Tag Archives: toe up

Cast On: Electric Mayhem Socks

Posted on by
8

My flow of webex meetings and conference calls is not slowing down anytime soon. So I know I needed more purse/backpack knitting after having empty sock needles. And because I have been storing up a well curated stash…I know I could just go shopping through my lovelies!

Because of my baby brain and current complete lack of energy I knew the perfect sock skein to grab. And by perfect, I mean already caked up in a matching set….no winding up required! This is my Electric Mayem color from KnitCircus Yarn on their Greatest of Ease base. Literally I only had to grab a project bag and some empty needles.

I hope to get these cast on today during my webinar. My plan is to get started on a 68 stitch toe-up vanilla sock and knit the tube until I run out of yarn. This is their 75 gram set  so that should be just about the right amount of yarn for my size socks while not having to stop before the gradient is done. I will use my big box store workhorse yarn to put in afterthought heels in a solid black.

This is one yarn I’m not concerned about saving scraps for my memory blanket. I want to get every bit of delicious color gradient into the sock. I am so giddy to get these going and watch those electric colors transition!

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Strands of Drunken Watermelon

Posted on by
7

By pure force of will (and a good bought of pregnancy related insomnia) My Strands of Drunken Watermelon socks are FINISHED!

In full disclosure a good bit of the second sock was knit at 2 am…while eating cereal….and crying for no good reason other than I couldn’t sleep. I’m not sure what kind of karma that knits into this sock…but hot darn I have a FO!

Pattern: Strands of Gold by Linda Garland

Yarn: Miss Babs Hot Shot in Drunken Watermelon

Needles: US 1s

I used roughly 332 yards of yarn for this pair which or 94 grams. I have a nice little ball of leftovers to tuck into my memory blanket and to save a little for any future sock repairs. I was really happy with this yarn. It’s a nice plump 3-ply with great stitch definition. The pattern was a pretty good one. I memorized the pattern really quickly and really didn’t read the pattern after that. Which is evident because I didn’t use the short row heel written in the pattern, lol.

The socks fit pretty well even on my 36 week swollen cankles….so I’m confident the will be ready to fit for fall when hopefully I’m more normal sized. But this finish leaves me with NO SOCKS ON THE NEEDLES. I don’t want to start a bunch of stuff before PB’s arrival but I need at least a vanilla sock for work/purse knitting. Time to go stash diving!!

Happy Knitting!!

A Speckled Finish

Posted on by
5

You guys….I finished ANOTHER THING! My Vacation Vanilla socks are done done done!

Pattern: 72 stitch toe-up vanilla sock with a gusset heel

Yarn: Andromeda Sock yarn in the “My Nerves” colorway. I used 80 grams or 370 yards of yarn

Needle: US 0 nine inch circular

Gauge: 9 stitches and 13 rows per 1 inch

My feet and ankles are not there normal size at the moment so pardon the sock blocker only photos. And to be honest I’m not sure how they fit, lol. I will have to stash them safely in my sock drawer until I’m no longer retaining water like the Hoover Dam! But I really adore the speckles. I did notice that one sock appears to have darker tint than the other. Not that it really bothers me and I am well aware this happens with hand dyed indie skeins quite a bit.  Just found it a bit odd when I laid them side by side, lol.

Happy Knitting!!

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!!

A Smidgeon of Sock

Posted on by
4

I have been cheating on my Pigskin Party knitting.

This is a WIP that predates the KAL so it doesn’t count for points. But my Strands of Drunken Watermelon socks have been living in my desk and I’ve put some stitches on the second sock during long webinars and conference calls. I’ve made maybe an inch? Slowly but surely this will be sock someday!

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Vanilla Rainbow Socks

Posted on by
2

Phew! I finished my (hopefully) last Christmas knit! My Vanilla Rainbow Socks!


These were a quick but slow knit for reasons I’ll explain later. But they match almost perfectly! And I turned them in for FOUR KALs for points/possible prizes. How can you not love that?

Pattern: 64 stitch toe up vanilla sock with gusset heel

Needles: US2 nine inch circs

Yarn: Cascade Heritage Prints in the Rainbow color

My mom really like these so they might end up being for her. And the Christmas pair I finished prior might go to my aunt Barb. I used 310 yards or 71 grams of the skein so they could have been bigger but I was soooo done with this project I just couldn’t do it!

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Mom’s Christmas Socks

Posted on by
3

I finally finished my Mom’s Christmas Socks!! And they are pretty spiffy if I do say so myself.

Pattern: 66/64 stitch vanilla toe up sock

Yarn: Cascade Heritage Prints in the Holidays colorway

Needles: US 2s

I used 78 grams or 341 yards of the skein to make an almost perfectly matching set! I did a traditional toe up gusset heel and didn’t bother with yarn management. I just let the stripes do what they will. These socks do fit me since the fabric has plenty stretch. I think my mom will love them at Christmas 🙂

Happy Knitting!

P.s. I entered these in the Carolina Fiber Girls Socktober contest and the Pigskin Party 2017 KAL. Love the double dipping!

Cast On: Vanilla Rainbow Socks

Posted on by
4

Spoiler alert…I’ll have a FO to show this Friday. And that FO freed up some needles for another Socktober project.

Using the Surburban Stitcher bag I just splurged on I cast on some new socks in a skein of Cascade Heritage Prints in the rainbow color I picked up this summer. These are destined for the gift pile, quite possibly for my Aunt Barb. They are a toe-up vanilla sock over 64 stitches on size 2 US needles. I only needed the foot to be 8 inches instead of my normal 9 inches. So it just zoomed compared to my normal 68 stitch socks on size 1 US needles.

Seriously though, this project literally flew. The above photo represents two days worth of knitting. And this photo is the first one I took because I couldn’t put the sock down long enough to snap a photo, lol. I’m hoping to keep the mojo going on this project and have another FO very soon!

Happy Knitting!!

Christmas Socks Progress

Posted on by
4

I’ve finished a good chunk of the second sock for my Mom’s Christmas socks.


I zoomed up the foot and turned the heel. It’s now October so I’m anxious to get these finished so I can enter them in the Pigskin Party KAL, the Double Dip KAL and the Carolina Fiber Girls Socktober KAL!

Must keep knitting!!

HO Friday: Mom’s Christmas Socks

Posted on by
4

With some personal perseverance and some Knitflixing, I finished the leg of the first sock for my Mom’s Christmas Socks!

I am using size 2 needles and my mom wears a size 8/8.5 US women’s shoe. I cast on and worked 66 stitches for the foot to get the circumference where I needed it. Right before the heel I decreased away two stitches to get the count to 64 to make the heel turn work. And then after the heel I went back to 66 stitches for the leg. And finally before the cuff I increased up to 68 stitches for both roominess and to make by 2×2 rib work. I’m just so please with this sock! I managed the whole sock in roughly a week and a week that involved a lot of sleep deprivation!

The sock fits me nicely as well. I’m a size longer than my mother but my foot is not a wide. So I feel like the fabric is very forgiving will conform to the foot very well. Now I just need to make sure I cast on the second sock and get a cooking. I’m hoping to get this finished so I can enter into the 12monthstoXmas KAL, the Pigskin Party KAL, and possibly the Double Dip KAL by the Bede Sisters Podcast.

Happy Knitting!!