Blue and red socks
I've knitted several pairs of socks.
The first pair was a birthday gift for BACH, and he was appropriately grateful (he is a very indulgent friend, and knows the value of handmade goods of any ilk). They were muticolored-flecked, mostly primary colors. I had no idea what I was doing but tried a logical approach, believing that the toe-up method would be a good choice because one can try the socks on as they grow, which is more exciting than slipping a tube over the ankle and thinking, Nope, not long enough yet; more boring ribbing to do! I found Stasia's Toe-Up guide on the web and was smitten. I adapted it slightly to use with one long circular needle, knitting both socks simultaneously, each from its own ball of yarn. It was a blast.
The next pair I made was a graduation present - for a PhD, no less! - for dear CJC in South Africa. To my sadness they were lost somewhere in the great postal wilderness of the world (although I have a fond hope that they were found by someone who likes them - and wears them in all their green, yellow and blue-flecked glory). The next pair was for flaky NLR's birthday; he's creative and Scandinavian, so I had high hopes for their reception and was disappointed by his tepid response. (They were done with a self-striping wool blend in burgundy, brown, and gold, and looked magnificent, but took for-EV-er on smaller-than-toothpicks size 1 circs.) I didn't learn my lesson, and knitted a very cute pair of anklets (another advantage of toe-up style being that one can stop knitting and call it an anklet, whether that was the initial plan or not) for Aussie ED. She was sweet about appreciating their handmadeness and admired the Koigu PPPM colors (a blend of pinks, mostly) but I had a suspicion she would probably never wear them.
I waited a while, and then turned to baby booties, which were quick, and Koigu (springy!), and warmly received by fellow knitter and new mother CAM. More time passed on other projects, and I finally began to understand that the person who would most appreciate my handmade socks was - well, me.
Seduced by Evelyn A. Clark's beautiful Retro Rib Socks pattern in Interweave Knits (winter 2004), I chose Lanett Superwash Merino, because I had a lot of it in stash, and chose to work the top ribbing band of the leg, the heel, and the toe in a contrasting color (the only contrasting color I had in the same yarn, in stash). It's not a toe-up pattern, and I loved the way the heel and toe came out when I finally got to them. I wasn't sure how much yarn they would take, so I knitted them one at a time - which meant in March/April and then July. Now that it's November and cold enough to wear them, I present them to you in all their glory, on my own long and elegant feet. While they are soft and comfortable, they are already pilling a bit, which makes me suspect this yarn is not meant for sock-making; I'll stick to yarns with a small synthetic percentage in the future.
In late September I bought two balls of lovely self-striping wool blend at my LYS. In October I knit them into a pair of Stasia's toe-ups, for myself. As I was beginning them, my boyfriend and I broke up. It was very therapeutic to make something just for me, and as luck would have it I fininshed them the day before my birthday. My natal day was cold, and I was delighted to wear them and share them with the friends and co-workers who admired them all throughout their growth.
The first pair was a birthday gift for BACH, and he was appropriately grateful (he is a very indulgent friend, and knows the value of handmade goods of any ilk). They were muticolored-flecked, mostly primary colors. I had no idea what I was doing but tried a logical approach, believing that the toe-up method would be a good choice because one can try the socks on as they grow, which is more exciting than slipping a tube over the ankle and thinking, Nope, not long enough yet; more boring ribbing to do! I found Stasia's Toe-Up guide on the web and was smitten. I adapted it slightly to use with one long circular needle, knitting both socks simultaneously, each from its own ball of yarn. It was a blast.
The next pair I made was a graduation present - for a PhD, no less! - for dear CJC in South Africa. To my sadness they were lost somewhere in the great postal wilderness of the world (although I have a fond hope that they were found by someone who likes them - and wears them in all their green, yellow and blue-flecked glory). The next pair was for flaky NLR's birthday; he's creative and Scandinavian, so I had high hopes for their reception and was disappointed by his tepid response. (They were done with a self-striping wool blend in burgundy, brown, and gold, and looked magnificent, but took for-EV-er on smaller-than-toothpicks size 1 circs.) I didn't learn my lesson, and knitted a very cute pair of anklets (another advantage of toe-up style being that one can stop knitting and call it an anklet, whether that was the initial plan or not) for Aussie ED. She was sweet about appreciating their handmadeness and admired the Koigu PPPM colors (a blend of pinks, mostly) but I had a suspicion she would probably never wear them.
I waited a while, and then turned to baby booties, which were quick, and Koigu (springy!), and warmly received by fellow knitter and new mother CAM. More time passed on other projects, and I finally began to understand that the person who would most appreciate my handmade socks was - well, me.
Seduced by Evelyn A. Clark's beautiful Retro Rib Socks pattern in Interweave Knits (winter 2004), I chose Lanett Superwash Merino, because I had a lot of it in stash, and chose to work the top ribbing band of the leg, the heel, and the toe in a contrasting color (the only contrasting color I had in the same yarn, in stash). It's not a toe-up pattern, and I loved the way the heel and toe came out when I finally got to them. I wasn't sure how much yarn they would take, so I knitted them one at a time - which meant in March/April and then July. Now that it's November and cold enough to wear them, I present them to you in all their glory, on my own long and elegant feet. While they are soft and comfortable, they are already pilling a bit, which makes me suspect this yarn is not meant for sock-making; I'll stick to yarns with a small synthetic percentage in the future.
In late September I bought two balls of lovely self-striping wool blend at my LYS. In October I knit them into a pair of Stasia's toe-ups, for myself. As I was beginning them, my boyfriend and I broke up. It was very therapeutic to make something just for me, and as luck would have it I fininshed them the day before my birthday. My natal day was cold, and I was delighted to wear them and share them with the friends and co-workers who admired them all throughout their growth.
authored by Reetay Ononlay at
Friday, November 03, 2006
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