Socks, Swish, and Sky

Pattern: Royal Rainbow by Megan Humprey. A seven stitch gansey type zigzag. To my knowledge this sock pattern is not available for distribution.

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

Color: Feeling 1705.

Needles: Addi Turbo #1

Gauge: 8 stitches/inch, 10 rows/inch

I'd call this color Feeling Springy and Happy. Notice that once again the socks don't match - on purpose.

The plan was to wind off half the skein and then knit the second sock colors in the opposite order as well as not matching. The skein had a knot in the middle where, unbeknownst to me, the colors started going in reverse. So, when I thought the colors were going to go in reverse, they went the same way.

Variations from pattern: The pattern calls for 64 stitches. I'm knitting 56 stitches because I have narrow ankles and feet. A purl dip every eighth stitch replaces a knit stitch to make for a snugger sock that won't sag on my leg.

Knitpicks Swish, a worsted weight superwash wool, arrived in the mail yesterday.

Regular, careful readers may remember I knit a pair of Swish socks to audition the yarn and give it the wear and wash test for durability, softness, stitch definition, and ability to hold its shape. (You can read about it here.)

Knit at 6 stitches/inch Swish passed with flying colors, so I ordered 22 skeins for the White Gansey from Knitting Ganseys by Beth Brown-Reinsel. Obviously, my White Gansey is going to be Pepper Red.

While I was ordering, I threw in a skein of each of the green Swish. I'll be swatching with these to see if they're usable for the Acorn Sweater.

I like the Gems Louet I used for swatching the Acorn Sweater, but the price is making me shudder.

The cheapest I can get the Gems Louet, on a cone, is 7.25 cents a yard, or $166 for the sweater. On the other hand, a Swish Acorn sweater would cost 3 cents a yard or $72 for the sweater. Worth doing a little swatching.

If you have experience with Swish, I'd love to hear it. Please mention the approximate gauge or needle size used. They make a big difference in yarn attributes.

The weather has been beautiful this week. Today is no exception.

The leaves are about half size now on the tall deciduous trees like the oak in the picture. Everything is looking very green.