FO: Java Socks For Dad.

These are finally finished! I said I was going to finish them this past weekend, but technically they weren't finished until Monday morning because I had to graft the toe and weave in ends on the second sock. The knitting was done on Sunday, though!

I was going to post these yesterday, but certain things (mainly driving an hour to a movie theater to pick up Jose's wallet where he lost it and a cuddly cat who cast a napping spell on me) kept me from getting pictures taken. I still hadn't washed them yet when I took the pictures (they're taking a bath right now) because I couldn't wait to finally get these posted.

I really enjoyed this pattern, even though it took a long time being a man sock and all. The texture is very interesting, but it's still a pretty conservative sock. This will not be the last time I knit this pattern, and I think I will probably knit the women's size for me at one point.

Specs:
Pattern: Java socks by Cailyn Meyer (free Knitty pattern)
Yarn: Louet Gems Fingering Weight in the colorway "Linen Gray", about 2 and a half skeins
Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm) dpns
Ravelry Project Page: Link
Mods: Changed the toe to decrease to 32 total stitches and kitchener stitch closed.

FO: Fullmetal Socks.

I started this pair of socks at the last Etsy Denton show at the beginning of November, but they took a backseat for over a month to gift knitting.

After getting my wisdom teeth removed last Friday, I've had lots of laying around knitting time. I finally finished these this morning. I designed the pattern and will probably put it up on Ravelry and the blog soon for free.

These were made using my own yarn in the Fullmetal colorway. I think they turned out pretty fun.

FO: Elm Socks.

I only crafted one Christmas present this year, which is a huge difference from the past several years where I made almost every gift. I actually wasn't going to have any handmade Christmas gifts this year, but my Mom's birthday socks took longer than expected and got pushed back a week to Christmas.

My mom is allergic to wool, cashmere, basically anything that comes off an animal. I've knit her several things out of cotton or synthetics, but when I decided to make socks, the hunt for yarn was a bit trickier. I made a pair of 100% cotton socks before I really understood fibers, and they weren't the biggest success.I also wanted a variegated or semi-solid yarn, which narrowed down my choices even more.

I went to JenningStreet Yarns in Fort Worth and told them what I was looking for, and there was one option they had for me: Kertzer's On Your Toes Bamboo, which is 75% bamboo, 25% nylon and super soft. I picked a skein of blues and tans for my mom, and then I decided to get a skein for me in shades of red because I couldn't help myself.

Project Details:

Ravelry Project Page: Link
Pattern: Elm by Cookie A
Yarn: S.R. Kertzer On Your Toes Bamboo
Needles: 1 US - 2.25 mm

Thoughts on Pattern:

I found the Elm pattern by Cookie A in the newish Knitter's Book of Socks by Clara Parkes and thought it was pretty, so I cast on. All of the ribbing made for a very tiny cuff, but I trusted the pattern and kept going. It ended up being a challenge to put on and take off, but once on, the sock fits wonderfully. If I had used the recommended yarn, it probably would have been an easier sock to put on. I suspect that after my mom wears them a few times, they will be easier to put on.

Thoughts on Yarn:

This was my first time using bamboo, and at first I really hated it. It was incredibly soft, but it kept splitting like crazy. I didn't have the problem a lot of people seem to where it slides off the needles, and I was using metal. Once I was almost finished with the first sock, I was accustomed to the yarn and didn't have any more problems. Hopefully whenever I get around to using the skein I bought for myself, it will go better.

*Thanks to my mom for modeling her socks!*

FO: Lea's Birthday Socks.

These socks had a pretty tight deadline. I'm knitting socks for my sister, dad, and mom this year for their birthdays (Nov 4, Nov 18, and Dec 18 respectively) and I didn't have a lot of time to finish my sister's. I actually made my dad's first (which I won't post about until after his birthday) because I originally thought I wanted the yarn I used for my dad to be for my sister. I changed my mind very early on and made them man socks.

I had this other yarn in my stash from a couple of months ago when I went to Jennings Street Yarns in Fort Worth. My sister had requested rainbow or gray socks (what a contrast) and I decided that this yarn was kind of a more mature rainbow.

Okay, these socks were really hard to photograph, and it was really cloudy yesterday, so sorry in advance. There will also be photos with the dreaded flash :(

Friday was my sister's 19th birthday, but I didn't get to see her until Sunday to give her these. I was worried they might be a tiny bit small, but they fit her perfectly!

 I warned you about the flash, but at least you an actually see the colors!

Project Details:

Ravelry Project Page: Link
Pattern: Basic Ribbed Socks by Kate Atherley
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Heritage Paints (I found a website that called this color "Londonberry", although it's nowhere on the label)
Needles: 1.5 US - 2.5 mm

Thoughts on Pattern:

I enjoyed this pattern because of the 3x1 rib. A 1x1 or 2x2 can get so tedious having to switch back and forth between knit and purl stitches every one or two stitches, but 3x1 makes it a lot more bearable. I wasn't crazy about the heel and gusset, although it ended up working out. This project has actually inspired me to start a new pair of socks (for myself!) in a 3x1 rib but a heel, gusset, and toe I prefer.

FO: Absinthe Socks.

Ugh, about time I finish these socks. They aren't even blocked yet, but I wanted to share them anyway. I had a lot of frustrations with these socks, but more about that later. First, the details:

Pattern: Absinthe socks from Spring 2009 Knitty
Yarn: tosh sock in Golden Hickory by madelinetosh
Size knitted: Large
Needle size: 1 US

Thoughts on Pattern:

Very beautiful pattern. The cable pattern makes the sock a bit tight, so I had to knit the large size. The chart isn't too complicated, but definitely needs your attention. I'd suggest not watching a movie with subtitles while knitting it.

Thoughts on Yarn:

I've never used madelinetosh yarn before, but now I see what all the fuss is about. It's soft and nice yarn, but the big selling point is the gorgeous colors. This colorway has many shades of golden brown and green, yet the shifts are all very subtle and add a lot of depth.

The Story:

If you've been following my blog or my Twitter, then you know that this project has caused me quite a bit of grief. My first attempt of the sock that I started in July was too small, so I had to unravel it and knit the large size. The next sock (also the first sock though...) went smoothly. Then, I started and finished the second (or third, depending on how you look at it) sock and realized after binding off that I had messed up the heel, and it would not fit on my foot. So, I unraveled it back to the mid-heel to fix the problem. Today, I am wearing both socks (just for pictures, it is August) a bit over a month after I first cast on. I have 2 socks, but the amount of knitting I did accounts for 3.5 socks.

I am relieved that they are done. I'm ready to work on something else.

In other news, I started Rosetta Stone for Spanish today. That's one step closer to being able to cross off one of my items on my 25 Things Before 25 list.

Knitting Tragedies.

Today started off badly.

Why? I finished a sock. Wait, what? If you finished a sock, that's a good thing, right? Normally, I'd be very happy. Nothing is better than taking something off the needles and trying it on, or rather, nothing's better when it fits.

Yes, I knitted my sock too small. The Absinthe pattern on Knitty has two sizes, small and large. I by no means have large feet, I wear a 7 and have normal (maybe even a bit narrrow) width feet, so I thought the small would work. Besides, I had seen some people on Ravelry who had knitted the small for themselves and raved about the fit.

While I was knitting this (toe-up) I tried it on a few times, and it fit perfectly in the foot. I stopped trying it on though, and it stops fitting at the heel/gusset area and doesn't get any better at the cuff. I tried for a good five minutes to get the sock on before I admitted defeat.

This was my first time that I've knitted a sock that didn't fit. All I can do now is take a day to cool off about it and start over. And of course post this picture so I can still admire how lovely I think it is.