Lime Sherbets - Finished!

Yarn: Plymouth Sockotta (45% cotton, 40% Superwash wool, 15% Nylon)
Needles: #1 Susan Bates dpns
Pattern: My own
Comments: I liked working with this yarn a lot. The color is not simply a solid color but a couple shades to give a very soft effect even in this glow-in-the dark color.

I think they look good just as is...











...and on the foot.

When I make this pattern again, I will give the heel a bit more depth. I'm still learning!

These turned out to be really nice summer socks. I'd like to make them in a nice, boring white next time.

Lime Sherbet, Anyone?

I am not a green person. That is to say, I don't live with or wear a lot of green.

But this color was so sherbety that I knew I had to knit it up into summer anklets to go with a sherbet flavored shirt. Along with white, the color is pure refreshment on a hot day.

Yum!

Pattern Corrections

As you can see by my chicken scratching, I had to make a few changes because there were some really obvious errors in this pattern. If I had looked for errata on the internet, I would have found the corrections!

Also, I used a stretchy cotton yarn that probably was not as suited to the pattern as some others might be. I am concerned that it might not fit my friend. But it will fit my itty bitty head, so I am proceeding and will block it to see if that makes a difference. I like the color a lot, though, and the yarn has a really nice drape to it.

Onward YO!

New Projects and Other Temptations

I ran across a site I found to be very compelling called Glove Knitting KAL. They are knitting and blogging about the loveliest gloves. It's very tempting to try a pair of gloves!

A blue hat for a friend is what I am now working on. It has bobbles with a purled background. I don't ordinarily like bobbles, but really like this hat.







Also in the works are the Jack Sparrow's Favorite Socks for my grandson. Hope I can hang in there with these and not end up in a tangled mess. I have only done a couple things with more than one color.

They will be done only in black and white. So far, it has been fun to watch the pattern emerge.

Solstice Slip - Finished (Artistic Liberties Taken)

Here is my version of the Solstice Slip from the Rockin' Sock Club. I did them top down, starting with the slip stitch pattern. I just could not get into the rhythm of the stitch, which may be just where my head is at this time, so I switched to a k3,p2 ribbing on the rest of the leg and the instep. I kept the garter stitch short row heel and toe, and this was my first attempt at kitchener stitch. I didn't have any problems with it except it seemed to get little bumps at either end. There must be a way to do the stitch without getting those, unless it's partly because of the garter stitch.The particulars:

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock lightweight in colorway "Firebird."
Pattern: The Solstice Slip from the Rockin' Sock Club
Needles: Susan Bates Quicksilver #1 double points
Comments: BMFA makes some of the most beautifully dyed yarn in the world and it is great to work with and even better to wear. Next time I would make these in a more solid colored yarn and do them from the toe up, just for fun!

The JoJolands - Finished!

Yarn: JoJoland Melody Color # MS16
Pattern: My plain sock pattern
Needles: #2 Susan Bates Quicksilver double points

Comments: I thought these socks would be a breeze to knit with larger needles than I usualy use, but found the yarn quite slippery and I seemed to drop stitches and not notice until I was a few rows down the line. This may have been the fault of the knitter, however. Ahem!

I could have used bamboo needles and that might have helped somewhat. The yarn seemed to have less memory than some of the more tightly spun yarn and when I had to frog, it was difficult to pick up the stitches with even a darning needle because the stitches popped loose and that led to more picking up stitches.

My tendency is to match up striping, but in this case I did want both socks to look different.

In the end, I really like the colors in this sock!

Sidetracked--Again!

For me, there aren't enough hours to be able to spend on creating things that please my eye, and certainly not enough days in a lifetime.

Rather than finishing the Rockin' Sock Club socks, which only have the toes remaining and I am procrastinating even though the weather got a bit cooler and I no longer have the "yarn is too hot" excuse, I started these socks in the beautiful JoJoland yarn. The colors are simply stunning as they undulate from green to turquoise to blue.

And the bracelet. Aha! that is another sidetrack project, albeit a very easy one that I quickly finished and promptly wore. If you haven't done any beading, I highly recommend it as a very pleasant and gratifying craft with wearable or giftable results. (Is giftable not a word? Well, it should be.)

Oh, and I have started these socks, only in black and white: Jack Sparrow's Favorite Socks.
If they work out, they will go to my grandson, who seems to really enjoy quirky shoes and socks. Wonder where he got that?

Too Hot for Soltice Slip

I'm at the toe of these socks and just can't look at this hot color any more. It's the Rockin' Sock Club's June sock, and the color is just too warm for the hot days we are having here in the Midwest. I will finish them soon, though and post photos.

So, what do you do when you need something cool to knit? You pick up a yarn that has cool colors and go with it!

This yarn has the feel of Mountain Colors Bearfoot, but is spun finer. I am using #2 needles rather than my usual #1, because I want it to go faster. (What can I say; hot days make me feel lazy.) The colors in this yarn fairly glow! They remind me of cool waters and lush Spring foliage.

I tried a patterned stitch with this yarn and even a cable stitch but the pattern seemed to blur into the yarn and I wasn't liking what I saw, so they will remain just plain socks. The colors in the yarn will be lovely enough.






I just had to show these to you. They are socks a friend made from the Nancy Bush pattern, Heelless Sleeping Socks which were in the book, "Knitting Vintage Socks."

I think they are fabulous, and my friend does the most beautiful knitting!

More Sock Yarn...

Oooooooh! the smaller balls are Jojoland Melody 100% wool Superwash and the larger ones are Trekking pro natura superwash wool and bamboo.

The Jojoland is really soft and the jewel-toned colors fairly glow. This is yarn that deserved to be displayed, not stashed away!

The Trekking yarn is new to me and shown in soft, subtle solid colors.

I think that solid or nearly solid color yarns are going to be more prevalent in sock yarn in the future, as they beautifully display the many popular cabled and lace sock patterns that are available for sale and free to download.