FO Friday: Sport Ankle Socks

I stalled out on the last 30 minutes of knitting on these for like…..a long tie. But my Sport Ankle Socks are done!

I started these as 60 stitch socks but ultimately worked up to 64 stiches. Which I was happy with for circumference and negative ease. However, I missed the mark on foot length and its a bit long. I am leaving it alone for now and give them a couple wears to see if they need sock surgery.

I only ended up using 66 grams of yarn or 290 yards for these shorties. I am consciously trying to knit shorties to add to my collections for winter ankle boots. This is KnitCircus opulence in a OOAK color from mystery box. It has cashmere content so they feel great on the feet….time will tell about pilling.

Now I need to get these needles with new yarn and my next socks on them! Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Prism Socks

Spring germs are REAL in this house and it’s knocked us all down for a minute. I had meant to get my next self striping socks on the needles after finishing my leftover advent socks, but that stalled.

I took my project to where I knew I would be a captive audience….literally. The hubs and I had tickets to see Brett Goldstein (of Ted Lasso fame) do standup. So I brought my yarn and needles and got to knitting during the pre-show and the ride home. Brett was amazingly funny, btw!

This yarn is the Inertia base from String Theory Colorworks and in the Prism color. So it will be a very vibrant rainbow with mini stripes of charcoal in-between. I am constructing my standard 68 stitch toe up tube with afterthought heel on US 1s. And I plan to work them in tandem so as to avoid second sock syndrome.

I wish I could find my metal US1s but the wooden ones will do for now. I can always switch later. I think these will be my backpack project or car console project since they fit nicely into a zipper pouch.

Spring Spa Knitting

I have started my job and trying to settle in and keep my brain from exploding. So I took some time to myself. I scheduled an outdoor soak and some peace and quiet.

Spent some time listening to the wind blow and knit on my Sport Ankle Socks. The hot tub was still set to winter temperature and spring has sprung here in Kansas so it was a little toasty. Was very glad for the water!

The trick to this relaxation is to keep your hands dry and your head clear. The heel is now turned and I have 18 rows of leg to knit before finishing with ribbing. At least with sock #2 I can count what I did with sock #1 and not rely on my memory!

Happy Knitting!!!

Sock Planning

I finished my Leftover Advent Socks last week and my Sport Ankle Socks are super close to done as well. This meant I felt compelled to dig further into my yarn stash for my next sock projects!

I kind of dig the process of having both a self striping sock on the needles and a variegated sock on the needles. In this stash dive, I pulled a rainbow strip from String Theory Colorworks in their Inertia base. I’ll cast on my standard 68 stitch toe up sock tube with afterthought heel.

For the GingerSnap skein I think I will do contrasting toes and cuffs and the main sock in a toe up sock with gusset heel. I am going to pay attention and recalibrate the foot from my Ankle sock mis-measurement. Now I just need some free time to wind these skeins!

Happy Knitting!!

Gymnastics Heel

The second heel on my Sport Ankle Sock is well on its way. Thanks to PB’s weekly gymnastics lesson.

In typical Knitter Rachelle fashion I have bags inside of bags inside of bags. It’s only a 60 minute lesson and I took two projects, two beverages and my latest podcasts.

A few more decreases and I will be on to the leg portion. Which in this pair, is very short. I am still on the fence about the foot length on this project but that’s a problem for future Rachelle. For now, I’m just petting the cashmere softness of this yarn!

Happy Knitting!!

Coordinating Minis

I did some stash diving over the weekend to find coordinating mini skeins to work with my sock snakes for Jellybean.

For the Tofutsies skein, I chose a purple skein from Leading Men Fiber Arts. The sock snake is pinks, burgundy, oranges and maybe some yellow. The purple is a definitely a coordinating contast. For the green snake, I found a Knitted Wit Smartie skein in a forest green color. This one stays in the color family.

Now I just need to run these by Jellybean for his approval and then we can start knitting!

FO Friday: 2023 Leftover Advent Socks

Happy Friday!! I have some shiny new socks!

Pattern: My own 68 stitch “recipe” for toe up sock tubes and afterthought heel

Needles: US 1s

Yarn: The Cozy Knitter 2023 advent skein and Knitted Wit Smartie in Carbon

Working these toe up means I have used up every last inch of this beautiful self striping. And I got the full rainbow in before casting off. The ribbing could have been started soon but it’s close enough.

In total with the self striping and the contrast heel, the socks weigh 75 grams and used about 280 yards of yarn. The mini skein had a teeny tiny ball left but was almost completely used up.

It took me way to long to finish these but I’m happy to start beefing up my shortie sock stash in my drawer for next winter!

Happy Knitting!!

Just A Bit Big

My first Sport Ankle sock is done. Which is great news, the bad news is that it is just a bit big. It fits but the foot is a little loose and a little long.

The heel does not position accurately because of the foot length. But the cuff is good. The even better news is that sock #2 is almost done as well. So these are not in a good spot to rip out and redo.

I’m going to ignore the voice in my head and finish the pair. They will then get a good wash and dry. At that point I will try them on and do sock surgery if I decided I can’t live with them. Such is the life of a knitter who doesn’t swatch or measure on the go!

Happy Knitting!!

Almost Another Advent Pair

The 2023 Advent Leftover Socks are ALMOST done. Heel #1 is in and I’m starting on heel #2.

I just love how neat and tidy socks look on a sock blocker. The fit on the first sock is pretty good. I have been doing my own “recipe” for an afterthought heel for awhile where I add a number of extra plain rows in between my decreases to add depth to the heel. Works pretty well for my foot shape.

I also try to knit at a pretty tight gauge to improve longevity and wear on the fabric. Does take a toll on my hands after a bit. Happy Knitting!!!

Steel Heels

It took a hot minute but I finally I decided on and found a heel color for my 2023 Leftover Advent socks. During my 2019 trip to Oregon, I have a stash of Knitted Wit smarties and it was perfect.

This photo of the actual socks is older from my camera roll but the only one with the mini skein in it. I think the dark neutral will work nicely as the heel color. It’s not a color that exists anywhere in the skein.

The tubes are done and ready for the afterthought heels to be inserted. Should only be a couple more hours and I will have finished socks!