Cote d'Azur BFF Finally Finished

These socks have been sitting in the back room without toes for two months. Inspired to action by notification of a Slackford Studio yarn shipment headed my way for Brother Dave and Karen's Christmas knitting, I picked them up and finished them last night.

It felt good to knit again.

No, I do not need another pair of socks. I seem to collect socks like other knitters collect stash. This is only depressing because I have enough socks to last the rest of my life with many left over and no excuse to knit more. But I did anyway. And I'm looking forward to knitting socks for other people now.

Pattern: BFF by Cookie A. 56 stitch size.

Yarn: Stalwart Sock Yarn from Slackford Studio

Color: Cote d'Azur.

Needles: Options 2.50mm circulars.

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

Made Myself Some Mona's - Kind Of

Last week when I sat down in my knitting spot late in the evening, I was tired and needed something easy to knit. Looking around, I spotted the leftover Dorothy's Destiny from Mom's Birthday Monas. It wasn't going to be enough for a complete pair of socks, but I knew I had two other little balls of left over Dorothy's Destiny across the room in a bin to finish the foot.

I quickly sketched out the Mona stitch pattern reducing the stitch repeat from 16 to 14, so I could knit a pair for myself on 56 stitches, cast on, and started knitting without ever having to get up out of my seat.

These will never be prize winning socks because the change in dyelots is very obvious.


I do like the 14 stitch repeat pattern very much and will use it again.

This is a very pretty stitch pattern for as much ribbing as it has in it and the ribbing sections make for a nice snug fit.

Pattern: Mona from Knit. Sock. Love. by Cookie A. modified for a 14 stitch pattern repeat.

Yarn: Stalwart Sock from Slackford Studio. 75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon 4 Ply Fingering Weight Sock Yarn.

Color: Dorothy's Destiny.

Needles: Options 2.50mm circulars.

Mom's Monas Finished

Done, and done a day before needed.


I wasn't sure I was going to like this stitch pattern when I started these socks, but I do like it very much.

The ribbing travels every twelve rows, but it still works to supply a nice snug fit. The overall effect is a pretty lace pattern that isn't going to sag and bag. So, now I have another favorite Cookie A. sock pattern.

Pattern: Mona from Knit. Sock. Love. by Cookie A.

Yarn: Stalwart Sock from Slackford Studio. 75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon 4 Ply Fingering Weight Sock Yarn.

Color: Dorothy's Destiny.

Needles: Options 2.50mm circulars.

Birthday Green

Mom asked for green socks this spring, so green it is.

Since she's short she likes five inch cuffs, making the cuffs are shorter than I usually knit. That's fun. The cuffs are done before I'm tired of working on them.

This yarn was picked to match a Federer T-shirt she wears to exercise class. I didn't bring the lace pattern down the instep so the socks would be smooth in her workout shoes.

Pattern: Hedera from Knit. Sock. Love. by Cookie A. or available free from Spring 2006 Knitty.

Yarn: Knitpicks Stroll.

Color: Springtime Tonal.

Needles: Options 2.50mm circulars.



On the needles now, with five days to finish, are a deeper pair of green socks.

The light wasn't at it's best to bring out the beautiful color of this yarn. It's a gorgeous, almost solid, super jeweltone Kelly green. I'll try to do it justice when the socks are finished.

Pattern: Mona from Knit. Sock. Love. by Cookie A.

Yarn: Stalwart Sock from Slackford Studio. 75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon 4 Ply Fingering Weight Sock Yarn.

Color: Dorothy's Destiny.

Needles: Options 2.50mm circulars.

Three Pair of Socks Finished

While my laptop was in the repair shop and the weather was too wet and chilly to work outdoors, I made great progress on my spring birthday sock knitting.


Yes, I do seem to be stuck on this pattern for birthday socks this year. It has all the qualities that make it great for gift socks so I used it again.

Daughter Heather's birthday is May 13. Next Saturday we're getting together for Louise Lunch to celebrate her birthday and Mother's Day. She requested gray or black socks, so I made her a pair of each.

Pattern: BFF by Cookie A. 64 stitch size.

Yarn: Slackford Studio Stalwart Sock.

Color: Steelyard Blues.

Needles: Options 2.50mm circulars



Pattern: Simple 8 stitch fancy ribbing pattern.

XXOOOXXO
OXOOOXOO

where O = knit and X = purl.

Lightened up to show stitch detail. . .



Yarn: Knitpicks Stroll.

Color: Black.

Needles: Options 2.50mm circulars.


Mom, birthday June 18, requested green lacy socks with a five inch cuff.



Pattern: Embossed Leaves by Mona Schmidt in Interweave Knits, Winter 2005.

Yarn: Knitpicks Stroll.

Color: Peapod.

Needles: Options 2.50mm circulars.

John's Birthday Socks

Happy Birthday John!


The socks were mailed to Idaho on Monday, so hopefully John will get them on his birthday today.



Pattern: BFF by Cookie A. 72 stitch size.

Yarn: Knitpicks Stroll.

Color: Buckskin.

Needles: Options 2.50mm circulars.

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

Pointelle Socks Finished

Although these socks aren't as pretty as I thought they were going to be before I started knitting them, I'm happy with them. And, I'm very happy they're done so I can move on to something else.

Pattern: Pointelle from Knit.Sock.Love by by Cookie A. Size small.

Yarn: Stalwart Sock from Slackford Studio. 75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon 4 Ply Fingering Weight Sock Yarn.

Color: Old Rose.

Needles: Options 2.25mm circulars.

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

Brown Stroll BFF Socks Done

Pattern: BFF by Cookie A. 56 stitch size.

Yarn: Knitpicks Stroll, handpainted sock yarn.

Color: Kindling Tonal.

Needles: Options 2.50mm circulars.

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

Simple Socks

Sydney's socks got mailed to Idaho over a week ago.

Pattern: Basic cuff-down sock on 48 stitches. k3p1 ribbing on cuff and instep.

Yarn: JojoLand Melody superwash wool, fingering weight. Selected by Sydney.

Color: MS28, purple

Needles: Options 2.50mm circulars.


After Sydney's socks were gone, I needed something easy to knit when tired and/or braindead so I started a pair of BFF socks with the Knitpicks Stroll I bought to fill out an order.

This is the first time I've used Stroll. I'm testing it out for sock suitability so the socks are for me.

The socks have three tests to pass:

1. Is the yarn nicely spun and pleasant to knit? Yes.
   
2. Does the yarn feel good on my feet and wear well? To be determined.
   
3. Do the socks machine wash and dry and still look decent? To be determined.

I've mentioned before how much I like Cookie A's BFF pattern for utility socks. Now that it's winter, I have another kudo for BFF - the cables make the socks thicker and warmer.

Pattern: BFF by Cookie A. 56 stitch size.

Yarn: Knitpicks Stroll, handpainted sock yarn.

Color: Kindling Tonal.

Needles: Options 2.50mm circulars.

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

Pointelle Cuffs Done

This is the picture (above)of the sock pattern Pointelle in the book Knit.Sock.Love by Cookie A.

I'm showing the book picture because my pair in progress don't look all that pretty yet.


Here are my Pointelle cuffs viewed from the front.

Like most lace, they're going to need a little blocking before they're at their most beautiful. I always try to knit my socks with a little negative ease so blocking involves stretching them out by putting them on my feet.


This is the back. There's a right sock and a left sock, mirror images of each other. The stitch markers designate the left sock.

Pattern: Pointelle from Knit.Sock.Love by by Cookie A. Size small.

Yarn: Stalwart Sock from Slackford Studio. 75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon 4 Ply Fingering Weight Sock Yarn.

Color: Old Rose.

Needles: Options 2.25mm circulars.

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

Here We Go Again

It's a new Cookie A. sock pattern book and a new selection of sock patterns I just have to knit. Practical or not (mostly not) they're challenging, they're fun to knit, and they're a treat for the eyes.


Yesterday my Knitpicks order arrived and I've been drooling over Knit.Sock.Love ever since.

Why pay shipping when you can buy a little more and get free shipping? So I filled out my needle collection a bit and bought an interesting looking skein of Stroll handpainted sock yarn.


The color name is Kindling Tonal, a beautiful mix of warm browns.


Knit.Sock.Love is artistically photographed with multiple pictures per pattern. Each pattern has one picture that's nothing but the sock, large enough so all the detail can be seen. I really appreciate that.

The pattern above is Pointelle. It's going to be my first sock knit from the book in some lovely Old Rose Slackford Studio Stalwart Sock yarn.

But first I have some Idaho knitting to do. More about that next time I post.

BFF Socks Finished

Don't have much to say about these socks except I'm happy with them and looking forward to wearing them often.

The pattern instructions are a good example of how to increase for a sock cable after the ribbing is finished and decrease for the heel or toe once the cabling is finished.


Pattern: BFF Socks, a free pattern by Cookie A. Size 56 stitches.

Yarn: Stalwart Sock from Slackford Studio. 75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon 4 Ply Fingering Weight Sock Yarn.

Color: Billie Jean.

Needles: Options 2.50mm circulars.

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


Evening stroll through the melting snow.

BFF Socks Setback

Last time you saw these socks there were two seven inch cuffs completed and looking good.

It wasn't until I started to pick up gusset stitches for the second sock that I noticed they didn't match. Instead of alternating knit panel - cable panel on the second sock, it had a knit panel on both ends of each needle.

If I had been knitting these socks at the White House, I could have entertained the Obamas with a frogging demonstration.


Pattern: BFF Socks, a free pattern by Cookie A. Size 56 stitches.

Yarn: Stalwart Sock from Slackford Studio. 75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon 4 Ply Fingering Weight Sock Yarn.

Color: Billie Jean.

Needles: Options 2.50mm circulars.

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

Since I only have two projects on the needles, these socks and the ignored for several months but ready to appear again soon red gansey, I'm going to cast on something small and quick to knit until I get over the pain of frogging a seven inch cuff back to the ribbing.

Socks As Art and New Yarn

A week ago Megan left a comment that sums up the way I've come to think of my Cookie socks:

I live in the San Francisco bay area and I took a class from Cookie about a year ago. The subject was designing stitch patterns for socks (or something similar). When the students asked Cookie which socks she likes to wear best, her answer was "I just wear plain stockinette socks. The ones that I design are just art pieces." I hope this gives you some insight into the way this socks fits.

I've knit nine socks from the Cookie's Sock Innovation book, not counting the Eunice I just frogged. They're all wearable, but when it comes time to pick a pair of socks to wear I go for the plain ribbed socks that slip on, fit snug to my feet, and stay up all day.

The beautiful Slackford Studio yarn I've been using for the Cookie socks hasn't been wash and wear tested because I haven't been wearing the socks. I've washed a few pair by hand, but I want to find out how this yarn does under my normal sock treatment of machine washing so I can use it for gift socks without laundry concerns.

Slackford Studio is having a Red, Green, and Blue sale. 20% off until Midnight, December 31st . (SolidXMas is the code to get the discount.)

I took advantage of all three colors which are much prettier in person. We've had seriously gloomy weather for picture taking since the yarn arrived.

From the top: Dorothy's Destiny, After Midnight, Cardinal, and Steelyard Blues. Good basic colors for some good basic socks.

Mom has asked for some purple socks, so I get to order more yarn as soon as Susan gets it in the store.

Cookie socks may be art, but function is also beauty. I'm going to do some knitting for function now.


Snowclouds are moving in.

RIP Eunice

After proving to myself I could modify Cookie A.'s Eunice pattern to reduce stitches and fit my feet (described here), I knit on with enthusiasm.

Last night I finished both Eunice cuffs without following one of the most important rules of knitting Cookie socks: Try them on often!

There's a reason the pattern calls for only two repeats of the chart, resulting in a cuff about four inches high.

I like warm socks. When I'm sitting down I like my socks to end above the hem of my jeans or slacks without showing any leg. Therefore, I had knit three chart repeats and it was a tugging struggle to get the cuff over my heel and instep.

Normally when I'm ambivalent about frogging, I wait until morning. Last night I didn't wait. Both cuffs were promptly frogged. It's 99% probable I will never knit Eunice. Which means I am never going to knit all the socks in Cookie's book.

Eunice Rant

Here's my first Eunice cuff, due to be frogged soon.

The yarn is Stalwart Sock, a fingering weight yarn that knits up a little tighter than Opal and Regia because it's smooth instead of fuzzy. The color is Steelyard Blues.

Before I start listing all the reasons Eunice and I aren't getting along, I have to say that many other knitters are happy, or at least satisfied, with their Eunice results.

The opinions below are just that - my opinions. Let the rant begin.

• The cuff is too big. In the picture the cuff is pulled over two sock blockers, one on top of the other, and it's still too baggy to show the yarn overs.
  
  
• The ribbing starts with 64 stitches and increases to 80 stitches for the cabling pattern. This large increase is unnecessary since there are yarn overs which spread the fabric to compensate for the cables that condense the fabric.
  
  
• Another reason the pretty yarn over patterns in the center of the diamonds don't show is because the diagonal cable leg pulls the fabric up reducing the row gauge so the yarn overs can't spread. It's no better on a human leg.
  
  
• The cable crosses are over seven stitches. A five stitch cable cross is maximum to look nice in a sock pattern, and that's pushing it. There are exceptions to this rule, but this sock isn't one of them.
  
  
• The ribbing and first pattern repeat were knit on 2.5mm needles. Hoping to redeem what my subconscious already knew was a doomed project, I switched to 2.25mm needles for the second repeat with hopes the socks might fit Mom who has wider feet than I do. It hardly made a difference.

Here's my second Eunice cuff, assuming it can still be called Eunice. I have a feeling my modifications are too major for the sock to count in the Sock Innovation KAL, (a Ravelry link), although we are allowed to make changes for fit.

I redrew the chart to change all the three stitch cable legs to two stitches. That brought the cuff stitch count down to 64 from 80 and the wide cable crossing down to 5 from 7.

The ribbing is 56 stitches on 2.5mm needles with an increase of 8 stitches for the cabling pattern.

With 16 stitches less in a round, the fit is good and I plan on finishing this pair of socks for myself.

Kristi Socks Finished

This was an enjoyable knit, but I didn't try to rush.

Kristi has no "rest" rounds. Of the 38 pattern rounds, 38 have cabling.

Every single row was knit from the chart. Someone who can memorize this pattern has a much better memory than I do.

One warning about this pattern, pay special attention to fit. With all the crossed stitches, the resulting fabric has little stretch in any direction.


Pattern: Kristi from Sock Innovation by Cookie A.

Yarn: Stalwart Sock from Slackford Studio. 75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon 4 Ply Fingering Weight Sock Yarn.

Color: Wisteria.

Needles: Options 2.50mm circulars.

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

Knitting Log for November 5

For the past two evenings I've been working a little on all three of my projects. For blogging purposes that's an unsatisfactory way to work. Not enough has been done on any of the three to be blogworthy, so here's an unimpressive update on all three of them.

Kristi
As previously mentioned, this is not a fast knit. I'm still enjoying the process, the pattern, and the yarn.

The cuffs are mirror images of each other. Left foot and right foot are different.

Pattern: Kristi from Sock Innovation by Cookie A.

Yarn: Stalwart Sock from Slackford Studio. 75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon 4 Ply Fingering Weight Sock Yarn.

Color: Wisteria.

Needles: Options 2.50mm circulars.

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

Red X Sweater
Almost nine inches done. It's time to make some design plans for the top part of the sweater before going on.

The darkish red doesn't show the stitch definition as much as I imagined it would.

Pattern: Winging it for now. Unofficially naming it the Red X Sweater.

Yarn: Knitpicks Cotlin. 70% Tanguis Cotton, 30% Linen. DK weight.

Color: Moroccan Red.

Needles: Options #3.

Gauge: 6 stitches/inch, 8.5 rows/inch in pattern.

Lighthouse Gansey
The knitting has been done for weeks. Every day this week I've picked it up to weave in a few ends. There can't be many more ends to weave in. I have to finish it soon, maybe tonight. There are new projects waiting in the wings.

A few years ago I decided to limit myself to three knitting projects at a time with swatching not counted. At first it was difficult, but I enjoyed the feeling of not being overwhelmed by too many projects in process and persevered.

Now it's a habit and the number three seems to be just right. If I get some new yarn I just have to caston, there's the swatching exemption. With swatching I often learn new things about what the yarn wants to be and, even more important what the yarn doesn't want to be.

This morning after getting a haircut, I stopped in Stitching Memories to pick up some yarn for Christmas knitting.

The dark cake is Cascade Heritage Handpainted Sock Yarn. Much prettier than it looks in the picture with shades of gray, brown, blue, and some purple. I hope to get a better picture once the knitting begins.

Kristi Cuff

Kristi is always one of the lowest vote getters when the Sock Innovation KAL, (a Ravelry link) votes which pattern to do next. Since it's one of my top favorites in the book and I had the perfect yarn for it, I decided to cast on and do it.

Kristi is slow going and requires constant attention to the chart, but there's nothing difficult about it. I'm enjoying the process and the results.

Pattern: Kristi from Sock Innovation by Cookie A.

Yarn: Stalwart Sock from Slackford Studio. 75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon 4 Ply Fingering Weight Sock Yarn.

Color: Wisteria.

Needles: Options 2.50mm circulars.

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

Clandestine in Time Out

Clandestine by Cookie A. is the October non-book selection of the Sock Innovation KAL, (a Ravelry link). It's a free pattern available on Knitty.

The cast on is 66 stitches which needed to be divided over three needles. I used three circulars because I wanted the sharp points on the Options needles. Having three slowed down the knitting process some.

On the fourteenth row there are three five-stitch wraps and three-three stitch wraps. How tight to do the wraps was a common question which never got answered. Some knitters frogged and reknit trying to find the perfect tension.

I wrapped snug, resulting in a puckery fabric. Just looking at it on the needles I would thought it to be bumpy and ugly. Stretched out on my leg, I was glad I hadn't done the wraps any looser.


I think this lacy section in the center is pretty. I believe it ends up center front and down the back of the sides.


The lacy section alternates with a section that looks like umbrella spokes, a stitch pattern I've never loved. It is made up of a purl, knit through the back loop ribbing that gives the sock some stretch and cling. That's a plus for it.

A cuff is six pattern repeats long, about seven inches. I have three pattern repeats of one sock done and the project is on hold. Right now I'm thinking I'm going to frog it and use the lovely yarn for something else. I'm just not loving the knitting process or the results.


Pattern: Clandestine by Cookie A.

Yarn: Stalwart Sock from Slackford Studio. 75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon 4 Ply Fingering Weight Sock Yarn.

Color: Stormy Night

Needles: Options 2.5mm circulars.

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