Tag Archives: self striping

Second Set Of Shorties

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The first set of shorties are off my needles and I’m starting to work on my pair. These are pair number two in my Soft Serve Sock Snake Socks.

I had to do some finagling with my scraps for these tubes. I went ahead and added the speckled yarn for contrasting cuffs. But those cuffs completed used up that mini skein with nothing left for heels or toes. Also, the tubes were not the same length by a noticeable amount. So I dug out the leftover scraps from the first pair and added until they were the same length. You can see the strip sequence is off for the sock on the right.

Now my dilemma is what yarn to use for the toes and heels? I pulled a couple options from my stash but I’m not completely sold on either. I might need to do a deeper stash dive after the kiddos go to bed. I don’t need these perfect but some degree of coordination would keep my brain happy.

Happy Knitting!!

Knitting At The Farmers Market

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Wednesday is Farmers Market day in downtown Topeka. It is a small but mighty affair every week. My favorite is the fresh baked bread you can find. But that kind of negates the health benefits of walking, lol. But I digress!

Today’s yarn on the go is brought to you by my Cheery Vanilla socks and their project bag that is much more suited for walking. This time I opted for a zippered sock bag with a fixed wrist strap. It still flopped around while I walked but none of the pesky twisting. I walked roughly 35 minutes and completed two stripes.

Now I also managed to snag a fresh tomato for BLT sandwiches. Because bacon is awesome, obviously.

Happy Knitting!!

Yarn On The Go

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I have been trying to put more “go” in my life and get off my tush and walk. I work in the heart of downtown Topeka and therefore have access to lots of cool places to to walk. Today my Dad’s Christmas Socks and I took a walk to the Capital building.

The project bag that these socks live in is NOT acceptable for walk knitting. It kept twirling and twisting up the yarn so that I would have to stop and unspin my bag. The bag (not pictured) is a drawstring bag by 19 Stitches. And it’s a wonderful bag for holding a project, don’t get me wrong. It’s just not great for walking.

As for the sock, I’m almost to the place where I need to weigh the yarn ball to see if I am close to 50%. I need to make sure I leave enough yarn for a cuff and a heel on sock number one and enough yarn for a complete sock number two. But i’m struggling to remember to do this in the evening after the end of what have been very long days lately.

Happy Knitting!

Soft Serve Sock Snake Shorties

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I’m halfway through my Soft Serve Sock Snake Shorties. The first pair for my sister is done!

I made the choice to rip both the tubes back a bit and re-knit the toes back down with the self-striping yarn. I then used some Acorn Willow merino nylon sock yarn I got at Woolfest 2019 for speckled heels and cuffs. I think this random mini looks really fantastic with these pastel stripes.

I used Cheree of KirbyWirby’s tutorial for a true cut in afterthought heel. I did a pretty good job of preventing a hole at the corner and matching the gauge of the sock tube. My notes on the number of rounds and decreases that work for me are on my Ravelry project page.

I’ll gift these to my sister when I see her in July. And next up I have two tiny tubes left that I am going to try and eek out a second set of shorties for myself!

Happy knitting!!

Sunshine and Knitting

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Spring might have finally sprung around here and I hope it’s not an April fools joke! I managed to squeeze in some Vitamin D and knitting while Jellybean hunted down storm troopers in the backyard.

My dad’s socks are still growing little by little. I love an easy stockinette project to just have to grab and go. And it’s nice to be able to set it down and it doesn’t matter where I stop.

Now we just need some more green around here! Happy Knitting!!

Blowing The Dust Off

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I managed to make it to work one day this week and forgot half my brain at home. I had a lunch box with an empty Tupperware container and an apple and then no knitting in my purse. It was a very rough day. Sleep deprivation is real yo!

I managed to scrounge a can of soup from my desk drawer so as not to starve. And I also remembered way back in August I had tucked some knitting away in my desk for just such days as this.

I pulled out my Cheery Vanilla Socks and added two whole stripes during my weekly conference call on my big work project. Sometimes it is good to stash knitting around like a squirrel stashes nuts! I may need to add a car project…..

Happy Knitting!!

Dude Socks Are No Joke

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I had a moment of doubt while working my Dad’s 2019 Christmas Socks. They just felt and looked HUGE. Significantly enough that I quit knitting and put them aside just in case I had messed up somewhere.

I mean they are as wide as my hand! See??

I took them and held them up against a pair of socks I previously knit for my husband. Both he and my dad have size 13 feet and can wear the same shoes. And guess what? They were just right.  I guess after knitting women’s socks for so long I forgot what dude socks are like. And size 13 is no joke!

I’m through an entire repeat of the colors. I think I’ve managed 7 inches? My struggle is now to decide on a heel. I’ve always put toe up gusset heels in my dad and husband’s socks because they accommodate a wide foot really well. But this is self striping and I like the look of the bulls-eye looking afterthought heel. I’m just not sure how that will fit? Much debate is going on in my brain because I can’t just easily put in an afterthought heel and change my mind. I would have to re-knit the leg! Sigh…

Happy Knitting!

Cast On: Cheery Vanilla Socks

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After finishing my Big Bang Vanilla Socks I felt the pull of having an empty sock project hole in my knitting life. I finally snagged some elusive knitting time at work during a conference call that coincided with PB taking a nap.

I cast on both toes of my Knit Picks Felici in the Cheer colorway. When I went back to work after maternity leave I had this project all kitted up and stored safely in my desk. I’m doing another toe up vanilla sock but this time over 72 stitches because I like to use US 0 needles on Felici yarn. It’s a bit thin than I like for size 1 needles. And I did my best to make the two socks match as best I can. My plan is just to crank out some tubes and do afterthought heels later.

It just felt good to get needles in my hand and have some soothing knitting while Iistened to coworkers “discuss” their opinions on our ongoing project, lol. Now as a working mom of two I have to grab my knitting time where ever I can….even if it’s 5 minutes.

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Big Bang Vanilla Socks

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My bathroom knitting proved fruitful, my Big Bang Vanilla Socks are finished!! I finished the last afterthought heel….this time with no knots, yay!

img_4847Pattern: My own vanilla socks over 68 stitches with afterthought heel

Yarn: Turtlepurl Turtle Toes in Rock, Paper, Lizard Spock

Needles: US 1s

I used 77 grams or 355 yards of the self-striping Turtlepurl yarn and about 5 grams or 23 yards of Serenity sock solid red.  Even with as tall as I made these socks, I still have the striping yarn left. Maybe I could make some easy leg warmers for PB to match mommy??

I’m really happy with the yarn. It knit up beautifully and the colors really grew on me. The fit is fantastic in the foot and in the heel. But my post pregnancy legs are still….well they are what they are. And the cuffs are a tid bit tight. I will have to see how they wear and if they are uncomfortable or fall down. But it’s still 90+ degrees in Kansas so it will be fall before I find out.

I would totally buy this yarn again. This dyer is amazing and the fabric is scrumptious on my feet. My only conundrum is what easy peasy vanilla project I should start next for my “knitting after the baby goes to sleep” project….

Happy Knitting!!

Big Bang Tubes

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My bedtime knitting time has lead to some (almost) finished socks. My Big Bang Vanilla Socks are officially complete tubes!

I’m just beyond tickled pink that they match exactly. Turtlepurl yarns is a genious and an amazing dyer. I have some big box store solid red yarn on hand for the afterthought heels. I just need some good light and uninterrupted knitting time to get them started. But those two things are a precious commodity these days. Time will tell….

Happy Knitting!!