FO Friday: Knee High Christmas Socks

At long last I finally have my (Not So) Knee High Christmas Socks off the needles!

Pattern: None, a 72 stitch sock snake with toes, heels and cuffs hand knitted on

Yarn: Lolodidit Plush Sock in Hippo for Christmas

Needles: US 0s

Since I decided to scrap the knee high concept and just make regular socks, I ended up using the main yarn for both cuffs and heels. Plush Sock has a generous put up of 430 yards and I ended up consuming 84 grams or 360 yards of the yarn. So I have some nubs of yarn leftover for my scrap blanket.

The fit is pretty decent they are not tight on my calves as I had expected. They do come up a tad bit higher than my regular socks. These will be nice boot socks for the winter. I do need to do a citric acid soak on these as I’ve had the speckles on Lolodidit yarn fade on past projects.

Happy Knitting!!

A Purple Rain Heel

Purse knitting for the win! I have reached the heel on my first Purple Rain Vanilla Sock

This yarn is turning out less gradient and more color blocky. But I am considering that a pleasant surprise. I am still struggling to make sure I don’t split the plies on this yarn but as long as I pay attention, its not horrible. My plan is to just knit up the leg until I get the last color block and then add the cuff. And I will make the cuff until I run out of yarn!

My one bummer is that in one of the darker purple sections had a ply break. And that run away play wound it backwards on to the previous yarn. So now I have a line. The dark line is where I have three plies of yarn that is immediately followed by a lighter section of just one ply. This could potentially be a week section of the sock. For this reason I won’t gift these socks. I figure if something goes wrong then I can always mend or patch what blows out.

But it has been good for my knitting mojo to have this project showing such good progress. It makes me feel accomplished even though I can’t seem to find big blocks of time for knitting!

Happy Knitting!!

Yarn Chicken?

My Double Vanilla socks have been the dark horse in my knitting lately. I have been consistently picking them up during school car lines, video meetings and all the in-between times. And all of a sudden in less than a week, I have a second sock! (It really helps that it is DK weight yarn, lol!)

I have been counting my rows to try and match sock #1. But I might be playing a bit of yarn chicken with the second sock. I didn’t line up the photo very well but I still need 5 rows and a bind off on the second sock to match.

Is it really going to matter if I’m off by a row or two? No it is not. And the bonus is that I’m using really super close to 100% of this skein of yarn. No leftovers!!

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Sand Castle Cashmere Vanilla Socks

One finished pair of snuggly socks coming at ya! My Sand Castle Cashmere Vanilla Socks are complete and I even wove in the ends!

Pattern: My own 68 stitch toe up vanilla sock

Needles: US 1s

Yarn: Leading Man Fiber Arts Showstealer base in Sand Castle

I tried for longer legged socks and ended up using 71 grams of yarn or just over 300 yards. So I have plenty enough leftover for my memory blanket and maybe another small project? The fit is good in the heels and I definitely needed the leg increases.

And the completed fabric feels really good on my feet with the cashmere content. So off these go into my sock drawer. I haven’t delved too deeply into my sock drawer this year. Its a combination of a warmer winter and not really leaving the house. I really haven’t needed socks as much. Maybe February will bring us some cold snaps?

Happy Knitting!!

Gratuitous Car Line Knitting

Back to school started last week. Heading into semester #2 of Kindergarten means more car line knitting. I have started the second sock of my Sand Castle Cashmere Vanilla Socks. The first sock is done and tucked in the bag. I will try to grab a photo of that soon. I tried it on and the fit is okay to good. It’s got negative ease, especially in the leg. We will see what blocking does to this yarn.

The toe is always a little fiddly as I cast them on using DPNs. And then when I get to the foot section I switch to a nine inch circular to go round and round and round. I have been getting so much car knitting in lately I feel like Honda should sponsor my time, lol.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Sand Castle Vanilla Socks

Do I have at least two pairs of of socks on the needles? Why yes, I do. Did I need another? Why yes I do! I pulled some cashmere sock yarn from my stash from Leading Man Fiber Arts in the Sand Castle colorway and started some toe up vanilla socks.

This yarn feels like BUTTER between my fingers. It’s so amazing that I don’t care how long these socks will last as they will feel AMAZING on my feet when they are done. I have managed to get the toe increases done and I’m ready for just a poop ton of ’round and round’ in stockinette. That is my sweet spot of knitting right now. It’s my happy place

What is your happy place?

Cast On: Carbon Sprinkles Vanilla Socks

My sock needles were screaming for another sock project after I had finished my Knit Sky Socks last month. So I pulled a “golden skein” of mudpunch self striping sock yarn that I have been hoarding all fall. This is a super cool skein that no only has solid grey stripes but really cook speckled stripes. I am in awe of how hard this must have been to create.

I am working my normal 68 stitch toe up vanilla sock “recipe” that I have developed over the years to fit my foot. I got the toe started one night after bedtime but now this project lives in my purse for school pickup/drop-off and other assorted car knitting.

My love for self striping knows no bounds. And I SUPER love this yarn as there are three different grey stripes each separated by the yummy speckled stripe. This colorway was named Carbon Sprinkles and it is extremely fitting. 10 out of 10 would recommend this yarn and I will buy from this dyer again!

Happy Knitting!!

2020 Requires Patience

Thank you car line knitting for my Knit Sky Sock progress! I am now casting off the first sock tube of my pair of socks.

It was irrationally satisfying to watch these colors develop. KnitCircus is a genius yarn company when it comes to gradient yarns. I am really over the moon with both the speckles and the gradient nature of this yarn.

The cuff of this sock turned really blue really quickly! I just adore how that pop of blue is going to look coming out of my shoes. And it’s really getting cool here now and its consistently in the 40s now. I can’t wait to put these on my feet.

My next step is cast on sock number two and get the tube completely knit. At that point I will go back and knit in both afterthought heels. I’m just jamming on the round and round stockinette zone of this vanilla sock. It’s my comfort knitting this week.

Happy Knitting!!

The Last Heel

Thanks to some socially distanced travels to the grandparents this weekend for Jellybean’s 6th birthday…I have almost finished socks!! My Retro Rainbow Socks are almost complete and basking in the early Kansas fall season.

The first sock is still complete and the second one is a complete tube with a finished cuff. I have a sneaking suspicion that my socks will end up being fraternal rather than identical. Most certainly due to my gauge and no fault of the dyer. This pandemic and remote school has played all kinds of hell with my tension.

Fingers crossed I have a finished pair of socks this week! Happy Knitting!!

Half Of An Antagonist Sock

Welcome to Friday everyone! May it be as happy and peaceful as possible during this time period as possible. I am excited this Friday because I have a HO (half finished object)!! I finished the first Antagonist Sock.

I am really pleased with this project so far. I didn’t have a super concrete plan in mind so I just kind of worked the leg until I was bored and then I started the ribbing. Turns out I made a “just a little bit higher than shorties” sock. It is not low rise at all but fits nicely at the base of my ankle. The fabric feels good on my foot and the whole sock fits nicely. I am definitely moving on to getting sock number two on my needles. The little speckles and pops of color are really making my soul happy.

In these photos you might notice a new tool. I was completely surprised by the husband with a present for no reason surprise. He found some metal sock blockers on the interwebs and got them for me. They are PERFECT my large lady sized feet. He definitely earned some husband points on this one. I really like a great knitting tool!

Happy Knitting!!