Ghosts Of Advents Past (Part 1)

With all the festivities this year, I decided to pull out my 2021 Chromatic Yarns advent calendar. I had this big plan last holiday to knit 24 tiny little socks. Yeah…..that never materialized, lol.

I’m feeling a little more grounded this year so I re-evaluated and decided that the socks should be pairs. I have managed to finish two pairs and almost done with a third. These are the first three advent days in order.

When they get done, I am thinking of stitching them to a ribbon decorative twine to make a garland. But let’s get over the hurdle of 48 total tiny socks. It takes me half an evening of knitting to make a sock if I can stay off my phone. So maybe a Q1 2023 goal?

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: 2022 Advent Socks

I didn’t go full advent calendar this year but I did buy the Cozy Knitter 2022 self-striping sock set. The idea is that there are 24 stripes and you knit one a day starting December first and by Christmas you have finished socks.

I have been keeping up fairly well with the daily knitting as it doesn’t take much time to roughly four or five rows. I haven’t been as good with photographing my progress, but I have these snaps from when I started.

Full disclosure, the skeins did not come with the contrast skein. I dug around in my minis and pulled out one from Leading Man Fiber Arts in the “It’s Cold Outside” colorway. The name made it the perfect match to some Christmas socks. It’s a little darker than the blue in the skein but I like things a little quirky!

Happy Knitting!!

Punching Along

I am now in last color of the second color repeat of my Punch Bug Vanilla Socks. I am bang on 7 inches of foot with these two colors. That means my heel can land cleanly between the color progressions.

So I should be able to make these socks out of four total rainbow repeats. And then I am faced with a very familiar question, do I do the afterthought heel from the same self-striping or find a coordinating solid? That’s a decision for later!

Happy Knitting!!

Punch In The Park

The sun may be bright, but the winds are cold. I need to knit faster! Took my Punch Bug Vanilla Socks to the park to watch the kiddos burn off some energy.

This is Knit Picks Felici self-striping fingering in the “Punch Bug” color. I am SOOO close to finishing the second color repeat. I am using US 1 needles like I usually do. But this fabric seems to be knitting up more densely than usual. Not to worrying degree but more so than the last pair I made. I wonder if my latest life stress is changing my tension?

The next step is to complete the color repeat and measure my sock. That should tell me how many color repeats I am going to plan into this afterthought heel sock. Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Punch Bug Vanilla Socks

After finishing my UniZebraCorn socks last week, I started another pair of vanilla socks. I’m calling these my Punch Bug Vanilla socks!

First of all, this cast on is brought to you by a child’s birthday party at the local trampoline park. The only reason I stayed sane was a podcast in my earbud and knitting in my hands. That place is insanely loud but it SURE does wear my kiddos out.

I had to grab this project quickly, so I grabbed some Knit Picks felici sock yarn because it didn’t require any winding. The colorway is called Punch Bug and I have a full sock quantity and a worsted skein to make a matching hat. I’m using my standard 68 stitch count and knitting round and round in a tube.

This is also likely to be my purse/meeting knitting. I don’t have many autopilot projects on the go right now. So these socks will be important to my rotation, lol. Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: UniZebraCorn Vanilla Socks

I win at deadline knitting! Even though it was a self imposed one, lol. My UniZebraCorn socks are COMPLETE!

Pattern: My own toe vanilla sock recipe with 68 stitches (Rav link)

Yarn: KirbyWirby Old Faithful Sock in the Uniexbracorn colorway

Needles: US 1s

I ended up using roughly 324 yards of yarn which is roughly 72 grams of the 100 gram skein. So I have a nice little ball leftover for my memory blanket and other scrappy project.

The fit worked out well and my “recipe” for the afterthought heel still fits. I add extra plain rows at the beginning of the heel before starting the decrease rows. I progressive use less plain rows between decrease rows until I work down to a traditional every other row.

I have these washed and sitting in my sock drawer for the next cold snap! Happy Knitting!!

Very Close To Full Zebra

These socks have me singing “haaaalfway there, ooooh whoaaaa!” because I have one heel fully installed on my UniZebraCorn socks.

My second tube has the heel cut made and the needles are just waiting for me. It’s not my bedtime routine with the kids tonight so I have a chance of plugging in throwing some re-runs on the TV and power through the last heel by tomorrow.

Wish me luck!

Two Zebra Tubes

My UniZebraCorn socks are now done in tube form!

I didn’t go super crazy and count my rows on sock number one to make sock tube number two. I just kinda held them next to each other until they looked the right length. They will still make perfectly warm socks.

I do need to dig up one of 100 tape measure rolling around in this house. The kiddos seem to trot them off in every direction. But I will measure these tubes and cut my afterthought heels in at 7 inches from the toe cast on. Fingers crossed I can make these to FO status this week!

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Victorian Mauve Vanilla Socks

I was scheduled for not one but TWO four hour block meetings this week. That means my Victorian Mauve Socks are DONE!

Pattern: My own 68 stitch toe up vanilla sock recipe

Needles: US 1

Yarn: La Bien Aimee Tough Sock in Victorian Mauve colorway

I couldn’t be happier with the finished product on these socks. They fit great and the BFL really feels like its going to hold up well over time. I need to give them a good bath and get them tucked in my sock drawer for winter!

I used 62 grams or roughly 288 yards of the 400 yard skein. I have PLENTY of yarn leftover for my memory blanket and probably another scrappy project. This yarn was yummy to work with and the speckles are some of the bests I have worked with.

Now I need to plan my next pair of socks for next week’s four hour block. Happy Knitting!!

Second Purple Heel

My second Victorian Mauve sock is now officially past the heel.

I took some kid free time this past weekend to just sit and get the heel turned. I went with my go-to toe up gussest heel from Wendy Johnson. I learned sock knitting from her free patterns and it has my undying loyalty. It also fits my foot well, lol.

I just need to cruise up the leg and I’ll have a new warm pair of socks for the coming fall weather. Happy Knitting!!