At long last the toe-up socks I had been working for the past two months are done. And while I was cross at times over how tedious it was, in the end I fall in love with the finished product, just like every other piece of knitting that I finish.
As a reminder, the yarn is Signature Four-Ply by West Yorkshire Spinners. It is a blend of wools with 25% nylon for strength and regain. I purchased it in Madison, WI at a shop whose name escapes me. I used no1 circular needles, knitting in a 3 by 1 rib.
After washing and then left to dry flat, the socks became very soft and luxurious.
If I have the opportunity, I will buy more this yarn.
It’s been almost 2 months since I cast on this lovely blue 4-ply sock yarn by West Yorkshire Spinners.
I’m feeling guilty about my lack of progress since then on socks for my DH. It’s been very cold here and he has nearly worn out all the other socks I’ve knit for him.
In early January I picked this project up again and I hope that they’ll be finished soon.
This photo shows the toe-up method using two size one needles. Gauge is about 12 rows per inch. Because the stitches are so small, I find it difficult to work on this in low light.
But Ta-Da! I have one completed sock.
Today I worked on sock 2 during Westham United’s game against Darby. At the whistle, I had completed another 1 and 1/2 inches on the foot section. I’m hopeful that cast-off will take place before another week has passed by.
I am underway with the fourth and final pair of socks in my sock marathon challenge. This post was meant to happen last Monday. But in the days approaching that day, I experienced an unexpected and somewhat distressing set-back.
The pattern I have selected is Yamadori, designed by Ema Marinescu for Knitty.com
The troubles began when I (belatedly) read the pattern through for the first time. I had assumed that the texture was created by a few slipped stitches and maybe a purl or two. I was wrong. Here is what the designer said: “The simple travelling stitches worked on the instep and leg create a fun texture that will keep you entertained from start to finish.”
Not this knitter. I was inexperienced in performing the maneuver to make a traveling stitch. I spent a few hours viewing U-tube videos on the myriad ways to make a left-leaning traveling stitch. I then spent more hours fumbling with my yarn and needles.
The tension started in my shoulders and moved both up and down my spine. Eventually I had completed several rows of the texture and acheived a massive headache.
I put down my needles and tried to get on with my life. Stress plagued me all day. The wind howling out of the southwest for the next 24 hours exacerbated my tension, leading to feelings of impending doom. How it is possible for a knitting project to give me an anxiety attack?
The next day, I picked up my knitting, stared at it, and knew that there was only one cure:
FROGGING:
Realizing that the pattern would work just fine in plain knitting and would let the crazy stripes shine on their own, I began again from the toe and kept going. Here is my progress for this week.
Let me give some credit to this wonderful yarn by Ewetopia – Wisco Sock. The colorway is Caterpillar.
As of today, the completion rate on my sock challenge is 75%. Newly added to the sock pile is a pair I am calling Dots and Dashes.
This is the largest pair of the challenge, with a foot length of 10 1/2 inches. I used 100% natural wool in two colors and a pattern from Berroco called Fairlee. I would rate the skill level for this pattern as intermediate, which matches the rating assigned by the Berroco designer. They are described as slipper socks – I’m assuming that’s due to the fact they are written for dk weight yarn.
Modifications that I made include the two-color pattern on the foot, which came from Barbara Walker’s Treasury of Knitting Patterns. It’s in Chapter Four, Two-Stitch Check, version 1.
The second modification is the bind-off. The pattern calls for a sewn tubular bind-off. That looked like a hassle to me, so I worked Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy bind-off for one-by-one rib instead.
You can find the original Berroco pattern on Ravelry, or visit my post dated October 3rd for the embedded link.
One more to go. I had to order some needles, so I won’t be casting-on the last pair yet. Tune in on Monday to see what goes on my needles next.
Having returned from another trip to Wisconsin and a week of recovery, I am back to sock work. The challenge is to knit socks for each member of my daughter’s family. This is part 3 of 4 – son-in-law’s pair. He has a very long foot. To make certain that I have the length right, I took the started sock with me so he could try it on.
Try on a sock that is still on the needle? How can this be? This act can be done if the knitter works the sock from the toe up. Having recently learned the Turkish cast-on I am knitting my first pair of toe-ups. Thank you, Suzanne Bryan.
The pattern I have chosen is Fairlee, offered by Berroco yarns on Ravelry.
This pattern is designed with Berroco’s Vintage yarn in dk weight, which I heartily recommend. But for SIL, I chose an all-wool Plymouth yarn called Galway.
It is a sport weight, but I am working it stranded. You will notice that I modified the pattern in the foot section by working a cute little dot design with two colors. I hope that this will result in a warmer, stronger sock that felts a bit.
PHOTO SHOWING BEAUTIFUL SHORT ROW TOE STARTED WITH TURKISH CAST-ON
SHORT ROW HEEL FOLLOWS THE FOOT
The cuff is knit from a chart, incorporating some purl bumps. I really like this design element, but it has been tedious to knit. I find the second circular needle is always getting in the way. Thankfully, I’m almost finished with this section.
That’s about all I have to report today. Later this week, I will catch you up on the status of my Badlands art quilt. It is coming along well.
Daily Fiber 