FO: Duet Socks
Here they are! I actually finished them this past Saturday but didn't manage to get my act together in time to post. I really like how they came out and they're really comfy!
I already know I won't be knitting with such thick yarn again for socks, but if I did I would remind myself to short row less on the heels -- there turned out a bit poofy, but definitely not unwearable. I still can't quite believe I finished a sock in 2 days, much less a pair in a week! This is almost definitely a record for me. Makes sense when you think about how many fewer stitches it takes to make something that's only 52 sts around instead of 60, and has way fewer rows per inch!
If you look closely at the toe of the left sock you can see the design I left in even though it doesn't show enough . . . just a sneak peek of what my next sock design will involve! Shhh, don't tell.
Project specs:
Pattern: 52 sts around with contrast toes & rib
Yarn: Duet Sock yarn in color Puddle Drop
Needles: US size 2
Started: May 31, 2008
Finished: June 7, 2008
Woah.
Imagine that title as if Keanu were saying it in The Matrix. That's how it sounds in my head.
This is what made me say/hear it:
I cast on this sock at approximately noon today. And just bound off, before midnight. No, I did not work on this all day -- I would venture to guess it took less than 4 hours to knit from start to finish. There's certainly something to be said for knitting socks on thicker yarn and bigger needles!
That said, my design didn't work in this gauge and the 2 colors are too close to show the detail. I gave it up and just worked plain socks with a gusset short row heel and ribbed cuff. I also realized that this is too thick a sock for my taste: it's quite heavy and feels more like a slipper than a sock. I will probably wear these to bed in the winter, they're definitely too thick to wear in shoes.
If you're wondering about the design, I worked out all the details and will try again on normal sock yarn, with more contrasting colors, sometime soon. AND the design process produced another colorwork sock design, so you may be seeing more than one sock design around these parts in the near future . . . although you should know that when I say "in the near future," I really mean After Wedding. Meaning late August at the earliest.
FO-a-day, Day 2: Margarita Socks
Quite possibly the fastest socks I've ever knit!
The stripes didn't line up very well on the second sock, it seems that the repeat was a little shorter on the second sock than on the first so the stripes aren't the same. This is most visible around the heel, you can see in this picture that there is a lot of purple around the ankle of the right sock but not as much on the left sock. I'm ok with this, though, socks do not have to be perfect in my world!
If you want to knit these socks, here's what I did:
- Knit toe-up socks with fingering weight yarn, with whatever stitch count you want, then after turning the heel knit 6 rows while increasing/decreasing to a stitch count of 66.
- Pattern row: * K2tog 2 times, (YO, K1) 3 times, YO, K2tog 2 times, repeat from * 10 times more.
- Knit 3 rows. Repeat last 4 rows until socks are desired length. Make sure to bind off on what would have been a knit row, not on the pattern row.
That's it! So simple I couldn't justify working it up into a "pattern".
By the way, this yarn goes FOREVER. I have tons left over, easily enough to make knee-highs. I am kind of shocked at how much is left over! And as Dave pointed out in a comment last time I talked about these socks, Twisted Fibers now sells their yarn from their own website, www.twistedfiberart.com -- I think I need to get some more!
Project specs:
Pattern: Toe up socks, figure 8 cast on and feather and fan legs
Yarn: Much less than 1 skein Twisted Fiber Arial in color Guardian
Needles: US size 1
Started: April 26, 2008
Finished: May 3, 2008
FO-a-day, Day 1: Ruffle Socks
I've been on a finishing binge over here! I have at least 4 FO's to show you, and with any luck there could be even more!
These socks are so silly, they make me smile every time I look at them! The color is so gorgeous, and of course they're made from KOIGU so I have to love them. It's in my contract. (JK, I love Koigu of my own volition. I certainly wouldn't mind a contract that paid me to love Koigu, though . . . )
If you want to add these ruffles to your own toe-up socks, here's what I did:
- Knit to about 1" short of where you want your socks to end, making sure you have about 3x as much yarn left as you would use to knit that inch in stockinette.
- Knit into the front & back of every stitch around. Knit one row plain. (you may need to add an extra DPN at this point since there will be so many stitches on the needle)
- Knit into the front & back of every stitch around. Knit one row plan.
- Bind off as follows: * BO 2, YO, bind off YO, repeat from * to end.
After you bind off you'll probably have to shape the ruffles by hand to make them look even. That's it!
Project specs:
Pattern: Toe up socks, figure 8 cast on and ruffle cuffs
Yarn: 2 skeins Koigu KPPPM color P221
Needles: US size 1
Started: February 14, 2008
Finished: May 2, 2008
BRIGHT Bright Sock!
I am still not feeling 100% but I'm definitely better . . . I actually got tons of stuff done this weekend, including cleaning, finishing a few long-overdue FOs (stay tuned for photos of my Katherine Hepburn and the Koigu ruffle socks!) and starting one new project. BRIGHT socks:
(have to brag: this picture is a perfect representation of this sock!! Shock of all shocks!)
I thought it might be ugly while I was knitting it, but somehow putting it on changed the way it looks! I now LOVE IT, and it makes me smile just looking at this picture. The colors were yelling "Mexico!" to me so I am thinking of these as my Margarita socks (coincidentally my favorite drink, although most Mexicans never drink them), so it make me want to spice them up a bit, hence the stitch pattern on the leg.
This is yet another toe-up sock. I think it might be time to admit that I've been converted. Never say never.
I did more increases before the heel on this sock and that's definitely better, but you can see from this picture there is still a decent amount of stretching out so in the next pair I will do even more increases. I am so happy I decided to try this weird gusset, the idea of being able to make socks this easily is really appealing!! I had stayed away from toe-up short row socks because of the fit at the instep, but now that I've figured out a way around that . . . well, now you know why I can admit to being converted!
After the socks decided to evoke Mexico for me I thought I needed to add a little sizzle to make them more Senorita-like (forgive the lack of squiggle above the N) -- so I gave them a modified feather-and-fan leg, using only 11 stitches in each pattern repeat. I think it works really well with the colors!
Speaking of which, this is new-to-me yarn bought via Etsy. This is Twisted Fibers Arial sock yarn in the Guardian colorway. It feels a lot like Sunshine yarn's Soft base yarn or Yarntini's base, which is to say it doesn't have that crisp, tightly-twisted texture you expect from yarns like Koigu and STR. It also appears to be a tiny bit thinner than other sock yarns, but I was able to knit the foot on my usual 60 sts so it didn't make any difference. I like how it feels on the foot and how it knits up, and will be keeping my eye on the store to grab some more when it becomes available! I already have my eye on that Warlock colorway that's their banner . . .
