SOCKTOPUS: Totally Vanilla • Kandahar • V Junkie • Kwalia • Farmer McGregor • Shur'tugal • 2luvcrew • Vorticity • Rumpled! • Crowley • Om Shanti • Mince Pie Mayhem • Hundred Acre Wood • De Stijl • Fiori di Zucca • Caretta Caretta • Spring Shoots
Sorry for my absence in blogland - I've been away and am still catching up on things! Happily I did manage to get a start on my first project from Socktopus - Totally Vanilla Socks. As the name implies these are very simple stockinette socks; what makes it interesting is that designer Alice Yu walks you through the steps of sizing your socks for a perfect fit. I've measured my feet, knit a swatch to calculate my gauge and cast on 64 stitches. This primary stitch count strikes me as too low for size 0 (2mm) needles, but maybe I'll be proved wrong!
For this pattern I'm using the oldest yarn in my stash. In August of 2008, I visited a little yarn store outside of Moncton New Brunswick and bought two skeins of hand-painted sock yarn - this one and a skein of Fleece Artist. This Cricket Cove yarn is a rustic, slubby fingering yarn that's been hand-painted in a rainbow colourway. And to date it has totally defied every pattern I've tried with it. No idea how many times I've frogged it, but this time there's no looking back. After all, nothing more forgiving of busy yarn than a vanilla sock pattern, right?
It's early days yet in my Year of Projects, but so far I couldn't be more pleased with the book I've selected. In this first pattern I'm working through sizing my sock to my foot, the next pattern incorporates beads, and the pattern after that has steeks! That should keep it interesting!
18 comments:
I'm new to socks so may give that pattern a go. I'm loving that yarn such a great colour and it looks to be knitting up nicely. Hope the weather picks up soon :)
I like the colour of the socks! :)
Love the yarn and just can't wait to see more !
I thought of you because you're such a sock expert. My sock books are pretty basic. How do I make them tighter? Smaller needles? Manipulate the stitch count? Does this book that you're using help with my issues? I have chicken feet, narrow and no meat.
Love the yarn colour, its weird how some yarn just doesn't want to be whatever you've picked it out for, but I'm reckoning vanilla socks will be it's moment of glory!
It does look like that yarn would be hell in any other pattern, but it's looking great in the vanilla socks. And 64 stitches on 2mm seems tiny to me, but then I do knit very tightly...
OMG! Beading and steeking? I thought it was a sock book? LOL!
I love that yarn and the sock looks like it's turning out lovely in it.
You're the expert though...not me for sure! I wish it was rainy and cool here....hot and humid is more like it for me but thank goodness for AC or I could never do any handwork in the summer here.
Sometimes - vanilla is best!
With yarn as beautiful as that... Doing anything but vanilla would be tragic/busy!
I want some chilly weather..I'll switch for a bit...!
Love the yarn and I think it will make a cheery pair of socks!
*smiles*
I love that yarn. You are so unlike ADD me! I'd have no chance of sticking with a yearlong plan!
Was just about to get worried about you. Here's to good karma with your 3rd year book. Looking forward to the FOs from it.
Yay! I'm glad to hear you're liking the book, I love a good challenge too. The socks are already looking quite lovely, and isn't that the best part, once you can start to see it come together?
Love the yarn! I've never knitted socks so if I ever do I may get the book you are using.
I don't know how well I'd do with plain vanilla but as an exercise in constructing the best fitting sock...then it does sound better.
I have never tried knitting through a book but maybe I'll try something like that for Year 4. Thanks for the idea :)
Sizing and beads, sounds like you've got some new variety to your socks. Thanks for the visit and encouragement.
My lord. It's been ages since I've commented and there are still socks here! I am in total awe of your proliferation of socks. I think you've knit more socks in one year than I've knit in my whole career of knitting, which spans 8 years. Good on you!
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