Socks, socks, socks

Thought I'd share a few work-in-progress photos with you. As per the stated aim of this blog, I am designing a pattern, and if it turns out I will attempt to write it down and share it with the world. I figured that socks might be a good starting point, and since I did promise my husband 3 pairs of socks for Christmas, and have only delivered 1 so far, they seemed a perfect choice.


So, first step to peruse the stitch dictionary. At the moment I am borrowing the Barbara Walker from the QSW&FA library. I originally was thinking of a cabled sock, but these lovely patterns with rows of single travelling stitches caught my eye and I decided to swatch.

I really liked the ribbed cable with twisted stitches. The hourglass pattern I liked as well, but I decided to use twisted stitches for it as well, to get more definition. The stitches really stand up and almost tilt to one side. The little coin cable at either side of the swatch is deeply textured as well. I will definitely use it somewhere, but after measuring both the recipient's foot and the swatch I decided on the centre pattern (which is 2 pattern repeats of the hourglass pattern) bordered by a single row of twisted stitches with a single ribbed cable at either side. I am going to split the ribbed cables when I reach the heel and continue a twisted smaller cable down each side of the heel and either side of the top of the foot. I am figuring on a small amount of negative ease so that the cable pattern will stretch a little bit.

I cast on the 86 stitches needed and started with twisted ribbing (seemed appropriate and it looks great). Haven't had much time to knit on it yet, so the pattern hasn't taken shape, but that's the project for this week.

I figure if it works out the pattern will be easily altered for a smaller size by taking out either 1 or 1/2 of the centre hourglass pattern.

In other sock news, I am also knitting plain socks for Scott. These are handy public transit knitting as they are plain as plain can be. It's my first go at knitting both socks at once and I'm very glad I tried it on this pair because I loath this yarn. It sticks to itself like Velcro. I had to take out and discard the centre of both balls after trying to find the ends and use them as centre pull balls as they were so badly tangled. I think I would have given up after the first sock if I weren't doing them together. Saying that though, I don't mind how the pattern is working up and I did manage to make the colour repeats match exactly.

My last sock is hibernating at the moment.

(PS I can't figure out how to rotate photos in my blog posts. This photo was rotated the right way when saved on my computer but it reverted when I uploaded it here and I don't know what to do. Any ideas?)

I've made one and I can't decide if it's worth it to make the next. Not sure I like the pattern/yarn combo. It definitely doesn't show up the cable pattern to the fullest. However, I might be able to live with it.

To frog or knit the second sock?

Fibre Diet

Ok, so I've never felt the need to diet before... I don't have a huge stash (at least I don't think so, I managed to photograph it and load it up to the Ravelry website in one day so it can't be that big) but it is most definately more than I can knit and spin in a year ( or maybe two). However, there are some great gaping holes in it. A selection of beautiful, rich, basic colours of wool fingering weight for fairisle swatching...some really kickass sock yarn in multis and solid "I'm-a-man-and-I-want handknitted-work-socks" colours... lace weight (I love lace weight!)...different blends of fibres to play with...and so forth ad nauseum. I really need this stuff. I do.

Now, I know this stuff is out there. I've seen it, I've felt it, but it doesn't live in my local yarn store. Actually, here in Brisbane we have a local craft chain store and a very expensive LYS. Having lived in Canada and worked/travelled in the US I know the sort of prices and value you can expect there and I just can't bring myself to pay the prices here, plus they don't stock the basic range of basics I'm craving at the moment.

So, this brings me to the point of this whole ramble. Talking with my Mum on the weekend, we decided that it would be too hard for her to take time off work this Christmas to visit us in Australia, and instead we will go to visit her. Yeehaw! I now get to troll the online bargin stores that only ship to North America (hello Knit Picks and Elann) and best of all I get to spend hours in my hometown LYS, Beehive Yarn Shop in Victoria (which is huge, has been in business ofr over 100 years and is literally stacked from floor to ceiling with amazing yarn) picking out colours and fondling the candy. OH Bliss! However this means that if I want to spend to my heart's content in December I must go on the aforementioned Fibre Diet.

I hearby resolve that I will reduce my stash of yarn and fibre by spinning and knitting at least half of my current stash before we head to Canada in December and not buying any more during this time...unless it's really on sale like the eco yarns fibre I got last month...or the Patons "Jet" that was so ridiculously on sale that it couldn't be passed up last weekend...

Hopefully this resolution will be aided by the fact that I will have many people to gift to in Canada. I can knit away on small stash busting projects like hats and scarves (to give to people who live in a climate where they will actually use them) without having an intended recipient in mind and just bring a whole suitcase of finished objects to give, then voila!, empty suitcase for the shopping spree. Makes sense, no?

Let's see how well it works in real life.