I wasn't joking...
...I really am making socks! I think it's the whiff (just a whiff) of spring in the air that makes me want to pack up the plans for warm sweaters and go for little projects.
But first, check out the adorable beret my mom made for Anya. I think the little flower is a nice touch:
Now then, onto the socks. I know this is just part of the daily knitting for many of you (if I could claim that "many" read this little blog), but not for me. I'm such an on-again off-again sock knitter that when I start a pair, it's kind of a big deal. For one thing, I am quite picky about sock yarn and patterns. I don't like lace (too many holes to wear through), I don't like plain stockinette (too saggy), I don't like self-striping (seems like cheating, but that's just me, plus there's the risk of pooling and I HATE that), and I'm wary of variegated because the pattern doesn't show up very well. I was also strictly a top-down heel-flap sort of gal.
That is, until a couple weeks ago. Ladies and gents, I present you with my very first toe-up sock:
The yarn is Plymouth Happy Feet. Yes, it's variegated, but I like the way the colors are splotchy, and besides, it's just a 1x1 rib, so the variegation adds interest without detracting from the stitch pattern. The pattern is from the Vogue Knitting Ultimate Sock Book (really cool book, I recommend it), though there's not much to it. Just cast on half the stitches you need for the circumference, work a short-row toe, knit up the foot, do the same short-row sequence for the heel, and work up the cuff until you feel like stopping. That's it. Easy-peasy.
So easy, in fact, that my waning attention span demanded that I cast on for a different sock before the first pair was finished.
The pattern is my own, though I'm thinking I saw a blogger doing something similar recently with the faux cable going down the side, which is probably where I got the idea (Yarn Harlot, maybe?). Geez, I'm SO unoriginal. In any case, the yarn is Jojoland Melody
. It's kind of weird how the colors change, but I like it, despite my normal misgivings about self-striping yarns. It's 100% wool, and I saw a few comments on Ravelry about this yarn being itchy, but I think it's very nice and soft. That was half the reason I bought it, actually.
Here's a gratuitous close-up:
My "pile" of works in progress keeps growing. (It's not really a pile. If I put them all in a pile, I'd get depressed about it. They're really scattered about so it looks like less of a problem.) Still, finishing these pairs of socks is high on the knitting priority list. Then I think I'll tackle some languishing unfinished projects, and then I won't feel guilty about starting something new.
(Right. I'm sure it will work out exactly that way.)
But first, check out the adorable beret my mom made for Anya. I think the little flower is a nice touch:
Now then, onto the socks. I know this is just part of the daily knitting for many of you (if I could claim that "many" read this little blog), but not for me. I'm such an on-again off-again sock knitter that when I start a pair, it's kind of a big deal. For one thing, I am quite picky about sock yarn and patterns. I don't like lace (too many holes to wear through), I don't like plain stockinette (too saggy), I don't like self-striping (seems like cheating, but that's just me, plus there's the risk of pooling and I HATE that), and I'm wary of variegated because the pattern doesn't show up very well. I was also strictly a top-down heel-flap sort of gal.
That is, until a couple weeks ago. Ladies and gents, I present you with my very first toe-up sock:
The yarn is Plymouth Happy Feet. Yes, it's variegated, but I like the way the colors are splotchy, and besides, it's just a 1x1 rib, so the variegation adds interest without detracting from the stitch pattern. The pattern is from the Vogue Knitting Ultimate Sock Book (really cool book, I recommend it), though there's not much to it. Just cast on half the stitches you need for the circumference, work a short-row toe, knit up the foot, do the same short-row sequence for the heel, and work up the cuff until you feel like stopping. That's it. Easy-peasy.
So easy, in fact, that my waning attention span demanded that I cast on for a different sock before the first pair was finished.
The pattern is my own, though I'm thinking I saw a blogger doing something similar recently with the faux cable going down the side, which is probably where I got the idea (Yarn Harlot, maybe?). Geez, I'm SO unoriginal. In any case, the yarn is Jojoland Melody
. It's kind of weird how the colors change, but I like it, despite my normal misgivings about self-striping yarns. It's 100% wool, and I saw a few comments on Ravelry about this yarn being itchy, but I think it's very nice and soft. That was half the reason I bought it, actually.
Here's a gratuitous close-up:
My "pile" of works in progress keeps growing. (It's not really a pile. If I put them all in a pile, I'd get depressed about it. They're really scattered about so it looks like less of a problem.) Still, finishing these pairs of socks is high on the knitting priority list. Then I think I'll tackle some languishing unfinished projects, and then I won't feel guilty about starting something new.
(Right. I'm sure it will work out exactly that way.)
Comments
I have gone through phases in the past where I knit nothing but socks for months on end but I think I got socked out. Maybe trying it toe-up would revitalize my sock mojo,