Summer of Socks...or not

Harris Tweed Socks by Ali Green | Ravelry |

The Summer of Socks Knit-Along started up today. During previous years, this was a day that deserved a count down. This year though...meh. After all what is a summer of socks compared to a year of socks? I've been having my own private sock knit along since January and it's been going rather well. By the end of June, I'll have 5.5 pairs of socks. Maybe I'll tackle that other .5 in July. Pair number 7 is still undecided but I have a few ideas plus a few prior obligations. All the same, anyone have a suggestion or two to tempt me?

Pattern: An Octopus No More!

Hemlock Ring by Jared Flood | Ravelry | with my own Extended Chart | Ravelry | download |

Cascade Eco+ in Highland Green (2.75 skeins)

US 10.5 (6mm) needles

August 9, 2009 - June 3, 2010

@Ravelry

uzzah! My blanket actually looks like a blanket and not a very hungry octopus. mostly... Getting it that way was a long and drawn out process that involved a bathtub, a 8' x 6' swath of insulating foam, a few hundred pins, string, several hours, and a good portion of my living room floor. Blocking and the waiting for the blanket to try was definitely worth the time and effort since, in the end, I had a warm, cosy blanket that's big enough for a queen sized bed. I can see this being the only blanket I'll need for the rest of the summer.

Blocking and finishing aside, I've spent a lot of time working on this blanket. While I'm glad that it's finally completed, I also miss it since I can't knit on it anymore. It's not like I don't have several other large projects to fill that hole with - a super long Dr. Who scarf, or that other blanket I just started. Ahem... Eventually, I'm going to give Girasole a chance to fill that hole too and it's much larger than a Hemlock Ring.

Part of the reason I spent so long knitting this blanket was because I wanted more than a lap blanket. I wanted it to be big enough for a bed. So, once I'd finished off the existing increases, I figured out how the pattern worked, made up another chart, and got back to my knitting. From my wanderings over Ravelry and interwebs, I know I'm not the only one who wants more than a lap blanket. At the top is my extended chart for your own giant Hemlock Ring or giant, hungry octopus. Have fun.

Pattern: Bridges

Bridges Kitchen Towel | ravelry | download |

I'm not sure why I keep making kitchen towels or washcloths for that matter. It's not like I don't have more than enough already. However, I do have a lot of cotton yarn and I could be making other things - like market bags - but washcloths and kitchen towels rule the day. Oh yeah, I also really like making them, whether it's just a random pattern or a Nintendo character.

I also like giving them away too. Washcloths will randomly arrive at my friend's houses any time of year without the need for an occassion. Following that vein, I'm giving the pattern away too. It's a combination of stockinette and a quasi rib that reminds me of bridges crossing a river. Plus, it only uses about 95 yds of worsted weight yarn. Make one and give it away or give it to yourself. Both options work quite well.

Pattern: Sideways

Sideways Kitchen Towel | ravelry | download |

Usually, I have a tried and true way of doing things. Socks are always knit from the toe up. Sweet tea always has lemon. Pencils always get put away point down.  All that uniformity gets a bit boring sometimes so I like to mix it up on occassion. This latest time just happened to involve kitchen towels which I can't help but knit every couple of months.  I've lost track of many I've made over the years and all the same way: bottom to top. It finally got just a bit boring. So, instead of bottom to top, I decided to make one from side to side. It worked out pretty well too with worsted weight cotton, US 7 needles, and a simple stitch pattern.

After that little diversion, I'm ready to go back to my usual ways but I'm definitely going to try different things more often.

Triforce

Triforce Washcloth | ravelry | download

My inner geek/fan girl wins out more than I'd like to admit. I have a bathroom full of washcloths of the Super Mario and Dr Who varieties because of her. The obsession is only getting worse since I've added Legend of Zelda to the mix. Plus, the Triforce is just the beginning.

This pattern uses worsted weight cotton, US 7 needles, and is both written and charted. If washcloths aren't you're thing, use the chart on a scarf, a hat, a blanket, or whatever else comes to mind.

Alternates

Alternate | ravelry | download |

Sometimes simple, mindless knits are the best and these socks are no exception. Originally, my yellow and gray yarn was going to become a pair of these. I spent a day knitting and frogging only to discover that what I really liked about the pattern were the stripes on the bottom of the foot. After that, I didn't waste any time and the socks just seemed to fly off the needles. By the time I bound off I had tall, cozy socks with plenty of calf increases.

The scary thing about these wonderful socks is that I want to make so many more in so many different colors. Blue and white, green and orange, purple and blue... Plus, with a little more yarn, I could make knee highs. Now that's a good idea. Anyway, it seemed a shame to keep the pattern to myself so I'm posting it here. These sport weight socks are toe up with a gusset and heel flap and calf increases to get the most out of the yarn. Have fun knitting your own pair.

Spring Cleaning

Spring Cleaning | ravelry | download |

Spring is definitely here and the sun, warm temperature, cool breezes, and even rain prove it. As a side effect, I've definitely been bitten with by the Spring Cleaning bug. Winter clothes are being put away, the house is getting a good cleaning, and the clutter is being cleared out. Part of that clutter is all of the ideas that have been floating around in my head since last year. It's high time to get them out of my head and into the world. 

One of these ideas was a simple washcloth that would use up my small, leftover balls of cotton and be useful around the house. The pattern wasn't as simple as I first envisioned and it seemed like I spent more time ripping than knitting. Short rows came to the rescue though and after a bit more tweaking, the idea was finally out of my head. The final pattern uses worsted weight cotton, US 7 (4.5mm) needles, increases, deceases, and short rows to get the final shape. Both solid and variegated yarns look great and don't hide the pattern. Besides from giving a few sample stitch counts, I've also included directions on how to make any size cloth you want. Have fun making one as big as you want and use as much or as little yarn as you want.

Good luck with your own spring cleaning both knitting and other-wise. 

Yarn takes Center Stage

Pattern: Center Stage | ravelry | download |

Yarn: Patons Kroy Socks FX - Cascade Colors

Needles: 2.5 mm

Date: Jan 8 - 29, 2010

@Rav

I’m very happy to say that my January socks, the first of my personal Sock-A-Month KAL, are finished and on time too. That second week into 2010, I started these socks because the yarn was calling me and I was helpless to resist. Since the yarn was my main reason for casting on, I wanted it to be the center piece and the dominate the pattern; however, plain stockinette just sounded really, really boring. Plus, interesting sock constructions were still bouncing around in my head.

To meet all of my specifications, I added a simple rib detail and went from there. It definitely kept the socks interesting and let me play around with the gusset and the heel flap. All the experimentation and fiddling with details was really fun. Once the experiment was over, I had a pair of warm, comfy socks.  I’m also releasing the pattern here, so you can make a warm, comfy pair of socks too.

When I purchased this yarn, I was drawn to it because of its long stretches of color and I was not disappointed after knitting it up. The colors create wide stripes which move from light to dark. I did find it prone to a bit of splitting but not annoyingly so. The yarn is also a bit on the hairy side but I think that lends itself to the warm, cushy-ness of the finished fabric. Compared to Patons Kroy Sock 4-ply, the fabric is very similar even though I found the FX yarn to be slightly thinner. One of the downsides is that the socks look a bit different in spite of being the same dye lot. My other complaint is the smaller put-up (166 yds), which led to shorter socks, but I still liked the yarn enough to buy another pair’s worth.

These socks were a great way to start off 2010 and I’ve already made some good progress on February’s pair.  I hope your knitting resolutions (and the other ones too) are going as well as mine.

P.S. The winners of the Diagonal Sock pattern are Theresa and Barbara Wright. Email me at studiostrategos at gmail dot com 

Finally Diagonal

Near the end of 2009, I wanted a pair of simple, yet engaging, socks to work on both at home and around town. The yarn was wound and ready to go but I didn’t have a pattern. Nothing was quite right. Too complicated, too boring, etc... So, I started playing around with stitch patterns until I came up with something I liked. It was love at first stitch.

The stitch pattern kept it simple while the construction kept it from being mind-numbing. Since I wanted to play with how socks are constructed, I hid the gusset on the instep and put it on just one side before continuing in a more conventional fashion.

In the end, I got a pair of toe-up socks that were exactly what I was looking for. Now, you can make a pair for yourself too.

$6.00  

In order to celebrate the sock knitting love, I’m giving away 2 copies of this pattern. Just leave a comment and you’re in. I’ll pick a winner on Friday, Feb. 5.

Diagonal

Recently, I finished up my last bit of business from 2009. SOCKS! Since Christmas and all of its assorted activities were coming up, I wanted a simple, yet engaging, patten to tote around to various gatherings and shopping lines.  In November, I was seeing all these beautiful socks online that were just unassuming combinations of knit and purl. The simplicity was too much to resist and, eventually, I came up with a fun, slanting stitch pattern to decorate my socks. The gusset was my other favorite part of this pattern but I’ll tell you more about that when I release the pattern at the end of the month. In the mean time, you can check out some of the other details over on Ravelry.