I abandoned the Spinifex sock and decided to go with this Bamboo sock pattern by Fishasaurus Rex. I ripped back to the beginning of the foot section on these toe-up socks and continued with the new pattern.
Granted my hand-dyed yarn is really too busy to show the bamboo texture but my objective was to knit a pair of toe-up socks since I struggled so much with the cast-on.
The pattern is well written and it features my favorite heel: Eye of Partridge!
The sock size is determined by the needle size and not the amount of stitches. I’m knitting a medium.
I am just a couple of rows from binding off the first sock. For the toe-up sock knitters (or top down sweater knitters) out there, which super stretchy bind off do you use? I have issues with too tight bind offs. Looking forward to the second sock. I hope I don’t have as much trouble with the toe the next time.
No yarn in my (growing) stash would work so I gathered a bare skein of Knit Picks Stroll fingering weight yarn, my Crockpot, vinegar, and food coloring for another dye session. This time I used green, yellow, and black for some soft greens that turn into deep greens. The yellow happened with one or two drops directly onto the hot yarn in the dye bath. The black broke into red and purple and added a nice contrast to the greens. I don’t really follow a recipe for the colors as I only dye one to two skeins at a time and it’s so random that I’d never be able to reproduce any of the colors again.
This pattern has a toe-up construction and that is new for me. All of my socks have been knit from the cuff down. But I was interested in learning something new. Judy’s Magic Cast-On took me over two hours to get right while reviewing written instructions and numerous videos and another hour to knit the first round! Of course, I was using double pointed needles and not circulars as suggested but I used what I had.
Not bad for my first attempt, well, my first foray into this technique as I attempted it many, many, many times!
Then came the actual textured pattern that is on the top of the foot and up the leg. After two pattern repeats I’m not liking it. Not liking it at all. The “star” in the reverse stockinette area just looks like a mess to me. And it’s lumpy.
I don’t think these would be comfortable to wear with the lumps even though they are only on the top of the foot. Several others mentioned that as well.
The inside (wrong side) looks better.
The bottom is beautiful. I love those greens!
I’m not going to rip out that three-hour toe! I will ladder down to the star stitch on the front and do some other stitch that isn’t lumpy or bumpy. Just as soon as I figure out which stitch to do.
I finished the third sock in the Handmade Sock Society with yarn that I dyed in the Crockpot.
The name “Wild Bees” is the perfect name. The lacy pattern looks like bees and the yarn color reminds me of honey. I think they turned out great. I just have to weave in the ends.
Details
67 grams of yarn
US #1 (2.25 mm) needle
Began March 31, 2021, finished April 20, 2021
Size medium
The 33 grams of yarn leftover will plenty for at least a contrast for another project.
Unfortunately the socks are too snug for my foot. But one of the twins has narrower feet and will be able to wear them. Now all I have to do is knit a pair of socks for the other twin…
Ok. WordPress updated their platform and I’m lost. Please bear (or is it bare?) with me while I try to post this.
Back to what I wanted to talk about. I finished the brown socks. I still don’t like them but I’m sure someone in my circle of friends who appreciates handmade socks will LOVE them!
This pattern is called Picnic Blanket Socks from the second in the Handmade Sock Society season 4 series.
I started off with 67 grams of Knit Picks Stroll sock yarn in Fedora (brown) and 21 grams of Basalt for the contrasting heels and toes. I have been using the German Twisted or Old Norwegian cast-on and it has a nice edge and is stretchier than the long-tail cast-on I used to use. Staci from Very Pink has a great video on how to do this cast-on.
Easy, easy, easy pattern as it is mostly knitting in the round. I think it was the puffy parts and the solid brown that made me not like these socks. Perhaps if the yarn was heathered or a tonal color, I would have liked them more. I started them on March 4th and finished the pair on March 20.
I played yarn chicken with the Fedora brown and I won. I had less than one gram left which will be enough for any repairs that might be needed in the future. I still have 10 grams of the lovely greyish-taupey heathered Basalt, which is, unfortunately, discontinued.
Other than weaving in the ends, I’m calling these finished.
Have you finished anything recently?
Happy knitting. Or crocheting. Or other crafty things.
Now all I have to do is knit a pair of socks for the other twin…
Knitting In Flashes 