Year of Projects 12: Week 5

 

I'm ready to turn the heel on my second sock in Kroy Turquoise Stripes, but never mind that! I found my Volturi Palace Socks project, hiding in plain sight of course, exactly where it was supposed to be. Not sure how I missed it on the first few searches. It's a relief to stop wondering whether I left it behind somewhere.

The Volturi Palace pattern by Rachel Coopey is one that's been on my favourites list for a long time. It combines a little bit of colourwork with patterned columns up the foot and leg. It's a really stretchy pattern too, so it's going to be a really well-fitted pair of socks. Those familiar with the Twilight Series will recognize the designer's inspiration for the sock pattern, but it means nothing to me. It's just a fun and attractive pattern as far as I'm concerned.

The yarn is 80/20 Sock from Shelridge Yarns in Aubergine and Natural White. It's one of my favourite sock yarns of all time. The Aubergine is especially beautiful  - it's mostly solid with little flecks of darker, lighter and golden tones. I bought it a few years ago in a little shop in Lakefield when we were cottaging on Stoney Lake, expressly with this pattern in mind.

So the plan now is to finish the Kroy Socks this week, then move on to the Volturi Palace socks. Thankfully I was tracking my rows in Knit Companion so I should be able to pick up exactly where I left off. If you're not familiar with Knit Companion, it's a very handy iPad app that makes it super easy to keep track of progress through knitted charts. I've been using it for years and won't go back to printing out patterns and marking them.

Over at Wandering Cat Studio, Valerie has announced her plan for "Austere August". I can get behind that. I'll admit that I was engaging in some magical thinking - along the lines of ordering solid colour sock yarns to combine with my sock yarn scraps. But honestly, I DO have solid colour yarns on hand to use up, so I should really start there!

Have a great week everyone, and I hope to 'see' you again next Sunday for my next Year of Projects 12 update. Year of Projects is a group on Ravelry - you're very welcome to join us if you are interested.

Year of Projects 12: Week 4

 

The first sock is done. See how little yarn is left from that first ball of Kroy? I'm glad I added black; this would be a very short sock without the added stripes!

Most of the sock was knit with 64 st rounds, but as I lengthened the leg I increased 8 sts total to add some ease to the calf. And then to finish I used this stretchy bind off. It's stretchy enough without loose stitches or a ruffled edge.

My priority should be Sock #2, but instead I'm thinking about what to knit next. I'd really like to find that missing pair of Volturi Palace socks! It's a quiet rainy Sunday so perhaps I'll take some time to tidy and reorganize my craft drawers in search of the missing project.

If I don't find the missing socks then my next project might be Solace by Anne Fletcher with a variegated purple sock yarn. It looks like good TV knitting! Another option involves a ball of Opal Glitter Mit Silbereffectkt in their "Flash" colourway. I wonder what it would look like in alternating rows with a solid colour yarn? And I wonder if I have any solid colour leftovers in my stash that would work. At this point I'm really tempted to buy a few skeins of natural colour sock yarn for combining with multicolour leftovers. Hmmm, let me think on that.

But, of course, Sock #2 in Kroy Turquoise Stripes will be next. If I don't do it now, who knows when it will get done. Happy crafting everyone. If you'd like to join our Year of Project group, look for us here on Ravelry!

Year of Projects 12: Week 3

Sorry for missing last week. I was crazy busy with work and other obligations, leaving me with no chance to knit, or blog, or anything else for that matter. But I think I'm through the worst of it, and in the last few days I've had a chance to return to these socks.

These are my Kroy Turquoise Stripes Socks. I've used the recipe for a flap-and-gusset heel from Modern Knitting found here. I'm a big fan of German Short Rows with their very tidy double stitches. It makes a really nice heel with no holes.

I was thinking that I'd make a smaller pair of socks for a friend, but I tend to mindlessly knit socks to my exact size. My feet are long and narrow, and everyone else's feet seem improbably small when I'm eyeballing where to start gusset increases. Oh well, I'll get good use of them. Sorry friend, you're out of luck again!

Although my original intention was knit until the yarn was gone, anyone who has used Kroy before knows that the yardage is scant for large socks. Rather than settling for a short leg, I'm adding some stripes of leftover black yarn. I think it's not too discordant with the original stripes. And yes, I switched to k2p2 rib to make for a really comfortable sock. 

I hope to finish sock one in the next few days and get a start on sock two. Back in the day I'd have the pair finished by the end of the week, but that's not likely to happen  these days. Earlier in the year, I'd been taking part in daily and weekly art challenges and I'm hoping to get back into routine sketching as well as knitting.

Have a great week everyone. If you're interested in joining the group of us doing a Year of Projects, you can find us on Ravelry here. 

Year of Projects 12: Week 01

It's been a minute since my last blog post, huh? So many things happened - some good and some bad - but life's like that, right? But I'm still here and I'm still knitting, so I'm rejoining my virtual knitting friends and picking up my blog where I left off.

Today marks the first day of the first week of the Year of Projects - a Ravelry Group of like-minded knitters trying to set goals for the year ahead and find motivation to finish those projects. For this year, my plan is to finish the projects I have on the go and then work though more of the yarn I have on hand. 

First project: Kroy Turquoise Stripes socks. I picked up the yarn at Michaels and started these socks a few weeks ago. The yarn is really nice. Lately I've been finding a lot of sock yarns are thinner than I'd like, but not this one, it's just perfect. And what lovely colours!My plan is to knit monogamously on these socks until they're done. I'm knitting toe-up vanilla socks so it's mindless TV knitting. And I decided to knit toe-up so that I can carry on until all the yarn is gone. The last thing I need are more sock yarn scraps!

Second and third projects: Purple socks, two pairs. I received two skeins of sock yarn as a gift last year and thought I might like to combine them in a scrappy lengthwise scarf. But honestly, I'm finding the result disappointing. The new plan is to frog the scarf and knit socks instead. 

The variegated purple will be some very plain ribbed socks. It's too busy a yarn for much pattern - maybe something like "Solace" by Anne Fletcher? Or maybe even simpler than that?

The solid purple yarn is definitely intended for a fancy pattern. Maybe "Pastiche" or "Clerestory" by Makenzie Alvarez? I'm definitely feeling drawn to architectural types of patterns these days!

Fourth project: Volturi Palace Socks. These were started more than a year ago and I have since misplaced them - hence no photo. The two colours of yarn are from Shelridge Farms - natural and mulberry colours. If I don't happen across this project in the next couple of weeks, then a closet clean up is in order. I remember them being a very satisfy, not altogether vanilla knit.

Also on the list in no particular order: 

• I was given the book Saltwater Mittens for my birthday last year, as well as the necessary Briggs & Little yarn. In the colder months at the beginning of the year I found myself really enjoying knitting these colourful mitts and completed three pairs in succession. I'd like to work through more of the patterns, although perhaps waiting until after the heat of summer is passed.

• I'd like to work through more sock yarn scraps using patterns like "Color Palette Socks" by Laura Moorats. It's always to see how the scraps play together!

• I have a quantity of Butterfly Cotton (DK) in burgundy that I'm considering for a summer top like "Ardea" by Ksenia Naidyon 

See you next week!

Year of Project 8: Week 19

I've had lots to say about how little I'm enjoying knitting Feny Socks...

... I don't love working a long provisional cast on

... I don't love knitting flat

... I don't love reading charts back and forth rather than in the round

... I don't love that much purling

... I don't love long stretches of colour work

... I don't love grafting long seams

... I don't love picking up stitches from patterned side edges

... I don't love knitting on circular needles

... I don't love cutting yarn and restarting at a different spot over and over again

... I don't love investing that much time and effort without being able to test the fit of the sock

BUT THE SOCK FITS AND IT'S GORGEOUS!

So I will finish both socks, as painful as that may be. Admittedly I procrastinated throughout sock one but now I'm re-energized and hope to get the pair done in the next couple of weeks.

I had originally planned to knit the first sock with brown as the MC and blue as the CC, then knit sock two with the colours reversed. That way, I reasoned, I have the same amount of each colour left over to do Double Heelix Socks. Instead Gavin is laying claim to these socks, and he does NOT want opposite socks, so matching socks they will be. I'll just have to see if I have anything else in stash that will work for Double Heelix.

Last week I also cast on Bill Huggins Socks, but after working one repeat of the woven pattern at the top of the leg I decided that I wasn't loving the pattern so that's been ripped out  and the pattern removed from my list.

This morning I opened another paper bag to reveal my November Paper Bag Project - it's Songbird Yarn & Fibres Sock in Ruby Throated Hummingbird for Diamondback Socks. I won't cast on at least until I've finished my Feny Socks. I still have to finish my Nain socks too but there's no deadline for those!

2018 Paper Bag Project - November and December

      Twisted Flower Socks - using Hikoo CoBaSi yarn in Egyptian Blue
      Diamondback Socks - using Songbird Fibers Sock in Ruby Throated Hummingbird

Full Skeins from stash

      Somewhere Socks - using Mountain Colour mini set
      Pairfect Socks - using Regia Pairfect
      Mood - using unknown variegated blue yarn
      Kazak - using unknown tonal purple yarn
      Harris Tweed Socks - using Wollemeise self-striping green/gold/red yarn

Large (more than 50 grams) and Small (less than 50 grams) scraps from stash

      Salor - in various tan, orange and brown small scraps
      Vanilla Bean Striped Socks - in various colourful small scraps
      Squircle Socks  -  in various colourful scraps plus something neutral from large scraps
      Escape Reality Socks - in various colourful scraps plus something neutral from large scraps
      Bill Huggins - in various scraps
      Mosaic Marbles socks - using Langwoll Magic Dégradé scraps with black (or white)
      Checkbox Socks - using large scraps
      Hearty Stripey Socks - using various scraps
      Double Heelix Socks - using leftovers from Feny Socks
      Jelly Rolls - using all the leftover Stretch Bamboo in various colours

Year of Projects 8: Week 18

My focus lately has been my Feny Socks for my October 2018 Paper Bag Project, but nothing about this has been easy.

First it was the needles. The sock is knitted flat from the top of the leg to the end of the instep, working around the leg. My sock needles are not nearly long enough for that many stitches (107) so I definitely needed the recommended circular needle.

I balked at ordering the needle online - I didn't want to pay for shipping and I wanted to see and feel the needles before I shelled out for them. I checked Lens Mill Store in Port Dover but the quality of the needles put me off - I don't love knitting on circs, and I absolutely a with abhor blunt needles with clumsy joins. I struck out for the same reasons at Wal-Mart. I had high hopes at Michael's Arts and Crafts but the clerk explained that they were in the process of switching suppliers and had no sock sizes available and no sign of that changing any time soon.

After a couple of weeks wasting time on a hunt for needles I gave in and bought Addi Turbo Sock Rockets at the lys - the Needle Emporium. They were waaaaay more money than I was hoping to spend, but at least knitting with this circ is as pleasant as can be. So imagine my reaction when I reached the pattern instructions that directed me to divide the stitches, placing a number on a second circ with further instructions for the third circ. NO. Just. NO. Even if I have to use waste yarn to hold stitches here and there, I just will not shell out for 2 more circular needles. I guess I should have read the materials list more carefully. GAH!

All in all it's been a tough slog with this sock... I don't love knitting flat... I don't love reading charts back and forth rather than in the round... I don't love long stretches of colour work... and I don't love knitting on circular needles. All the while the construction of this sock makes it a complete mystery as to whether these socks will even fit.

As of this morning I'm 1/3rd of the way into the final repeat of the chart after which I graft the leg together into a tube and pick up stitches for the heel and the bottom of the foot. Which is to say, I should know soon whether the sock will fit or not. Obviously I'm hoping that the fit is perfect and that it's enough to re-energize me to complete the first sock and work the second sock. Geez, I hope so, otherwise I'm not quite sure what I'll do!

In the meantime I did finish my Christmas Monster socks using the Stash Buster Spiral Socks pattern. The Instagram KAL wraps up October 31st, so that's my final entry for #monstersockkal2018. The socks are very fun and were a great way to finish up a bunch of sock yarn scraps. You know, I think I might like scrap socks more than anything else!

And yep, Nain has still been ignored!

2018 Paper Bag Project - November and December

      Twisted Flower Socks - using Hikoo CoBaSi yarn in Egyptian Blue
      Diamondback Socks - using Songbird Fibers Sock in Ruby Throated Hummingbird

Full Skeins from stash

      Somewhere Socks - using Mountain Colour mini set
      Pairfect Socks - using Regia Pairfect
      Mood - using unknown variegated blue yarn
      Kazak - using unknown tonal purple yarn
      Harris Tweed Socks - using Wollemeise self-striping green/gold/red yarn

Large (more than 50 grams) and Small (less than 50 grams) scraps from stash

      Salor - in various tan, orange and brown small scraps
      Vanilla Bean Striped Socks - in various colourful small scraps
      Squircle Socks  -  in various colourful scraps plus something neutral from large scraps
      Escape Reality Socks - in various colourful scraps plus something neutral from large scraps
      Bill Huggins - in various scraps
      Mosaic Marbles socks - using Langwoll Magic Dégradé scraps with black (or white)
      Checkbox Socks - using large scraps
      Hearty Stripey Socks - using various scraps
      Double Heelix Socks - using leftovers from Feny Socks
      Jelly Rolls - using all the leftover Stretch Bamboo in various colours

Year of Projects 8: Week 15

This past Monday I pulled a paper bag from the diminishing pile to find the yarn for Feny Socks as my October 2018 Paper Bag Project. These socks promise to be interesting - the legs and insteps are worked flat in Mosaic colourwork starting from provisional cast ons, grafted into tubes and then joined with cuffs, heels and toes worked in the round.

I'm eager to get started however I don't have the needles I need! My shorty sock DPNS won't cut it for this. I checked Amazon however I am loathe to pay as much as the needles are worth in shipping. Instead I'm trying to give some thought to when a purchasing opportunity may coincide with my schedule next week. There's a Lens Mill Store in Port Dover - that might be do-able as the KIA needs an oil change at the dealership in Port Dover. Also there's a Wal-Mart in Simcoe that I drive past on my drive to and from the cat rescue, so that's my back-up idea.

After knitting scraps for the last several weeks I'm also excited about casting on this gorgeous Jawoll sock yarn. I just love both these colours and I hope I love them just as much in combination. In general I have to guard against overly conservative matchy-matchy colour choices, so here I've tried to make sure I have lots of contrast.

Inspired by @danaraeknits' Christmas themed Monster Socks in greens and reds, I've pulled red, green and white yarn scraps and cast on. I'm using the pattern Stash Buster Spiral Socks, and WOW is this brilliant for using scraps! You carry three different yarns throughout the leg and instep, but each yarn is knit across a needle (or two) until you meet the next yarn - no stranding, no fuss, no bother. The result is these perfect stripes in three colours. How festive is that! I had been considering buying some Christmas themed sock yarn but these socks have entirely satisfied that urge. Who knew that such a festive pair of socks was hiding amongst my scraps?

I'm using Russian joins to connect one scrap to another so there won't be a dreadful amount of finishing at the end. I expect to squeak out a pair before running short of white and red, so these festive socks won't be repeated. After knitting the section around the heel I decided to eliminate that red yarn from the remainder of these socks... it's somewhat thicker than the other sock yarns and as a result is overwhelming the white and green that its knit with. I'm leaving it as knit - these are, after all, Monster Socks and que sera, sera.

We're headed to my sister's place later today for a Thanksgiving dinner, so I hope to complete the first sock and start the second on the car ride back and forth. I expect to be knitting these monogamously, at least until I find needles for Feny. The KAL continues until October 31st. Just pick your scraps or minis and post with the hashtag #monstersockkal2018. 

Poor Nain! Still ignored!

2018 Paper Bag Project - November and December

      Twisted Flower Socks - using Hikoo CoBaSi yarn in Egyptian Blue
      Diamondback Socks - using Songbird Fibers Sock in Ruby Throated Hummingbird

Full Skeins from stash

      Somewhere Socks - using Mountain Colour mini set
      Pairfect Socks - using Regia Pairfect
      Mood - using unknown variegated blue yarn
      Kazak - using unknown tonal purple yarn
      Harris Tweed Socks - using Wollemeise self-striping green/gold/red yarn

Large (more than 50 grams) and Small (less than 50 grams) scraps from stash

      Salor - in various tan, orange and brown small scraps
      Vanilla Bean Striped Socks - in various colourful small scraps
      Squircle Socks  -  in various colourful scraps plus something neutral from large scraps
      Escape Reality Socks - in various colourful scraps plus something neutral from large scraps
      Bill Huggins - in various scraps
      Mosaic Marbles socks - using Langwoll Magic Dégradé scraps with black (or white)
      Checkbox Socks - using large scraps
      Stash Buster Spiral Socks - using various scraps in green?
      Hearty Stripey Socks - using various scraps
      Double Heelix Socks - using leftovers from Feny Socks
      Nain - using large scraps of Stretch Bamboo in light blue
      Jelly Rolls - using all the leftover Stretch Bamboo in various colours