Category Archives: Socks

WIP Wednesday: Antagonist Socks

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Thanks to many (read: MANY) conference calls and video meetings I have made pretty good progress on my Antagonist Socks! The toe increases are done and the foot is one inch shy of starting the heel.

I’m really enjoying the yarn! There are flecks and pops of mossy green, burnt orange and a some other colors I can’t quite describe that keep me interested. The finished fabric is not merino soft but feels like imagined the BFL content would turn out. It is still soft but feels firm like it won’t pill or wear as easily.

I’m pretty sure I am going to do a toe up gusset heel by Wendy D Johnson for these socks. I have that almost memorized and it fits my foot quite nicely. My next hurdle will be to see if I can turn the heel while knitting out of video call frame….

Stay tuned and happy knitting!!

Cast On: Antagonist Vanilla Socks

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I was feeling the pull of socks again after I finished my Dark Side Vanilla Socks. I pulled out some of the sock yarn I wound up during my winding frenzy and just cast on. This is the BFL/Nylon sock blend from Stranded Dyeworks and it felt like some basic toe socks were a great pattern match.

This is my own “vanilla” recipe of a 68 stitch toe up vanilla sock on US 1s. A whole lot of round and round in soothing stockinette. Working from home and having all my meetings being virtual….I have made great time on this sock! I’m planning on a toe up gusset heel from Wendy D Johnson’s pattern. I almost have that heel memorized and it fits my foot really well.

This yarn is making a really nice fabric. It’s not merino soft but its soft in a sturdy way. The BFL really makes this feel like a sock that should wear really well. I can’t wait to get these finished and into my drawer. I really want to see how these work out. I might need to add more BFL sock yarn to my stash!

Happy Knitting

FO Friday: Dark Side Vanilla Socks (Take Two)

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Just a little cheery rainbow to cap off the week. I finished my Dark Side Vanilla Socks (Take Two) and got them washed and ends woven in.

Pattern: 72 stitch vanilla sock made from machine cranked sock snake

Needles: US 0s

Yarn: Knit Picks Felice in Dark Side and Cascade Heritage Sock in Grey

My stripes are reversed and the toes are a little squared off. But the socks are soft and warm and the perfect rainbow to brighten up any shelter in place order.

The next question is…what should my next socks be??

Happy Knitting

Weaving Fail

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I was trying to be a good knitter and give future Rachelle a leg up on finishing these socks. I decided to weave in the end on my Dark Side Vanilla Socks (Take Two) before starting the heels. I am making these from a sock machine cranked sock tube, so there are a LOT of ends to weave in from the contrast heels, toes and cuffs.

I was working with the sock turned inside out and when I turned them right side out I had a d’oh moment. I had accidentally dipped my needle in too far and grabbed a stitch from the sock. After a couple of curse words I turned the sock inside out again and PICKED OUT MY CAREFULLY WOVEN IN ENDS. It took 30 minutes because the universe was teaching me a lesson.

I very carefully re-wove in the ends after I released the extra stitch. It looks much better now! It was a total weaving fail but at least one I could correct. I think these socks are ready for their afterthought heels now!

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Bullseye Vanilla Socks

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I have a FO this week!! My bullseye vanilla socks are done, washed and blocked!!

Pattern: My own 72 stitch toe up vanilla sock “recipe”

Yarn: Biscotte Yarns Bis-sock in the Bullseye colorway

Needles: US 0s

I used roughly 300 yards of yarn or 70 grams of this skein of yarn. They socks are in between my normal tall socks and a shortie sock. I have absolutely no rhyme or reason why. I just got tired of knitting the first sock leg and put the cuff on. So I made the second one to match. Perfectly scientific, right?

They fit quite nicely and almost perfectly match. It’s getting warm enough that these will likely go right into summer sock storage. But I needed this win this week. I can’t control the world but I can knit some royally good socks!

What is your win this week?

Anxiety and Self Care

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It’s been a rough couple of weeks for everyone far and wide. I’m not going to take space here to regurgitate what is being blasted on every platform possible. What I will say is that my anxiety is very high. I am confident that this pandemic won’t last forever but the ramifications both socially and economically might last longer than we would like. And that bumps up against my anxiety triggers…..I’m an accountant after all. And it’s hard not to be worn down by the onslaught of information and empty store shelves.

I am washing my hands, talking to others support when I need it, and returning to my Midwestern roots and I’m cooking all the comfort foods I can think of. Last night I took some time to rest in bed with the following self care items:

They only thing missing was knitting friends. If anyone out there is similarly missing your knitting groups and friends please feel free to DM me. I’m always around my phone and more than happy to chat and share projects. We are a community and no one has to feel alone. Happy Knitting friends!

So Close To Bullseye

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My Bullseye Vanilla Socks are SUPER close to being done. I only need to put in one more afterthought heel.

I am pretty happy with how well I managed to plan the stripes and to get the socks to match. I did pull out some yarn to try and start at the same place. It’s not an absolute requirement for me in socks. But I do enjoy when they match.

I have cut in the space for the heel. I use the KirbyWirby afterthought heel with no waste yarn. It seems scary but it is really easy to do and doesn’t leave a hole at the corners. I can feel my mojo surging because I want a this finished socks SO BAD. The thought of new socks seems like the perfect balm to my soul right now.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Dark Side Socks (Take Two)

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I was digging around in my craft room looking for some progress keepers and I came across a sock project bag that I had shoved to the back of a shelf. To my delight, I found that it contained my second pair of Knit Picks Felici socks in the Dark Side colorway.

I had knit up the first pair for my friend in Portland when I went to visit last November. And then in the chaos of the holidays these just got forgotten. The two small tubes both had toes knit into them so all they need are cuffs and heels. I decided to get these fired back up.

The stripes are in reverse order because of how I split the tubes (aka sock snakes) but I really don’t mind. I will just be happy to have a short-ish pair of socks to add to my drawer. Though I think I have wrapped my brain around how to avoid this in the future if I want.

I worked one evening on them and made some decent progress on the first cuff. Maybe these will be my spring time present to myself?

Happy Knitting!

Bill Engvall and Knitting

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I live and work in Topeka, KS and luckily enough have access to see shows at the Topeka Performing Arts Center. I saw that Bill Engvall, the comedian, was coming to town in January. So I managed to snag some balcony level seats for my dad, the husband and I. He’s a down to earth comic with a mostly clean act and puts on an enjoyable show.

I got all dressed up with full makeup, non kid mess smeared clothes AND jewelry. It was a stormy weekend but we managed to make it there as did Bill. I also packed the start of my second Bullseye Vanilla Sock. I will admit that I had a couple of beers throughout the two hour show. And every once in awhile I could feel some mistakes with my fingers.

I considered just putting it away but then I would have nothing to do with my hands during the show! After careful consideration, I figured I could always ladder down to fix the booboos and just kept going. You guys….it was bad.

I had some how slipped and carried stitches up? Note: This is a plain stockinette vanilla sock. There should be zero slipping.

I had created inadvertent eyelets and holes and my split SO MANY STITCHES. Now the yarn can be to blame for some of this. It doesn’t have a tight twist and the plies have a tendency to separate as I work especially with my needles being very pointy.

Its honestly bad enough that I’m just going to grab extra needles and rip back the two hours of comedy show knitting and start from clean stitches. I don’t mind, just more knitting for me! And proof that Bill Engvall is funny enough to make you laugh so hard you mess up your knitting!

Happy Knitting (and less frogging than me)!

HO Friday: Bullseye Vanilla Socks

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I have a half finished object! I zoomed through the ribbing of my Bullseye Vanilla Socks and promptly inserted the afterthought heel.

I think despite any planning on my part, the heel fell perfectly in the stripe pattern. And the micro stripe worked out nicely inside the heel itself. And the icing on the cake? It fits nicely on my foot.

It is halfway between my shortie sock and my normal calf length sock. I’ll have to give these a few wearing to see how I like them in my boots and shoes. I’m hoping they stay on my heels well and don’t sag throughout the day.

I’m using my new Chia Goo Twist Shortie needles as an incentive to cast on the second sock. I think I’m going to use the shortest cord and smallest needles to test making the second sock!

Happy knitting!