Some Sock Pictures and More
I may have mentioned that I'm an on-again, off-again sock knitter. There are knitters who are crazy about knitting socks, and there are those who never knit socks, and then there are a few of us who remain somewhat ambivalent about the whole genre. When I first learned, I was addicted for a short time. I was fascinated with the whole thing of knitting in the round, which I'd never done before, and I liked having a small project I could finish in less time than a sweater.
I think I go in and out of sock phases because I vacillate between loving and appreciating the beautiful, unique quality of hand-knit socks and wondering what the whole point is when they're just going to be covered up in stinky shoes anyway. Besides, I love my smart-wool socks from REI. Second Sock Syndrome is one of my worst afflictions as a knitter, second only to Start-itis. That's probably why I give away most of the socks I knit; if a pair of socks is intended as a gift, that's motivation for me to finish.
Still, a good pattern always grabs my attention, whether it's for socks or a sweater or what-have-you. (Note: this does not apply to cozies. There are no good patterns for cozies because cozies are stupid things to knit. Some folks have tried to change my mind about tea-cozies but I'd rather drink my tea than let it sit under a felted hat all afternoon, thanks.) I started what I thought was a good pattern, the Austrian Diamonds sock pattern from the Fall 2006 Knitter's Magazine...
...and eventually got fed up with it. Too many damned twisted stitches, too many cables, too much fuss for a sock. If I wanted to go to that much trouble, it's going to be for something that goes on something more visible than my foot. I didn't even bother to frog it. I just picked up the second skein and started a new sock, the Embossed Leaves pattern from Interweave (most recently published in this book):
I think I started this sock on Wednesday and finished it on Saturday. It's beautiful, a great pattern, goes fast as lightening. Of course, it's too beautiful to keep. I'll have to finish the second one straight away and figure out who to give it to.
Speaking of gift knitting, here's something else I'm working on:
It's a scarf with a reversible cable pattern (how cool is THAT!) for Pam's mom, who graciously hosted Daniel and me while we were in Syracuse to do a recital (with Pam) a couple weeks ago. The yarn is Lion Brand's cashmere blend and I really like it. I never thought I'd say this about anything produced by the Lion Brand people, but this stuff is sooooo soft and springy and perfect for this kind of project. I chose the color black, which is hard to see, but Pam's mom is a professional violinist and has to wear black all the time, so I thought it appropriate.
I think I go in and out of sock phases because I vacillate between loving and appreciating the beautiful, unique quality of hand-knit socks and wondering what the whole point is when they're just going to be covered up in stinky shoes anyway. Besides, I love my smart-wool socks from REI. Second Sock Syndrome is one of my worst afflictions as a knitter, second only to Start-itis. That's probably why I give away most of the socks I knit; if a pair of socks is intended as a gift, that's motivation for me to finish.
Still, a good pattern always grabs my attention, whether it's for socks or a sweater or what-have-you. (Note: this does not apply to cozies. There are no good patterns for cozies because cozies are stupid things to knit. Some folks have tried to change my mind about tea-cozies but I'd rather drink my tea than let it sit under a felted hat all afternoon, thanks.) I started what I thought was a good pattern, the Austrian Diamonds sock pattern from the Fall 2006 Knitter's Magazine...
...and eventually got fed up with it. Too many damned twisted stitches, too many cables, too much fuss for a sock. If I wanted to go to that much trouble, it's going to be for something that goes on something more visible than my foot. I didn't even bother to frog it. I just picked up the second skein and started a new sock, the Embossed Leaves pattern from Interweave (most recently published in this book):
I think I started this sock on Wednesday and finished it on Saturday. It's beautiful, a great pattern, goes fast as lightening. Of course, it's too beautiful to keep. I'll have to finish the second one straight away and figure out who to give it to.
Speaking of gift knitting, here's something else I'm working on:
It's a scarf with a reversible cable pattern (how cool is THAT!) for Pam's mom, who graciously hosted Daniel and me while we were in Syracuse to do a recital (with Pam) a couple weeks ago. The yarn is Lion Brand's cashmere blend and I really like it. I never thought I'd say this about anything produced by the Lion Brand people, but this stuff is sooooo soft and springy and perfect for this kind of project. I chose the color black, which is hard to see, but Pam's mom is a professional violinist and has to wear black all the time, so I thought it appropriate.
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