FO: Friday Harbor Socks

Thick, comfy, nubbly socks! Knit in a sport weight sock yarn, Regia Nautica 6-ply, these are the thickest and warmest socks I've ever knit. I doubt there'll be many more sport weight socks for me, though; I prefer thinner socks inside my sneakers. Still these would be good inside boots in winter, wouldn't they?

The pattern is Friday Harbor by Nancy Bush - one of seventeen patterns in Knitting on the Road. Since July of last year I've knit most of these patterns, and with these socks completed, there are three patterns remaining to attempt. Each pattern has been a pleasant surprise - I've learned new cast ons, Estonian braid techniques and new heels - and the finished socks have almost always exceeded my expectations. These Friday Harbor socks also turned out better than I hoped, particularly after adding 20% more stitches to make a bigger sock. The fit is perfect.

A special thanks to Gavin for modelling today. When I suggested this pose - one foot flat, one turned and balanced on tiptoes - to show off all the patterning in the sock I got an exaggerated eye roll. And as he stood patiently like this, and while I fumbled with my camera working desperately to change the settings away from SuperMacro, a GO Train passed by. "Everyone's pointing and staring" Gavin complained. I doubt that, we're not that close to the tracks, but point taken. I'm pretty sure I owe him a big favour for this one.

Year of Projects - Friday Harbor 02

Knitting on the Road: Canada • Canal du Midi • Conwy • Dalarna • Denmark • Friday Harbor • Hiiumaa • Huron Mountain • New England • The Road to Oslo • Santa Fe • Spey Valley • Christmas in Tallinn • Traveler's Stockings • Uinta Cabin • Unst • Whitby


It's not quite a finished pair, but with the heel turned and the gusset complete, it won't be long now. For whatever reason, the rest of the foot usually goes very quickly for me. Last week's decision to rip out and restart on 60 stitches has proven to be the right one; the sock is a good size now.

The best part of this Friday Harbor sock is the pattern across the front of the sock that's meant to suggest the wake of a boat. Perhaps you won't see it right away - after all I haven't picked the most watery coloured yarn, have I? - but it's an attractive geometric pattern nonetheless. The leafy cuff is attractive, but it doesn't stretch as well as the rest of the sock so I wouldn't use it again. Looks nice though, doesn't it?

Seems like I'm going to have a fair bit of yarn leftover once the second sock is done, but I have a plan. I figure I can match it up with some raspberry colour alpaca sport weight yarn leftover in my stash - 6-ply sock yarn for the heels and toes, alpaca for the legs and feet. That should make for a nice warm pair of scrappy socks! Perfect for donation to the Warm Hands Network.

By early next week there'll be just three sock patterns left to knit in my year of projects. That's very do-able! I suspect it'll be Santa Fe socks I'm blogging about this time next week; I've already sorted out the yarns from my stash with that pattern in mind.

Finished Object Friday

Last week one of my coworkers gave notice; she's young, early twenties and I guess she decided this business wasn't what she wanted to do with her life. Better to cut her losses now and move on. When I spoke to her to ask about her plans she meekly enquired whether it was too late to get a handknit headband.

It's just as well she sent me pictures of what she wanted because this wouldn't have been the pattern or the yarn I chose for myself. There's no doubt though, she sent me two different photos from the web of this same headband and then picked out the pattern from the Ravelry database. The pattern is a ribbed pattern knitted flat in super bulky yarn on 12mm needles. A single twist is added before seaming at the back. I was just about to say that the whole thing took no time at all, but that's not true. After knitting and finishing the headband according to the pattern directions, Jackie tried it on and it turned out to be miles too big. So I pulled out the seams, unpicked the bind off and tinked back a couple of inches and then refinished it. Much better!

The yarn is Lana Grande from Cascade and it's lovely -very soft and very lofty. I wasn't sure about the colour but I was under some strict instructions - not black, definitely not white, not off white or cream (she particularly hates those colours), more of a beige-y neutral or even a mushroomy colour please. After trying on the headband she seemed very happy with it, so I think I chose well. In fact, she then asked about the chances of getting a matching cowl - she wasn't sure what they were called, those neck thingies but she seen some for hundreds of dollars in the shops of Queen West and she'd like one. At a gauge of 7 sts per inch, I think that can also be done in short order.

Today is the Good Friday holiday but for me the day is tinged with sadness as it's the three year anniversary of my Mom's passing. We're heading out to spend the day with friends at their lakeside cottage. The weather is perfect - bright, mild and sunny - just as it was three years ago. We will miss her every day of our lives.

Check out the links at Tami's Amis to see more finished objects today and have a great weekend!

Friday Harbor sock one

You'll have to take my word for it; it's a much nicer sock than it looks in the photo. At various occasions I've complained about the photography in the book, which I don't find shows these sock patterns to best advantage. In this case, my photo doesn't do the Friday Harbor pattern any favours either. Because the most interesting part of the pattern is the central motif where rows of eyelets mimic the wake of a boat on a smooth lake. Maybe once the second sock is done, I'll find someone to model the socks and show off the pattern properly.

The wool is 6 ply Regia Nautica, so it's much thicker than my usual sock yarn. And knit on 2.75mm needles, this sock pattern takes no time at all. Looks like I'll have a finished pair in time for my Year of Projects update on Sunday. Not surprisingly the finished socks are also very thick. I'll use them as boot socks or socks for around the house - they're too thick to wear inside shoes I think. I guess I still prefer socks from light fingering on size 0 needles! The colour of the yarn - red splotches and all - is starting to grow on me. As I knit I think of Raspberry Cobbler, although more cobbler and not so much raspberry.

Mostly these days I'm trying to decide what to knit next. I've got a quick project to knit at the request of a coworker - a headband and a cowl from super bulky yarn - but after that, then what? Maybe a couple more baby hats to work through a bit more of the yarn in my stash?

FO: Rib & Braid Pullover

Yippee! I finished it in time to wear it! And - surprise, surprise, it looks like we'll have at least a few more weeks of vest wearing weather.

The pattern is Rib & Braid Pullover, which I knit as a tunic length sleeveless vest. The pattern is very well written and extremely comprehensive. After choosing my size, the pattern included options for a waist length vest, a hip length tunic or a longer jumper, as well as options for a sleeveless style or optional cap sleeves. I worried about whether I could "pick up stitches evenly along the neck edge" for the neck band, but reading further the designer instructs to pick up two stitches for each column in the ribbing, so that was easy enough. It all turned out just fine and it fits exactly as the pattern chart suggests it would. If I knit this pattern again, the only thing I'd change would be to add to the centre front for a higher neckline.

The pattern has surprisingly few projects on Ravelry, which I'm entirely at a loss to explain. The only thing I can figure is perhaps there isn't much of a market for a worsted weight vest? I will say that  I am considering making another vest for myself,  but I've already decided that it will be knit in much lighter yarn - maybe a fingering or sport weight instead.

For this vest I used Briggs & Little Heritage wool in Sheep's Grey. It's my all time favourite yarn, because it's got an interesting tweedy texture, it's a lovely warm grey and it's so-lanolin rich that I think my hands are actually being moisturized as I knit with it. Truth be told the cables within the pattern might be more dramatic with a smoother yarn, but I wanted a comfy, casual vest just like this. I couldn't be happier. I LOVE this vest.

Surmount the Stash April Update

Typically after three months of a year long resolution yarn diet motivation starts to fade, but not so! Things really clicked for me this month.

Monthly budget of $50 for all knitting related expenses: I ended last month $46.14 over budget and  pledged not to spent one more cent in March. I didn't quite manage that, but I did manage to sell a stack of old craft magazines on Kijiji for $35.00. I spent $12 mailing monsters to Isaida and mailing a SIBOL square to the UK. As well, I spent $6.00 for the Daphne and Delilah pattern, plus $6.50 for the Rib and Braid Pullover pattern. Tallying it all up, I end March with a smaller deficit of $35.64.

It's going to be a challenge to stay in budget this month though - there's always major temptation at the Knitter's Frolic marketplace. There's little chance that I'll leave empty-handed, so I'm planning projects for which I could buy a small amount of yarn to combine with yarn I already have on hand. That feels a bit like stash-busting doesn't it?

Manage my WIPs: Last month I started and finished one charity square, one dishcloth, one Barbie outfit, one pair of fingerless gloves, two pairs of monsters, one pullover and one pair of socks. Here we are on the second of April  - I plan to cast on a pair of socks this morning because there's nothing else on my needles. Unbelievable!

Plan projects to work through my inventory of yarns in my Stash: Lots of projects started and finished but no yarn purchased, so obviously I've done well here. At a guess I'd say I've knit through about 2500-2600 yards. About half of that was worsted weight used in monsters and my pullover so now my stash LOOKS noticeably smaller. How nice is that?

And if you're wondering, it IS vest weather today and I AM wearing a new vest, but more on that tomorrow!

Year of Projects - Friday Harbor 01

Knitting on the Road: Canada • Canal du Midi • Conwy • Dalarna • Denmark • Friday Harbor • Hiiumaa • Huron Mountain • New England • The Road to Oslo • Santa Fe • Spey Valley • Christmas in Tallinn • Traveler's Stockings • Uinta Cabin • Unst • Whitby

I've marked the pattern Christmas in Tallinn as done. It's written as a pattern for a Christmas stocking - that's something I'm not particularly interested in knitting. I tried knitting it as a wearable sock but the result was disappointing. There are lots of modifications I could try for a better result, but I'm just not feeling it. It's in time out for now, and possible forever.

Moving along, I've cast on for a pair of Friday Harbor socks. This sock is knit across 49 stitches so I had to look for a heavier sock yarn that would work on 2.75mm needles. My LYS has just started carrying a 5-ply sock yarn from Regia that fits the bill, so I thought I'd give it a try. So far, I'd have to say I'm underwhelmed by it. It's sturdy and somewhat scratchy rather than soft. And what's with the red splotches?

After knitting just a couple of inches, I've decided this sock is also too small; it certainly won't fit around my heel. Nooooo! A number of Ravelers reported the same issue in their project notes - even those using the recommended yarn - so I think I'll cut my losses now and start again with 60 stitches as some of the others have done. I don't think I could stand putting in all the time and effort for another sock that doesn't fit. Barring anything unforeseen I should manage to restart and reknit the sock to about the same point on my train ride to work tomorrow.

In her introduction to the pattern, Nancy Bush says the inspiration for these socks comes from many visits to the Pacific Northwest. The cuff features a leaf pattern and then the leg features a lace pattern that evokes the wake of a sailboat which carries on down the top of the foot. For just a few minutes I considered continuing the leaf pattern all the way down the sock, but I doubt it's stretchy enough for a good fit. But it's really cute! Now let's hope things go a bit more smoothly starting tomorrow!