Year of Projects 5: Week 32

KNIT. SOCK. LOVE. : BFF • Clandestine • Cusp • German Stockings • Gothic Spire • Hedera • In and Out • Lissajous • Marilinda • Mona • Monkey • Pointelle • Rhombus • Sake • Stalagmite • Stricken • Thelonious • Twisted Flower • Wedge

COOKIE A SOCK CLUB: June #1 • June #2 • August #1 • August #2 • October #1 • October #2 • December #1 • December #2 

VANILLA SOCKS FOR CHARITY: July • August • September • October • November • December • January • February • March • April • May • June

Last week when speaking of my Thelonious socks I expressed my disappointment in the yarn base, the gradient and the pattern. Happily with the first sock off my needles and onto my foot, I'm quite a bit happier with all three.

I'm still not happy with the way the pattern is written. The designer seemed determined to segment the instructions according to the construction of the design elements -  leg section with four panels, leg section with two full panels and two decreasing panels, etc. The resulting instructions involve ten stitch markers labelled A1, A2, B1, B2, S, A3, A4, B3, B4 and E, and much written instruction about what to do from this stitch marker to that one. To my way of thinking it would be a lot easier to work from a full chart for the leg without any need for stitch markers or written directions... and then as the knitter worked through the chart the construction would reveal itself.

Enough kvetching; the finished result works very well. The lace panels spiral and collide around the leg, but perhaps because they are lacy and open the sock doesn't seem prone to biasing. The background between the lace panels is ribbed so the sock fits well and conforms to the leg, ankle and foot nicely. Still not my favourite pattern - not just because I don't like lacy socks - but I like it much more than I thought I would.

As for the yarn base, it's still scratchy against my fingers but that's less of an issue for my feet. Sock one actually feels quite warm and comfortable on my foot. Besides, I fully expect that the yarn will soften up after a few washes and wears.

Now, as to the gradient... I wasn't sure what to expect from the gradient. After finishing sock one, I looked at other gradient yarns and their projects in Ravelry and concluded that the gradient is pretty much what I should have expected. Well, except that it looks to me like I'm going to have fraternal socks since the inside end of the yarn cake that I'm using to start sock two appears to be dark blue/green and not the kelly green of the outside end that started sock one.

Overall I'm feeling kind of ambivalent about gradient yarns now. I don't hate this gradient, and I do find the transitions kind of interesting, but the colour changes detract from the pattern in my opinion. I wouldn't go out of my way to use another gradient yarn, except perhaps in colourwork where these long colour changes often shine as the contrast colour, like Fiddlehead mitts.

My Clandestine socks were finished earlier this week. I'm not bothering with a FO photo for the blog as they really don't look much different than last week. I won't see the intended recipient for another few weeks, but I think she's going to love them! The short-striping colours played so nicely with the movement in the pattern.

I've caked the yarn for Ludwig. After blogging my yarn choices last week I was a little troubled that the natural white yarn might be too thick compared to the pink short-striping yarn, but after caking them both, I think the thicknesses are pretty close. If anything the pink is more tightly spun making it look finer. With a long weekend coming next weekend, I'm hoping to finish Thelonious and make a start on Ludwig before next week's update!