Shazam--With Stripes!

Wrong Side Out

Right Side Out

Either way, these are Inside Out! socks from the BMFA February sock kit in the 2007 Rockin' Sock Club.

I joined the club to push myself to learn more sock techniques, and boy, did I learn on these socks. First of all, the pattern is truly amazing. Thank you, Kaci. It's a toe-up (and a beautiful one) with a short row heel, neither of which I had done before. The leg is done in a reversible cable and that was new to me, too.

At first I was worried about the lack of striping like I saw in some other finished socks. Then, after trying several sizes of needles, I decided they were going to do what they wanted to do and I was going to be okay with it. I like the way they have become uniquely mine with their zig-zagged feet and striped legs.

All in all, a challenging pattern and a pretty fine result.

Waiting in the Wings--

I like blues...from subtle to vivid...And burgundies, deep and luscious...

and pinks and tans and grays and multicolors...

All sock yarn, of course, just waiting to be fashioned into the loveliest of footwear!

Inside Out Progress

My STR Inside Out sock is progressing. The pooling/zigzagging no longer bothers me. Getting them done is my goal.

The red yarn is my lifeline, in case I have problems with the leg. Hopefully I won't have to frog/rip back to this point. But if I do, there's a safety net.

The second sock is already started, with plans to get this far on it and then complete both legs consecutively. This way, if changes get made one one leg, they will be fresh in my memory!

Rocking and Rolling and Ripping Out

Recognize this sock?

This was done with 00 needles, which gave me the closest gauge, but I found it too hard to knit with medium weight yarn and tiny needles. It's not the best photo, but I took it right before ripping out and my patience was wearing thin. The sock was pooling in an unusual way(can you say camouflage) and I wanted to switch to the next larger needles in the hope that it might get more stripey like in the pattern photo.

Guess WHAT! It did not!

As some of you know, this is the current STR sock kit. My yarn almost looks like a cousin of the one in the photo. It seems to be missing much of the lighter colors that show up in a lot of these socks that are being created.

Oh well, I joined this to learn, and I am definitely learning. Having never done a toe-up sock before, I find myself intrigued--and stretched--by this pattern, which is called the "Inside Out." It can be worn right side or inside out. The color pooling is so funky that I might just wear one of each!

I do feel that cables and lace patterns usually get lost in a multicolored yarn . Occasionally one finds an intricate pattern that compliments an patterned yarn, but not too often. The Jaywalker sock is an excellent exception, and even that doesn't work with every yarn. That's just my opinion, which seems to run perpendicular to the current wave. It must be me. A holdover from the fifties.

About Podcast Receivers

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day is not until Saturday, but my yarn enablers are planning a trip to Buffalo to Silver Creek Cabin that day, so I will be too busy to post!

For my fellow geeks: there is a free podcast receiver available called Ziepod. Since having some problems with Juice after a recent iTunes update, I switched to this and am liking it so far. The practical feature of Ziepod is that you can stream or download the podcasts. The upgrade version of this adds, among other things, the ability to receive video podcasts and it sells for around twenty dollars. The free version works for me!

I use iTunes to transfer my music to my iPod, but don't like it for receiving podcasts because it doesn't seem to download them directly from the source which makes some of the podcasts arrive late or not at all and then I have to manage them; delete the ones I don't want, etc. And since many podcasts are like newspapers in that the information is timely and would be old news in a few weeks, it makes sense for me to listen to them on my computer while I have my morning coffee and do a bit of knitting.

Not Another Pair of Gray Socks!

Yes! Another boring pair of gray socks!

The rib part of this sock is from Nancy Bush's Hiiumaa sock #1 from Knitting on the Road. I plan to make the toe and heel in the cream color.


And I received a shipment in the mail today, compliments of my dear sister. It's my long-coveted Nancy's Knit Knacks yarn meter, along with two sock knitting books and a KnitPicks chart keeper. Woo-Hoo!


Since I like to make two socks at a time (to avoid the "one sock syndrome), it's advantageous to be able to divide one skein of yarn equally. Dumb luck has been my fortune in the past when dividing yarn, but in the future--exact measurement!

And here is a tool that I have promised myself for awhile. A cordless drill/driver. Plain old screwdrivers are hard on a knitter's hands. I have already used it several times. Life is short. Get the drill.

Mom's Socks - Finished!

While in Sioux Falls helping my sister as she recovered from a heart attack, these socks for my mom took shape and I finished them this morning.

On my way home from S.F. I stopped at Mom's for an overnight. We measured her itty-bitty Munchkin feet (size 6-1/2) and I am pretty sure these will fit her. Being a fairly practical person, she liked the color, which is a variegated gray and goes well with the scarf I gave her last year. Somehow I lost the ball band but I think the yarn is Regia.

Does anyone else worry about giftees tossing our lovingly made hand knits haphazardly into the washer or *gasp* dryer? It's easy even for me to make a mistake like that. I guess you just have to give the gift and not look back.

The Hopeful Socks and Hat - Finished!

This project started out with Nancy Bush's sock pattern, "Canada," from her book, Knitting on the Road. Then it morphed into a hat as well. I am calling it my Hopeful Socks and Hat in part for my brother, who is having some serious health problems. They won't fit him, though (and they are a bit too feminine) so I might have to see if I can rig up a pattern for a big guy.

Yarn: Meilenweit Sock Yarn
Needles: #1 Double Points
Pattern: Knitting on the Road, Canada, revised.

I'd like to see more tweed sock yarn on the market.