Year-End Trash

I was doing a little clean-up today and ran across a bag of "mending" items. After looking them over, I decided to take a few photos and ... throw them out!

This was my first attempt at sock knitting.

I used Mistake Rib - one of my favorite rib patterns. I like how it gives depth to the rib pattern.

But didn't use sock yarn ...

(I think this is the second set of holes in these socks.)

Here's another early sock-knitting effort.

I used a triangle rib pattern and a little cuff decoration

And the same yarn as the first pair ...

This sock was one of a pair I knit for my brother-in-law ...

I used Mistake Rib again and learned how to get a clean color-change in ribbing (knit all stitches in the first round with the new color).

These were sleep socks, so I knew I didn't have to worry about wear-and-tear. But their wool-loving puppy got hold of this one ...

Next were a pair of felted slippers ...

They were nice and think and were well worn. Eventually, all the way through the sole of one slipper.

My final trash items was these socks.

These were fun. I worked them toe-up and started by knitting and felting the toe sections ...

worked to the heel and inserted felted heels ...

I thought I was on to something - felted toes and heels would add durability to the 2 most common failure points. However, the failure point on these was the sole/heel join ...

All of these have been in my mending bag for more than a year and I figured the likelihood that I would ever mend them was pretty slim. So with that bit of honest assessment, I put them in the trash (before I could change my mind).

Twisted Lace Socks - May 2014 UFO Week

For my first UFO week, I decided to work on my Twisted Lace Socks.

It's a little bit of a stretch to call them a UFO. I started them in February. In my knitting journal, I called them "Valentine's Day Socks". I made good progress, but then, about a month ago, spring was in the air and I set them aside.

Back in February, I swatched several different patterns. None were really working for me until I flipped through a magazine my sister Jeanne had given me for Christmas a couple years ago - Quick Knits from Classic Elite Yarns, 37 Fabulous Patterns for Wraps, Socks, Hats, and More. I decided to try the Eyelet Rib stitch from the Twisted Lace Socks pattern and liked it.

UFO Knitting - 1 Week, Every Month

Recently, my friend Linda lent me her copy of Crewel World by Monica Ferris

Being a mystery set around a needlework shop, it was right up my alley. It's fairly light and a quick, enjoyable read. It was published in 1999 and is the first in a series that's now up to 16 books. Yep, I'm a little slow getting to this series.

So, what does any of this have to do with Knitting UFOs (UnFinished Objects)? Well, early on in Crewel World, Margot (sister of main character, Betsy), mentions that the last week of every month is UFO Week.

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.

Socks: Serenity / Pyroclastic / Widdershins

Now that they are finally finished, I thought I'd write up the pattern for the socks from my Knitting in Kauai / Second Sock, Second Time posts. I named these "Serenity / Pyroclastic / Widdershins" because ...

Serenity is the yarn — Deborah Norville Collection Serenity Sock yarn. Pyroclastic is the source of the lace pattern. Widdershins is the source of the heel.

Here are a few photos of the finished socks.

Second Sock, Second Time

As mentioned at the end of my previous post, during my recent trip to Kauai, I just about finished knitting this second sock ... for the second time!!

So, why a second time? After all, the first sock looks perfectly fine, doesn't it? Of course it does.

Nevertheless, after I finished the toe on the second sock, I had a "bright" idea to knit the sole of the second sock in twisted stockinette stitch. Just to do something different ... and without knitting a gauge swatch.

I know better than that!!!

Knitting in Kauai

Although I didn't work on weaving in ends while I was in Kauai, I did knit. (Of course!) Mostly, I worked on a pair of socks.

While sitting here ...

and looking out at this ...

One morning, I noticed a fellow knitter sitting in the lovely atrium area of the hotel.