Eleven Stitches

Summer Has Gone

I didn't want to admit it for awhile, because I had such a great summer this year.  But the school year has started anew, and the cool fall weather is (finally) here. 

This summer I was lucky enough to go on two trips.  First of all, I went to England, where I got to see Stonehenge.  There are some more pictures in my Flickr set.

I also picked up some yarn while I was there, which has so far resulted in two first socks.  The second green one is next in my "purse knitting" queue.

David and I also took a road trip to New England and Canada in August.  We had never taken a road trip together before, and it was great.  We had to hurry home a day early, though, so we could prepare for Hurricane Irene.  (We were fine, just lost power for 2 days.)

Sadly, I have not made a set of photos for this trip, but here is a picture of me in Nova Scotia.

As the summer was winding down, I finished a last "summer dress", but I think with some boots and a cardigan it might well last me into fall.

This is Vogue 8728, which is written for woven fabric, but I used a knit instead.  This mostly worked out, although the back was way too big and I took two large tucks on either side to fix it.  I also cut 5 inches off the length of the skirt to make it come to my knees. 

And since I don't want the above photo to be the last one in this post, here's a picture of some pretty handspun yarn I picked up from the New Jersey Sheep & Wool festival. 

Something(s) Simple

I've got to say that a lot of my knitting has been simple recently.  I'm tired at the end of the day, and I just want something soothing to do with my hands.  Using yarn with delicious texture and colors makes the knitting even more soothing!

I felt compelled to cast on with the Creatively Dyed yarn that I got at Rhinebeck this year.  My travel companions wound up their Creatively Dyed yarn while we were still in Red Hook, and they both got started on garter stitch projects right away. I did wait a couple of days before gave in to the call of the yarn, and I was inspired to make a simple garter stitch sock.

 

I haven't knit socks in garter before, and I was surprised at the stretch I got in it.  I took out 6 stitches from my usual stockinette number to get this sock to fit correctly.

Of all the socks I knit last year, my simple Malabrigo socks have been the ones I want to wear when I'm feeling tired or I've had a bad day.  They're so soft, and they kind of drape around my foot. I had been thinking that I needed to have more socks like those when I got to see some Madeline Tosh sock yarn in person.  The rich brown color and the luxuriously soft yarn (with a nice sheen) won me over so quickly. 

I started out with a knit/purl pattern, but that seemed too busy.  I ripped it out and went to a plain stockinette with a double-garter cuff. It feels like a comfort sock to me.

I liked it so much that I started on the second one right away!

Marilinda

This is the first pair of socks I've finished in a long time, and the first pair of interesting (non-stockinette) socks I've finished this year.

 

Pattern: Marilinda, by Cookie A.
Yarn: Shelridge Farm Soft Touch Sock in Marigold
Needles: US 1 DPNs

I'm not sure if it was all the people getting ready for Socktober or just the coming of the cooler weather, but I was suddenly itching to start some socks about a month ago. And I thought I'd finish up a pair so I could actually wear them!

I got this yarn at Rhinebeck in 2008.  At the time, I was obsessed with this color.  Since then I've knit a sweater in this color, sewn a dress in this color, and I've bought a jacket, tank top, and handbag in this color.  I think I'm pretty much satisfied, but if you see any (comfortable) shoes in this color, please do let me know.

The socks were fun to knit, and I could knit without the chart after a couple of repeats.  I like the little seam of stitches that go down the back of the sock, and the charted heels are also a nice touch.

In case you're worried that there are now not enough single socks at my house, I hope this sets your mind to rest. I don't think I'll ever run out of single socks!

A Mismatched Pair

When I set up a photo shoot, of course the cats have to investigate.

Oh, were you looking for knitting?  OK, here's another mismatched pair.

On the left, a finished Oak Leaf Sock.  On the right, Marilinda.  The purple is Tess Super Sock & Baby, and the yellow is Shelridge Farm Soft Touch Ultra.  Both were knit on US 1.

Two more socks to add to the single sock pile! They were both fun to knit.  The Oak Leaf pattern was a little different-- the leaves were offset by only a few rows instead of say, halfway.  The Marilinda pattern was a really great knit.  I really like a cable thrown in with a lace pattern, and all of the pattern seemed to really flow.

The Oak Leaf Sock is a little hard to photograph in this color.  The details pop a little more in person, and the color has a little more red in it.  Also, the sock would be easier to photograph if there wasn't a Philana tail in the way.

But don't tell her that.  I think she was a little excited that she had a chance to "help".

Chalet Sock

Well, that was fast.  My second incarnation of the Chalet sock seemed to just fly off the needles.

Pattern: Chalet Socks from Folk Socks by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Tess Supersock & Baby, 1 skein
Needles: KnitPicks DPNs US 1.5, 2.5mm
Time to Knit: October 9 - 14
Modifications: I knit 8 rows after the third foot chart before starting the toe.

I think this pattern was the perfect level of difficulty.  It was complicated enough for me to keep interested in the knitting and remain in need of the chart, but once I had glanced at the chart for that row I could knit it by memory.  I've had problems in the past with twisted stitches being hurty, but this time I didn't have any trouble.  This might be because I did more of a cable-without-a-cable-needle method rather than the slipping-two-stitches-as-one method.  I think it puts less pressure on my wrists doing it this way.

As always, Nancy's patterns have such great details.  I love the band of stockinette at the top that breaks up the pattern from the ribbing.  And there's a sweet seam detail running down the back.

I love this sock.  In fact, this sock has made me excited about knitting socks again.  I got a little burnt out over the summer, and the combination of a great pattern and the cool weather has brought me back.

Alas, this sock is not for me.  I made it for a friend, a knitter, and I'll be sending her this sock and the remaining yarn so she can knit the second one.  I hope she enjoys knitting it as much as I did!

Two?

Why are there two Chalet socks in this picture?

It turns out that my first go at the Chalet sock was slightly too small on size US1 needles.  It was close.  I felt like if necessary, the sock could be completed in this size.  But I hate worrying while knitting (it usually leads to ripping out, in my experience), so I cast on with US 1.5s to try again. 

I like the result a lot.  It pulls on easily without looking too big.  Now that I'm sure I like the second one, I'll rip out the first so I can use the yarn!

A Bit of Indulgence

The plan of late has been to complete a second sock for every new sock I knit.  I dutifully cast on for my second Evening Stocking For A Young Lady as soon as I finished up my Jeweled Steps.  Unfortunately (for the sock), I had just gotten my third Yarn Pirate Booty Club shipment, and the new yarn was sitting ever so temptingly on my futon.  It was soft.  It was fall colors. 

As I continued to knit my boring stupid probably scratchy Evening Stocking, I started to reflect on the choices I make. I go to work when I want to sleep in.  I don't eat all of the chocolate I can find.  I don't reply in kind when I get a mean e-mail.  I go to the gym.  I try to keep my single sock count low.

Suddenly, the single sock thing didn't seem quite as important.  If I can't be self-indulgent with my knitting, when can I be?

Yarn: Yarn Pirate Merino/Tencel in Butternut (YP Booty Club for September)
Pattern: Woven Ridge Socks by Cat Bordhi

Jeweled Steps

Another sock!  This is my second sock from Cat Bordhi's new book, and I'm having a lot of fun knitting through the various architectures.  This pattern, Jeweled Steps, is an example of the Sidestream architecture.

The increases are all on one side of the foot.  They are mirrored on the second sock, so you'll have a very nice set when it's all done.

This was a very simple pattern.  The new architecture and the wrapped stitches are the only thing that's going on.  I thought it would be a great fit for my Yarn Pirate Booty Club Yarn, merino sock yarn in Rum Runner.  The colors are so pretty, and they striped very nicely.

This sock was worked toe up, but it has a similar idea to the Ocean Toes sock.  I started out knitting a normal toe, and then I started increasing to create a sort-of funnel.  Once the funnel was long enough, I did a little heel turn (like one does after knitting a heel flap on a standard sock), and then I knitted back and forth across the "heel flap", picking up a stitch from the funnel on either side of the flap. Eventually, all the stitches were joined back up, and I continued around the leg in the regular fashion.

This was a fun and simple knit, and I really loved working with the Yarn Pirate yarn, too.  I'm looking forward to more Cat Bordhi patterns and more Yarn Pirate sock yarn.  Maybe even in combination!

Compare and Contrast

Today's Study: Kittens and Monkey Socks

1. Kittens and Monkey socks can both be found all over knitblogland.

Monkey Socks: Here and here, to name a few
Kittens: Here and here, to name a few

2.  Both are very fast. 

Monkey Socks: Knit June 1-4 and August 25-29
Kitten: Across the living room in 4.8 seconds

3. Both are soft and comforting.
Monkey Sock: 2 skeins of Apple Laine Apple Pie in Pretty in Pink, wool, mohair and silk
Kitten: See here

4. Both are able to raise the ire of a particular orange kitty.

Monkey: See below.
Kitten: Listen for scuffling on any (otherwise) quiet evening at Casa Eleven Stitches.

5. Monkey Socks Only: Knit on Susan Bates DPNs, size US1.

6. Kitten Only: Left oil paint footy prints on my craft table.

7. Both are photogenic.

Monkey Socks: See below
Kitten: See below

8. Monkey Socks Only: Modified with a picot cuff and longer heel flap.

9. Both are very welcome in their new home.

Ocean Toes Sock

I finished the first Ocean Toes Sock last week.  This was a pattern from Cat Bohrdi's newest book, New Pathways for Sock Knitters.  I had a lot of fun knitting up the sock and learning a new architecture in the process!

This sock doesn't have a "normal" heel.  You knit the leg as normal, and then you start regularly increasing at evenly-spaced points.  This creates a sort of funnel.

From here, one works a heel turn that is similar to what is done after making a heel flap.  Then the sole stitches are worked back and forth, picking up a stitch from the instep stitches (bottom of the funnel) at the end of each row.  By the time all of these stitches are picked up, there's only about 30 rows left to go before the toe begins.

Here's a detail shot of the heel.  There weren't any in the book, and I was curious about how it would look.  A slip-stitch pattern on the heel is worked for the last few rows of the arch expansion, but the pattern pretty much continues all the way to the bottom.

In addition to an innovative architecture, I think Cat wrote a beautiful pattern.  I really like all of the decorative details.

Oh, did you notice that this isn't knit up in the Yarn Pirate yarn I mentioned last time?  I really needed to use size US2 needles for the sock to fit my foot.  The Yarn Pirate was too thin, but I found some Koigu that was a great substitute.  I'm going to have to do something with that Yarn Pirate yarn soon!