Knitting! (5)

While I was knitting that Montego Bay silk scarf I found myself experiencing an almost visceral urge to knit socks. Fingering weight yarn! Tiny needles! I wantwantwant! However, I mananged to keep that feeling in check until the scarf was f-i-n-a-l-l-y finished.

Definition of a scarf: a knitted object four to twelve inches wide and only as long as the knitter can maintain sanity.

Ta da!

Yarn: Lang fingering weight 80/20 wool/nylon. Most of a skein of Oxford gray (83.0003) and about half a skein of ruby red, plus about one-and-a-half spools of the gray nylon reinforcing thread that came tucked into the center of the gray skein. The heels and toes are the red fingering weight yarn with the gray reinforcing thread; the feet are the gray yarn; and the legs are both the gray and the red yarn.
Needles: Addi Turbo US#0 circ (foot and first four rows of the stripe pattern); an anonymous bamboo US#1.5 circ that I bought in a lot on eBay (legs).
Pattern: Toe up using Wendy's Generic Toe-Up Sock Pattern until the round before the stripes start; then a modification of the sock pattern in Knit One Below by Elise Duvekot. Her socks were knit top-down; I prefer toe-up. Details of my mods are on my Rav page.

The gauge of the knit-one-below stitch is significantly bigger than stockinette. I did some judicious decreases (trial and error, three times) to get the ankle big enought to be easy to put on but not so big as to sag, plus I used a larger needle on the leg as I always do. If you look carefully you can also see the errors in the initial rows of the pattern. I wanted to plan my stitches so that I didn't have to do the knit-one-below into a stitch that had been a decrease in the previous round and apparently that was a bit more than my brain could stand. (Note to self: If I had used pencil and paper to plot it out it would have been a lot easier.) But once I had knit two or three rows of the pattern stitch I balked at ripping it out to fix it.

You may wonder at my choice of colors that are, to put it charitably, less than exciting. Well, I have a pair of socks purchased many years ago that are light gray with red toes and heels and a stripe/ribbed pattern on the legs. For some unknown reason I have always loved them. Now they are wearing out and I wanted to replace them. When I dug into my stash of solid sock yarn I had only one skein of light gray and I didn't think that would be enough. Wrong again.

 

Comments

[Kym]

I love grey and red together. So charming! I'm starting to get the itch to knit socks, too. . . after a 5-year hiatus!

[k]

I made a grey and red pair, early in my sock-knitting. I loved them, and the washer ripped them to shreds. I haven't had the heart to make another pair.

[Silvernfire]

They're *your* socks. They don't have to excite me (but they are quietly pleasant).

[Lisa]

I am very impressed.... I get the urge for fine yarn and small needles, but pretty much never for knitting socks!

And I like the grey and red together too!

[Soxanne]

Love, love, love those socks ... one of these days I'm gonna make me a pair like 'em!

[Erika]

Vertical stripes! Love it!

[Chris]

Those are so cool!

[bullwinkle]

Sweet! Love the use of a new technique on the leg (and the stripes are cool!)

I've started knitting socks in heavier weight yarns for my hiking boots (and dogs/winter. Not that we have winter.) I find it very gratifying.

[Bertha Gaudon]

do you have the knitting pattern for the newfoundland map knit slippers. The map is knitted on the foot part. thanks