Flash of The Stash

OK here it is. I'm waiting on a couple more skeins that should be here this week and we won't talk about the two sock clubs I've signed up for lol! OK it's Sundara and The Plucky Knitter! A bit excited!

The dollar is tanking now so very little o/s yarn for me from now on. Well since I've come clean on the stash you can see I don't really "need" anymore do I?

I'm currently working on Komet in Crystal Palace Cotton and that is coming along nicely. One sock almost done. I'll be gifting those to MIL for her birthday in November. Nice cotton blend sock for the Adelaide summer.

pattern slaves

As we have so many people all concentrating on knitting socks, I thought I would ask this: who follows a pattern exactly?
Why?

I used to when I started knitting socks and quite understand the need to do as told. However, I've been knitting socks for several years now and rarely follow a pattern eactly. I often use something entirely out of my head and find a stitch in a stitch dictionary. Usually I change something in any pattern.

Now this may be because of personal preference as to fit. My feet like short row socks and although I love the pretty row of picked up stitches on a heel flap and the following decreases for the gusset, I almost always do a short row heel. I'll do different ribbing, or a picot, or a rolled top Change the toe.

I've never done a mans sock but have a close friend who has a birthday soon. I decided to make him some thick socks. I know he wears Holeproof Explorers, so figured 8 ply Bendigo would suit and would give my fingers a change from 3 ply. I found my very old copy of Patons Winter Warmers and set off. Yikes! All that ribbing. I did it. I was sailing down the leg when I re-read the pattern. Ooops, there is shaping at the back of the calf. I'd decided I would actually do as this pattern says, so I did the shaping. Such a long leg to knit. 30 cm. I'm sure it's longer than men's commercial socks.

I made myself do the heel flap. although I did do eye of partridge instead of plain stocking stitch. Having made one alteration, I felt free to do another. Heel was on 28 stitches but pattern said do only 21 rows of flap. That looked far too short, so I lengthened it. I'm now doing the gusset decreases and found no mention of ssk. Just knit 2 together and the other slant was knit one, slip one, pass the slipped stitch over. So that's what I'm doing with a border of two stitches before the decrease.

It's been interesting doing this pattern, but even here I've made alterations.

So what do others do?

My blog.

sock update

I'm loving my toe-up sock(s). I'm knitting Cookie A's Baudelaire as my first sock. I thought I might just start with something challenging and then everything will be easy. :)

The lace is a very easy 4 row repeat (good for the bus), and while I haven't hit the heel yet (too busy fighting Lima wool that does not want to be lace) - I don't think I could ever really be happy with cuff down socks.



But more later, with photos. :)

Hi There!!

I posted my personal challenge list over on my blog...this is my very first KAL/CAL of any kind, and I am excited to start!

Couldn't get this to work in the comments - not sure why, but this is in response to the "what book or website" question.

I live in the caribbean, so websites are my way to go (free, and no international mail delivery wait time! :D ) plus, I'm kinda picky and I like just getting the sock I like, without maybe a whole book of patterns I'll never try. try out some of these sites.

I have a whole directory on my home computer of pdf's I've downloaded and saved. I print them as I decide to knit them. :)

My challenge to you!

If you could have only one book of sock patterns or one website, what would it be and why?

I'm asking because I have only one sock book [The Twisted Sisters' Sock Workbook] and am considering buying another. The above book has no patterns as such, just the how-to for each of the elements for creating socks but the directions are for worsted weight /10 ply [not sock yarn]. I'm actually not one for following patterns but this might be a good time! LOL

I'm sure we'll all find the answers interesting so look forward to hearing from you all.

Socker Goals!

Or, as they used to say on Laugh In, "sock it to me, sock it to me"!

I have only two balls of sock yarn in my stash; but that's okay - I have knitted seven pair of socks from 8ply for charity in the last few months!

My first goal is to knit a pair of toe-up socks for me. Pattern? Probably my usual basic pattern from Lynne Vogel's The Twisted Sister Sock Workbook.

After that, I'm not sure, but I want to try some Cascade Fixation (stretch cotton). I'm also on a lace kick at the moment; lace socks perhaps? Maybe I'll try Lacy or Fancy Feet. Anyone know any other good lace sock patterns?

Ready to Rock

I am pretty excited about this knitalong. I took part in my first swap earlier this year with Sockapalooza 4, and it was huge fun, so I'm really looking forward to SSS! I've joined the Ravelry group (I'm KissMyFrog there too), and I have twelve (12!) sock patterns in my queue. I've also joined the Sock Knitters Anonymous group on Ravelry, and am going to simultaneously do the Sockdown Challenge (if you're on Ravelry, you should check it out - it's a year long schedule of designers and techniques intended to stretch us as sock knitters and get us to try new things - and there's prizes!).
Now all I have to do is finish the Baby Surprise Jacket and Charade socks that are currently on the needles, and come Monday, I'm ready to cast on for a Summer's worth of socky fun.
Three cheers for Rose Red and Bells!