Sockapalooza!

There's nothing quite like a nice pair of hand knit socks.  They just feel so much better on the feet than their commercially manufactured counterparts.  They're also great knitting projects for so many reasons:

• They don't use much yarn, so you can splurge on something nice if your budget allows
• It's a small project that's easy to carry around with you
• Since it's a small project, it doesn't take months to complete
• Ever try to work on a cardigan or a blanket in the middle of summer?
• They're socks!

Here are a few that I've made lately, with the most recent project first.

These are from a Doctor Who-themed pattern called Bowties Are Cool and were designed by Mandie Harrington.

Bowties Are Cool.  So are fezzes

I had originally hand dyed some yarn for these, but the tonal changes got in the way of the teensy bow tie pattern so I opted for a couple of skeins of Premier Yarns Serenity Sock (on sale, natch).  The stitch repeat was easy to memorize, and was simple without being tedious.  I didn't do as many repeats as called for in the pattern and they're still a bit longer than I like, but they're really comfy and bow ties are cool! 


The next pair was made with some hand dyed yarn, which I wrote about here.  I made them for Pat, who dyed the yarn and promptly handed it off to me.  The pattern is Eunice, from Sock Innovation by Cookie A.  It was a challenging (in a good way) pattern, including a 7 stitch cable that had stitches going every which way, but I think the result is gorgeous.  I might just have to make a pair of these for myself at some point.

Eunice Socks for Pat

These were made for my mom.  She picked out the Malabrigo sock yarn in Rayon Vert.  I adore working with this yarn!  The pattern is another Ravelry download.  The designer is Kristi Geraci, and the pattern is called Belle Vitini.

Mom's Belle Vitini Socks

Finally, here is another pair of socks with a Doctor Who theme.  These are mine all mine.  Yay!

Don't Blink!

Raveler Maire Martin designed these Weeping Angel socks.  I made a couple of modifications, starting with a twisted rib for the cuff.  I also extended the feather pattern down the foot to the point where the toe decreases begin.  I really like how the toes echo the heel motif, which you can kind of see here: 

This pattern had an interesting heel construction, employing a series of increases rather than knitting a heel flap and then picking up stitches for the gusset.

I'm really pleased with this pair.  They're soft and comfortable, the color works with lots of my wardrobe, and the lace pattern is lovely. 

Best part?  They're DOCTOR WHO themed!

My preferred method for knitting socks is two at a time on two circulars (saves me from the dreaded second sock syndrome).  It seems I usually select top down patterns, although that's not a conscious decision. 

How do you like to knit your socks?

WIPs and FOs

As I'm trying to discipline myself to post more regularly, here are a few recent projects.

I picked up this gorgeous Malabrigo Sock yarn from the Twist: Yarns of Intrigue booth at the Southern California Handweavers' Guild Weaving and Fiber Festival a couple of years ago.

The colorway is Persia, and it's a soft, squooshy variegated yarn with colors that range from sidewalk grey, through several shades of blue, to black.

I finally used it to make a pair of gloves - and I have enough yarn left over to make something else!  The pattern is Julia Mueller's Knotty, which is available free on Ravelry. 

I made a second pair of gloves for my cousin:

These are made with Sensations Bamboo & Ewe, a wool, nylon, bamboo blend from Jo-Ann.

After gradient dyeing some Lion Brand Sock-Ease with food coloring,

I made a Glam Shells shawl.

This is actually my second Glam Shells.  The designer is Marisa Hernandez, and the pattern is also available as a Ravelry download.  I love this pattern.  It's mostly mindless knitting - perfect for TV or movie watching - but when it's blocked it becomes a light, lacy wrap perfect for a summer evening.

 Finally finished my Color Affection shawl (well, almost - I still need to block it) so I cast on my Bigger on the Inside shawl.

I don't think it will be quite as long as I prefer, so I plan to add more lace repeats.  Will probably add increase/decrease repeats so that the shawl is a bit wider as well.  In order to keep the edges nice and neat I'm slipping the first stitch of each row purl wise.  On the right side rows I'm slipping with the yarn in back and on the wrong side am slipping with the yarn in front.  I think this will make it easier to pick up stitches for the TARDIS section and will make for a more attractive top edge as I don't like the look of garter stitch edging.

TARDIS Love

I've been wanting to cast on Kate Atherly's Bigger on the Inside shawl since it was published on Knitty recently; it went to the top of my queue immediately.  So, although I really shouldn't be spending money on yarn right now, I treated myself to some Stroll from Knit Picks, which arrived today.  Yay!  The color way is Sapphire Heather.  It's a bit more teal than true blue, but I think it'll work anyway.  I like the depth of color the heathering lends to the yarn.

Now I just have to finish my damn Color Affection shawl.  It's a simple pattern but for some reason I have had nothing but trouble with it.  I actually had to frog it once because it was puckering in the three color section.  It seems that no matter how loose I make the edges it still wants to pucker a bit.  Hopefully it aggressive blocking with take care of it.  There are only 2.5 three color repeats to complete and then I'm on to the final section.  Can't wait to be done so I can move on.