Finished: 2018 Advent Socks

The 2018 Advent Socks are done and dusted!

Pattern: My own 68 stitch toe up vanilla sock “recipe”

Yarn: The Cozy Knitter 2018 Advent Stripe skein and The Cozy Knitter Bliss Sock white mini skein

Needles: US 1s

I used about 15 grams of the white contrast for the toes and heels. While I used exactly half of the advent skein. The Cozy Knitter sends hers with two full repeats of the 24 color design. So I can get two pairs of socks out of these skeins for my US 9 womens shoe size. I did mess up one sock slightly as the heel and toe are just slightly off alignment. But that doesn’t affect their wearability so I’m rocking it.

I do have the remainder of the skein to do something with. I think I will move on to the 2019 skein and save all the second halves. And then I will take all the seconds and send off to be cranked into sock snakes. Then I can batch create the second pair of each color.

Seems simple right? Happy Knitting!!

Grafting The Heels

The 2018 Advent Socks are extremely close to being done.

I cut the heels in last week and got the live stitches on the needles. I have just been avoiding knitting the actual heels. I do a modified afterthought heel where I add extra plain rows when I start the heel and methodically work down to the alternating decrease row/plain row pattern. This creates a deeper heel that fits my specific foot better. The fabric doesn’t slip down into the foot portion nearly as badly.

Both of these are ready for Kitchener and I’m feeling the task avoidance….

Happy Knitting!!

Cutting In 2018 Heels

The tubes are done for the 2018 Advent Vanilla Socks!

I measured and cut in for where my heels need to go. It’s so hot here in Kansas that I plan to skip the wool and do some reading in the basement where the air doesn’t hurt my face. But I think another evening of swim lessons or indoor gymnastics and I will have finished heels. And therefore finished socks!

I will have half a skein of the self striping left. I am formulating an idea where I save the second halves of all my advent skeins and send them off to be machine knit into snakes….stay tuned….

Happy Knitting!!

How The Heck Did That Happen

I pulled my 2018 Cozy Knitter Advent socks from my work bag the other evening for a night meeting and the project bag was SOAKED.

Honestly it was both wet and stained a pink/orange color. I have NO idea what could have happened. It didn’t smell bad and I don’t remember putting any liquids inside my work back pack. It was bizarre

Luckily, the bag seems to have held the damage. I couldn’t inspect the socks in the moment and I kept knitting because they felt dry to the touch. But I pulled them out at home and I don’t sees any discoloration. I have since put them in a new bag and I am putting the project bag through the wash. And now I will always wonder how to solve this mystery….

Happy Knitting!

Socks At A Conference

My conference in Chicago had me in ballrooms for eight solid hours over two days. And this place was FREEZING. I was actively shivering for the first four hour session. I honestly knit on my 2018 Advent Socks just to keep my fingers from falling off.

I would knit a stripe on one sock and then switch to knit on the same stripe on the second sock. I think I confused the lady at my table but I had the irresistible urge to keep them “even”, lol. I am on color 14 of the 24, so just over the halfway point.

As with some previous advent socks, I think I will do the 2×2 ribbed cuff in the last four colors of the self striping skein. So I need to keep count when I hit color 20. I bet I mess that up on at least one of the socks.

Happy Knitting!!

Easy Saturday Mornings

This past Saturday Jellybean had an 8 am baseball game. While I was grateful for the cooler temps it was less than ideal to get up early on my day off. The things I do for being a mom. So I grabbed some energy and my 2018 Advent Socks and watched our team win and my son be MVP of the game.

I recently upgraded to a rocking camp chair and it makes all the difference in the world. I feel more comfortable for knitting ergonomics and I can rock out the anxiety of the close plays and my kid’s at bats.

I think I added at least two stripes per sock during this game. I need to count to determine how far I am into the 24 stripes I am for these socks. Socks make such an easy thing to travel with and drop quickly when a foul ball comes at me or PB.

Happy Baseball Knitting!!

Socks In The Sun

My 2018 Cozy Knitter Advent Socks saw a little sun while on the cruise boat. We had a day of beautiful blue by waters and lots of commercial fishing boats to watch.

I had to keep administrating sunscreen and observing cool pool tricks by PB and Jellybean so I added a stripe on the right sock and two stripes on the second sock. It’s cool to think these socks have been on the ocean!

I have felt my hat mojo coming back but it is nice to have such a small and easy to travel project to have to tote around. And my sweater is not ideal for poolside knitting either. These wee socks fit the bill nicely.

Stay tuned for more vacation knitting!!

Lopsided Stripes

I was using my 2018 Cozy Knitter Advent Socks as dark knitting this week. I thought I was alternating stripes on each one. Turns out I was knitting more on one than the other!

Looks like I am heading towards a blue section. I am not mad at it. These is really nice yarn and it’s comforting to just go round and round all day long.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: 2018 Advent Socks

I finished my Frankensocks and they are currently resting on sock blockers. I’ll do post later this week with the FO. I pulled something easy from my stash to start my next socks. This is the 2018 advent calendar from The Cozy Knitter

These are so easy to hand wind and get going easily. I need some autopilot knitting for upcoming events and this backlog of advent stripes seems perfectly portable and easy. I have a ton of her white contrast in the bliss base.

I used the white contrast to cast on the toe and I also plan to use for the heel. And then started the self striping in endless round and round. I don’t have them exactly even yet but I do plan to work them in tandem to reduce second sock syndrome. Here’s to some great sock progress this summer!

Happy Knitting!!

A Cozy Knitter Haul

Past Rachelle strikes again. I have a vague memory back in December of falling prey to the Cozy Knitter Insta post where she was resurrecting past advent colors.

I started The Cozy Knitter on an annual basis back in 2022. I also have the 2023, 2024 and 2025 skeins finished into socks. And after a glass of wine, I thought it was a good idea to pick up the previous 2018 to 2021 versions. And I messed up (sorta) and accidently got two 2021 skeins. So I may save that for a gift…

No immediate plans to knit these right away. I may pull a Yarn Harlot and grab them randomly in a month and do a mid year advent stripe a day?

Happy Stashing!!