savannahchik knits

Sockapal2za Done!

I'm done and almost 2 weeks early. That's huge for me -- I'm such a procrastinator.

I hope they fit well. The lace makes them quite stretchy so I blocked it slightly stretched (there's lots of give in these socks). I still think this pattern would be nice as a scarf. Here's a closeup.

The Lorna's Laces is great to work with. I could easily knit this yarn without looking and only occasionally did I split the yarn.

Yardage-wise, I have almost 2/3rds of a hank left over. There's lots left and my LYS still has some of this color in stock. I'm tempted to buy another hank and make a different pair for myself, but I'm not particularly excited to knit with the same color. Maybe I should buy a complimentary color and stripe them?

Knitting them Toe-Up

A few of you asked how I knit these toe-up. This pattern was VERY easy to adapt to toe-up. Here are my mods.

CO 32 using figure 8 onto 2 circs. Knit one row.

Increase Row On each needle K1, inc 1, knit to within 1 stitch of edge, inc 1, K1.

After you have 52 sts (26 sts per needle), do an increase row followed by a plain row until there are 64 stitches total.

Knit 4 rows plain. I do this because I don't like the patterning to start that close to the toe. This is just my own personal preference.

Begin patterning Knit the wave pattern on one needle and knit the second needle plain. Knit this way until the sock is about 1.5 inches shorter than the foot.

Heel Do a short row heel until, keeping 16 sts unwrapped, and 8 sts wrapped on either side.

Begin Leg Continue knitting the pattern on one needle and st st on the other needle until you're at either a Row 1 or Row 11. Then knit the pattern across both needles.

Knit until the leg is the desired length. I knit 3.5 repeats.

Cuff I followed the scalloped edging chart, simply turning it upside down (knitting Row 14 first).

Cast off Cast off using your favorite stretchy cast off. I used EZ's sewn cast off.

A Good Motivator

I've been dutifully working on my projects with due dates ever since I wrote that post last week. I'm now halfway done with Sockapal2za sock two.

I'll definitely be done before the end of Labor Day Weekend -- a solid 2 weeks before the due date! Very excited -- I'm never this well-behaved.

I am still thinking a lot about Kepler. I ordered a color card from Chester Farms for their Cestari DK. I remembered seeing them at MDSW but I didn't have a need for them so I kept them in the back of my mind for just the right project.

I'm still not sure if it's the right yarn for this project, but I am positive I'll use this yarn at some point. It's a minimally-processed, lanolin-rich wool -- exactly what I had in mind. I'm just not sure if they have a color I want. I do like the blackberry color (in the center of this closeup). The pic is darker than it should be though, and it didn't pick up some of the pinky-reds that are in the yarn. This colorway has great depth and color variation.

I'm also strongly considering Rowan Yorkshire Tweed DK. Again, a lovely yarn, great flecks of color, but the shades aren't grabbing me.

I'm not complaining though. I know the right inspiration will come, and I'll have more of these deadlines off my mind at that point.

Do I Have To Give This One Away?

I love love love this little sock! The pattern is the perfect blend of "not-just-boring-ribbing" yet "easy-enough-to-memorize" to keep it interesting.

The Lorna's Laces is such a pleasure to knit up. I wish their multi-colored hanks didn't pool like they do. My brain just can't handle all that uncontrollable color!

As for the length, I decided to keep it at the length suggested in the pattern. If I made them any longer they would have hit part of my calf where they'd need to be increased. I know I'm short but I don't know my sock pal's height so I figured better be safe than sorry.

The mods I made are simple:

• Toe-up with a figure 8 cast on. I increased every row until I hit 85% of the total stitches, and then switched to every other row.
• Classic wrap short row heel. Yes, you read that correctly. I didn't do the no-wrap heel. The problem I have with picking up the wraps is finding them in darker colors, which clearly isn't a problem in lavender colored socks. And I have to admit that I think the wraps are just a tad tighter than the other methods.
• I did the wavy top and all I needed to do was turn the chart upside down and follow it that way. I bound off with EZ's sewn cast off. Not only is it stretchy but it's the cleanest way I know to join the last row and make it look smooth. If you're scared of the sewn cast off -- don't be. It's as easy as p2tog, k1. Seriously. Give it a try.

I still have to wash the sock but I'm going to hold off until I finish the second one. I don't want to try and match up unwashed measurements against washed measurements.

As for the stitch pattern, I don't think this is the end of this pattern for me. I'm considering making a scarf out of it. The back side -- while completely different -- is also pretty, so it would work well for a reversible scarf. And once it's blocked out I think it looks a bit like flowing water. I'm considering using the blue silk I bought at MDSW even though I've already started this scarf with it.

The blue color always said water to me, but I searched and searched my stitch pattern books and couldn't find the right one for it. I wanted something to go longways but I didn't want to knit it longways. This waving lace pattern may be the way to go after all.

Alright Now We're Gettin' Somewhere

Waving Lace Socks from IK Summer 2004

Well this is it! Third try was definitely _the_ one.

Now that I'm knitting these I'm surprised I didn't see this pattern make the blog rounds last year. The pattern is a simple repeat and makes a lovely sock! I love the little ripple effect it makes on the edges (click on the pics above to see them enlarged).

I have modified the pattern to be toe-up and to use a short row heel. I'm just a couple rows above the heel now and I'll be starting the pattern on the full leg soon. I have 2/3rds of a hank left (based on my handy-dandy scale) so I'm not sure if I'll be able to use up a full hank for each sock. We'll see. I'm enjoying the knitting on these enough that I'll knit until it seems like they're the right length.

There are 2 variations for the cuff. A basic ribbed cuff and a wavy cuff. I'm going to give the wavy cuff a go but I haven't checked to see what I'll need to change since I'll be knitting them in the opposite direction.

Oh, and for those of you who haven't kept up with my experimentation, I'm using Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Lilac colorway. And lemme tell ya, there will definitely be more solid-colored LL in my sock future!

Sockapal2za Thoughts

Denmark from Knitting on the Road Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Lilac	Vine Leaf Stitch Pattern Socks That Rock in Covelite

These are two of the socks I've tried so far. I like them both, but neither is quite right. The Denmark sock for KOTR was for a heavier gauge yarn, so I had to modify the pattern. I did but it's still a bit small. No biggie though, it's just ribbing. When I had bought the yarn I thought it would have a bit more color variation in it, but once it's knit up it's basically solid.

The Socks That Rock sock is lovely, but also not quite right. I had to guestimate how many repeats to do and I thought the stitch pattern would be stretchier than it was. So, I made it too tight as well. But I'm still happy I tried it out because I confirmed what I was hoping for -- the Vine Lace pattern breaks the crazy-pooling problem. So I may add in some extra stitched and give this a try again.

I think both yarns have something going for them.

The LL is great because it will clearly show any stitch pattern I pick.

The STR is just plain lovely to touch, and seems to be working well in the Vine Lace stitch.

So for now I'm not sure which way I'll go -- or if I'll change my mind again. I have at least 5 other patterns in my mind that would be worth consideration. Lately I've been allowing myself to experiment without the anxious feeling of "must...decide...now". I finally realized I learn something new every time I go through these little experiments. And while I won't have an FO to show for it, the understanding of how yarn and color and pattern all interplay is well worth it to me.