Sock-a-Long Challenge

Jane, I know you'll be so excited to see a post on the Sock-a-long, especially from a former blogger...

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share that I knitted my 1st Toe-Up sock on circulars! I can't believe it, I actually liked knitting with 2 circulars...I've always been such a die-hard double pointed knitter-what's the world coming to?! Pictures to follow...I started the second sock today. Who knew I'd ever be so inspired by "Knitty Gritty"???

Okay. It is obvious that we do knit socks; we just don't post them on this blog. I don't have the details of these; perhaps the knitters will post those after they see the pics.

These are Jeannie Hanover's first socks.


These are being knit by Renate's guest Burgl.


My foot and Burgl's. We wear our work proudly.


Renate's handiwork.


Piper's cuff.


Harriet's first toe up sock. Don't we wish we could see pictures of the other 250 pairs she has knitted?


Two socks on two circs by Jane Godshall.


Jane's feet.

So Turtlegirl76 doesn't feel so lonely, I thought I'd throw up a picture of Steve's new socks. He wanted them to pool in the spiral shape, so I didn't worry about it. They are Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in colorway Mineshaft. I knitted on size 0 needles. Just a simple K2, P2 cuff which he likes, and everything else pretty standard. I slowed the toe decreases to every 3 rounds and bound off more stitches than usual--20 vs. 8--to make the toe broad. I think that fits him better.

I've done two more pairs that I can't post yet. I submitted one pattern to knitty.com and will submit the other somewhere. I mean they can only say No, right? At least if they hate them, I'll never really know. They'll send a generic thank you but we have so many etc. Still it's exciting and a real challenge for me. And that's what this site is for.

So what have you done lately? I'm not the only one anxious to know.

Another Pair of Feather and Fan socks, this time in some Lorna's Laces.



Pattern: Wendy's Generic Feather & Fan
Yarn: Lorna's Laces in Purple Club
Details - Magic Cast-On Toe US Size 1 Needles.

I had these at the last guild meeting, and they are now on display at Charlotte Yarn.


From Winter 2005 Interweave Knits
Trekking XXL in color # 109

I did these in less than 4 days! Such a quick and clever knit! Seriously, I'm on my second pair of them and know I'll be making more in the future. It's a pretty design and so easy to memorize. I started on late Saturday Night, and by Sunday Night I had already turned the heel and finished the gusset decreases.



This pair is for a sock exchange I've joined on the Knittyboards. My partner chose some Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in the blues/greens colorway I had in my stash. This is also, believe it or not, my first time working with a near-solid sock yarn. Everything else has been self-striping or variegated. It's a nice change.

I also have a pair of "Whiskers and Paw Prints" socks going.



These are in Koigu. The pattern is $5.75 but $1 of each pattern sold is donated to the Anti-Cruelty Society of Chicago. The pattern calls for a short row heel but I have chosed a heel flap. These are on hold until I finish my sock-swap. Participating in this will also help me learn how to make a sock as a present for somebody based on measurement alone. It really helps you learn to pay attention to gauge and choosing a yarn to suit somebody's taste.

I have also recently purchased The Sole Solution which I downloaded from The Knitting Zone. Lemme tell ya, this is the neatest thing I've ever seen. You can adapt any pattern for any gauge and circumference you need. You just need to know your gauge, cuff circumference, and pattern repeat (i.e. is it a 4, 6, 16 or more stitch pattern repeat?) and you can even specify what type of heel and toe you want to use. Whether you want to do it on 2 circs, or 4 or 5 dpns. Very cool.

I know there are other sock knitters out there! Show us your stuff, Charlotte!

Or, at least they're strong enough to stop a speeding bullet the insanely tight gauge I knit them.



But they fit and I love them!

Yay! I finally finished them. I would have finished them much sooner, but they were the victim of knitting A.D.D. Heh. So here they are. My modified Hedera socks.

How did I modify them? Well, for one, the pattern is written cuff down. I prefer the toe-up method so my challenge was to modify the pattern so that it could be knit toe-up but not visibly so. This required me to learn how to do a heel flap from the toe-up. I used Judy Gibson's instructions for a Toe-Up Sock for the heel flap directions. The toe, I used Wendy's Generic Toe-Up Sock pattern for the toe. The bind off, I faked. I read on Heather's blog back when she finished her mom's Koigu socks, about a sewn bind-off. She vaguely described it as entering the first two stitches on the needle as if to purl then back into the first as if to knit, rinse, wash, repeat. It works out pretty well! Nice and stretchy. They're nice and comfortable. I used Plymouth Sockotta in color #14 ("Green" - how clever a name!) and had plenty left over. I could have done several more repeats of the pattern on the cuff were I motivated at the time. Some people that have knit this report using more yarn than they thought they would. This was another motivation to do it toe-up. No running out before I got to the toe! I love these socks. They were my first successful venture into lace knitting. Even Ripple likes them!

No excuses now! There's a pattern for those of you hesitant to do the whole "knitting in the round" thing. It's Soxs on 2 Sticks!

Double-Knit - Cuff Down Red Herring
Cuff-Down with Mini-Cable goodness! Cable Net
Toe-Up with a Heel Flap! Diamante

So, what are you waiting for? God knows more than just 3 of us knit socks. Speak up!