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Cast Off - February Sockdown

A few of you  have reminded me that I never posted about my completed Kaffe Fasset sock for last month’s Sockdown. 

 

We were challenged to try a new heel.  I choose the Eye of Partridge heel and then ended up making my own modifications so the brilliant Kaffe Fasset colors would ‘pop’ more.  BTW, I love, love, love this Regia Kaffe Fasset line!  I want to collect all of the dyelots.  I knit this pair of socks very quickly because I couldn’t wait to see the next color unfold.

Popping Eye of Partridge Heel  (even # sts)

Row 1: Sl 1 purlwise, *k 1, sl 1 knitwise,* repeat from * to * end.
Row 2: Sl 1 purlwise, p to last stitch, k 1.
Row 3: Sl 1 purlwise, sl 1 knitwise, *k 1, sl 1 knitwise,* repeat from * to * last 2 sts, k to end.
Row 4: Repeat Row 2
Repeat these rows till heel flap is about 2 1/2 in or desired length.

This is definitely my new favorite heel flap!  I really like how it looks and will try to incorporate it into my upcoming socks.

Cast Off - March Sockdown

 

I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning last night to finish my March Sockdown socks.  I don’t normally stay up until 2:00 a.m. but when I jog on my treadmill in the early evening then my body doesn’t want to go to bed at 10:30 p.m.  I enjoy the feeling of being industrious when I stay up that late but, unfortunately, on the flip side I feel ‘lazy’ the next day when I wake up late and my day flys by without much accomplishment.

 

I finished these socks around my normal bedtime and tryed them on only to discover they were a tad too short.  Briefly, very briefly, I contemplated gifting them to a family member with a smaller foot.  My sweet hubby helped me push through that brief moment of benevolence by reminding me that I deserve to have them for myself since I loved the yarn and the pattern so much.  So, I went to bed resolved to rip out the toes the next morning and add a repeat.  I tryed to fall asleep but frog downstairs kept getting louder and louder….rippit, rippit me.  I dragged my non-sleepy body out of bed and selected a recorded movie to watch.  Some people experience the ‘call of the sirens’ whilst others experience the ‘call of the knitting basket.’  Do any of you experience this?

Ann Budd’s DIAGONAL CROSS-RIB SOCKS

Yarn:  Dream in Color Smooshy - Lipstick Lava

Needles:  2.25 and 2.00mm

What can I say about the Dream in Color Smooshy yarn?  I love it.  It was fun to knit with and the color is scrumptious.  I like that it is tightly wound yet smooshy.

I also enjoyed knitting the diagona cross rib pattern although, as stated in an earlier post, the simple twist broke one of my Lantern Moon needles.  BTW, they shipped two replacement needles within days of my email to them!  That being said, I strongly recommend using metal needles to knit this pattern.  I worked the upper leg on needles one size larger to accomodate the calf.  Since I prefer snug socks, I used 2.25 and 2.00mm needles.  However, I think a step up in needle sizes would have been fine for the average foot size.

Cast-on March Sockdown

 

For the March Sockdown over on Ravelry, we are to either knit an Ann Budd pattern or try entrelac.  Since I’m not that crazy about entrelac the decision to choose an Ann Budd pattern was a no brainer. 

When I did a Ravelry search on Ann Budd patterns I was astonished at the sheer numbers - she is a prolific knitter!  It was a hard decision to pick only one pattern but I settled with the Diagonal Cross Rib Socks.  The pattern is found in the Interweave Press book called Favorite Socks.

Unfortunately, the ’simple twist’ that happens on every other row snapped one of my brand-new Lantern Moon Sox needles.  Keep that in mind should you ever knit these socks!  The technique is not that difficult but it does require a sturdy needle because you are knitting through the back of the second stitch without slipping it off and then immediately knitting through the back of the first two stiches.

The yarn I’m using was a gift from my daughter Jennifer.  It is Dream in Color Smooshy and I can now join the throngs that sing its accolades - this yarn is incredible!  I love it! 

I didn’t fret too long about my poor broken needle.  After emailing Lantern Moon and asking if they would consider sending a replacement I received an immediate reply back if the affirmative!

Slow Baby Yoke Progress

You know what this means, don’t you?  It means I have had a small hiccup in my knitting of the Dale of Norway Baby Yoke sweater.  After I finished both arms I realized that the body of the sweater was too short - like two inches too short!  I don’t know how I managed to be so off in measurement.  Rippit, rippit - it’s to the frog pond the ribbing goes.

Next up will be to seam the underarm openings.  I read about this opening in Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitting Without Tears book.  She uses this same method with her yoke sweaters so I was pleased to see it in the Dale of Norway pattern directions.  For the most part, I do not like how Dale writes their patterns.  They assume you have a wealth of sweater knitting knowledge which I do not have at this point.  I’ve come a long way though but have further yet to go!

I will be taking some pictures of how I tackle this underarm hole.  There are some excellent instructions in my Jacqueline Fee Sweater Workshop book that I am anxious to try out………soon, soon..

Project Spectrum FIRE Socks

I went to the not-so-local yarn store to look around and to pet yarn this morning.  I left the shop with a beautiful set of Lantern Moon Sox Needles in my favorite size (2.25mm) and some Kaffe Fasset yarn in the landscape color effect called ‘Fire’.  Kaffe Fasset is an inernationally know textile and knitting designer.  His inimitable sense of colors have brought him international fame and he is known as the ‘color artist’ and as “Guru of the world of textile and color”.   I already know that the beautiful colors in this sock yarn will not be captured to their credit. 

The yarn colors really aren’t in the Project Spectrum Fire Element color range, but since the yarn is named ‘FIRE’ I really think it will qualify.  So, these will be called my Project Spectrum Fire Socks.  I will use a plain vanilla sock which will be a good sock to knit on the flight back home. 

I love the yarn and am not sorry I purchased it.  But, unfortunately, since I broke my yarn diet I will no longer qualify for the TOP TEN STASH BUSTER prize. 

 

C is for Cruises

 

“C’ is for “Cruises”

In April I will be sailing off into the sunset to celebrate my 25th wedding anniversary!

Hubby and I will be embarking upon a sixteen day Mediterranean transatlantic cruise on the Emerald Princess. Her maiden voyage was last spring so she is less than a year old.  Brand spanking new!

Six days to cross the Atlantic Ocean………….. plenty of time for knitting!

Eight Ports of Call :

1.  Madeira, Portugal

2.  Seville, Spain

3.  Gibraltr, Spain

4.  Sardina, Italy

5.  Rome, Italy

6.  Florence, Italy

7.  Marseille, France

8.  Barcelona, Spain

Cruising is not new for us but watching a movie under the stars will be!

Celebrating 25 years with the love of my life, priceless.

Sockdown Ravelry: BFF Socks

 

I finished my challenge socks for the January Sockdown Ravelry.  Fortunately, they only had to be cast on in January and not actually finished until the end of February.  I started them January 26th and finished them February 10th.

PATTERN:  BFF Socks by Cookie A.

YARN:  Koigu Premium Merino (31655)

NEEDLES:  2.25mm

This pattern was an interesting one to knit and I learned something new - how to do a cable decrease/cable increase.  I’m a little disappointed in the fit.  I initially frogged one complete sock because I used 2.5mm needles and the resulting sock was too baggy.  I thought the cause was the needle size so, accordingly, I went down to a 2.25mm and knit these two socks.  The fit is slightly better but still not great.

The pattern increases stitches after the ribbed cuff to accomodate all the cables.  It then decreases down at the heel for fewer stitches on the heel/foot.  72sts around my ankle is just too much and it causes the ankle to bag some. 

My Conclusion:  This is a nice pattern which offers three sizes.  I should have gone with the smallest size rather than the medium size.

The fit of these socks has given me cause to be concerned about the Sweetheart Socks that I wanted to knit this week………. the Sweetheart Sock requires 84 sts to be cast on with NO decreases.  I’m having second thoughts….. 

And, having a new pair of socks that do not fit well makes me want to dive into Cat Borhdi’s Sock Architecture book all the more.  I may be making a swap my pattern plans.

 

 

Sweetheart Socks

When I saw the Sweetheart Socks in Interweave Knits Holiday Knits, I KNEW they were destined to become my Valentine Day socks.  And, when I received a beautiful red skein of Dream in Color Smooshy for Christmas, I knew it was  destined to be used to knit the Sweetheart Socks!

So…… where ARE my Sweetheart Socks?  They have not been cast on.  How many days left until Valentine’s Day?  SIX.  Guess who is putting all other knitting aside so that she can knit a pair of Sweetheart Socks in six days?  ME!

Stay tuned for a Valentine’s Day report!  Wish me luck!