Tag Archives: socks

The Second Heel Goes Slowly

Posted on by
5

I have been on FAR TOO MANY webex meetings lately. But the upside is that no one can see me and therefore I can knit while I listen. My pregnancy nesting is starting to pick up some steam and I feel the pull to finish some WIPs before PB gets here. The combo of these two has led to some progress on my Vacation Vanilla Socks that I started in the summer of 2017.

I’m finished with the foot and I’ve installed the toe up gusset heel on the second of these socks. I follow Wendy D Johnson’s instructions for those with inquiring minds. It’s Tuesday morning and I have approximately 7 hours of remote web meetings left this week. Fingers crossed that I can just zoom up the leg and be finished really really soon. One way or another PB will make her debut on or before May 30th…so I only have a little over a month left!

Happy Knitting!!

Wow Those Are Stripes

Posted on by
9

My Smooth Operator Socks have been my bedside knitting here lately. My baby bump has made it increasingly hard to be both comfortable and knit at the same time. I pretty much only feel comfortable laying down at this point. Which obviously makes knitting not always possible.

Despite my physical limitations, I have made a good bit of progress. Self striping always has that effect on me….just one more color change and then I will be don. And these colors…well they sure are vibrant and springy! The color is called Bam! Zap! Pow! and I think that’s apt.

I’m at about 6 inches of leg and I can’t decide if I want to put the afterthought heel in yet or not. I may go ahead and start the second sock to work in tandem until I can decide. I have another size 1 circ needle empty so it would be easy peasy to totally procrastinate that decision.

Happy Knitting!!

Socks In The Wild

Posted on by
4

I spent some time stomping around my hometown with Jellybean visiting Papa and Grandma last weekend. It was a crisp 40 degrees Fahrenheit but that didn’t stop Jellybean from convincing Papa to play at the park. I played chauffeur.

I wisely chose to sit in the mini van with podcasts (and heat) while Papa chased Jellybean. I had my Vacation Vanilla Socks tucked into my backpack and when I examined them I realized I was ready to start the heel! I improvised some fancy stitch markers from scraps of yarn scavenged from the bottom of my knitting bag and off I went with a standard toe up gusset heel.

This is the second sock and i’m secretly hoping to finish them before PB’s arrival. We shall see…

Happy Knitting

Cast On: Smooth Operator Socks

Posted on by
8

Hi, my name is Rachelle and I’m a bit a of selfish knitter. I have felt the siren’s call of a special selfish project for weeks but have put it off in favor of finishing some WIPs and baby knits. Now, don’t get me wrong I loved working on those but my deep deep down knitters heart was still yearning to be free.

So while Jellybean had some quality grandparent time I culled my stash and my Ravelry wish list and came up with the perfect pairing!

My Bam! Zap! Pow! skein of Fibernymph Dye Works Bounce sock yarn told me it wanted to be a some Smooth Operator Socks by Susan B Anderson. Now I normally knit my socks toe-up, I am going to give this pattern the full whirl the first time around. I will work cuff down and follow the pattern as closely as possible. I read the ENTIRE pattern and decided the only mod would be the stitch count. Susan tell you to go down to the nearest stitch count when your measurements fall in between sizes. Well fine blog readers…I have nice muscular volleyball shaped calves. I know using that stitch count and my standard sock gauge will result in a VERY tight leg.

So I’m working the cuff and the leg in a stitch count I know will fit and before I get to the heel I will reduce down to the pattern recommended count for the heel and foot. I feel like this is the best plan to avoid tears and cursing down the road. And you know what? It’s just knitting, if the first sock fails I can always rip out and try again. I’m the boss of my knitting after all!

Wish me luck! Happy Knitting!!

A Fine Ruler

Posted on by
3

I tucked another knitting wish list item into my KnitCircus purchase…why not while I was at it??

I picked up the Ann Budd Knit Gauge Ruler. I have seen this thing ALL over the knitisphere. It’s so simple and effective….tis genius and witchcraft at the same time. I tried it out on my recent finished socks.

Turns out I knit these puppies at nine stitches to the inch. The ruler was easy to use and I just kept sliding the gauge until I found my little Vs lining up with the marks.

My inner OCD accounting brain wants to go back and MEASURE ALL THE FINISHED THINGS just to see what my gauge is like. But my pregnancy brain tells that part of my brain to shush and go eat ice cream. I likely know which one will win right now, lol. But I can tell you for darn sure I will be using this going forward!

Happy Knitting!

Yarning Again

Posted on by
3

My knitting mojo has been a bit illusive lately. Even though I have lots of things on the needles and I love them all….I just can’t quite get excited about them. I’m in my third trimester and outside of ice cream or a nap not a lot make makes my heart go pitter patter, lol.

I got a small boost in my knitting realm the other day, I was the lucky recipient of a giveaway on the Bede Sisters Podcast and the host Kay. She’s a delight to listen to and the giveaway win is just the pick me up I needed! I received this special package in the mail…

And in it was two skeins of Felici Sock in the Soft Serve colorway. They are the most delicate Easter/ice cream colors and this yarn is my sister’s FAVORITE to receive hand knit socks in. She loves the soft fabric it creates. I’m not sure given my impending due date that these will hit the needles right away, but it’s nice to tuck away some yarn that I know will have an enthusiastic recipient.

I was also weak…..my job has really stunk here lately. Like it’s been super stressful and busy and just a hot mess where I may have actually cried one day. I sort of self-medicated with some super super duper wish list yarn. I have one pair of KnitCircus socks from their gorgeous rainbow gradient and I have been craving their yarn since then. And having an internet enable smart device while pregnant and stressed is a heady mix.

I picked up some KnitCircus Greatest of Ease 75 gram matching sock set in the Electric Mayhem color. These will need to be on my needles SOON! They are a pregnancy dream….already matched and wound into ready to knit cakes. Now I just need needles and a bag and I’m good to go. Soon my pretties….soon….

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Accidental Travel Socks

Posted on by
8

Tah Dah……the Accidental Travel Socks are in the FO column and I’m in love!!!

Thanks to Daylight Savings time (the only time I will EVER type that, lol) I got some decent photos of my finished socks. You guys…this yarn is so fantastic that it practically glows in the sunlight. I would have taken photos on my feet but my ankles are starting to grow in all their pregnancy glory, lol.

Pattern: 68 stitch cuff down vanilla sock with contrasting afterthought heels and toes

Yarn: Kirby Wirby Hand Dyed Self Striping Sparkle Fingering yarn in Poly Pigtails colorway

Needles: US 1 nine inch circs

I used 69 grams or 300 yards of the self-striping and 10 grams or 44 yards of the solid contrasting color. So just around 80 grams of yarn or 344 yards. The foot is my standard 9 inch length and the leg is right at 7 inches. They have a lot of negative ease….whether that is due to the actual sock or my hormonally enhanced ankles is to be determined. For now these pretties are going to be tucked safely into my sock drawer for a cold and blustery winters day.

Happy Knitting!!

P.S. Stay tuned for Saturday morning where I will post the 1,000 Giveaway winner! 🙂

 

Matching Heels

Posted on by
3

The toes are installed on my Accidental Travel socks…squee!!!

I literally cannot put these down. Jellybean hasn’t been very consistent about sleeping and PB is growing like a weed making it not easy to find a comfortable pregnancy position. These socks have been like salve to my soul. Who needs sleep when you can knit pretty yarn?

Today I’m going to cut in the true afterthought heel and try to get them knit up. I do a little bit of my own flavor of afterthought heel that adds the depth I need for my foot/heel. I’ll try to remember to put notes on my Ravelry page on what I do. If I work a heel like a “standard” toe its NO WHERE NEAR deep enough of a pocket to fit my foot.

Happy Knitting

A Tale of Two Socks

Posted on by
4

My (accidental) travel socks have been giving me the call of the siren lately. They have been living in my work backpack and I have been pulling them out during my lunch breaks and car riding blocks of time. My work load at my job is totally whack-a-doodle and I have found the need for knitting comfort a lot lately. (Whack-a-doodle being an official accounting term, lol)

I have firmly decided to add contrasting toes and heels in some solid grey that matches nicely. And I am working both socks at the same time. I work a little on one and then some on the other as I feel to keep them roughly the same size. The yarn balls are the same amount by the way, one is center pull and the other pulling from the outside so the stripes match up. Therefore the yarn balls are more/less compact giving the illusion of two different amounts. I’m just going to knit peaceful stockinette until they are long enough or I run out of yarn, whichever comes first.

They only caveat to this plan would be to use the ball (left) that has an un-used center pull portion to add a square to my mitered square blanket before I use up all the yarn. I have been feeling the call of that project as well and I think this cheery skein would be a great addition.

Happy Knitting!!

WIP Wednesday: Travel Vanilla Socks

Posted on by
2

My Travel Vanilla Socks were very handy at my work conference. (Side note….I saw a fellow attendee doing two handed stranded colorwork with a chart….I was in awe. She was still totally listening and participating. Legitimately awesome.)

I found myself picking them up very often at my conference. So in the span of three days I made the above progress. I’m pretty happy with a good chunk of two socks cranked out.

I also started contemplating how I was going to finish these socks. I don’t normally work cuff down so I don’t have a “favorite” cuff down heel. I recently acquired some plain grey Heritage sock yarn in my stash and I’m considering contrast toes and afterthought heels. So I’m thinking about just cranking these tubes until I get to the length I want and finish toes in grey. I think I’ll just see how my tubes turn out!

Happy Knitting!!