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.

and the sock gifts continue

Well it was a week or two ago now but we had the birthday of the newest addition to the family, a brother-in-law. I decided that I'd try a sock club pattern the wonderful Nanaimos. Named after a coastal town in Canada (very specific I know) - there is also a chocolate slice native to the region, but it seemed just a little too complex to do fructose free. I'm hoping that my brother-in-law who is excellent at making sweet things will give them a go.

Anyway it's a basic but effective pattern. And the yarn from misti alpaca is sooooo soft. It's a little fuzzy, what with all the guard hairs etc but I think they will make excellent house socks for this winter. I've ravelled these here. And it was an interesting exercise in making a basic modification to the sizing. I would consider these an XL size and the pattern made only up to a large. So I used a thicker yarn at a gauge of 8 stitches an inch (instead of the pattern's 9 stitches per inch) and it worked out perfectly. Too easy.

Now for the June birthdays :-)

mother-in-law makotos

This pattern is the 2nd pattern from the 1st instalment of the Cookie A sock club. I wasn't sure about the pattern at first, I really do think the slightly variegated yarn suits the pattern better than the sock club yarn.

However the pattern has really grown on me. They were fun and easy to knit. It was fascinating to see how the pattern emerged with the double yarn overs and the resulting ladders. The pattern is supposed to resemble fortune cookies and you can really see it. So clever. I've ravelled all the details here.

The recipient was thrilled. What more could you ask for? Here she is modelling her new socks. :-)

This strange shot gives you the best idea of the colour. Another beautiful yarn from hazelknits. Colourway arroyo.

sharing the plowshares

Here's the latest in the Great Sock Gift Project of 2011-2012. April is a busy month in the Pfitzner family. First off the rank is my father-in-law. I've been searching for some more good blokey sock patterns. Something that's not too boring to knit and not to fancy to be off putting. 

And this was the result:

 
They're called plowshare socks which is perfect for my father-in-law because I think his favourite place to be is on his farm just north of Adelaide. The pattern was a little risky because not that many other people had used it but I love it.

It has a slipped stitch in the middle of the rib which really makes it pop. And there's a chevron kind of pattern to make the plowshare shapes. Kept the interest going without being technically difficult. A really clever pattern.

I also love the yarn which is hazelknits artisan sock (my go-to yarn of choice at the moment). In the words of my father-in-law it's comfortable and surprisingly light. I also love the colourway which is called low tide and is a beautiful mix of blues, greens, grays and browns. Quite similar to the new Cookie A sock club yarn from Socktopus.

And the good news is that the socks fit! Although in the pictures they were kindly modelled by mum. Anyway better get back to the April birthday knitting :-)

holiday knitting goodness

Well we've done a road trip of around 900km to go hang out with my mum over Easter. I finished my most pressing pair of birthday socks. And I didn't receive my delivery of yarn for the next few birthday pairs before we left.

Oh dear! I'll have to do some knitting for myself.

Here are my ambitious holiday knitting goals:
- finish my waywards  by the 11th to be in the running for a cookie a prize: so far only just passed the cuff on the second sock
- finish my raspberry toe-ups: I only have one leg to go
- knit myself a 'slouchy' hat for winter with some stash wool: I'm thinking of 'norie' by Godrun Johnston.

Any slouchy hat recommendations???

hawaiian socks for mum

I love these socks. A beautiful cookie a pattern as per usual with the most fascinating gusset, the decreases were made on the top of the foot rather than around the heel flap resulting in the travelling ribs.

The pattern is called 'haleakala' and is named after the volcano on the island of Maui. I think the lacy cables are reminiscent of lava flow. The pattern is available here. And I've ravelled them here.

These socks were particularly poignant because 3 years ago my mum and dad took all of us kids and families on a trip to Hawaii. It was 6 months or so before my dad was diagnosed with cancer. It was such a special time. We did so many great things together: the best snorkelling ever, walks, a great aquarium in Waikiki (which dad and giggi particularly liked). And regarding haleakala: a couple of the more adventurous ones cycled down it, and my parents and the AJs walked across the crater.
My favourite holiday snap:

My dad died last May, so we're still going through a lot of firsts. These socks were knitted for my mum's birthdays with lots of love and prayers for her and reminiscing over those halcyon days.

These socks are a little big on me, so can't wait to get a picture with my mum's feet in them :-) Happy birthday mum! We love you so much.

clandestine socks for a dear friend

I cannot tell you how thrilled I am with how these socks have come out. Better late than never, my friend's birthday was at the beginning of February, but it's been a busy knitting month.

Sarah H this one's for you - socks with heels :-)

They are certainly the most complex socks I've knitted so far. The main features are an intricate lace pattern (14 row repeat - tricky enough to stay interesting but also repetitive enough to become familiar. NB different chart for leg and foot obviously) and twisted stitches which I think give amazing definition - particularly noticeable on the cuff and the scallop shapes. The pattern for this size is available free here or for the whole kit and caboodle you can buy and download here. The design is by Cookie A a truly innovative sock designer and great fun to knit.

These are also left and right socks - the feet are mirror images of each other.

My mods: a shallower rounder toe than a standard wedge. Mainly because otherwise I would have had to have 3 inches of stockinette for the toe because of the large repeat. I've ravelled it here. 

Special thanks to Rene whose sock photographing skills are truly exceptional.

a gift that keeps on giving

WARNING SPOILER!!!

I'm so excited. For Christmas I was given an annual membership to the Cookie A Sock Club 2012. Cookie A is a really innovative sock designer. And she runs this club where every 2 months she sends out a skein of sock yarn, 2 new sock patterns for exclusive use of the sock club (for 12 months) and 2 cookie recipes. Everyone gets together on ravelry and posts as they receive their wool, comment on the patterns, and update how their sock knitting is going. Socks, cookies (I'm sure I can de-fructose the recipes) and community. It could only be beaten by a real knitting group but anyway...

The exciting thing for me is that I'm going to use the club to knit for myself. All the luscious yarn is just for me!!! This is a project that will go alongside the great sock knitting gift project of 2011-12.

Anyway I'm going to use the beautiful yarn to knit the wayward socks. And so far I've managed to work out the right gauge. Slow and steady... I've got 2 months to finish these beauties.

Isn't this yarn beautiful!?!?! It's a blend of merino, cashmere and silk. So smushy to knit with. Maybe I won't be able to go back.... It's by Alisha Goes Around. So great.

Maybe I'll be able to go back to WIP wednesdays, since these ones won't need to be kept secret :-)

deb's dazzlers

 It's been a bit of a busy time in terms of birthdays and my sock gift project. These socks are for my step mother-in-law, a bit of a mouthful but you know how these things go. Anyway it was a significant birthday and her favourite colour is purple. So I went searching for the right wool. It was a bit tricky to find a nice purple, but in the end I saw this wool that was quite variegated with aqua and a few other colours. The other nice thing was that the wool was from New Zealand, which is where she'd spent her birthday.

Given the variation in the wool I thought I'd stick with a simple rib. And I thought I'd give Ann Budd's On-Your-Toes another go. You can get the pattern in a free ebook here. It was good to practice the Eastern Cast-On again. Fun to knit a sock from the toe-up and good to practice the short-row heel again. I've ravelled it here.

Anyway, better get back to it. I've still got to finish my own version of these socks. I've made a bit of progress since I last mentioned them, finished the first sock and finished the toes of the second. The other socks I'm working on are a complicated lace pattern, so these socks are good for knitting while I'm out and about and don't have to concentrate too hard... :-)

winter hedgerows

I thought that the socks I made for my sister were actually quite gender neutral so I thought I'd try them again with a masculine feel for her husband: heavier weight wool and a more neutral colour. These are the biggest socks I've ever knitted so they took AGES. And I think they might even be a bit big :-/ Oh well... I've ravelled them here.
Here's the comparison:

his...

and hers...

I'm now in the process of trying to get pictures of each of the recipients in their socks in some zany situation. Let's see how I go.

Anyway, better get to it. 2 more pairs of socks to knit this month :-)

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.

finished in the nick of time

We have a birthday. We have two socks. They may be boring but they fit.

Now to make sure they don't get lost in the move.

wednesday knitting update

Wednesday again, well here goes. Here's a run down of my w.i.p.s. The good news is that I've finished one raspberry sock. And cast on the toe of the next one, which is the most fiddly bit. Evidence here:

Must give a shout out to my symfonie wood KnitPro dpns. Loving them. I picked mine up at Sunspun, Canterbury, one of my favourite knitting shops. I'd love to try these but no way I could justify them. Anyone out there tried the signature needles???

The next piece of progress is on some socks for my lovely husband. This is obviously a not-so-secret project. He, himself, is not at all boring but he does have boring taste in socks. They are a super plain ribbed sock. Pattern is a free ravelry download found here. To my shame these were started on the 1st of October and sock 1 was finished on the 8th of October... yet poor sock 2 has languished. I have now finished the leg and turned the heel, and I feel we may have turned a corner...

Sock 1

these lobster socks rock

I'm so excited to be able to blog about these socks. I'm thrilled with how they came out. These socks are a part of the Great Sock Gift Project 2011-12 and are for my beautiful sister. They are an interesting rib that are supposed to bring to mind the hedgerows of country England. An idea that was a little bit lost when I chose lobster coloured yarn. But I love the colour and I love how the rib goes right down the back of the heel.

They also have a rounded toe rather than a wedge toe which I find quite appealing.

I've gone a bit overboard with all the photos. But I just love love love these socks.

I've ravelled the socks here. And the free pattern is available here. I should mention the designer is called Jane Cochran and I think she is just so talented. These are currently my favourite textured socks - a bit more interesting to knit than a basic rib but not too hard.

I was also knitting them at the same time as I had these beautiful roses. And I think I must have a thing for this colour at the moment.

here we go again

Well I don't have much to report for wip wedneseday. I finished another pair in the Great Sock Gift Project 2011-12, which I hope to be able to reveal soon.

So I went back to my cute raspberry ribbed socks. After having finished another sock with the same wool I'm convinced I was using needles too big to suit the wool. So I frogged the whole lot. Better to start again now and have socks that will wear better. I'm also making a bigger size to account for the smaller needles, plus the previous sock was looking a little on the tight side.

Not sure if it's possible to see much of a difference but here goes:

old sock

new sock

I think the pooling works better with the larger number of stitches in the round too... We'll see.

The good news is that in the last 6 days I've managed to get back to where I was and now only have about 3 inches of the leg to go. Better get knitting.

monkeying around

Here's my latest project completed and given away. I'm pretty happy with how they've worked out. The pattern is called Monkey Socks and they're by a well known sock pattern designer known as Cookie A. It's a free pattern available here. And I've ravelled my attempt here. It must be one of the most popular ravelry projects of all time, there are currently 14981 projects using this pattern posted on ravelry.

Anyway, I made this pair for a sister-in-law and they fit which is the main thing. This shibui sock wool was lovely to knit with and I love the shade (called Dragonfly). The only thing I don't love is the 'pooling'. It's the way that the colour variation has pooled into these wide stripes. It should be more like the colour variation around the heel.
It has a twisted stitches ribbed cuff which suits the lace really well. It also has a wedge toe and heel-flap. A technique I hope to keep using is to Ktbl into the stitches picked up along the flap sides when starting the gusset.

This is also my first attempt at a lace pattern of any kind. It really wasn't very hard at all. A good entry level project to the world of lace knitting. Now I hoping to attempt an Estonian Lace Shawl but that's another level all together. The most amazing book is the Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush, I'd love to try one of these. But that will have to be after the big sock gift project of 2011 - 12 is over... Anyway so far so good :-)