In the meantime, my yarn stash is packed up and even my spinning wheels have gone into hibernation! I couldn't put it all away, though, so I figured keeping a set of dpns and a skein of sock yarn out couldn't hurt me… right?
HA.
It's amazing how there's a yarn store in every town. A yarn store with the perfect skein of sock yarn that's been waiting for you, obviously, like a rescue puppy that just needs you to take it home. Ok, I made myself sad there. I don't know why every X-Files marathon on Chiller needs to have multiple animal-abuse ads thrown in there. What demographic are they aiming at? It's breaking my heart!
I got sidetracked. Sorry.
When last we spoke, I had just started yet another sock, with yarn I found at a yarn shop in Frederick, MD. It was with the best intentions - the yarn was the perfect color for my ailing aunt, and I thought it would match up well with a pattern I'd been eyeing for a while.
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| The yarn is French Market Fibers Warehouse Sock yarn, in colorway "Muses" |
The yarn was nice to work with - very soft and drapey, and I like the way the colors marbled rather than striping. The socks flew together, thanks to the easy pattern (with lots of lovely stockinette, something I haven't done much thanks to my propensity for choosing absurdly complex patterns) and many, many plane trips.
Socks are perfect for airplanes. They're small, repetitive, easy to pick up and put down at a moment's notice, and identifiable (if you have people constantly peering at you). This past month I flew to Portland, ME, Los Angeles, and back to DC. And every single flight had a connection. Hell. But very productive for my sock empire.
As I was making these socks for my aunt, I tried to size them a little smaller than usual. I may have gone too small - we'll find out tomorrow when I give them to her. I'd never done an anatomical toe before, but I really like the look and feel of it. I did have one toe start to unravel oddly - as in, not from the end - when I tried them on. Maybe I fouled up the kitchener? I did some lumpy grafting and it seems to have sorted itself.
I did find myself with a few… not complaints, but quibbles as I finished the socks and tried them on. It seems I've reached a comfort level with sock-knitting where I now have opinions about what I like and don't like. I thought the cuff on these was a bit short. I also didn't like the straight stockinette heel flap - every other sock I've made does the thing where you slip every other stitch on the knit rows, and I like the thicker, elastic heel that gives you. But the pattern was fantastic - easy to knit, and I love the look of the finished product.
So what to do? I decided I had to repeat the pattern immediately, subbing in my preferences! My first shot at altering a sock pattern. And wouldn't you know, I had just found the PERFECT skein of yarn at an awesome shop in Portland. So away we went.
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| Yarn is Frolicking Feet (a Maine company!) handpainted in colorway "Seafoam" |
First of all, I LOVE this yarn. The pictures don't do its color justice at all - I'll have to try to get some in better light. It's a lovely slate blue, with shots of greenish ocean color - particularly suited to this pattern's wavy structure. It's a little thicker than most of the other yarn I've used, and feels stronger.
I really feel like everything came together with these socks - it's the first time I've put on a finished sock and thought, "Yeah, I could wear this all day!"
I did an extra half repeat on the cuff to lengthen it, and knit my preferred heel. The sock feels snugger and more structured (which is also probably because of the yarn, which is much stiffer than the purple). I think I've gotten the hang of picking up the heel flap stitches, after many, many messy attempts. No gaping holes!
In conclusion: I've gone sock-mad. But I think I've found a keeper pattern, and a great new yarn - an appropriate one, too, because in less than a month I, too, will be a Maine local!
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