Oops, forgot the last one, sorry

Last photo of the trip, 2/3 done travelling sock with the sheep at Beautiful Berry.

Sock Holiday

The Jitterbug socks were (finally) finished while at Kiama and they painted the town red (or rainbow), watching the kids fishing, checking out the Blowhole, and cavorting with the local wildlife!



Of course, by the time I got to the next town, Ulladulla, a new pair (in fact two) were cast on, as usual one for travelling, and one for when concentration is not a problem. Introducing Opal and Hill Country Sock Yarn. The Opal is being worked toe up, with a gusset on top of the instep, and HCSY is toe up with a "Lotus stitch" lace, short row heel.





Next two were spent in Batemans Bay, where the socks enjoyed walking, eating, visiting the beach, a river cruise, and the start of the very exciting George Bass Ultra Marathon (boat racing), Mogo Zoo, the townships of Mogo and Berry.



Seriously all the socks worked on these last three days wish all the Northern Hemisphere sock knitters a Happy New Year, and would like you all to know, its bloody hot here right now!!!

I Am On Fire!

I finished the Monkeys last night, which means I knit a pair of socks in one week!
Happy new Year to you all. Hope you have a woolly one.

Kate

happy new year!

Happy new year to all! I've enjoyed seeing all the beautiful wool, different colours and amazing socks. It's inspiring. I hope 2008 goes well for each of you.

Does this count?

So much for my plan to knit knee socks! Instead I'm finding that as morning sicknesses as lifted, I only have the energy for these tiny, sock-like things. Do they count towards the summer of socks?


Debbie Bliss 'The Baby Knits Books' beaded fair ilse shoes. Mods - well, no beading or fair ilse. Made in Socks That Rock, In the Navy. For paltry sock action and another cute baby knit, come over to the Joy of Socks.

A lesson

One of my goals for SSoS was to learn to do toe ups, two at a time on two circs.
Well I think I can safely say that I have achieved that goal, despite the fact that in about two hours the socks will be no more.
I had a chunk of Toasty Toes left over after doing my daughters xmas socks so decided to do toe ups for my Grandmother. I'd weighed what was left over and knew that I could easily get a pair of adults socks.
But I forgot to factor in the extra stitches I threw into the mix to accommodate my Grandma's feet. While her feet are short, at 91 she needs much wider socks for safety and comfort and I ate too many rumballs before setting out to knit up the toasty toes on 64 stitches, not even stopping to think about the extra yardage required.

End result socks got past the heel, but not by much, but I can easily do toe ups, the magic cast on is a breeze, I can not only do a heel in reverse but I 'get' it and will be doing the two toe up when I break into the Jitterbug.

Full gory details and pics over here, cheers Zeph.

Pink socks finished

Pink socks done. My gift socks to my Daughter and the Mrs. Socks done and shipped a week ago.

Got My Mojo Back, Baby!

Here's a Monkey and a bit. Details on my blog.

Nutkin!

This is my first post on the Southern Summer of Socks blog, I'm a bit slow off the bat. But I'. back in the sock knitting game again, thankfully!

I can't believe that I have shied away from doing a long tail cast on before! I've always done the only cast on I knew, I think it's the cable cast on, for everything, including socks (not very elastic)! Well I wanted to start Nutkin using my Hollyday STR that is just...sublime....and the design uses a hem, cast on with the long tail cast on. So I bit the bullet and looked through Ann Budd's Getting Started Knitting Socks and followed her instructions. Talk about a light bulb moment!!!! I also used her method for joining in th round of slipping the first cast on ststch to the right hand needle and passing the last cast on stitch over. It'll be interesting to see how it ends up. I've just usually joined the round by stitching the first stitch and closing the gap at the end when I weave the ends in. I'm feeling a bit chuffed by my progress. Ahh finally back to the sock knitting!!! It's good to be home!

*cross posted

Widdershins in Noro Kureyon Sock

Working in a retail yarn shop can be hell sometimes, but you do get the occasional perk... like getting to knit a sample ball of a hot new yarn that isn't even available in Australia yet!



This is Widdershins (from Knitty) knitted out of the brand new "Noro Kureyon Sock" yarn. Everybody wants to know: Is it soft? Welll... it's Noro. If you've knitted with Noro, you know what you're in for. It was scratchy as all hell to knit with, but I'm hoping it'll soften up with a wash. But I don't think the softness is a dealbreaker; it's the COLOURS that everybody buys this stuff for. (This is colourway #180, for future reference. I was also pleasantly surprised by the length. A 100g ball of this stuff goes a loooong way. I'm not sure who's going to be selling it in Australia yet, but Prestige Yarns are the ones who'll be importing it.

You can read more about the pattern and the techniques I used on my blog here. I'm just glad I'm still on track for one pair per month!

a solution to frozen toes at xmas

IT was FRICKIN cold on xmas day in mountains - the blue ones

I did my north coast impression of packing and put in heaps of light summery frocks....

Bad idea

Thankfully I was nearly finished on these socks and the speedy finish xmas morning was even speedier due to lack of warmth

And by lunch I was wearing them.




Artichoke leaves by Megan Humphrey
in the Knittery's 4-ply with cashmere and in the breast cancer fund-raising pink

The toe is very short - next time I would decrease a lot slower
It looked very small on the needles but fits perfectly,
and I only did 5 rounds of the pattern before starting the heel - partridge again my favourite, now I wish I had done longer - as the pattern looks amazing and there is quite a bit of wool left over
LOVE LOVE LOVE the Knittery's wool to knit and to wear

How many did you knit?

Did you knit socks for Christmas?

If so, how many did you knit?

We have one entrant so far with a fairly impressive tally, so if you think you're in with a chance, send your count in before the end of the year and we'll award a fabulous prize to the person who has made the most gift socks for Christmas 07.

Bells & RoseRed

last pair before christmas

Here are my multi-talented Christmas socks. Well perhaps not Christmas socks as such, but socks finished before Christmas. As it is now midday on Christmas Eve, I can't see another pair of socks being finished by tomorrow.

Christmas sock as decoration? Well, why not? The sock can't be seen too well because of the brightness behind them. This is a small tree I bought at Woolworths post-Christmas sales a couple of years ago. Originally priced at $17.50, it had been reduced a few times. I paid 0.75 cents for it, and that included the decorations. I brought it with me when I left home a week ago.

Wesley, the bear, also came with me and his mother Susannah. He's a bit of a tourist, so the socks joined him in having a good look over Sydney from this third floor balcony, just outside my bedroom. I can see so much more than from either of the the two lower floors of the house. So here are my tourist socks, eyeing off leafy Killara and beyond.

I wish these Town and Country socks would go back to Sirdar and say there are people in the colonies who love the sock wool. I've others made from this brand and they are great to knit, wear and wash.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and get lots of stash expansion wool and knitting goodies. I've enjoyed this KAL very much to December and have really enjoyed seeing people who haven't knit socks before, find that the satisfaction from them is great. I've also enjoyed all the photos. Thanks to you all.

pass the slipped stitch over

Another pair done!

These socks are what I call Almost After Bertha socks. I started off knitting the After Bertha socks from the Socks, Socks, Socks book but then I found that those socks do not have a heel and the toe was odd looking so I added a heel and gave the toe a more normal look. They're knitted with The Knittery's 4-ply Merino in the Orchid colourway. I used 2.5mm needles.

Nette Knits

Finally!

OK, first post finally started. My first pair of socks finished for the Southern Summer of Socks (and my first pair finished!). I knitted Vog On from Knitty using merino 4ply 'Roses' from The Knittery. I hope they are cool enough for my sister-in-law to wear in summer.


Now I've started the same pattern again (yes, I love these socks!) for my niece, in the same 4 ply but the colourway is 'Summer'.

Also started a pair of Jaywalker socks with Socks that Rock yarn but no pics yet. I love these colours though...

And off we go!

The taxi will be here in an hour and a quarter to take us to the airport, then on to parts unknown!

My travel knitting is prepared.


Two skeins of ShibuiKnits sock yarn in "Orchid". And I'm going toe up for a change!

Donna
Random Knits

Christmas Comp Reminder

With the big *C* day looming ever nearer, it's time to start counting the number of *C* socks you've produced for our 'Most Socks knit for *C*' Contest.

We'll let you all enjoy your break before we get the official tally, but if you want to win and think you may not be in the running, now's the time to pretty much go into lock down and churn through as many socks as you can before the 25th!

Happy sock knitting!

Bells & RoseRed

I am weak.

...haven't even finished my toe-up socks, and just bought the last Bruised Bloodwood, thanks for drawing my attention to it's loveliness, Bells......! I'm thinking it might even become Monkeys.....

good grief, but it's beautiful....

Two More Singles...

The First Earl of Grey is off the needles:

And the first of the Lenahlias is as well:

More details at The Blog.

Deborah

Socks for my mum

My mum announced she'd love some socks, so I got to work right away on a pair of Garter Rib socks from Sensational Knitted socks in Wildfoote.


If they look a little baggy around the calves it's because my mum has more generous ankles and calves than I do, but I still had to make the foot a standards size 8.5.

To get around this, I cast on more stitches for the leg and did some shaping down the leg until I had the required number of stitches for the foot. The shaping is at the back of the leg.


Now, I'm going to wash them and get them ready for Christmas. The Wildfoote is a bit scratchy. Fingers crossed it washes up soft.

jp

waving hello

taking a momentary breath from lifes hecticness, i am pleased to announce the completion of my first pair of lace socks, thus completing one of my SSS personal challenges.

a sneak peek:

i am so pleased with them.

details here.

kms xx

town and country socks

Another half a pair this week so far. They are from Sirdar Town and Country sock wool bought on sale at Tapestry Craft. Alas and alack, this brand of sock wool has been discontinued. I have made other socks from this and really like it. Neither of the two pictures is really indicative of the colour which is somewhere in between . It was raining this morning when I took these, and somewhat dark, so I used the paper to reflect some light. Didn't really work.

The wool is soft to knit and I love these colours. My other pairs from similar wool have worn really well and I'm disappointed it's no longer being made. I bought this colour, just because of the brand but am really pleased with the way it's knitted up.

Will I make them identical or fraternal twins? Not sure. In all that sock, there are only two and a half colour repeats. That's a lot of wool to unwind to find the same starting point. The repeat goes all the way down to the thinnish mustard stripe.

I wasn't planning on doing socks this week, but spent a couple of days babysitting young granddaughters while their mum was out SESing in western Sydney after the last big destructive storm on Sunday afternoon. She spent most of Sunday night on one roof where almost every tile had been smashed. Since then, she's been out another two days and another night. She's exhausted. Socks were something I could easily grab on the way out there and also something that did not need too much concentration.

pass the slipped stitch over

Thankyou! Thankyou! Thankyou! and sorry it's a late Thankyou!

Hey Everyone!

This is a very belated thank you for the fabulous Newbie encouragement gifts i received!

Thanks so much RoseRed, Bells and Shazmina Bendi! I just loved my gifts and it made my day for sure!

Here is a pic of the goodies i received (with my sock peeking out the top) and the following pic is of my sock...and yes i am still going on the first one....it seems to be taking me forever! I'm not sure i will make my DH another pair of socks...his feet are really long!!!! Anyways I'm still plugging away at them!

There's a Pair in There....

I've finally got some socks off the needles! These are Christmas presents, so a doubly (terrible pun I know..) good feeling. And these are finished as well:



They are both the Dahlia Sock from Sundara Yarn's Sock Club. The pin/red is the original yarn and the blue/purple is from stash. These have already been wrapped for their overseas journey, so no photo of them on the feet.











I've also begun another two pairs of socks. One with the Dahlia pattern again using another of Sundara's yarns - the Lenen Rose colourway. I am in two minds about this one and you will probably see why when you take a gander. The colours are pooling in mysterious ways :)



The second pair are the Earl Grey's from the Yarn Harlot. These are working well and will also be going out as Christmas presents (I hope in time!):













Further details over at The Blog.

Deborah

Monkeys for RoseRed

I had been planning to make Monkey Socks for RoseRed for Christmas and meant to give them to her in January when I knew I'd be seeing her.


Then she announced she was coming to my afternoon tea, which was held today, and I knew I had to get cracking.


Here they are, one week and 12 hours from cast on.


This is the fourth pair of monkey socks I've done and I'm not yet bored with pattern. On the contrary, I feel like I'm only just getting to know its construction.

I made them from Donyale's Bruised Bloodwood (see link in the side bar to her etsy shop) and I can't speak highly enough of it. It knits up beautifully.

I loved getting to see them on RoseRed's feet and take photos of her modeling them!

knee-hi's for my niece

phew!

what with all the Christmas hoo-ha going on, and knitting for newborns and friends, etc, I have only just finished my niece's knee-hi's for Christmas...

Lily offered to model them for blogging purposes :)


They are toe-up 2x2 rib knee-hi's in Opal Hundterwasser (sp?).

Has anyone got a really good elastic bind-off for toe-ups? The cast off on these is very tight, despite doing a ribbed cast off. I am seriously considering undoing it and knitting a bit more on the next size up needles, then casting off on bigger needles again.

If anyone has a better way, though, I'd love to hear it?

Buccaneer's Birthday Footies

My latest completed socks were for my DS's 12th birthday this week. Here he is proudly wearing his socks, just the way he likes them. I adapted the Buccanneer's Booty to suit a no-show sock.



These were knitted toe up with Patonyle sock yarn and my own version of the gusset heel which works for this style of sock.






Basically my adapted heel results in the heel flap being under the heel, not behind it allowing the gusset shaping to stop as soon as the desired length (or lack there of) is achieved. This gives a cushy hard wearing section under the heel.

The socks were made to fit and in these photos my dear model has not quite pulled them fully onto his foot. These will not fit a growing boy long but he loves the skulls.

Tally to date: 3 pairs baby socks, one micro stocking and one pair of extra small adult footies.

Number 2 done and dusted !!!

My second pair of socks ever!! So very pleased, these ones actually had a pattern in it. I did a Lacy Mock Cable pattern from Scarlett Knits. Super effective pattern. And I used a beautiful purple Rowan yarn, and it's oh so soft. The picture here is a very true indication of the colour. And these socks are for me !!!!! The feet look like they would fit giants, but I assure you it's the picture or angle or something, they are not that huge.

Look Bells and RoseRed!!!! I'm really really doing it. The first ones were not a fluke! LOL

Can I ask everyone though, do you get awfully excited about your socks? Show hubby or partner and get a grunt in return? I have told my husband he needs to be more excited and ooh and ahh a bit and actually have a feel and be so impressed with me because I sure as heck am. He doesn't get it. Grrrrrr.

My blog is Pins & Needles.

added incentive

Are you curious to know what this is?

Well, obviously it's sock yarn, but what sort?

And what are those others things?

It's all mystery, a lovely secret and one that won't be revealed for a little while yet. There'll be another competition some time in the next little while and the prize will be the contents of this box, as donated kindly by Ann and Helen from Knitting Inspirations.

Remember there are prizes for the best photo of a sock on holiday, the biggest sock, the most socks knit for Christmas - the list goes on.

Thanks Ann and Helen for your kind donation. Do check out their online store. They have some great sale items at the moment. Lorna's Laces anyone?

Finally!

After almost two months of lurking and knitting, I finally have something to share!

I had been avoiding socks for a little while. In fact, I think I experience what could be called a sock block. I had committed myself to finishing a pair of socks that I really wasn't enjoying before I could knit any other socks. Only problem was, I kept avoiding working on the socks I didn't like. Luckily, the looming Christmas deadline gave me the incentive to throw my stupid sock commitment out and start on things I really liked. Also, I had to admit that continuing to force myself to knit something I hated was a little ridiculous.



So behold, here are the unblocked "Embossed Leaves" socks my mom is getting for Christmas. I still have yet to sew up the toe and weave in the ends, but I'm saving all my finishing for one day two weeks from now, when I get it all out of the way at once.


I'm not sure how these are going to block, or whether they're even going to respond to blocking at all. They're made from Crystal Palace's Maizy, a yarn made from corn fiber, which (I think) doesn't really have a memory, kind of like cotton or other non-animal fibers.


The pattern was awesome to work with, and the yarn was great with only one drawback-- some of the dye ran off and my knitting needles are now pink. So these will be getting a thorough washing before being gifted. I'd hate for my mom to get pink feet!