Ribbing, Ribbing, and More Ribbing

Pattern: Basic boring sock with heel flap, k7p1 ribbing in cuff and down instep

Yarn: Opal sock yarn, 75% wool, 25% nylon

Color: Blue Magic

Needles: Addi Turbo #1

Gauge: 8 stitches/inch, 10 rows/inch in stockinette

First of three Christmas gift projects - Done!

These are for Gail the dog trainer.

I started Gail's socks in Idaho and finished them while getting over a cold this past week.

All three Christmas gifts I'm knitting are not the kind of project that will keep me up at night wanting to knit one more row. It's a good thing I have some fun audio books on CD to entertain me while I rib away on them.


Christmas gift number two is a pair of socks for DH Bob in the brown tweed. He likes simple, ribbed socks. Yawn.

I am excited about trying this yarn, Raggi by Jarbo Garn. It's a worsted weight, 70% wool 30% nylon from Sweden and available (kind of) at Patternworks. They are no longer selling the red, one of the colors I wanted. I don't think I've ever ordered from Patternworks without something I wanted being unavailable or on backorder.

I've Googled and looked on eBay for an alternate source for Raggi. Nothing right now. Jarbo Garn does have a website, all in Swedish. In the skein, the yarn is plump and soft. I'm looking forward to knitting with it.

The two skeins of blue/brown are for socks for me. If I'm going to test out new sock yarn, I need a pair for myself. Right?


Christmas gift number three was supposed to be a hat for Bob out of the red Raggi I couldn't buy. So, I bought some Patternworks Bretton: 70% superwash wool, 25% nylon, and 5% alpaca.

This is going to be a third Christmas gift done in ribbing, because that's what he wants. At least the color is bright and cheery.


I was so excited to find out that Threadbear sold a special Lorna's Laces sock yarn in Central Michigan University colors, gold and burgundy - just like the Washington Redskin socks Son John wants for his birthday.

The yarn arrived the day before I left for Idaho, and yuck. The burgundy is a light, washed out looking burgundy. It's almost brown looking and just about as ugly as can be. Even worse, it's nothing like the bright burgundy color used by the Redskins.

I took a skein to Idaho and asked John's opinion. He's a smart boy with good taste. His opinion was the same as mine. Yuck. He said he'd rather have solid burgundy than the Lorna's Laces stripes.

So, I'm still looking. There is still a few months before I need to knit his socks, so hopefully I'll find something just right.