Sheep Feet Socks - Part 2

After completing the toe, I decided to try the Spiraling Coriolis pattern from Cat Bordhi's, "New Pathways for Sock Knitters, Book One". I wanted to try her Sweet Tomato Heel as well. So, I made a few adjustments to the arch expansion calculation.

One of the things I love about knitting toe-up socks is being able to try them on as I go ... and make adjustments.

Here's a close-up of the Spiraling Coriolis pattern ...

It's a little subtler than I thought it would be, but I like it.

Sheep Feet Socks

What to do when you don't get socks for Christmas? Knit them! (Yeah, yeah, I know. I likely would have been knitting them anyway.)

So, the other day, I went to my stash, made a selection and got started.

Now, it happens that a few weeks ago, I picked up "The Knitters Book of Socks" by Clara Parkes at the Lopez Library.

In it she notes, "Unfortunately, we can't always count on a yarn label to indicate the ideal sock gauge for a yarn, because socks always want to be knit tighter than most other things you'd knit with that same yarn. Or, as Lucy Neatby puts it, 'Socks should be worked on abnormally small needles for the size of the yarn.'"

Linen Stitch Short-Row Heel, First Try

For Jim's Eagles socks, I thought I'd try working a linen stitch heel to match its linen stitch toe.

After mulling over the heel methods I know, I decided to try a short-row heel in linen stitch. I thought the first half went fairly well. I completed my arch expansion, switched to my black yarn and knit around to my end-of-round marker. (Due to the jogless joins at each color change, the marker had migrated around to almost the center of the sole.) Then, I started with the linen stitch - RS: k1, slip 1 with yarn in front; WS: p1, slip 1 with yarn in back; being sure to work the stitch that was slipped on the previous row and slip the stitch that was worked on the previous row.

The first half was:

Eagles Socks for Jim

Several years ago, I knit a pair of chilly-night socks for my brother-in-law, Jim. I had Bill try them on to check out the fit and he said that while the socks felt just fine, he wasn't sure about my color selections. "Cowboy colors for an Eagles fan???"

A while later, I got one sock back for repairs because, "the dog ate my sock."

Well, this sock is still in my mending bag. (Along with quite a few other items. Apparently, I'm not much for mending knits.) So, I decided to knit a fresh pair of chilly-night socks for Jim. This time in more appropriate colors.

I finished the first one in time to include it in the Christmas shipment. And it's mate is now finished too.

Tahini Salad Dressing

We are long on tahini at the moment so I've been playing with tahini salad dressing. I mixed up a batch today and like it enough that I'm posting it for future reference.

Summer tank

Back about, oh, 7 or 8 years ago, I was shopping with Cherie and she talked me into buying this simple, little tank. I have a tendency to be a bit ... um, shall we say "thrifty" (some might say, "cheap") and this was one of those things that cost a little more than I would normally spend.

Well, it turned out to be a big, huge value. Thank you, Cherie!!

I wore this tank to pieces. OK, not quite to pieces, literally, but all the way to stains and frays.

After multiple attempts to get rid of the stains (that'd be the "thrifty" side of me), I've finally decided that it is time to let go of this wonderful tank.

However ... perhaps, I could knit a simple, little tank that I like equally well. So, before putting it in the stack for Take It or Leave It at the Lopez Dump (aka "Neil's mall"), I took a bunch of measurements and - by posting them here - I'll have them at the ready when I sit down and start working on my knitted tank.

Girly Pink Cardigan

I was in Augusta, Georgia visiting Mom & Dad this Easter. Bill came out too and he took a family photo.

I happened to be wearing my very girly pink cardigan and I happened to notice that one photo shows a fair bit of it.

One of these days, I will get more photos. In the meantime, I can post this much.

I made this from yarn that was in my stash for years. I did lots and lots and lots of swatching before I finally struck upon a stitch pattern, yarn combination and design that I liked. I'm glad I stuck with it, 'cause I like this sweater.