long time no socks... at least: long time no posting about socks. we are moved and settled in at the new home - yay! we managed to get everything done in time before the weather turned bad. we returned the keys to the old place on october 1st and it started raining for about a week the day after that. we still haven't finished unpacking and we still don't have all the furniture we need/want (which is partly responsible for holding up the unpacking) but i don't mind that so much actually. packing up was enough stress for a while. i don't want to feel stressed with the unpacking now. and we don't have to go anywhere for a long time now so i'm allowed to feel like we have time to make the new place our home...
now on to my latest socks:
pair #65 is a super-long slouchy pair in stockinette stitch using the Regia Design Line by Arne & Carlos - Twilight 3654. when pulled all the way up, the cuff almost comes up to my knee but i made them to be worn all pushed down and gathered around the ankle. i've been saving the yarn for the first onsets of autumn because of the wonderful fall colours. i made them toe-up so i could get the very most out of the 50g ball for each sock but now i feel like i want to re-do them because of the toe: it just doesn't sit well and twists around my feet...
pairs #66 and #67 will be added later. i made them for a friend and until she gets them i don't want to post any pictures. i don't know if she's even reading this but i want to be sure i don't spoil the surprise...
for pair #68 i used Atelier Zitron Trekking XXL 415. i think this is an older colourway - assuming that they number their colourways chronologically, as they are nearing 700 i think... the colours reminded me of a vineyard in autum and i like vineyards in autumn... watching the colourful spirals form while i knitted these socks was great because i had no idea what the yarn would look like knitted up.
sometimes it takes me a long time to decide i'm ready to knit a particular ball of yarn as some of them look just so beautiful.
pair #69 is the "moving pair": i started it in early september and finished it in early october. this is the pair i took up in the evenings when i decided i had done enough work for the day and wanted to relax for a couple of rounds before flopping into bed. i used Opal Sweet2&Spicy2 "Honig" (honey) which was rather hard to get. this colourway is the third i've knitted from this collection and i haven't got tired ot if yet. i have "Cake Pops" still in my stash - the sparkly version that came in the Opal Happy... collection. ("Zuckerstreusel/Sprinkles" was sadly out of stock everywhere i looked - and i'm pretty sure i looked everywhere.)
pair #70 is for my sister to go with a pair of ankle boots that went to live with her when i sorted it out. the boots were a tad too tight for me but they are a tad too wide for my sister so i thought i'd make her a pretty pair of socks (the colours match very nicely) to wear in the boots to make them fit. i used Hot Socks Paris 2 for them.
i found the pattern for the leg on the opal website. it's actually for arm warmers but i have since seen it used on socks as well. the opal pattern is in german but very simple:
- you need a multiple of 8 stitches - i used 64 for the leg and then decreased to 60 for the foot after i was done with the pattern
- knit 8 rounds for the rolled edge
- [4 rounds *knit 4 - purl 4*
- purl 4 rounds
- 4 rounds *purl 4 - knit 4*
- knit 4 rounds]
repeat as many times as needed to achieve desired length. i knitted 10 rounds instead of 4 at the end of my last pattern repeat before i started the heel. you can also continue the pattern on top of the foot as you can see here or here (scroll down about 1/3 - 1/2 of the page).
!!! i didn't come up with this pattern - i simply translated it to english from the freely available pattern i found. !!!
i thought the whole pattern looked funnier while it was still unwashed, but for socks that's not really an option. (for armwarmers it might be provided you don't wear them all the time, smoke; or stroke hair-shedding pets...)
these are my current socks in progress: a pair of mojos in my favourite colours and a short pair using left over yarn.
that was it for now... i hope you have fun with your crafty project(s)!
(the links to the mojo and caterpillar sock pattern are in the right side bar under "tutorials and guides".)