Finished! with time to spare even!

Yay! The Nanners are done! This was a new record and one that I never thought I'd ever make with a patterned sock. I started these on July 25 and finished them on July 28. Wow!

I'm extremely pleased with the feel of this yarn. It's Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Multi (the fanciest sock yarn I've ever used, BTW) in Glenwood. It feels silky smooth, the colors are lovely and well spaced - they just look lovely and feel fantastic. I hope they wear just as well. Yes, it's July and these are 80% merino, but it's only 73 here and I'm wearing these for the rest of the day.

About the photos, the top photo shows my issue with the Russian bind off (on the right) and why I love the sewn bind off (on the left). Maybe I'm just not that comfortable with it, but I think I'll stick with what I know and love and can do well. I don't hate it enough to pick it out, just don't think I'll do it again. But you'll never know if there's something you'll like better unless you go for it. I'm happy I tried it!

And that's about all there is to say about that. I'm quite impressed with myself to have made both July pairs of socks in 8 days and I'm looking forward to August. Until then, I need to dive in a tackle creating a very pointy toe for a pair of socks to fit my mom's size 12 very pointy feet. I'd better have a notepad handy. Wish me luck.

Getting Ready for the Ganseys

I'm nearly done with my Nanners and it's nearly August...so naturally I'm looking forward to the Diamond Gansey Socks for the Socks from the Toe Up KAL on Ravelry! All my stash sock yarn is self-striping and I knew that wouldn't do for gansey socks. Let's face it, I'm a cheapskate and even though I wanted a kettle-dyed yarn, I didn't want to go to the LYS to get it.

So last week was Coupon Commotion week at JoAnn. Armed with six 40% off coupons, I came away with 2 balls of Sensations Bamboo & Ewe in red and Red Heart Heart & Sole; 2 balls of Spring Stripe and 4 balls of Ivory - bring out the Crock Pot and the Wiltons!

I knew I wanted a kettle-dyed look and that was about all I was sure of. I didn't wait for the water to be hot before adding the yarn. It's superwash so I figured it could handle sitting in there. I let it soak some more in the plain water with some vinegar (I don't measure) because I didn't want the dye to have time to soak in all over the place and make solid yarn.

As for color, I pulled out Wiltons brown and burgundy hoping for something resembling fall leaves. I got orange. To make it a little more golden, I added several drops of McCormick's yellow. After I'd mixed the dye in my 4 cup measuring up, I dumped it in. I dumped it fairly evenly over all the yarn, but I didn't touch it at all or take too much care to get it all covered. I never stirred it, never disturbed it once. It soaked in extraordinarily fast so I let it cool, rinsed it, and hung it out on the plant hooks to dry. I think it looks how a kettle-dyed yarn ought to look.

I'm so excited to start the Diamond Gansey Socks!

Sock Mojo Rules the Day!

I'm so happy the sock mojo is still here. It's so fun! I'm having a great time with the Socks from the Toe Up KAL on Ravelry and frankly, still rather amazed that I am actually participating. Yeah it's only the first month I've done it so there's still time for me to fall on my face, but for now, it's all good.

Since I finished the On-Holds on July 25, I naturally figured "why not try to knock out some Nanners as well?" The Nanner Socks are the selected free pattern for July in the KAL. It's a great excuse to use the Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Glenwood. I'd bought 3 skeins intending for it to be a shawl of some sort, but I now know I'm not a huge fan of small shawls. Plus, since the sock mojo appears to be unstoppable, why not use it for these? Even though it's multicolored, it's not so busy as to obscure the pattern.

Here's the progress photos...


Pattern: Nanner Socks, size M, 9” long, 6” or so cuff
Began: July 25, 2009
Finished:
Yarn: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock Multi in Glenwood
Needles: Knitpicks US size 2 (2.75mm) 32” nickel-plated circular (Magic Loop)
Mods: none
Toe: Judy’s Magic Cast On
Heel: Slip-stitch Gusset Heel as written in pattern
Bind Off: Sewn BO and Russian Bind Off

Comments: I tried the Russian Bind-Off on the first sock and I don’t think I’m a big fan. I’m going to go back to my favorite sewn BO for the next one. I adore this yarn and it looks really nice in the pattern. The sock is twisting a bit, but hopefully it won’t be a problem during wear.

Hey look - I finished something for a KAL!!

On-Hold Socks - Finished (1)
Originally uploaded by JRoKnits

I can hardly believe it. Typically, committing to something is a sure precursor to my abandoning that something completely, but that does not seem to be the case this time. Hooray!

These socks were super fun to knit. They caught my eye the first time I flipped through the book and I was pretty happy to find the KAL and have this be the sock for July. It was even more fortuitous that I had this lovely colorway of Patons Stretch Socks in my stash (Kelp). The pattern looks great and the fit of the socks is superb.

I couldn't ask for a nicer pair of socks!

Stay tuned for the Nanners. Nevermind that I started them a mere 6 days before the end of July; I'm still going to try to knock them out in time to be eligible for those prizes as well. Oh, I so want to win something...anything!

Yay more socks!

Ridgeline Master Socks (1)
Originally uploaded by JRoKnits

Hooray for sock mojo! Apparently I only have it in the summer. This is wonderful because they are great summer projects and I really do need more socks.

While I typically consider myself a process knitter and I do REALLY enjoy the process of knitting Cat Bordhi socks, I think the project knitter in my has a chance to flourish when it comes to socks. Nothing - besides dishcloths and clogs - gets used more on a day-to-day basis than my socks.

There really is something to be said for having a pair of socks that fit you like a glove. No floppy toes, no falling inside my shoes; it's really fantastic.

I plan to muscle my way through my comparatively small sock yarn stash and have a full drawer by winter.

Oh, and my mom asked if I'd make her some socks.

She's a woman's size 12.