Possessed to Knit

Gyokuro Socks Completed

Here are my completed Gyokuro socks from Cookie A's August 2012 Sock Club installment.  I knitted them for my neighbor, Kristin, who helped us so much when we moved from Virginia to Alabama.  Amongst other things, she sent us our mail that had not been forwarded, checked on our furnace repair, and put out our overflowing recycling.  She certainly is busy enough already with her young family and her novels and we are deeply indebted to her for her generosity.

The yarn is Enchanted Knoll Farm Superwash sock yarn in the Genmaicha colorway and this color happens to look very nice on Kristin.  I used my 2.25 mm Signature Needle Arts 32 inch circular needles.  I hadn't been very happy with the needle joins, but the stiletto tips were very helpful for this project.  I used my 2.00 Addi Turbo needles for the heels, but not the toes.  I thought the size difference would detract from the toe patterning.

I had an issue with the foot pattern and the lone twisted stitch in the middle.  The reverse stockinette before this stitch was looser than the reverse stockinette after the stitch and this made for a very uneven looking sock.  One might see this better on the Ravelry project pages.  For the second sock, I started the Magic Loop on the far right of the foot instead of just before the middle twisted stitch like I did on the first sock, and this improved the desparity between the two sides.  I tightened up the stitches of the first sock with a dpn, a bit tedious, but well worth the result.

Thank you to Kristin for being such an amazing neighbor! 

Turbulence Socks Completed

Here are my completed Turbulence Socks from the April installment of the Cookie A Sock Club.  Cookie includes two patterns along with the yarn, a simpler one and a more complex one.  I find myself choosing the more complex patterns as I really enjoy Cookie A's designs.  I am also introduced to new sock yarns which is a lot of fun as I thought I sampled nearly all of the hand-dyed sock yarns available.

This yarn might be my favorite sock yarn of all time, though I would like to see how well it wears.  It is Socktopus Sokkusu Original sock yarn in the River Styx colorway.  This yarn has a lot of twist and it is springy, so it should hold up well over time.  I'm amazed at how much bounce it had as I have seen springiness disappear when I add extra plying twist to my handspun yarns. 

I made the medium size and used my 2.25 mm Addi Turbo needles for all but the toe where I used my 2.00 mm Addi Turbo needles.  I had enough yarn to knit this intricate design, and I did not have much leftover.  The pattern was entertaining and the yarn was delightful, yet another winning Cookie A Sock Club offering. 

Wayward Socks Completed

Here are my completed Wayward Socks from the first installment of the Cookie A Sock Club.  The yarn is Alisha Goes Around Richness (of Martens) Fingering yarn (75% fine Superwash Merino Wool & 15% Cashmere) in the Genevieve colorway.  The yarn is lovely to knit with and is very soft. 

These socks took me a while to knit as I ended up re-knitting the foot of the second sock because if felt too big.  I noticed on Ravelry that some club members went down a needle size for the foot.  Since I did not do that for the first sock, I did not want to do that for the second sock so I just knitted more tightly.

I adore Cookie A's patterns and do adjust them slightly as I knit them.  She will have the purl as the first stitch on the needle.  I find that this will create a bigger ladder than usual and I move the stitches around to have each needle start with a knit stitch.  This toe is very square due to the nature of her intricate toe pattern and I even moved on stitch from each end over the next stitch a la Cat Bordhi.  These socks were a challenge to photograph and look much nicer when being worn. 

Wayward Sock

Here is my completed right sock from the February installment of the Cookie A sock club.  The yarn is Richness of Martens fingering (75% fine superwash merino/15% cashmere) by Alisha Goes Around in the Genevieve colorway.  This yarn is absolutely divine as is the pattern. I am using my 2.5 mm Addi Lace Turbo needles and though the leg fits fine, the foot feels a little big.  I should have used a smaller needle for the sole, but that really breaks up the knitting for me. 

I inadvertently did not check the updated version of the pattern and ended up unknitting 30 rounds so I could decrease 4 more sts after the heel (I should have checked on the number of sts for the toe before I reached the toe) which did improve the fit.  The toe is a bit square even after I moved one stitch from each edge over the corner stitches and I grafted the toe in the ribbing pattern.  It does look much nicer on and it is a lot of fun to knit.  We have already received our April yarn and patterns which is inspiring me to complete this lovely pair.

Cookie kindly includes two of her wonderful patterns to choose from, one more simple and the other more challenging.  Of course, I go for the more challenging patterns.  One modification I did make was to do an eye of partridge stitch heel instead of the ribbed heel as I prefer the look of the eye of partridge stitch.

Wullenstudio Winter Sock Club

Here is my first sock of Wullenstudio's Winter Sock Club kit.  Patrick designed the pattern and Sheila dyed the yarn, both are called Ice, Ice Baby.  The yarn is soft and wonderful to knit with, a delicate mix of blues and grays.  Patrick's toe-up design starts with knitting a small strip and then picking up the stitches, creating a gently shaped toe that fits very nicely.  His gusset and turned heel are unlike any I have ever knitted and no heel flap!  I am not a fan of flap heels.  He also adds the "eye of partridge" stitch after the turning of the heel.  This gives a durable texture and looks much prettier than the usual slip 1, knit 1 heel.  The icicle design is clever and fun to knit.  I set up my 40" Addi Lace 2.25 mm circular needle so that I begin with a knit stitch and end with a purl stitch, to minimize the ladders between the needles.  Thank you to Patrick & Sheila for a delightful winter sock kit.    

Sock Club Exchange

Ann in Australia is now learning to spin.  I gladly traded her some drop spindles for one of her Knitting Inspiration Sock Club packages.  The beautiful yarn is Handmaiden Casbah (81% merino/9% cashmere/10% nylon) in the Berry colorway.   She also included her clever fimo row counter and a gorgeous knitting bag (with stitch markers on the ribbon) from her recent knitting retreat.  The Tim Tam cookies were a delicious surprise, too.   Thank you to Ann for all of her lovely gifts.  I have the yarn wound and ready to go.  This yarn is so soft, I can't wait to see how it knits up.  

Caitlin & Colin were still long enough for me to snap this photo.  They do a lot of cute things, but by the time we get the camera ready, they are off doing something else.  They do their share of playing & fighting.  It is nice to see them settle down together like this.

Yarn & Chocolate

Valentine's Day doesn't get much better than this, new sock yarn, markers, and chocolates in an edible box from Schakolad Chocolate Factory in Crystal City.  The Girl from Ipanema sock yarn is the first installment of the Wullenstudio Sock Club.  Sheila included 4 beautiful moonstone and silver stitch markers and a pretty pattern with this delightful sock yarn.  I joined this seasonal sock club when I learned that Patrick was designing one of the patterns, and I am glad I did.  This brightly colored yarn reminds me that spring is just around the corner, the perfect touch to my Valentine's Day.

Sock Yarnista Club

I received my first Sock Yarnista Club shipment today.  The yarn is Beckon Stretch Merino (3.5 oz and 350 yards) dyed in the Auspicious colorway.  As Sock Yarnista Club members, we get to choose between two colorways (one handpainted and one semi-solid) for our yarn.  I am delighted with Auspicious as it is even prettier in person.  I received a link to download the lovely Cairdeas (the Celtic word for friendship) pattern, and this bag of teas and caramels (from Have It Confections) was included with my yarn.  Sharon, the proprietor of Three Irish Girls/Sock Yarnista Club, is very attentive to her customers and provides excellent customer service.  What can I say?  I just love getting sock yarn in the mail and until they do an episode of Intervention for sock yarn addiction, I will keep a pair of socks in progress in my knitting bag.