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 disparity 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.

Joshua's Cauchy Socks

Here are the Cauchy socks I knitted for my nephew, Joshua.  I had about 2 ounces of this Fortissima cotton/nylon sock yarn leftover from his Red Rover socks.  After knitting these socks, I had less than a foot of yarn leftover.  I am so glad I had enough yarn to complete these Cauchy socks for him.  I used my 2.25 mm Chiao Goo 40" circular needles and my 2.00 mm Addi Bamboo dpns for the eye of partridge heels and the toes.  They are a little big for him, but he will certainly grow into them.

The pattern wallet on the left was designed and created by Laura M.  I photographed the back of it to show the clever pockets for needles and scissors and the handy zippered section to hold stitch markers and Chibi needles.  The other side holds and entire 8.5" x  11" page very nicely.  I have the Cauchy chart there.  She also attached an elastic band to hold it all together.  Thank you to Laura for this truly wonderful gift! 

Ornette Socks Completed

Here are my completed Ornette socks in Tundra Pearl yarn. This is yet another fun Cookie A pattern knitted up in the softest yarn made of 35% Musk Ox, 35 % Merino wool, 15% nylon, & 15% bamboo. I used my 2.50 mm Addi Lace needles which were very helpful for working all the mock cables and twisted stitches. I had a little trouble with the heel on the left sock, likely the result of moving the stitches around so I could start each needle with a knit stitch and end it with a purl stitch to minimize any laddering between the needles. I could have read the instructions more closely, as I checked the heel placement against the first sock and thought it was fine. I knitted the toes with 2.00 mm Addi needles to reinforce them. I had enough yarn to knit the medium size with about 25 yards leftover. These socks will be a great for spinning on my wheels in the winter time.

Thank you to Laura for this incredible yarn!

Ornette Socks in Tundra Pearl

Here are my Ornette socks knit in Tundra Pearl yarn, the softest yarn I have ever used.  Tundra Pearl is an amazing blend of 35% Musk Ox, 35% Merino wool, 15% nylon, and 15% bamboo, a birthday gift from my knitting sister, Laura .  I am using 2.50 mm Addi Lace needles for the medium sized sock in Cookie A's lovely Ornette pattern.  The left and right socks are knitted up differently.  I did move the stitches around as I like to start my needles with a knit stitch and end with a purl stitch.  The distance between a knit and a purl stitch is bit more than the distance between a purl and a knit.  Ending each needle with a purl stitch and starting the next one with a knit stitch minimizes the ladder between the needles.  I just need to be sure to return the stitches to their original positions to avoid any confusion when I start the flap heel.  Ann kindly sent me more of her pretty markers and they are essential for keep track of the pattern changes in each round.

Thank you to Laura and Ann for their wonderful gifts!

 

Cauchy Socks Completed

I have completed these Cauchy socks from Cookie A's Sock Innovation book.  Cookie A named these socks after Augustin Louis Cauchy, the French mathetician.  Her pattern features a unique knit/purl combination that resemble greater than (>) & less than (<) signs.  The yarn is Wullenstudio sock yarn in the Bad Moon Rising colorway.  The sock is only 60 sts around and the pattern is quite stretchy to adapt to most sizes.   I used 2.75 mm Addi Lace needles for the leg and instep and 2.25 mm Addi Lace needles for the heel and sole of the sock.  I worked an "eye of patridge" heel instead of the ribbed heel as I thought it looked nicer. 

Stricken Socks Completed

I have completed Cookie A's Stricken socks in Cascade Heritage sock yarn in the Fuchsia colorway for my sister, Teresa.  I made the smallest size using 2.25 mm 40" Addi Lace circular needles.  I wanted to make a short-row heel, but Cookie A has a lot of design on the heel flap, so I just made the flap heel after all.  For the foot, rows 46 - 61 are to be repeated and I ended up working rows 46 through 51 before starting the toe decreases.  They are a little small in the leg yet they stretch to fit.  The Cascade Heritage sock yarn gives a nice stitch definition and is machine washable.  I prefer to knit with variegated yarns, but for a complex pattern like this, the solid colored yarn shows the design very nicely. 

Stricken Sock

Here is my first Stricken sock, a belated birthday gift for my sister, Teresa.  This is Cascade Heritage yarn in the Fuschia colorway and it shows the patterning nicely.  I'm not sure she wanted such an elaborately patterned sock, but I have been wanting to knit Stricken for some time now.  It is a complex pattern with twisted stitches and untwisted ones and lots of cabling.  I used my 2.25 mm Addi Lace 40" circular needles and 68 sts.  It's strange that the leg might be too small and the foot might be too big.  Hopefully, I made the foot short enough that it will fit her. 

I am now better able to judge which size will best fit me, though it might be a little while before I knit these again.   I have Cookie A's book, Sock Innovation, and at least half a dozen of her individual patterns.  Her book discusses sock design, something I would like to do one of these days.  Her designs are quite intricate and challenging and a joy to knit.