A Very Berry Finish

I have a new snuggly pair of socks!

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Very Berry Vanilla Socks

Pattern: DVD – Simple Toe Up Socks by Denise Bell

Yarn: Knit Picks Felici in Mixed Berries

Needles: 1 US

Mods: None, worked pattern over 68 stitches

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I fell in love with these colors and these socks became hard to put down. I can’t believe I started these at Christmas! The afterthought heel was much easier on the second sock. I’m not sure if I like the fit on my foot. But I need to give these a good trial before I decide.

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Now on to my next pair!

Happy Knitting!

WIP Wednesday: Very Berry Vanilla Socks

Some recent windshield time coupled with lots of Grandparents time for Jellybean has meant I’ve gotten some knitting done!

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My Very Berry Socks are moving along swimmingly. I’m loosely following the DVD – Simple Toe Up Sock pattern. I’ve reached the after thought heel on sock #1 and very close on sock #2. You may notice that I’m knitting two at a time. For Christmas I got a second 8″ sock circular. And I’m in love!

One thing about these socks….the skeins are different dye lots I picked up from another knitters destash. So I purposely started them at different color stripes. They are almost mirror images of each other. I hope this will help hide the fact the colors don’t match exactly. Fingers crossed….

WIP Wednesday: Very Berry Vanilla Socks

After I cast off the last pair of vanilla socks I had the itch to cast on another pair. I dug around in my stash for some more Knit Picks Felici self-striping yarn and came up with two skeins of Mixed Berry. Then I hunted through my Rav queue and found DVD – Simple Toe Up Socks .

So onto the needles they went. I quickly realized I need to change the pattern….

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The toe increases at 2 stitches per round just don’t cut it for my man-like toes. So to the frog pond I went. I used a 4 stitch increase per round and got this…

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Much better! I’m working both socks at once, just on separate sets of circulars. So I actually have two toes made. On to the foot sections I go. This pattern uses an afterthought heel and I’m excited to learn this method!

Ps. Happy New Year to all πŸ˜‰

FO Friday: Toe Up Vanilla Socks

I have conquered my socks! What a great way to wrap up my #sockswithsarah year!

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I used size 1US dpns and 8″ 1US circulars. I loosely followed this pattern and adapted to fit my gauge and yarn weight. I used almost two whole skeins of Knit Picks Felici fingering weight in Aquarium.

I’m really sad that this yarn is discontinued because it knit up like a dream! Except for some laddering in the foot sections I’m pretty happy with these. I wore them to work on Christmas Eve and they kept my toes nice and toasty!!

Happy Knitting

Almost…..

I have one complete sock!!

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And since I knit two at a time on two separate sets of circulars the second sock is almost to the cuff! The first fits like a dream but has some issues with ladders on the foot section. I’m chalking it up to a learning experience and will fix on my next pair. My “give a sh#t” level with a three month old to take care of is just not that high, lol. They function as socks just fine!

Have you ever just moved on from an imperfect knitting project?

On Being Inside Out

In my last few #sockswithsarah sock updates I’ve had a few curious questions about the fact that my socks are knitting inside out. And I would I would share why. Two things:

1: I like working in what I think of “modified magic loop”. In other words I have two dpns that I use like two circulars or one extra long circular. I then have a third needle to work the active yarn.Β And normally the socks are right side out and the active stitches to be knit would be on the needle closest to my body.

2: I have very long fingers. And now I have developed pregnancy induced carpal tunnel in my hands/wrists. I couldn’t stand to work very long on my socks.

My local yarn shop owner overheard my problem awhile back. She had a nifty suggestion….turn the darned thing inside out! Β 

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This allows the active stitches to be knit to be on the back needle. I’m still knitting…no purling. But the slight difference in distance allows my hands to relax more and my fingers to be less cramped. I’ve had almost zero carpal tunnel since switching styles. And when I’m done….I just have to turn the socks inside out πŸ™‚

Not sure if this makes sense. Not sure if it’s a knitting thing or just something weird that works for me. But I had enough comments I wanted to share with the world. Sorry if the photo doesn’t help me elaborate the point….I’m about to turn the heel after completing the gussets.

Has anyone else every done something a little different to solve a knitting problem?

A New Sock

My Plain Rye has been languishing in my project bagΒ as the weather has grown warmer. Definite SSS as I have finished the first one but only the cuff of the second. I have a hard time working on any project that I’m not “in love with” at the time. So to the back of the closet it goes!

I still have the urge to work on a sock and to keep up with Socks With Sarah. Eons ago I picked some actual fingering weight sock yarn: Lorna’s Laces Soulmate in the Hawaii colorway:20140531-215852-79132153.jpg

How gorgeous right? So I pulled this from my stash and divided evenly into two cakes. I even made sure that I started each cake at the same point in the color change pattern. I feel like a proper sock knitter! πŸ™‚

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IΒ picked a vanilla toe-up sock with gusset heal that is a variation of a pattern by Wendy Johnson. I’m working a total of 74 stitches on US 0 DPN needles. The pattern was written for magic loop but I’m working using three needles.

I don’t know if this is “right” or “wrong” but since I have five DPNs I’m working the socks in a sort of two at a time fashion. Two needles per sock and the fifth to work the live stitches. I plan to work each pattern section (toe, foot, turn the heel, etc) for each sock before moving to the next section. Hopefully this helps me produce two matching socks and avoid SSS, lol.

And as a pleasant consequence, I don’t have much of a laddering problem between the needles as I only have two needle changes (instead of the four I had with my Rye Socks). And I’m knitting the first stitch on each needle twisted and making sure to pull tightly. This is helping me to create a more even fabric. Check it out!

P.S. I’m TOTALLY in love with these colors. Really helps me power past the tiny yarn on tiny needle problem I usually face with socks.

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Oops!!

My Socktober Socks are looking good!

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Only one problem…I have size 10 wide feet. I have big lady feet, since I was like 12. I’ve simply learned to deal. I managed to adapt the pattern to fit said size 10 feet. However, I failed to calculate correct yardage on the project….oops! I only have enough yarn for a single tall sock or a regular sock with a partial toe section of hte second.

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Lessons learned….patience tested….I’m finishing this as a single tall sock and moving on. It is a great learning experience and I shall keep this as a sample sock. And by the grace of god my next attempt shall yield an actual pair!!

Happy Knitting!

Socks For Socktober

Being that it is October, I put my big girl panties on and cast on for my very first ever sock. I know it’s already basically the end of the month, but I get points for the spirit right?

I pulled a ball of Knit Pocks Felici in the Peachy color way from my stash and I had chosen a Toe Up Sock with Gusset heel for a pattern. I was excited!

But upon careful reading of the pattern, as one should do before putting yarn on needles, I realized my folly. I had fingering weigh yarn and size US 1 needles when the pattern called for sport weight and size US 2s. Insert forehead slap here…….

After a cup of tea, I decided to forge ahead. I was determined to ” make it work” as Tim Gunn so often states. I forged ahead with what I had. Given the thinner yarn and smaller needles I decided to knit the largest size in the pattern so as to aim for something in the middle. This project is mostly about learning new skills for me, so who cares if they only fit a tiny adult.

I successfully completed my first ever seamless Turkish Cast-on and promptly set to knitting the pattern as written. I got to the end if the increase section and “tried it on” my foot and found one more increase was necessary to fit. So I wrote the change on my pattern and added it to my sock.

I then trudged through about an inch if stockinette and had one last fitting before bed!

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I will undoubtedly have to continue to alter the pattern as I go. But it’s very well written and it should work out alright. As long as I take excellent notes for the second sock, lol!

If this works out, I cannot wait to fill a drawer in my dresser with handmade socks!! Anybody else out there have the same urge?