Sunday, June 5, 2016

Year of Projects 5: Week 49

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

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

Good Grief! Is it really 10 weeks since I posted last? I guess that shows how busy things have been! Looks like the next couple of weeks are going to be catch up posts. Although there was no blogging happening, there was still knitting happening and as a result I've got some finishes to show!

I finished the Spring Fair Isle socks in March. The original plan was to complete the heel and foot in solid dark green, but there wasn't enough yarn to do it, so the last several rounds of the foot and the entire toe section were knit in a contrasting light green. That's the thing about knitting with scraps - you just have to make it all work with the yardage you have. And I think the light coloured toes are kinda fun!

Seems I was still in a spring mood after finishing the Fair Isle socks so I pulled out the rest of the green leftovers from the yarn I was given by another Raveller and cast on a pair of Vanilla socks. Don't the greens look nice together! The sandy coloured yarn was a good foil for the greens but it was unpleasant to work with. To put a nice spin on it, that yarn is likely very warm and sturdy. These will be donated to The Warm Hands Network and count as my February socks for my list. (February? Oh my! I really am behind!!)

Next I wanted to do something with 115gr of mustardy yellow yarn that was amongst the donated yarn scraps. With enough yardage to do an entire pair of socks I decided on the pattern Anni from Op-Art Socks. The pattern was inspired by a design called "Yellow Meander" by textile artist Anni Albers so yellow was the perfect choice. It's a really simple pattern of knits and purls but it's really striking when worn. And all those columns and rows make for a very stretchy and comfy sock! I have to admit as well that although I wasn't enthusiastic about this yarn colour it has knit up as a very nice pair of socks and the colour is just fine on my feet! These will also be donated to The Warm Hands Network and count as my March socks for my list.

Also amongst the donated yarn scraps was an entire skein of Tough Love Sock from Sweet Georgia Yarns in a colour way called Sugar Shack. The yarn had been caked and it looked as if something had been started and frogged. The yarn was a short-repeat variegated colourway ranging from undyed natural yarn through purple-reds to brown/blacks and entirely defied every pattern I tried. I tried a vanilla pattern. I tried a slip-stitch pattern. I tried a short row pattern. I tried a combination of slipped stitches and short rows. No luck - the colourway was too busy and too contrasty to suit anything I tried. I considered throwing the yarn in the garbage but couldn't bring myself to do it. Finally I overdyed the yarn with burgundy food colouring to darken the lightest parts of the colourway and reduce the contrast in the variegation, and that worked! I cast on a pair of vanilla-ish 5x1 ribbed socks and knit alternate rounds with other semi-solid berry colours from the yarn scrap bag to break up the pooling. I'm left with enough yarn for a second pair but I really like the first pair so that's not a problem. And these will be donated to The Warm Hands Network too and count as my April socks for my list. (Look at me catching up!!)

You may have noticed  that I haven't spent a minute on any Cookie A patterns from my list in the last two weeks. And I just can't bring myself to do it. I'm much more interested in knitting vanillas socks and patterns from Op-Art Socks these days. In fact I have two pairs of socks on needles now and both are from Op-Art Socks (but more about those next week), so I'm definitely not finishing my YOP list this year. The remaining Knit. Sock. Love. patterns will shift to next year's list and we'll see how that goes. For the balance of next year's list I'm considering a different approach - maybe one pattern from a different independent designer each month and one vanilla pattern for charity? That feels less restrictive to me, and perhaps more do-able!


9 comments:

Wanderingcatstudio said...

All the socks are lovely, but I like the fairisle ones the best.

Anonymous said...

All of the socks look great.

You certainly made a beautiful over-dye from something you didn't like. That raspberry color is gorgeous.

You make lovely socks. I know the people that get them will have not only WARM feet, but very stylish ones as well.

Leftycrafter said...

Gads, there was lots of socks completed in the past 10 weeks. Impressive. It takes me forever to complete a pair of socks no matter if I do them TAAT or on double points. I love the way the color came out on the over dyed socks. Good thinking. Your yellow socks are so pretty, but like you, that would not be my color of choice and yet, you made a striking pair of socks with it.

Becki said...

Such beautiful socks. Every pair. That last pair is especially pretty and someone is going to feel really blessed when they receive them. Your tenacity at getting the originally unsatisfactory yarn to work is admirable. I'm glad you were rewarded with such a beautiful finished pair of socks.

Lucy Bowen said...

Oh it's lovely to see you back, and with such gorgeous socks. I love the fair isle ones so much and the toes look as though it was meant to be. I'm now looking forward to seeing your op art socks!

Sam I Am...... said...

OMG! I'm so glad to see you on here! I had it on "my list" to go back and get your blog address so I could email you. I missed you...there, I've said it! I love, love, love those Spring fair isle/color work? ( I know there's a difference) socks. I would call those your Irish socks! I want to make a pair of those! Gorgeous! And the yellow pop art socks....again, a winner! So good of you to donate your time and beautiful socks to those in the North! I love the winter but no one wants to be cold and its dangerous! You are a kind and generous soul. I didn't do any preemie hats this year as I'm still trying to move and then the porch roof leaked so now I have to get that fixed before I can sell it....evidently "you know who" likes me right where I am and who am I to argue? LOL! Have I mentioned how much I love your Prime Minister? He's like the Obama of Canada...well, he might be more loved. Obama has people that truly hate him and threaten he and his family all the time and they're in our congress! LOL! I love your first family and he seems like a fair and just person. I may be moving up there if certain people are elected here...it's absolutely crazy. I had no idea Americans could be so hateful. It doesn't feel like the America I grew up in but then I'm old and you know how old people are always saying how good it was in the old days...well now the young people here are saying it! LOL! I'm a progressive/liberal whatever you want to call it. Anyway, I digress but I am so happy to see you out here again!
May I ask you why you stick with socks? Just curious as you are such a great knitter I would think you would be doing all kinds of knitting as there's nothing you can't knit as far as stitches and predicaments....you've mastered it all. If I was as good as you I would probably knit a coat! Do you watch any podcasts? I really like Stitched in Sweden as she is very exacting and scientific about knitting. Anyway, so glad you're back and I hope you keep coming back!

kathy b said...

Your SPRING Greens socks are awesome! LOVE THEM

Anonymous said...

OMGosh, I was just wondering about you as I saw you had commented on someone's blog. How're you? I hope you're coming back more often. You are such an aspiring sock knitter, Lynn. Those Spring Green socks are awesome! They made me smile big. And the array of greens in the next pair was spot on. I'm glad you overdyed that Sugar Shack colorway because when checking it out I wasn't a fan. Your overydye job results are so much better. What a golden heart you have to donate a few pairs to the charity. That is amazing.

Delusional Knitter said...

I was looking for the pattern for the Fair Isle ... I looked back on your blog, so did you just pick patterns from Alice Starmore and make it up yourself?!?! Its fantastic!!! I love it and the colors!

So many wonderful socks this year for you!

I've been trying to plump up my sock drawer this year, I am on my fourth pair. So not a ton, but I've been working on new things and different techniques - with some plain vanilla in between. I have a Cookie A. book too that I haven't knit ANYTHING out of yet ... that I've had for years ...