Happy Valentines day!! I added some self care this morning while the household was still sleeping. I made some strong coffee and started the second toe for my Punch Bug Vanilla Socks.
I am almost done with the first tube and I wanted the second toe to be ready for when the circular needle is empty. I managed 4 rows before PB bounced down the hall and asked for breakfast. Such is mom life!
A few work conference calls over the past few months only added up to two new color stripes. But with renewed vigor this week I made it to the cuff. I think two color stripes will give me a 1 inch cuff and I’ll be done. Then of course I need to start the second sock and put in the afterthought heel in sock number one.
I had a FULL week of training at work. Like 8-5 every day for a week. The only way I could survive was to bring some knitting. I chose my Bumbles Bounce Socks.
It was SUPER productive. I finished both sock tubes and even got the first heel knit in. The training was leadership related and lots of thinking and talking so it was very easy to knit. And I caught a couple muggles mesmerized as I was knitting, lol.
So I just need to wrap up this last heel and I will have a finished pair of socks! They won’t be super tall but they will undoubtedly be super festive!!
Another week and another gymnastics lesson. The older teams were at a meet so the waiting room was not as packed with just the littles practicing. I snagged a couch and managed to put my feet up to knit!
My Bumbles Bounce Socks are both almost at the heel. I need to finish this white stripe and add a grey stripe and they will be the perfect length. I will add waste yarn for the afterthought heel. I still have some the blue from the advent socks in this project bag. Past Rachelle saved it for just that purpose, lol.
My fingers are aching a little bit, but day five is complete from my 2021 Chromatic Yarns advent calendar. This color was called Merfolk and I think its a fitting name for this lovely blue.
I’m getting the pattern memorized into my brain. I still have to refer to the patterns for the heel turns but other than that I can cruise right along. I pulled some ribbon from my stash to determine if it was the right medium to hang my items. I think some experimentation is order as I’m not sure I found the right thing.
Pattern: My own toe up vanilla sock recipe with 68 stitches
Yarn: Cozy Knitter Bliss Sock in the 2022 Advent color
Needles: US 1s
Mods: none
The toes and heels are made from Leading Man Fiber Arts Showstopper gradient in the ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’. I decided not to use it for the cuff as I wouldn’t have had enough for both socks.
For the main self-striping, I only used one repeat of the 24 stripe sequence. So I have enough to make a whole other pair of socks! I think all combined these socks have 267 yards of yarn. They are just taller than ankle socks.
The one stripe per day was very addicting. I think I only had two or three days in the month where I was unable to make time to knit them. And in what felt like no time flat, I had a whole pair of socks fall off the needles! Ten out of ten, I will do this kind of advent again!
This is roughly day 10 or so? I may not get a stripe every day but they are only 4/5 rows total so it’s easy to catch up. I am giving myself the grace to complete this as quickly or slowly as I need. After all, I have all of Christmas weekend to do whatever catch-up I need!
I’m feeling a little more grounded this year so I re-evaluated and decided that the socks should be pairs. I have managed to finish two pairs and almost done with a third. These are the first three advent days in order.
When they get done, I am thinking of stitching them to a ribbon decorative twine to make a garland. But let’s get over the hurdle of 48 total tiny socks. It takes me half an evening of knitting to make a sock if I can stay off my phone. So maybe a Q1 2023 goal?
I am now in last color of the second color repeat of my Punch Bug Vanilla Socks. I am bang on 7 inches of foot with these two colors. That means my heel can land cleanly between the color progressions.
So I should be able to make these socks out of four total rainbow repeats. And then I am faced with a very familiar question, do I do the afterthought heel from the same self-striping or find a coordinating solid? That’s a decision for later!
The sun may be bright, but the winds are cold. I need to knit faster! Took my Punch Bug Vanilla Socks to the park to watch the kiddos burn off some energy.
This is Knit Picks Felici self-striping fingering in the “Punch Bug” color. I am SOOO close to finishing the second color repeat. I am using US 1 needles like I usually do. But this fabric seems to be knitting up more densely than usual. Not to worrying degree but more so than the last pair I made. I wonder if my latest life stress is changing my tension?
The next step is to complete the color repeat and measure my sock. That should tell me how many color repeats I am going to plan into this afterthought heel sock. Happy Knitting!!