January 2005 CIC Vest Challenge

What is CIC?

The CIC Knit List is having a January vest challenge which I'm coordinating. I'm excited to see how many vests we can knit up in January.

The warm little vests are among the most needed and gratefully received knitted items. They're quick and easy to knit up and you can even have some fun with them.

Some knitters like to knit a pocket and insert a little toy. Other knitters like to play with the stitch patterns or yarn colors and come up with something cute and colorful. But even a plain vest in a plain color is going to provide much needed warmth for some child in an Eastern European orphanage, so don't feel you have to do anything special. Each vest makes one child warmer. That's special enough.

Here are the guidelines for the challenge:

1) CIC requests at least 50% animal fiber content. More is better. It doesn't have to be luxury yarn, it just needs to be warm.

2) Deadline for mailing is January 31, 2005.

3) Send finished vests to:

Kathy Graziani
9124 Flamepool Way
Columbia, MD 21045

4) To have your vest(s) counted as part of the challenge, send an email to CIC-knit@yahoogroups.com after the vest(s) are mailed. We like to hear about your vest(s) as you're knitting them, but they won't be officially counted until they are mailed. (If you're not a member of CIC Knit List, email me to get counted.)

5) If you want to make sure your package was received either use delivery confirmation or stick a stamped, self addressed postcard in the package.

6) It takes about 200 yards of bulky yarn to knit a toddler sized vest. If you have more yarn than time and would like to donate yarn to those who have more time than yarn, please contact me.

7) If you could knit more vests if you only had the yarn, contact me and I will match you up with a yarn donor if possible.

8) The most needed sizes are 2 (24 inch chest) and 4 (26 inch chest), as the children are small for their age. However if your vest turns out to be a different size, send it anyway. It will fit some child and keep them warm.

9) The classic What's In My Pocket Vest by Claudia Krisinski is very popular with CIC knitters. It's quick, easy, and no sewing except for the pocket. (I usually leave the pocket off, and that's OK.)

The three vests in the picture were knit using this pattern. You'll be surprised at how fast they knit up.

With the bulky weight yarn the vests are 72 to 76 stitches around and it only takes about 60 rows to make the length.

I use Lopi. Lamb's Pride Bulky is also excellent.

Some knitters use double strands of worsted weight yarn with warm, colorful results.

There are other vest patterns in the CIC Knit Files section, including a vest to crochet.

Each warm, wool vest makes a BIG difference to the comfort of one child. We can't make too many!

Will you join us?

Carol's Old Shale Two Yarn Sock

I know there are a few sock knitters out there who are knitting the Old Shale Two Yarn Sock Pattern. Today I was thrilled to see a picture of one of the resulting socks.

I'm sure it's very unsophisticated to be thrilled at this, but I am. It's my very first adult sock pattern and I'm loving it that knitters are finding it a fun pattern to knit.

Carol Breitner sent a message to the Socknitter's group:

"Hi, I knit the beautiful Old Shale sock. Yes, "sock." The second sock is partially done though! Marguerite so generously posted this pattern on her blog Stitches of Violet."

"I changed the heel and toe to garter stitch. I really enjoyed working on this pattern. I used yarn that somebody once gave me ("Can you do anything with one 50g ball of sock yarn?" Marguerite's answer is emphatically YES)"

Needless to say, I could hardly get to get to Carol's Picturetrail album fast enough to see how the sock looked.

WOW! The garter stitch heel and toe compliment the lace cuff just perfectly. A very artistic variation on the original pattern.

Carol says the garter stitch heel is cushioned and comfy. It looks it.

While I was browsing around Carol's Picturetrail album I admired the tiny little sock earrings. She sells the pattern online and I've seen it at several yarn retailers.

Take a look. They're really cute.

If anyone else completes an Old Shale Two Yarn sock, I'd love to see it and post a picture. e-mail Me.

Circulars vs Double Points

Someone left a nice comment about the Old Shale Two Yarn Sock Pattern and then asked "Can I use dpns with this pattern instead of 2 circs?"

There is nothing you can do on two circulars that can't be done on double points.

The Old Shale lace cuff is four repeats of 16 stitches, so I recommend using 5 double points with 16 stitches per needle to allow for easy stitch counting.

Even as an experienced Old Shale knitter, I count my stitches after working each 16 and also just before knitting the next pattern row. I hate ripping out lace and find the obsessive counting saves time in the long run. That's especially true for this pattern which has a yarn over at the beginning of the 16 stitch repeat.

Anyone with a basic understanding of instep stitches and heel side stitches won't have any trouble knitting this pattern on double points instead of circulars.

The gusset pickup part of the pattern is intentionally vague about needle usage. I always pick up the gusset stitches with double points and keep the heel side stitches on two double points until the gusset decreases are completed.

My reason for knitting socks on two circulars has nothing to do with the knitting process.

Three years ago we got a little puppy. Sunny would sneak up and jump into my lap while I was knitting and I was afraid she would poke her eye on the double points.

The circulars dangle and are much less dangerous. I don't claim any other benefit of using circulars over double points.

Knitting Related Gifts

We agreed to have a frugal Christmas this year. I could tell all the gifts were thoughtfully selected with love. That makes them so special.

These are my knitting related gifts plus a little bobblehead dog from Kimmy. He is just the cutest thing with a hybrid of markings that resemble both of my little dogs.

John and Anne sent Opal yarn from Idaho. Both skeins are from the Magic collection.

I love Opal Magic. I've knit yellow Opal Magic socks for Heather, green Opal Magic socks for Mom, and purple Opal Magic socks for myself. Now I have blue and brown to work with. I'm looking forward to it.

I love all Opal sock yarn. I've told my family they can't go wrong giving me any skein of Opal that catches their eye.

Mom ordered the Sock Journal from my Amazon wish list. When it came, she was concerned because it was so thin. Nothing to be concerned about. It has twelve sock patterns, one for each month of the year, technical advice, and plenty of places to keep notes.

There are several of the patterns I want to knit. First will be the February socks with the lace hearts.

Very Simple Barbie Wrap

Granddaughter Kimmy just happened to get a strapless Barbie dress that exactly matched some Lion Brand Glitterspun yarn in my stash.

Grandma cast on 11 stitches and knit a very simple but beautiful wrap in seed stitch.

The yarn label called for size 7 needles, so I used size 9 to make sure the resulting fabric would drape well.

The resulting wrap is 2.5 inches wide and 11 inches long.

Glitterspun is a ribbon yarn with glitter, as the name implies. The glitter doesn't show up well in the photo.

I know this is a poor excuse for a knitting project, but it was quick and fun and just the thing for three days before Christmas. Kimmy is going to love it and Barbie really needs it.

Even though I'm going to see Kimmy on Friday night, I'm going to mail it to her tomorrow. She likes to get mail. It's part of the fun and it will make it much more special than if it is mixed in with her Christmas gifts.

Pink (Actually Blue) Beads Sock Progress

This is my progress picture for the fourth pair of socks in the Six Sox Knitalong.

The yarn is Opal Uni-Solid 26. Yes, for those of you who are observant, this is the same skein of yarn I used for the solid blue color in the Old Shale Two Yarn Sock .

The cuff on this beaded sock pattern is very short. I'm now past the gusset decreases on the first beaded sock and it looks like there is going to be enough yarn to finish it.

This is my least favorite of the Six Sox patterns so far. That's not as harsh as it reads. I feel neutral about this pattern: neither disliking it nor excited about it. I've loved the previous three patterns in the knitalong.

In doing these socks I have learned a new method of attaching beads on stockinette stitch. They are threaded on a slip stitch to hold them in place. It is going to be a very handy technique for putting beads on Barbie clothing.

These socks are going to Mom, hopefully for Christmas. Although what she really wants is a pair of Old Shale Two Yarn Socks in pink. She will get them, too, just not for Christmas. I love my Mom.

Old Shale Two Yarn Sock Pattern

Size: Women’s medium
Yarn: Sock/fingering weight.
Yarn requirements: 34g of A, the multicolor. Approximately 50g of the solid. (Shoe size 6-7 took 43g.)
Needles: 2-24” circulars US 1, 2.5mm
Gauge: 8 stitches/inch 10 rows/inch in stockinette stitch

The blue socks in the picture are knit with Opal Cool Ocean 226 and Opal Uni-Solid 26.

Note: The socks are designed to be worn with the cuff folded down. The picture on the left shows the ribbing under the cuff which functions to keep the sock snug to the leg.

Abbreviations:
yo = yarn over
k = knit
p = purl
slip = slip purlwise unless pattern specifies knitwise
ssk = slip knitwise, slip knitwise, knit two slipped stitches together
slip2 = slip 2 stitches knitwise
p2sso = pass 2 slipped stitches over the knit stitch
k2tog = knit two stitches together
p2tog - purl two stitches together

Old Shale Pattern (16 stitches and 4 rounds)
Round 1: (yo,k,yo,k,yo,ssk,ssk,(slip2,k,p2sso),k2tog,k2tog,yo,k,yo,k,yo,k) 4 times
Round 2: knit
Round 3: knit
Round 4: knit


Cuff
Cast on 64 stitches with A.
Join.
Join is the beginning of a round and the left side of sock.
Split stitches between two circular needles, 32 stitches per needle.


Border:
Round 1: knit.
Round 2: purl.
Round 3: knit.
Round 4: purl.
Round 5: knit.
Round 6: purl.
Round 7: knit.

Knit the Old Shale Pattern 6 times (24 rows)

Turn the sock inside out on the needles.
Knit a round.
Note: This knit round is going in the opposite direction from previous rounds.
At the end of the knit round pick up the horizontal bar between the two needles and knit the bar together with the first stitch of the next round.

k1,p1 rib for three rounds.
Switch to color B.
k1,p1 rib for 20 more rounds.

Move last stitch of round to heel needle. Heel needle now has 33 stitches, instep needle has 31 stitches.

k7,p1 rib for 15 rounds, centering wide ribs as follows:
Heel needle: k4,p,k7,p,k7,p,k7,p,k4 (33 stitches)
Instep needle: k3,p,k7,p,k7,p,k7,p,k3 (31 stitches)

Cut B and attach A.

Eye of Partridge Heel
Row 1: (slip 1, knit 1) 7 times. slip 1, k2tog, (slip 1, knit 1) 8 times. 32 stitches on needle. Turn.
Row 2: slip 1, purl to end of row. Turn.
Row 3: slip 1, (slip 1, knit 1) 15 times, knit 1. Turn.
Row 4: slip 1, purl to end of row. Turn.
Row 5: (slip 1, knit 1) 16 times. Turn.

Repeat Row 2 through Row 5 7 more times. (Total of 17 slip rows)
Repeat Row 2 and 3. (Total of 18 slip rows)

Turn Heel
Row 1: slip 1, p 17, p2tog, p. Turn.
Row 2: slip 1, k5, ssk, k. Turn.
Row 3: slip 1, p6, p2tog, p. Turn.
Row 4: slip 1, k7, ssk, k. Turn.
Row 5: slip 1, p8, p2tog, p. Turn.
Row 6: slip 1, k9, ssk, k. Turn.
Row 7: slip 1, p10, p2tog, p. Turn.
Row 8: slip 1, k11, ssk, k. Turn.
Row 9: slip 1, p12, p2tog, p. Turn.
Row 10: slip 1, k13, ssk, k. Turn.
Row 11: slip 1, p14, p2tog, p. Turn.
Row 12: slip 1, k15, ssk, k. Turn.
Row 13: slip 1, p16, p2tog. Turn.
Row 14: slip 1, k16, ssk.

18 stitches left on needle.

Pick up Gusset Stitches
Cut A and attach B.
Pick up 19 stitches along right edge of heel.
Knit across instep maintaining rib pattern.
Pick up 19 stitches along left edge of heel.

Knit a round.

Gusset Decreases
For gusset decreases, round starts at center of heel needle.

Round 1: knit to last 3 stitches of heel needle, k2tog, k1, knit in ribbing pattern across instep, k, ssk, knit to center of heel needle.
Round 2 - knit to instep needle, knit in ribbing pattern across instep, knit to center of heel needle.

Repeat rounds 1 and 2 until 33 stitches remain on heel needle.

Continue knitting around keeping the 31 instep stitches in the wide ribbing pattern.

1 inch before the first toe decreases, cut B and attach A at the beginning of the sole stitches.

Toe Decreases
Start on sole needle 2 inches before desired length of sock.

Round 1: (k, ssk, k to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k) twice, once on sole needle, once on instep needle.
Round 2: knit

Repeat rounds 1 and 2 until 17 stitches remain on sole needle and 15 stitches remain on instep needle.

Repeat round 1 until 9 stitches remain on each needle.
Kitchener toe and weave in ends.

Copyright Marguerite Byrne, 2004. To be used for private, non-profit use only.
Send comments and corrections to knittingviolet@gmail.com

Blue Old Shale Two Yarn Socks - Done

Love the way these socks turned out. They're just as pretty as the Old Shale on Fire Socks, but with a completely different personality in blue.

The socks are designed to be worn with the cuff folded down. The picture on the left shows the ribbing under the cuff which functions to keep the sock snug to the leg.

Do you have any partial skeins of sock yarn you want to use up?

In a women's medium with a size 6 - 7 shoe, the pattern takes about 34g (1/3 of a 100g skein) of the multi colored yarn and 43g (less than half of a 100 g skein) of the solid.

The blue socks in the picture are knit with Opal Cool Ocean 226 and Opal Uni-Solid 26.

The pattern is almost ready for publication. Hopefully it will be posted here sometime before the weekend is over.

Life is a bit more hectic than usual due to quickly approaching holidays. Gotta run.

CIC Tally for 2004

This is the time of year when knitters on the Knitlist are posting lists of everything they've knit in 2004. Since I don't read the lists because I find them very boring, I hesitated to publish a list of my own - but only for a moment.

I'm not going to go back and count all the items I've knit this year, but I do keep track of my CIC knitting.

My goal for 2004 was a pair of CIC socks a month. Met! Total sock pairs sent to CIC this year is 16.

Another goal was to knit more CIC vests. After the first few they got very boring so I looked for ways to make them more interesting.

When I joined the Six Sock Knitalong, I challenged myself to use each pattern in a toddler vest for CIC. That has been fun. In this picture the green vest incorporates the Cloverleaf Lace pattern from the June/July knitalong. The blue vest uses the Making Waves pattern from the August/September knitalong.

The December/January knitalong pattern is a beaded sock. It will be a bit of a challenge to make a corresponding vest, but I have a few ideas. That vest will be number one done in 2005.

I knit and sent 9 vests to CIC in 2004.

At the end of my CIC list stands one lonely caregiver shawl knit using the Candle Flame Shawl pattern.

I share my list of CIC knitting in the hopes of inspiring myself and others to match it for 2005.

Here is a partial list of free sock patterns for children available on the internet, including my own Mini Basketweave Toddle Sock Pattern. Quick, easy take-along knitting projects to warm the feet of cold little orphans. How can you top that?

Avoiding Second Sock Syndrome

How do you avoid Second Sock Syndrome (SSS), where once the first sock is done the second sock never gets knit? Because who wants to do the same project twice?

I have learned that I can not be depended upon to ever knit a second sock once the first one is finished, so I have strict rules for myself.

1) Divide all 100g skeins of sockyarn into two balls.

2) Have the second sock on the needles before the cuff of the first sock is half done. (I use two sets of 24" circulars.)

3) When picking up a sock to knit, pick up the shortest one.

4) Never knit the foot until both socks have complete gusset decreases. Gusset decreases are my least favorite part of the sock.

5) Do not Kitchener off the toe until both socks are ready to Kitchener.

The last time I got lazy about rewinding the yarn into two balls was two years ago. I knit a beautiful Conwy from Knitting on the Road, admired it often, but never started the second one.

For almost two years every time I started a new pair of socks I had that guilty feeling I should be knitting a second Conwy instead.

Finally, when the Six Sock Knitalong did the Making Waves pattern, the Conwy yarn was perfect for the Waves pattern. I admitted there was never going to be a second Conwy. The lonely Conwy got frogged and the yarn turned into a pretty pair of Making Waves.

What Are the Pins For?
The plastic pins in the pictures are how I keep track of the row count. For Opal yarn knit on Addi Turbo #1s, my size 6 feet need 60 rows between the gusset pickup and the start of the toe decrease. I slip in a pin marker at 20, 40, and 50 rows. Sure makes the counting easy.

Rules are Made to Be Broken
The blue Old Shale Two Yarn sock currently on the needles is the first adult size sock I have ever knit with the intention of sharing the pattern. I took notes while knitting up the first sock. Then I wrote up the notes into a pattern and I'm test knitting the pattern with the second sock.

So, I'm breaking my rules in order to test knit the pattern. There is no SSS because I'm trying to get the socks done in time to give them as a Christmas gift. Don't want to count on that for future pairs, though. I need a better SSS avoidance plan for pattern writing.

On the Needles December 10

One blue Old Shale Two Yarn sock done and the pattern recorded in draft. Now I'm test knitting the pattern by knitting the second sock.

Usually I knit both socks at the same time to avoid SSS (Second Sock Syndrome). It takes a bit of will power to complete a sock and then knit another identical sock. It's not even OK to make the second sock a little better. It has to match the first or it won't be a pair.

I'm getting a new appreciation for knitters who write patterns with all the detail involved. It's hard work and it slows down the knitting.

Now I'm off for some fun with Granddaughter Kimmy. We'll do a movie, bake some cookies, and (shudder) go Christmas shopping at the mall so she can select a gift for her mother.

By the time I take her home on Saturday evening, I'll be exhausted but happy. She always brightens my life.

The dark blue beads for the Six Sock Knitalong have arrived. It's very tempting to get those socks started before finishing the blue Old Shale Two Yarn socks.

Thanks to a hint from list member Sheron, I now have a plan for incorporating some ribbing and keeping the beads in place on the smooth knitting. Will report in detail if it works.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Old Shale on Fire Socks

A few months ago I knit this pair of Old Shale socks, making up the pattern as I went along. When they were done, I posted this picture on by personal blog, Seasons of Violet.

The socks are knit from Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn. The multicolored outer cuff, heel, and toe are knit in a colorway called "Flame", so the socks are named "Old Shale on Fire".

Underneath the lacy cuff is two inches of solid red k1 p1 ribbing to cling snuggly to the leg. The lacy cuff folds loosely over the top of the ribbing, hiding it.

Once the ribbing starts to show from under the cuff, the ribbing changes to k7 p1 and continues down the instep.

The colorful toe starts an inch before the toe decreases in order to show off the Flame colors and keep the colorful yarn combination in balance.

These socks were knit for granddaughter Kimmy. I got so many requests for the nonexistent pattern that I kept the socks so I could knit a second pair and write the pattern down. That's what I'm doing with the blue pair of Old Shale socks pictured in Monday's post.

The first blue Old Shale sock is almost done. Old Shale has always been my favorite lace pattern and I'm enjoying the knit.

I've recorded the pattern and will test knit it by knitting the second blue Old Shale sock. The pattern should be ready to publish here sometime before Christmas.

Kimmy is finally going to get the Old Shale on Fire socks as one of her Christmas presents. Hope she likes them. If not, I know her mom will wear them.

Knitting Log for December 6

Anne's Fluted Banister Socks - Done
The yarn is a very beautiful, rich Opal Handpainted #12.

The purple accents don't show on my laptop, but they do on Bob's desktop monitor. Hopefully you can see all the colors and get an idea of the beauty of the handpainted yarn.

I couldn't resist using the left over yarn to knit a matching little pair of baby socks for my granddaughter.

Went to the internet for a free baby sock pattern and found several to use as a guide. I incorporated the Fluted Banister stitch pattern in the cuff so the baby socks would match Mother Anne's.

The socks look so little it's hard to believe they are going to fit. I'm sure they won't fit for very long. Baby Girl is due April 4 so hopefully she can wear them a few times before her feet grow too big for them and/or the weather gets too warm for them.

Six Sox Indecision
Saturday night I stopped at Hobby Lobby to look for 8/0 beads for the Six Sock Knitalong project. I wanted a deep, dark blue which I couldn't find. So I settled on pearly white. By the time I got home, I was sorry I had bought the white beads so I found some dark blues online and ordered them.

For the one pair of beaded socks I knit over a year ago, the instructions say that the beads need to be between two purl stitches in order for them to stay on the right side of the fabric. Our Six Sock Knitalong pattern doesn't have any purl stitches. I'm wondering if the beads are going to be OK just sitting there on top of the flat knitting. At the same time I'm wondering if the socks are going to fit OK without any ribbing.

We're allowed some leeway in modifying the pattern to suit our needs and preferences. I'm trying to come up with an acceptable variation on the pattern that includes some purling and some sort of rib pattern.

So far it has me stumped.

Old Shale Two Yarn Sock
While waiting for the beads to arrive, I'm knitting a pair of blue Old Shale Two Yarn socks for daughter Heather.

The fold down cuff is Opal Cool Ocean 226. The solid blue color emerging from under the cuff is Opal Unisolid 26.

There is whole post worth of information to write about this project, so I'll save it for another day.

Mini Basketweave Toddler Socks for CIC
Karen at Tangles knit a pair of Mini Basketweave Toddler Socks using the pattern from my November 15 post .

This is the first report of anyone knitting something from a pattern I wrote and I was thrilled to see the picture she posted. She made the socks for CIC, making it even more special.

If you use anything found on this blog, I'd love to hear about it. It just makes my day to know that knitters are reading it and getting ideas from it.

Either email me or leave a comment.

Helmet Hat from Knitter's Winter 2004

The Winter 2004 Knitter's arrived on a cold snowy day in very late November. While I was scowling through the magazine, I spotted a pattern for a helmet hat.

Ugly? Yes. Warm? Yes.

Perfect for walking the dogs on this snowy path. Plus, it looked interesting to knit and I happened to have a container of left over Lopi from making CIC vests.

Some of the Lopi even matches my new Squall Parka from Land's End.


Many times when a pattern strikes my fancy the urge to knit it fades rapidly after I look at the picture more closely. This was just a simple, quick to knit hat so I didn't study the Knitter's picture too long.

If I would have looked at the picture with a more critical eye, I would have noticed that the hat is very large on what appears to be a woman with a normal size head.

Since I have a small head, I went down a needle size and cast on without swatching. (Not swatching on small projects is a bad habit of mine that I am uninspired to change.)

The hat still turned out too big for my head.


The helmet knit up fast. The modular knitting was different and fun - until it was time to weave in all the ends.

Hint: When joining yarn for a new triangle, take time to figure out which stitches need to be picked up in order for the new triangle to end in the right place. Or frog like I did.

Only had to frog once before I figured it out.

The extra knitting probably didn't take any longer than trying to calculate the best joining stitch from reading the pattern.

Yes, that does mean that the pattern could have been more helpful. I wouldn't want to be a new knitter and try to knit this helmet with the minimal instructions given for joining the triangles.


The helmet hasn't been washed and blocked yet because it's cold outside and I've been wearing it several times a day when I take the dogs out for a walk.

I'm having dangerous thoughts about trying to shrink it a little. Shrinking is an exercise at which I've never been successful.

I could knit a swatch and see how it felts/shrinks. But then I would have to think about how if I only would have measured my head and knit a swatch in the first place, I might have a helmet that fit better without the extra fuss.

There's a pattern somewhere in an old Knitter's of a helmet hat that covers the entire neck and rests on the shoulders. I remember it being much more ugly than this one, but it might be warmer. Maybe I'll just find that pattern and knit a second helmet instead of knitting an after-the-fact swatch.

Almost Ready to Bead Again

We received our December/January pattern for the Six Sock Knitalong today. I was disappointed challenged to see that it is a beaded sock.

The name of the thing is Pink Beads Sock. The pattern is a neutral colored yarn with a band of beadwork in pink beads. It probably wouldn't be right to post the picture on Stitches of Violet, but if you click here during December/January you will see a picture of Pink Beads Sock.

The picture on the left is NOT the socks for the knitalong. This is the only pair of beaded socks I ever knit, a wonderful pattern called Beaded Faux Cable Anklets by Heartstrings published in the Summer 2003 Heels and Toes Gazette. (Back issues still available for purchase. Click here.)

The pattern was so well written, complete with every helpful instruction and hint necessary for success in a first beaded knitting project, that I couldn't resist knitting these socks just for the fun of seeing if I could do it.

The yarn in the picture is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Sherbet.

Beaded socks are not my style, so I asked Mother if she would like the completed pair. And, like a good Mother, she jumped at the chance. The socks were finished over a year ago and I love to see them on her feet. She wears them with pride and loves to show them off to anyone who will look.

I never intended to knit another pair of beaded socks. Once was enough. 480 beads was enough.

Now I'm faced with knitting another pair. If I keep true to the pattern name, it needs to be another pink pair. It's going to take a few days to get enthusiastic about this project.

The good news is Mom says she is willing and pleased to be the recipient of a second pair of beaded socks, so someone I love wants the finished pair.

The color is a problem. As is obvious from the picture, Mom and I have already done pink. I think the Pink Beads Socks for the Six Sock Knitalong are going to be blue.

I'll start knitting on the Blue Beads Socks as soon as I can get to Hobby Lobby and buy some beads.

Get ready for a bit of bloggy crankiness while I knit a pair of socks with 432 beads.

Please know I'm not really a crabby old lady. I'm grumbling about these socks with a smile on my face. Sometimes it's fun to complain a little.