Sock pattern

I've had an inquiry or two about the "seat of my pants"socks. Before I write up a pattern, I'd like to get an idea of just how many people are really interested, since pattern writing isn't cheap (in time or mental energy - see here).

I am not fishing for compliments. Seriously. If the comment section to this post is inhabited by crickets, I will not be hurt. There are enough sock patterns out there, I'm perfectly fine if you don't feel the need for another. Frankly, I feel sort of bad about polluting the internet with another one, which is why I'm asking first.

So - show of hands (by taking the poll on the sidebar) from those who are really (enough italics yet?) interested in a pattern for the socks.

If you're still with me, you have a choice to make: a trade-off between cost (or lack of it) and completeness of pattern. Would you prefer:

a) a free pattern that is more of a rough outline of the sock (appropriate for those who have knit socks before and can fill in their own blanks)?

Or:

b) an inexpensive (but not free) pattern that has complete directions (appropriate for those who can't fill in the blanks)?

Both come with the usual tech support (me answering your e-mails) if there are errors - actual or if you just aren't sure - in what I put out.

I realize that money is a bit of an indelicate topic, but I'd like to be efficient about this - you get what you want (if, in fact, you want it) and I don't expend the wrong amount of energy in the process.

Catch up

I'm not at Knit Night tonight because I've had a cold for the last few days and no one seems to want to be around me. Seriously, my co-workers have been looking at me like I'm a leper. First of all, it's just a little cold; and second, it's not like I'm going around licking people's keyboards. I'm extremely good about using Kleenex, washing my hands, covering my cough, and not touching stuff. Where is the compassion, people?! I wouldn't have even gone in on Monday if I didn't need to be at a meeting. It (the cold, and the ridicule, actually) was bad enough yesterday to stay home from work, but I'm feeling a lot better today. Except that I can't really hear out of my left ear. And sometimes my right ear. But no more nasal congestion and much less coughing. I digress...

Since I'm not at Knit Night, and it's a really lovely evening, I shall blog for you. Look, lovely evening:

Pinky tree

Shady backyard

Some socks for your viewing pleasure:

Details:
Pattern: I just made it up
Yarn: Lana Grossa Meillenweit Cotton Stretch in Cream, 1 100g ball, with plenty to spare
Needles: US size 0 and 1 dpns
Additional info: Toe-up, baby! Check it off the list.

Bristow, in progress:


This is going to be a nice sweater, but it isn't for me. A friend was visiting a few months ago and loved one of my handknit sweaters (Tangled Yoke, actually). She said that she would like to get her grandmother a handknit sweater and asked if I would knit one. I told her she wasn't getting a Tangled Yoke, but I showed her this pattern and she liked it. She bought the yarn, I knit for free. (I'm such a sucker.)

The yarn is Knit Picks Comfy and I really like it. Buttery soft. Anyone think it might work for this sweater:

Ella, from Debbie Bliss Summer Essentials

It knits up a little loosey-goosey on size 7's, but I think the fabric might be firm enough on 6's. Yes? No? Perhaps CotLin would hold up better.

And finally: you know that rule I made about not buying blue or green yarn? Well, I violated it already.

Violation

Knit Picks Gloss in Woodland Sage and Dolphin, for a bi-color Venezia (probably with a scoop neck). I'm totally not even sorry about it. Gloss doesn't come in that many colors and these were really the only ones I though would be a good combination for me. I certainly wasn't going to take a chance on Pumpkin and Serengeti just to obey some stupid rule I made.

So I broke it. And just what are you going to do about it? That's right, you're going to enjoy it. Because knitters always enjoy seeing other people by yarn, no matter what color. In fact, I bet you were rooting for me to break that stupid rule. Shame on you.

Sock pics

First - Knit night tomorrow at Close Knit on Alberta. I think I'll show up around 7, per usual.

Now, the main event - "Seat of my pants" sock pictures. I had planned on making this Lana Grossa Meilenweit Cotton Stretch into some Nutkins, but the yarn is so stretchy, the yo's and ssk's pulled away from the other stitches in an unattractive fashion. Lesson learned - sock yarn with stretch is best suited for knit/purl patters, cables, and twisted stitches. I'll try Nutkins again some time with plain old wool, but something else was required for the Cotton Stretch.

So I went through my library of stitch patterns a bazillion times until I was completely cross-eyed and came up with one from Gisela Klopper's Beautiful Knitting Patterns. It called for cables and some brioche rib, but the brioche was much too springy in the stretchy yarn, so I converted the brioche rib into twisted knitted stitches and plain old purl stitches. Works well.


I gave this one a standard toe (eastern cast on of, like, 12 stitches) and a short row heel. It would be further along, but I had to rip back to increase needle size after the heel.

The girl tank progressed a little this weekend - it has become my Battlestar knitting. In case you are one of the few people I have never tried to strong arm into watching it, I should let you know that Battlestar Galactica is my FAVORITE SHOW OF ALL TIME. Period. Exclamation point. I started watching about a year and a half ago on a friend's recommendation (but I started from the beginning, which is what you should do if you haven't seen it yet; you can't just jump in the middle) and I'm so into it that I won't let myself knit while watching a new episode. It is so important to me to soak up every detail that even small glances away from the screen are unacceptable. With any other show, I wouldn't be able to help myself, but not this one.

So technically, the girl tank is my Battlestar *commercial* knitting, which means that I get about 18 minutes of knitting done one it every Friday night - more time than I would make for it otherwise. I'm bored with it. But the back is almost the right length and then it is just the fronts and some sleeves. A couple more episodes and it will be done.

Public knitting

Now that I have occasion to leave the house, I'm knitting where other people - mostly non-knitters - can see me. This is a new, and rather odd experience for me, as I think you'll see in a moment when I get around to the actual story from today.

I have knit in front of strangers only a handful of times. I took my knitting to school twice that I can recall, both times during summer office hours when few people were around; no time and no room in my 80lb bookbag during the rest of the school year. And I was really good about not knitting at my previous job despite all the down time (although knitting was discussed*). Once, I knitted on the D.C. metro on the way home from work, but I was too engrossed in the lace pattern I was screwing up to notice if people were watching.

At the new job, a couple of coworkers have noticed me knitting at my desk on my lunch break and commented. I even got a "that's awesome" from a guy and guys usually don't think that stuff is awesome**. Today, I took my "Seat of my pants" sock (as I'm calling it) to an informational office meeting on the 401(k) plan. Caught a few odd stares, but whatever. Other people doodle, I knit. At least I'm being productive.

But the most interesting experiences so far have been on Max***, I think because it's with strangers. The Max portion of my daily commute is pretty short and space on the train is limited - esp. when you have to stand - but I find a sock to be manageable. So when I'm waiting for a train, or when I'm on the train and don't have to hold onto a strap for balance, I whip out my sock. But unlike when I knitted on the metro, I'm now watching to see if there is a reaction. There is.

Strange things happen when you knit around strangers, I've learned. Beyond the staring, people behave differently around knitting. I find they actually move closer, mostly without even realizing they are doing it. Not that I blame them for this - I would do the same thing. But today - today was the kicker.

I was on the train, knitting, leaning against the wall in a space used for hanging bikes that happened to be vacant when I got on. The train was it's usual mix of Portland - indescribable, but you know what I mean if you've been here - and standing a few feet away I noticed a girl: late teens/early twenties, a couple of piercings, and gorgeous blue-green manic panic dreads. She didn't seem to notice me though. At the Chinatown stop, a man with a bike got on, so I quickly packed in the sock and moved to the center to hold on to the post. As soon as I did, Ms. Blue Green Dreads turned to me with a smile and said:

"You were rocking that sock!"


I burst out laughing. It was so unbelievably cute and unexpected. I'm impressed she actually knew what it was - it's not much more than a toe at this point. Not quite sure how to reply, I just said "Thank you."

ETA: Two people came by my desk today to ask me about the sock I was knitting in the meeting yesterday. One of them said they have a little group in the office that does charity knitting around the holidays. She even keeps the stash for this in her desk and she said I could stop by and see it. :-) Desk stash, it's a good thing.

*Story #1: One of my bosses at my job in D.C. - her name was Laura - used to do a lot of knitting when she was my age and she was elated when she found out I was a knitter. She would bring in the sweaters she made in the 70's to show me. She even tried to teach the girl who replaced me to knit. I don't think that worked out. But anyway, the best Laura/knitting story is the one where she brought in the yarn she had a friend spin from the hair of the prize-winning Shelties she raised. It looked a lot like alpaca, but it smelled like dog. The fur had not been washed prior to spinning. The oils transfered to my hand when I touched it, and then my hand smelled like dog. It was awkward. I miss Laura, she was a wonderful woman and a great boss.

**Story #2 (apparently, I'm in a story-tellin' mood today): Matthew fell for me when he saw me knitting. Seriously. I was sitting in Faculty and Student Services, where I worked, knitting at the desk with my librarian-style reading glasses on. He literally stopped dead in his tracks as he was walking by. He asked if I had "changed". I looked at him like he was an idiot, and I took my glasses off. Then he said "Are you...knitting?!?" Another "are you daft?" look from me. He gave me a dopey smile, a chuckle, and then wandered off. The next day, he went in to see my boss (who was more of a good friend than a traditional boss) to inquire if I was single. Quality men appreciate the knitting.

***(I have been calling Max [Portland's light rail transit system] 'the Metro', and it has to stop. It's a hold-over from my years in D.C. and it makes me sound like a tourist. I grew up here, for cryin' out load.)

Monkey

I will admit that the first couple of hundred times I saw these socks on people's blogs, I didn't really see the attraction. They looked nice, but they aren't the Twisted Flower socks (by the same designer) or anything. But at some point, I got it. The stitch pattern isn't complex, but it is pleasing and, best of all, it works well for variegated sock yarn. Not a lot of patterns can say that. In fact, when I got this Meillenweit Bosco and first cast on, it was for a pair of Cablenets. A very nice pattern, but it just didn't work with the dark, multicolored yarn. But Monkey was perfect.


Details:
Yarn: Lana Grossa Meillenweit Bosco in a dark purple and lavender colorway, one 100g ball.
Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A. in the Winter 2006 Knitty
Needles: US size 1 dpns
Comments: With the combination of a) having cast on 72 sts for Cablenet socks and worked an inch of 1x1 rib, b) not being able to find my size 2 dpns and c) having fat little calves, I stuck with the 72 sts (instead of 64) and just added 2 sts to each repeat. This meant I also worked the rib plain instead of twisted. I worked two pattern repeats like this, then decreased 4 sts, then worked another repeat and decreased another 4 sts, ending up with the original 64.
I added one repeat before starting the heel flap. I worked my gusset decreases one stitch in from the instep, rather than next to the instep, which fits better with the toe decreases, I think. It's a good thing I didn't use size 2's, because the socks would have been way to big.



They are super comfy! But despite increasing the size at the top of the sock, my calves are still fat enough that they slide down a bit. Damn genetics!

It's been a while since I knit a pair of socks and it was a really nice change of pace. I have issues with knitting socks - the usual "why knit them for $16/pair when you can buy them for $2" - but I'm trying to get over it. As the Yarn Harlot pointed out: it probably took 20 hours to knit these socks, so that's less than $1/hour for 20 really enjoyable hours and I got a nice pair of socks at the end. I've been wearing them regularly around the house too, so they don't just sit in the sock drawer.

Tyrolean Stockings

These are awesome! They are so comfortable. Except for the fact that it's DK weight yarn and standing on the purl bumps is not great. But if you are sitting - awesome!




Pattern: Tyrolean Stockings from the Fall 2007 Interweave Knits
Yarn: about 3 balls of Jo Sharp Silkroad Tweed DK, leftover from Tangled Yoke
Needles: US size 4
Comments: Had to eliminate one repeat of leg (I'm a shorty). It's unfortunate the yarn in not machine washable; it makes them a bit less practical. But they're nice.

And look how cute, some baby stockings:


I adapted the pattern (same needle size just fewer stitches) to use up leftover yarn, and I STILL have some left. I can't get rid of this stuff. I totally guessed at the sizing - I told Matthew we need to have a kid so I have something to measure.

3-month-old socks

I can't believe I finished these at the end of LAST term and haven't blogged about them yet. Yeesh.



Details:
Pattern: Embossed Leaves from the Winter 2005/6 Interweave Knits
Yarn: Sock It To Me in East Coast Blue from Elann.com, 2 balls
Needles: US size 1, dpns
Comments: I altered the pattern a little. I wasn't into the German heel, so I gave it a French slip stitch heel. I'm truly a creature of habit and if a pattern differs from what I expect, I change it to what I'm used to. I probably should have left it alone, but the socks turned out well anyway and I really like them. Only 5 more months until I can wear them. :-)

More updates to come, including Matthew's socks, the stole in progress, some more socks in progress and a tank from the Summer IK.

Good stuff

We can all use more good stuff. Here's some good stuff Kristi sent me a few weeks ago.

The top I made her last year:


The socks I made her for her birthday, aka the mystery project:


Details:
Pattern: Pomatomus Socks from Knitty
Yarn: Sock It To Me in Desert Sand(?) from Elann.com, 2 balls
Needles: US size 1 dpns
Comments: Tough pattern. Not a bad pattern, but I'm really slow at knitting through the back loops, so it felt like the socks took forever. But the outcomes is pretty nice.

Also, my sock pal got a pattern published in Mag Knits. Once again,
I'm really impressed with her work. Did I mention she's only 13?!? Wow.

SockapalOOOza socks!

My socks arrived from my sock pal last week! Her name is Katie and she made me some awesome socks. Here are some pictures:







Too bad the weather has just turned to hot to wear them! But I'm looking forward to padding around in them on the cold hardwood floors in the winter. I really love the color.

In other knitting news, here are some shots of the shawl I'm working to wear to Bridget's wedding. The first shot is the first half of the shawl blocking and the second is the blocked half compared to the (still-being-knit) second half.





Once the second half is done and blocked, I will graft them together (so the shawl is symmetric) and then knit the border. BTW, the funky yellow yarn at one end is waste yarn that was used as a provisional cast-on so I can use the live stitches later.

The pattern is the "Print O' the Waves Stole" from Eunny Jang's blog. Her patterns are all really interesting and this one is free!

Back to school work with me.

I hope my sock pal is pleased

My socks for Sockapaloooza are finished! First one was started Friday before last, finished on Wednesday; second one was started this past Friday, and finished Sunday evening during my dinner/Oscars break from studying for my public exam. It's amazing how fast I knit when I'm stressed. They are shown here amidst my practice exams and scribblings. Let me tell you, tax incidence is a bitch.


Details:
Yarn: Dancing from Knitpicks.com in “Jig” color, 2 balls
Pattern: Gentleman’s Fancy Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush
Needles: US size 1, 4 dpns
Comments: I really liked this yarn. The pattern works well for variegated yarn, not too much stitchwork to get lost in.

A shot of the bottom, you can see the light blue pooling, which I really like:



One of the stitches close up:



And to prove that they are stretchy and fit more than just my midget feet:

One foot down

After receiving my yarn last Friday, I finished the first sock on Wednesday. Too quickly to even post in progress pictures. After waffling so many times, I eventually decided on the first pattern I had wanted to make, the gentleman's fancy sock from Knitting Vintage Socks. I used the yarn called "Dancing" from Knitpicks. My sockpal mentioned that she liked Sockotta, and this yarn is almost identical. Between the stretchiness of the yarn and the ribbing in the pattern, I feel confident that the sock will fit well.

Here's a picture I took before I grafted the toe:

Why aren't there any good sock patterns for big feet?

I've picked and then rejected a pattern for the sockapaloooza socks about a half dozen times now. I thought about several in the new book I bought, Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush (there are lots of great socks in the book), but I would have to dramatically alter the patterns because they are all (even the men's patterns) fairly small. I never realized the lack of sizes in sock patterns before. Virtually all patterns are written in one size with most running about 7.5 inches in circumference and the maximum is around 9 inches. Not big enough for my sock pal or Matthew, when I get around to making his socks.

I really don't feel like rewriting a pattern or coming up with a new one, but I think I may have to. I wonder if the yarn is stretchy enough to fudge it? Hmmm.......

Still waiting for the sock yarn

Damn postal holidays! I want my yarn!

The boys had a video game night on Saturday. I played a few games, but I'm truly horrible at that stuff, so mostly I sat on the couch, drank beer, and knit. This allowed me to make more progress on the diamond lace sweater. I have finished the front and back, but I have to do some figuring for the sleeves so I haven't cast them on yet. And I broke a Denise cable! I pulled to hard last night while shifting a sweater being knit in the round and broke it. Doh!

I may not have time for the Olympics...

...but I think I may have time for Sockapalooza. I'll let you know later this week.

Finished object #3 for the year:



Details:
Yarn: Cascade Pima Tencel in black, 2 balls
Pattern: Wavy Pattern Scarf from Vogue Knitting Sp/Su 2005
Needles: US size 5 (bamboo!)
Comments: Pima Tencel is really soft and really heavy. The two balls made a scarf that is about 6" wide by 40". The pattern looks almost the same on both side - yay for reversibility. (Top pic is back side, bottom pic is front side.)

Ever notice how much time it takes to blog?

Especially when you want to add pictures? I've been meaning to do this for a week. First off, let me apologize for the poor photos. It is impossible to get enough light in this place, and it has been particularly overcast lately. Anywho...

Finished object (or FO, as they are called in the knit blogging culture) #2 for 2006 was actually an FO more than a year ago. While living in Virginia, I bought the most beautiful skein of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted Multi in Black Purl. This yarn is so unbelievable awesome. If you haven't seen it before, track it down. It's worth $17.00 a hank (225 yards is pretty good, and it's machine washable wool - so soft). Anyway, I always knew it was only enough for a skinny scarf, but the varigated color made it difficult to come up with a stitch pattern that did it justice. Originally, I just knit it in stockinette. And of course, it curled like crazy, so I could never bring myself to wear it. So last week, I frogged it and knitted it back up. I chose a mistaken rib because I thought the pebble-iness would show the colors off well. I also managed to get the colors to pool in a manner that I think is flattering, which was something that didn't happen on the first knitting.


Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Black Purl, 1 skein.
Pattern: 20 sts in mistaken rib.
Needles: US size 7
Comments: It's really long, probably about 6 feet. Second time is a charm!

And here's an unfinished item:



Okay, so this sock is finished, but the pair isn't. But I can't wait, I love them! These are the first pair of fingering weight socks I've made for myself. Details coming when the other one is finished, which will be a while, because I'm forcing myself to finish the second sock of another pair that is a gift for someone. (Not telling who yet!)

In other news, it looks like Dad's sleeves are too long, so when he comes to visit in a few weeks I will be ripping them back. I even measured them against his arm when I was there for Christmas, but the weight of the fabric must be pulling them down. Oh well, should be a quick fix.

Sock pics

Here are the finished socks:

Details:
Yarn: Cascade Fixation Color 9843, less than 2 balls
Pattern: Made it up
Needles: 4mm double points (the package said US size 6, but that would be 4.25mm, so they must be from the UK)
Comments: My first pair of big socks! Not bad. Stretchy yarn takes some getting used to, but working with the merino stretch first helped.

With the leftovers, I made some baby socks:

Pattern:
Cast on 20 sts on US size 5 double pointed needles and join. Work 16 rounds in moss stitch (Round 1: [K1, P1] repeat to end. Every following round: K the P sts and P the K sts). Work the short row heel shaping over 10 sts, until you have 5 sts between yarn overs, then back to 10 sts and rejoin the round. Work another 9 rounds in moss stitch, then repeat heel shaping for toe. Graft toe sts to instep sts. Should fit a 0-3 month old, maybe older since they are stretchy.

It's a sock!

Kristi and I are having a mini sock-a-long. It started when we were in Portland browsing the Yarn Garden and she said she wanted her next project to be socks. Totally doable, and I told her I would help her through. But in order to be able to help her, especially long distance, I realized I would have to get some Cascade Fixation and needles and follow along. When she visited yesterday, we worked on our socks some and I gave her a primer in heel shaping (plus some take home instructions). Since I rushed to get to the heel by her visit, it was pretty easy to finish up the sock this morning.



Specs to come later.

Kate is never interested in me until I have a camera in front of my face.