has everything
- you can try out a new technique without committing to a large project
- I was nervous about using DPNs
- of the sense of achievement in facing your fears

So my not so secret project is to knit socks for some of the significant people in my life. I'll post a picture once they've been gifted. And you can wait with bated breath to see if there's one on the way for you :)

Here's a picture of the first pair of socks that I ever knitted. I've ravelled them here. I'm really very happy with them.

I currently have four pairs on the go which I think is a little excessive. I'm looking forward to completing some of them soon.