Greetings from Sock Heaven!

I'm so happy! I finished my Spinel Spring Forward Sock! YAY!
Pattern: Spring Forward - knitty.com
Needle: Knitpicks Options - size US 1.5 - 2.5mm
Yarn: Socks that Rock Lightweight, Spinel
Date Started: July 12, 2008
Finished: July 19, 2008
Gauge: 7 sts per inch


They're super nice. This is an easy lace pattern, more of a snap than Monkey although I think that I like Monkey better. I am not so sure that I like it in the variegated yarn. I loved it in the beginning and was falling out of love with it in the middle. I was back in love with them after I put them on. According to Elizzabetty, it takes that with lace. "Lace Socks tend to look like Shar Peis until you try them on." Words of wisdom. See my little Shar Peis?


No sooner did I put them on that I decided the next project would be Embossed Leaves with long tail cast on, twisted rib and there is NO WAY I am breaking the yarn after the heel flap so stay tuned. That just seems silly to me. Especially in a place where (EEK!) one could possibly get a hole at a later date.


I couldn't decide whether to do these in a solid or a variegated and the Cherry Tree Hill Sockittome that I bought last year has been burning a hole in my dwindling stash lately. I wanted to try it out. I don't have a solid but for some reason I thought I had Cherry Blossom, which is more white than anything else. I have birches. BUT, look what they did to me!

The label lies:

ahem.... The scale doesn't. (Unless it's weighing me, of course.)

Yes, I weighed the entire thing before I started to wind it up and yes both of my yarn cakes weigh 45 grams so I'm good and should have plenty of yarn. But 9 grams is alot to be shy! Those Cheapskates. Weasels. Infidels. AND, this is my favorite yarn, more so than STR because it's thinner and nicer to actually wear. I like CTH, Valley Yarns Franklin and STR. In that order.


Let's see how this goes. This yarn looks really fat in the hank but smooshes down like the Smooshy when you actually knit with it. The twist is looser than STR and CTH Supersock. I'm liking the colors alot! It's Birches.


Stay tuned for pictures of my newest WIP!

Spring Forward Update

Woo-hoo!

Leg is almost done! I had some time last night so I completed 2.5 repeats of the pattern to complete the leg. Per the pattern, the heel can start here or after the third repeat. I'm going to keep going, 12 more rounds and then it's heel time! I should have enough yarn.

I don't believe that this is as stretchy as the pattern led me to believe. The ribbing is STILL snug on my leg. Could it be that all this treadmill walking has given me Incredible Hulk Calves? I'm thinking, on my next pair, to go up a needle size for the ribbing only. Also, the best ribbing is the K2, P2.

The other thing is, this is the first time I did the twisted rib ribbing. Maybe it's a teeny bit smaller?

Have you seen the group "52 Pair Plunge" on Ravelry? You have to knit 52 pairs of socks in a year. from Midnight 6/1/08 through midnight 5/31/09. I mean, I think I could knit a pair of socks in five days, or even less if I have the time and I put my mind to it. But this, it'd be like working overtime for an entire year! Knitting and working would be my life. The way I figure it, you'd have to do a pair every 4.5 days on average, just to keep up. Somewhere during theyear, there's going to be a time where you can't do a pair in 7 days. Things happen, weddings, vacations, busy weeks with school/work/family, holidays, business trips, illness. You might be at places that wouldn't be as receptive to public knitting or you might just be too plain tired. Or the Gremlins might get you and you have to frog back. This is harder than the Knitting Olympics. SOCKS, EVERY SINGLE DAY. ALL YEAR. Membership is closed now but some people have already knit 9 pair! WOW! Hats off to them! I don't even think that I could blog every day for a whole year.

I'm going to watch, see how many really do it.

Spinel Spring Forward Socks

Yesterday, my husband decided to do a gig for his computer consulting. He left the house early and left me with the children, fast asleep. It was early. I had plenty of time. I figured that I would pick a color and wind it up into two balls and knit (reknit?) the Spring Forward socks.

After examining my stash pile of STR ... Downpour, Hard Rock, Rauen, Stormy Weather, Spinel, (I know, it's kinda small)...and, sadly, no really springy colors....I decided to go with Spinel. I saw YarnGurl's Waving Lace Socks on Ravelry and thought that my Spinel would knit up into a nice Spring Forward sock with minimal pooling. Waving Lace is a similar pattern and also in my queue. (I don't really like pooling all that much). Then, the Gremlins came out. They came out just as the yarn was on the swift and the kiddies woke up and were downstairs yelling something about wanting Rice Krispies and where's daddy. The swift was flying away and I hit a bump. Damn yarn got all tangled up in many places. I don't know how that happened, stuck down in the bottom of the ball winder, wrapped around the pole of the swift, underneath my foot. They move fast, those little buggers. I left it. I went out to feed the kids and came back to yarn hell. It took awhile but I was determined not to have Ruby Slippers, Butter Peeps and Spinel strewn about the house along with the laundry, dust bunnies and the dog hair.

It worked out ok, I got two nice balls wound up, each at 2.5 oz each. I didn't want to knit and be lost with the ends getting tangled, but I took care of that. Yes Siree, those Gremlins ain't gonna get my yarn tangled this time!

Then, kids were yelling about something again. So, I told them they could swim and I would watch them and knit. I can do that with this pattern, it's easy. (Not like Baby Fern, I have to pay attention more and the needle is smaller.) In the pool they went and I knit for a bit.

I photographed them against natural colored cement and these colors are very true.

Pattern: Spring Forward from knitty.com

Yarn: Socks that Rock Lightweight

Colorway: Spinel

Needle: Knitpicks Options US1, 2.5mm

Start Date: Saturday, July 12, 2008

What d'ya think? Nice, hah? I wish with all my heart that STR would come out with dark green semi solid like this. This is more blue-green / tealy. I like some of the new colors they have. It may be time for another four to add to my stash.....so much yarn needed, so little money to spend.

......Is there prize money for beating the Gremlins?