Year of Projects 7: Week 3

• Petty Harbour Socks - complete

• Vanilla is the New Black Socks - 20% done, working the heel of the first sock
• Somewhere Socks - 35% done, into the foot section of the first sock 

• Alfrick Socks - using Sandnes Garn Sisu in grey and white 
• Twisted Flower Socks - using Hikoo CoBaSi yarn in Egyptian Blue 
• Feny Socks - using Lang Jawoll Superwash in turquoise and chocolate 
• Double Heelix Socks - using stash yarn TBD 
• Yaacov Socks - using Lang Jawoll Magic Dégradé 
• There & Back Again Socks - using Shelridge Farm 80/20 Merino Nylon in Mint and Charcoal 
• Brigit Socks - using stash yarn TBD 
• Gschnitztal Socks - using stash yarn TBD 
• Crenate Socks - using stash yarn TBD 
• Somewhere Socks - using various shades of blue scraps 
• Merripog Socks - using stash yarn TBD 
• Mad Mix Socks - using various stash yarn scraps 
• Crosshaven Socks - using stash yarn TBD 
• Rrribb-it! Socks - using stash yarn TBD 
• Glass Slippers Socks - using stash yarn TBD 
• Ringwood Socks - using stash yarn TBD 
• Leyburn Socks - using stash yarn TBD 
• Hearty Man Plaid Socks - using stash yarn TBD 
• Mojo Socks - using stash yarn TBD

That's the first pair complete for this Year of Projects! Petty Harbour is a very nice, simple vanilla-ish sock pattern - exactly what I wanted for this Khaki green Bamboo yarn. My sister-in-law sent out a call for more hand knit socks for my brother a few weeks ago. Coincidentally I was trying to decide what to do with this yarn as it hasn't the necessary wool content for charity knitting. Perfect timing!

The pattern is super simple - just a four stitch and four row repeat - no charts necessary and very little attention required particularly if you can read your knitting to see where you are.

I knit the socks toe up. Like me, my brother has big feet so I wanted to make the legs as long as possible from the available yarn. Each finished sock weighs 49 grams, so there was very little yarn leftover! I've become a fan of the FLK heel, so that's what I did here. It gives a very neat result and is well worth the $1 price for the pattern and tutorials.

The yarn is SRK On Your Toes bamboo. I've knit it before and liked it. It makes quite a comfy, breathable pair of socks, but it's missing the spring-y stretchiness of merino. Hopefully there's enough ribbing through the pattern and in the cuff to keep these socks up!

Once this pair was done I decided to cast on my Vanilla is the New Black socks. I'm headed to a Weaving Conference in PA next week, so I wanted some mindless travel knitting. This really is a vanilla sock but it's got an interesting heel - a Strong Heel. The heel is knitted in the round with increases on either side of the centre back of the leg. You never need to pick up stitches and you won't have any holes or gaps. It's quite neat looking and very easy to work.

The yarn is a cheap-ish self-patterning printed yarn from Germany... H&W Comfort-Wolle Sockenwolle. It's shades of grey and black with quite subtle patterning. I quite like it for a simple masculine sock. The texture of the yarn feels a lot like Kroy sock yarn, so hopefully it's just as durable.

The cuff and leg of the sock was knit from yarn that was frogged twice before - once because I didn't like the pattern I'd started, and a second time because it was knitting up too small so I had to restart with more stitches. The yarn held up surprisingly well to that much frogging and wasn't overly splitty considering.

So, all in all, it's been a couple of good weeks on the knitting front. My Somewhere Socks have seen no action but they're a bit chart-y with lots of colour changes which isn't the best for travel and mindless knitting. I am struggling to find good light for knitting in the evenings in my new digs, so that's slowing me down a bit as that's about the best time to knit.

It's unlikely that I'll manage a post next weekend as I'm away at a weaving conference. My friend is a weaver so she suggested this trip. We're taking a 4 day course in Saori Weaving which should be way outside both our comfort zones so that'll keep it interesting. Hopefully the weather cooperates too so that the driving is fun. We're planning a stop at the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, and then a layover in Corning, with an outing to the Corning Glass Factory. If time permits, we may also stop in Hershey for a chocolate factory tour. Will it make me crave chocolate? Or will I be overwhelmed by chocolate sights and smells?