Tag Archives: Socks

YOP#6 Week 6

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

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Hurray!  I finished Kokkeluri.  Not much more to say about either the yarn or the pattern I haven’t said before…. tempted by the ‘blousy flower’ I had to cast these on.  I didn’t enjoy the knitting at all in part because it breaks the rules: maintaining color dominance in stranded knitting, and length of carries.  The non repetitive nature of the flower meant I was tied to my chart AND I should have strayed from my dpns to some other method of circular knitting.  I did enjoy the palm pattern, have done the braid before and always love it, and think I may prefer the i-cord cast off over the i-cord cast on.

I was surprised by how much I disliked the knitting.  I have knit neep head and enjoyed that process.  Usually if I like one thing a designer does I like everything.  Not because these designers don’t branch out of my comfort zone, they do, but because how they tend to think about and present the process works for me.

My husband and children both exclaim about how beautiful they are but my eyes zero in on the uneven knitting.  I don’t recall ever having such problems before so part of me blames the pattern although it could just be me and my rusty knitting skills.  Either way, I will rely on EZs comment on years and multiple washings curing such faults.

Anyway I finished these up Friday night.  I broke up the remaining bits into small nightly chunks.  Monday get to decrease section of mitten body, Tuesday finish decreasing mitten top, Wednesday do thumb, Thursday do i-cord finish, Friday weave in ends and soak.  The mittens are still damp and are being guarded by my mitten monster:

Mitten Monster guarding Kokkeluri while it dries

Mitten Monster guarding Kokkeluri while it dries

 

The mitten monster is also a sock monster and sweater monster and shawl monster.  He is a general all purposes blocking, drying guard.

I have cast on some socks for myself: My Cup of Tea designed by Robin Lynn.  The lotus pattern  used on front of socks remind me of dragon scales 🙂

 

yarny days and knitterly evenings

Elka

 

YOP#6 Week 2

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

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Today marks my eldest grandson’s 4th birthdate and tomorrow marks my youngest grandson’s 2nd birthdate so I spent most of today celebrating with family. But look I have things to report on my YOP list:

I finished a pair of socks. Plain boring socks out of Ditto yarn:

Ditto socks.

Ditto socks.

This is my favorite of the 3 pairs I have knit out of this yarn simply because of that red purple favorite color. I purchased all 3 colors at a long closed yarn shop and I believe the yarn has been discontinued since 2010 so deep stash for the win.

I also finished the first of my Kokkeluri mittens and cast on for the second. The mittens are warm and the yarn feels really nice but I am getting a bit of fuzz and it is prone to splitting. Still not sure if I am going to end up keeping the mittens but here ya go… part of my 7 skeins club bag yarns:

Kokkeluri WiP

Kokkeluri WiP

I have been working on these, of and on, for over a month now. Considering the patterns of the booklet were released to us club members weekly I guess it should have taken me much less time to finish them but at least my not feeling like knitting them has led to plenty of socks 🙂 Always a silver lining !

yarny days and knitterly evenings~

Elka

Ditto

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner
Ditto Socks

Ditto Socks

 

Last time I believe I mentioned I had cast on some easy peasy tv watching socks.  No pattern referenced.  Despite considering myself a non sock knitter I pretty much have the star toe and short rowed heel memorized by now and a decent idea of how many stitches to cast on using which needles to end up with something suitable for feet.  Done.

So why am I a  pretty monogamous knitter?  Well as soon as I got to the heel of the second sock I pulled out the next project totally ignoring the mitten which is in the exact same shape it was last week.  I am going to have to force myself to finish it or relegate it to the WIP aka will never be completed pile.  I happen to have 2 items in my WIP pile:

  • A sweater awaiting seeming for the past 5 + years.  Every once in a while I consider ripping it out but the actual seeming never crosses my mind.  I decided years ago that it wasn’t worth the bother.  Blackish mohair and all does not lend itself to seems. Or ripping for that matter.
  • A knit circularly sweater awaiting underarm seeming and ribbing at neckband I think. I haven’t looked at it in almost 6 years and decided I hated the fit but ugh hand dyed yarn so two balls alternated and I am sure a pain to rip again.

Perhaps I will work on my WIP pile after I finish inspecting winter woolies:

  • There is the shawl that needs repair.  Because I am trying to downsize my stash aka knit from stash aka slow stash I was hesitant to purchase a brand new hank of the yarn and hit up various places for a yard or two.  Mission success-I received an envelope with some yarn this week.
  • There is my Selbu Modern with a wee hole needing repair.
  • Reef, knitting finished May of 2004,  needs buttons and a repair.  I guess I could consider Reef a WIP since I never sewed on buttons for it and now the intended child is 17 and the next child in family is 13.  The grands are about the right age but boys and the button bands are on the wrong side.  The niece’s mum is allergic to wool and cashmere and alpaca and any other animal fiber.  Still I cannot consider something I have washed and folded up annually a WIP.

Oh and the lovely Strokkur which I knit up twice, or was it thrice, to body join only to find my gauge and shifted downward.  That needs knitting because honestly I want a sweater.  I don’t own a single hand knit sweater and I have been knitting over 40 years.  I am determined to change that situation.  Seriously.

So back to monogamy.  Here I am with a pile of things to finish, or take care of, or sobs reknit and all I am thinking of is what is next on the horizon. Because all those things, bless them, have been set aside while I moved onward ho.

At least I am blessed with a bounty of options.

yarny days and knitterly evenings.

One, Two Buckle my Shoe…

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner
Gentleman's Sock in Railway Stitch

Gentleman’s Sock in Railway Stitch

 

Taking pictures of socks in ones feet is difficult.  Plus late night and poor light but look at the loveliness.  Just look.  I knit the mate in 2 days! In part because my MC yarn ball was starting to look smaller and I panicked that I might run out and in part because I wanted them on my feet.  Also, well, it was the weekend.  The two together again poorly modeled:

a pair of beauties

a pair of beauties

I adore the stripes so much.  I have been long admiring striped socks on Ravelry and finally conquered my fear of jog {not applicable in the heel} and multiple ends to weave in when done to take a baby step into the land of striped socks.  Couldn’t be happier.  Some of my absolute favorite pairs are

I also admire the striped shawls that are out there and will probably break down and knit one sooner or later 😉

On the knitting front I pulled out the bag of yarn I received in the 7 skeins yarn club which introduced Kate Davies’ Buachaille and cast on for the mittens last night.  I am making decent progress and really enjoying working with the yarn.  It is sheepy smelling but not the least bit scratchy, has good body without being weighty if that makes sense, and is proving to be a joy.  The pattern not so much.  She suggests that we change color dominance on front and back of mitten which flies against everything I have been told in the past 40 some years of knitting.  That makes for a bit of slow going-switching which hand holds what yarn.  Plus the yarn tangles that way so I need to spend some time untangling.  Furthermore, having now knit something that will end up in my most beautiful knits ever category, I am oddly not loving it.  I suspect it will be a while before I am loving anything I knit.  For the curious the most beautiful knits ever consists of these socks, midnight tam, and my poor shawl that is now awaiting repair.  Interestingly enough all 3 projects have a yarn with reddish purple cast to them.  I might have to find more yarn in those colors and see if my favor is easily garnered by something so superficial….

yarny days and knitterly evenings~ Elka