FO: Patience Socks

And they're done!

The nifty sock blockers were a Christmas present from my husband--he came up with it all by himself! I can't imagine using them to block socks--do people really do that?--but they're perfect for taking FOtos.

The Details:

Yarn: Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Sweetpea. Definitely my new favorite yarn. I've been snatching it up in Rav destashes as fast as I can hit "pay now."

Needles: Size 2 Bryspun dpns. I really wanted to use the Bryspun needles and size 2 is as small as they go, so even though I'd prefer a smaller needle, I gave them a shot. They socks turned out fine. I think this yarn is a little thicker than most sock yarn. I did the cuffs on size 1s (some new wood dpns I got from DyakCraft--formerly Grafton fibers--thanks to a tip from kmkat), because I was hoping tighter ribbing would help them stay up.

Pattern: Winged it. Cast on toe up and increased to 56 stitches. Worked in k2, p2 on the tops only for four rounds, then switched to p2, k2 to get a checkerboard pattern. Toe, bottoms, and short row heels are plain stockinette. When I got to the ankle, I continued the checkerboard pattern all the way around. The cuffs are k2, p2 ribbing. I really like the finished texture. It looks almost like a diamond weave.

Size: Women's 11. I worked the foot until it measured 8.5 inches from the toe, then started the short row heel. After the heel, I worked about an extra inch before beginning the ankle. Foot length is about 11 inches.

Name: Well, that's pretty straightforward. I started these waiting in the doctor's office--for hours--and finished them while waiting for the release of Clue 2 of the Enchanted Wood mystery shawl. "Patience" seemed appropriate. I wonder if wearing them will give me more of it?

Coming Unraveled

I finished Clue 1 for Enchanted Wood a few days ago (ahead of schedule!), and since the next clue won't be out until the 22nd, I picked up my current pair of socks to fill the gap. I made such good progress that by the end of American Idol last night, I had two socks that looked like this:

All they needed was a bind off.

Ordinarily, I would have gone to bed then, but I was so close to the finish that I figured I'd just stay up a little later and get them bound off.

Does anyone else hear the Knitting Goddess cackling?

I got about ten stitches into the bindoff of the first sock when I discovered I had somehow dropped a stitch while binding off. I started tinking back. The bindoff I'm using involves knitting two stitches, slipping them back to the left needle, then knitting them through the back loops. This makes a nice, stretchy edge for toe-up socks. It is also absolutely impossible to tink back. After two hours and a raging desire for a bottle of Xanax, I had one sock ready for its bind off and one sock that looked like this:

Oh, yeah. It's not pretty, folks.

But for once, I'm proud to say, I recognized bitter reality while it was staring me in the face and bowed to the inevitable. I stuffed the sock back into its bag and went to bed.

Thanks to my HMO...

...I got this much sock knitted waiting at the doctor's office today. I am not a fast sock knitter, so you can imagine how much time this represents sitting in the waiting room. Thank the good lord for knitting, and Mountain Colors for my new BFF, Mountain Colors Bearfoot.

(I should also thank my HMO for the $1200 per month premium, the visit to the primary care physician for a referral to the specialist, the copay for the primary care physician, the mandated specialist, the additional co-pay for the specialist, and the six month wait to see the specialist, but at least we don't have government-run health care. Because that would be inconvenient and expensive, and we wouldn't be able to choose our own doctors. Sorry. My sarcasm is showing. Hey, Canada, wanna trade?)

Socks and More Socks

I would never have believed it possible, but I think I've caught the sock bug.

I finished the Mountain Colors toe-up socks a while ago:

I love these socks! Despite the wonky toe on the first one, I think they're the most comfortable socks I've made. The yarn is amazing; the colors are great and it knits up into a soft, dense fabric that responds really well to machine washing. I do think they got a bit shorter with washing, though. I really, really like knitting socks toe-up. I can use all the yarn and I don't have to graft the toes.

I enjoyed these so much that I immediately cast on for another pair. I had a 150 gram ball of Supersocke dk weight, so I made knee highs!

I prefer longer socks, so these really please me. The top ribbing is a little floppier than I'd like. Next time I will use a smaller needle for the ribbing. I did these on size 2 (2.75mm) dpns. Yes, dpns. And despite my great love for magic loop...I had so much fun!

I did them simultaneously on two sets of dpns, to prevent second sock syndrome. I used Bryspun nylon needles, which are my favorites for sock knitting. Unfortunately, 2.75mm is the smallest size they make. They worked well for this yarn, but for most sock yarn I prefer a size 1 (2.25mm). I haven't yet found any dpns in that size that I really like; I'd like a slightly flexible, non-metal, short (4-6") needle. Any suggestions?

Look! Up in the Sky!

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's...a toe-up sock!

The specs:

Yarn: Mountain Colors Bearfoot. (Love it!) Not sure of the colorway.

Needles: 2.24 mm, long, slippery, metal Susan Bates dpns. (Not so much.)

Pattern: I started with Wendy Johnson's "easy toe", which wasn't. Halfway up the foot, Cynthia took pity on me (thanks, Cynthia!) and turned me onto her pattern (Rav link) for toe-ups. It includes instructions for a short-row heel (love it!) and a really easy, stretchy bind-off (ditto). I can't wait to try the toe on the second sock. The top of this sock is done in 2x2 ribbing, with every other knit rib done in a 1x1 cable for a ropey effect. I would have done this all the way around once I reached the ankle, but I forgot, so it's only on the front of the sock. I finished the cuff with basic 2x2 ribbing.

To my great relief, it fits perfectly and feels like it will stay up. I particularly like the short row heel. I have narrow heels, and my flap heels always sag. I also never seem to get them the right height. This short row heels fits the shape of my foot much better and didn't require picking up gusset stitches, which I dislike.

Unfortunately, I didn't knit two at a time (sorry, Melissa!), so now I have to go cast on for the second.