socks knitted just for me…

I just want to gush a little bit about the socks I received from my Sockapalooza pal.

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They arrived in my mail box on Saturday, August 4 but I didn’t check mail until Sunday, August 5. I was on my way to my car when I picked up the mail so I couldn’t open the package until I got home. :?

I was in awe when I pulled out the socks. No one has ever made me socks before so I was a little overwhelmed and almost started to cry. I mean, these were made for me – made to fit my feet. (and they fit perfectly)

I examined every inch of my socks… in an effort to discover more about them.

… How was the toe done? Was it knit from the toe-up?

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What kind of heel is that? (I LOVE THE HEEL! It’s beautiful!) I’d love to learn how to do a heel like that.

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(the picture doesn’t do it justice)

What kind of ribbing was used where?

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How did she get those beads on there?

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Tons of questions were rolling through my mind as my fingers ran over the soft, wool knitted fabric.

My first handknit socks EVER!!!
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I am assured to have some toasty toes this winter. :D

…and look at the little cutie that came along with my wonderful socks:
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So I say to you, dear sock fairy: Für die schönen Socken vielen Dank! Sie passen tadellos und ich liebe sie! thanx.gif

what am I waiting for?

Godot? No. Heels? YES! :)

Look how much I’ve gotten done on my Sockapalooza pal’s socks! :D

I wanted to take pictures when I’d finished the toes, but I couldn’t seem to put the needles down long enough to take a picture! :roll:

Ok… let’s first talk about the yarn:
Crystal Palace Panda Cotton – Lacquer Red

My first experience was not fun. I started out with US size 2 needles and let me tell ya … it’s was splitsville. Omigosh! I very quickly reached my frustration threshold. Finally, I told myself ‘Hey. This is supposed to be fun.’ And I was disappointed. I really wanted to make my pal some red socks. So I ripped it out and put it away. But for some reason… later that same day (it wasn’t a conscious decision), I picked up the yarn and my US size 3 and miraculously, much less splitting and I started having fun. It’s interesting how, when something goes wrong, a person blames his/herself (or the yarn) rather than thinking of other possible culprits (in this case, the size 2s).

I can’t say that I absolutely love working with this yarn, but I like do the soft fabric it creates. Since I’ve never knit with cotton before, it’s definitely a learning experience, which seems to happen often in the world of knitting. I was a little nervous about using a fiber I hadn’t used before and whether or not it would show off the pattern well.

And speaking of the pattern: (nice segue, hm? :D )
I had a hard time choosing the pattern. Not from lack of choices, but rather, lack of confidence. I may have been knitting for a year, but trying something new still ’cause some trepidation. I almost chose a very basic purl/knit stitch pattern … but I was drawn to ‘Crosshatch Lace’ from More Sensational Knitted Socks‘ and no matter what other stitch patterns I looked at, I kept going back to that one. But after calculating how many stitches I need for my gauge, the ‘Crosshatch Lace’ had too few so I noticed ‘Scrolls’ from the same book. It’s very similar to ‘Crosshatch Lace’. Finally, I took a deep breath and dove into the ‘Scrolls’ pattern… and ya know what? I love it it. I actually giggled at seeing the pattern after completing the 14 rows of the pattern. (don’t laugh too hard at me … this is only the 2nd ever stitch pattern I’ve tried on socks!)

What’s next?
The heels. The short-row heels (Sherman style). *insert small groan* The heel is the bain of my existence. :? Only sheer stubbornness and determination keep me trying but I know I’ll finally do it to my satisfaction one day. That day hasn’t happened yet … but I’m very close. :)

Finally, let’s mention the toe:
For some reason, I seemed to have forgotten the figure-eight cast-on toe because after three tries, it still wasn’t working … so I tried the Eastern cast-on from the Summer IK issue (I vehemently dislike their new layout, btw) and as it’s very similar to the figure-eight, I caught onto it quickly … but I still don’t love it, so when I cast on for my 2nd Amethyst sock, I went back the figure-eight toe and, because of my attempts at the Eastern cast-on, the figure-eight toe came out better than previously. Isn’t this a pretty toe? :)

and oops … I almost forgot to show you the finished Amethyst sock! :D

Isn’t it purty? 8)

And if you’ve made it this far on my post, thank you! thanx.gif

Also, Marce, at the The Brownberry Chronicles, has started a very interesting knitting discussion. Stop by and see what it’s about! :)

Well, I guess that’s it for now. … except for this little teaser…


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Take care and I hope you enjoy your weekend!

cotton yarn choices…

Look what I have!

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Meilenweit Cotton Spirit, Sockotta and Panda Cotton.

Unfortunately, I had to buy from three different sources because I couldn’t find one with all three. The little skeins of Panda Cotton are so cute! I think that’s what I’m going to use for my sock pal’s socks. It’s so soft. I know it’s a shift from what I showed you before, but this is based on communication with my pal so I hope she’ll like it.

Now I just need to find a pattern. I just got the ‘More Sensational Knitted Socks’ book so I know I’ve got plenty of options. Thanks again to everyone for helping me in selecting the yarn. I can’t wait to start knitting!!!

Have a good weekend! :)

FO, WIPs, and Yarn, oh my…

Very Special Socks:
(sorry, they haven’t been blocked or anything yet)

Very Special Socks

Yarn: Paton’s Classic Wool
Pattern: My own basic pattern

Amethyst Socks (for the Cabin Cove KAL)

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Yarn: Amethyst colourway from Cabin Cove Mercantile
Stitch Pattern: Woven Stitch from ‘Sensational Knitted Socks’

Easter Egg Hat

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Yarn: Wool of the Andes worsted weight from Knit Picks
Pattern: My own, top-down

and I bought the yarn for my Sockapalooza 4 pal. It’s Claudia Hand Painted Yarn/Colourway: Carousel. I love it!!

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Enjoy the rest of your weekend! :)

update … (sorry, no pictures yet)

First I want to say ‘thank you’ for all the nice comments on my last post. :)

Ok… on with the update:

  1. I finished the Very Special Socks! I called the recipient to let her know they were finished. She said “Great! Just in time for summer!” .. *rolls eyes* .. Everyone’s a comedian these days.
  2. I got my match for Sockapalooza 4! I just ordered the yarn and I believe I found a pattern! :)
  3. I’m once again working on the heel of my Amethyst socks. Size 2 needles are small, did you know that? ;) I can’t imagine using size 1 & 0 …

I guess that it for now. Hopefully I’ll have pictures to share next time!

TGIF! (I know it’s Thursday… but a gal can dream, can’t she?)

yes, it’s been quiet…

Been feeling under the weather so I havn’t been in the mood to take photos … (but whenever I was in the mood, it was cloudy – go figure)

Anyway …

  1. The Very Special socks are at about 7″ each so I will begin the heels very soon.
  2. My Cabin Cove KAL sock is about 7 inches as well. I didn’t think I’d get used to size 2 needles, but I’m a little more comfortable with them now and the pattern is looking very nice. (The colorway for these socks is called ‘Amethyst’. The color changes depending on the type of light.)
  3. I signed up for ‘Sensational Knitted Socks’ KAL, since the pattern for my socks is from that book
  4. I signed up for Sockapalooza 4! I’m very excited (and nervous) about this. As of this morning, there were over 700 people signed up so far!!!

I will have pictures eventually. Please bear with me.

Thanks so much for stopping by and for all the nice comments. I do appreciate them!

Enjoy the rest of your week! :)