End of the Summer of Socks

This is the fourth and final pair completed for the Summer of Socks. It ended up being a completely plain sock, but I think it will be my favorite. I love the stripes and the pink heel and toe are from a slightly thicker yarn. These may be the most comfortable socks I've made. Overall, the Summer of Socks was a success for me, because it encouraged me to actually complete pairs of socks, not just randomly cast on something new after I lose interest. I didn't ever think I had a shot at most socks knit, so I didn't end up disappointed or anything. Knowing that I have to work six days a week really puts the sock knitting slightly behind some other things in life, like eating and sleeping. Most of my sock knitting happened at night while watching the Red Sox (no, I do not wish to discuss that right now). I did win some stitch markers, and the best part? Four finished pairs of socks. Now I just need to convince myself that finishing the three half done pairs would a good thing. The post season games are coming along soon, and hopefully there will be a WHOLE BIG BUNCH of Red Sox games to knit along with this October.

Summer of Socks Update

Even though I've been really bad about blog posts for the Summer of Socks, I have been knitting! In fact, if I actually completed all the socks that hit my needles, instead of frogging them, I'd easily have twice the number I have now. Somehow, even with a clear idea and a gauge swatch, what you get isn't always what you wanted. Anyway! I have three completed pairs right now to show off.

First socks off the needles:

These are Cherry Tree Hill Supersock yarn in a special colorway from Simply Socks Yarn Co. I used the Baby Cable Rib pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks, casting on 56 stitches with 2.75mm needles. For these I used a plain stockinette heel flap, since they seemed busy enough already, without a heel pattern. They are extremely soft and comfy!

The second ones I finished are actually the first ones I cast on. These are Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Icehouse, in the Cross Hatch Lace Pattern from More Sensational Knitted Socks. (Yes, I have both books and I love them.)

I used a short row heel on these, since I've got a pair of socks made from the same yarn that pooled in a questionable manner with a heel flap. They ended up being a little snug, but the pattern and yarn makes me very happy.

These next socks are sort of not really socks. They're footies, so I don't know if they will count towards my total number of socks knit. They only took one Red Sox game to knit, so if they don't count at least they didn't take a lot of time. They're made from Sereknity's Sock Options Sport Weight in her Rock Lobster colorway. This is the first time I've used her yarn, and I have to say, I love it! So soft, so squishy, so fast to knit up. I can't say enough about this yarn! Must have more!!!

These footies were knit as part of the Sox Knitters group on Ravelry. We decided to all knit red socks for the Red Sox during the games as our little way of helping them beat the Yankees. That sort of fell flat since they beat us, badly. But it was a nice idea and I love my socks.

I have two other pairs on the needles right now. Can't have just one! The first is just straight stockinette and the other is a simple rib pattern, so hopefully I can knit like a fiend for the next little bit and get them done!

PS to blogger - I'm so hating you and your stupid "dashboard"!!! Any weird formatting errors in this post are totally your fault, since you won't let me fix them! Auuuggghhh! Bad Blogger! Bad!

Summer of Socks Update

With the cooler weather over the past week, I've made some progress on these socks. This one is Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in the Simply Sock Yarn special colorway. It doesn't really show up very well from a distance, but I'm working on a cross-over rib pattern.

This is where I'm currently at with the sock I originally started with. One sock completed, second one actually cast on! This is a major break through for me, since second sock syndrome is more of an epidemic around here. I have so much yarn waiting in the stash that I get distracted and want to immediately cast on another yarn and pattern. This is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Icehouse colorway, knit in the Cross-Hatch Lace pattern from More SKS. I don't usually name my socks (mostly because there are so few completed pairs) but I'm calling this one "Jump in the Ocean" because of a comment from Kate. It seems to fit, as long as the ocean in question is somewhere tropical. It certainly doesn't describe the ocean around here!

Speed Post

I'm not making much progress on my socks for the Summer of Socks. This is as far as I have gotten on my first one, and I seem to have stalled a little bit. It was so hot last week that I was too cranky and tired to do much knitting when I was at home. Now, even though it is certainly cooler, I haven't picked it back up. I really love the pattern and the way the colors are coming out here, so lack of interest isn't a problem. There's just been so much going on. Summer is here, which means that every spare moment seems to have been planned a week in advance. We have such a short summer up here that it feels like we're wasting precious time if we're just sitting around. I need to learn to relax and stop feeling guilty if I want some time to lie around being lazy. Anyway, enough self analysis. Another reason I haven't been finishing this sock is the Design Contest. I have been scribbling notes for the last week or so with the hope that I can come up with a great pattern and win some of that great stuff over at SoS2007! I've tried three different ones so far, and they will all make perfectly nice socks, but they aren't everything I want them to be yet.

And just so you don't think this is all I do, here are a few outdoorsy/gardeny pictures. I know that the leaves in the background are in far better focus that the rest of the picture, but yes, those are teeny-tiny tomatoes! They're still alive! And blooming! Whoo-hoo!

And these...well, I can't take credit for planting them, but these are the roses that are spilling out over our steps. I can think of worse ways to start my day than walking past these.

And So The Summer of Socks Begins...

Today is the first official day of the Summer of Socks 2007. I know that my non-knitting readers aren't going to be very impressed, but I'm looking forward to it. It runs for the next three months, and I'm going to try to actually make pairs of socks, not just singles. Having a short attention span means that I don't get a lot of complete sets finished. Maybe this sock-a-long will change that, since there are contests and prizes involved. What this means for you is that I will be posting pictures of my progress and all the little details that can only matter to a sock knitter. I cast on a toe-up sock this morning with Knit Picks Dancing sock yarn. I'm not wild about my colorway, but I wanted to try a cotton blend yarn for a change. If it doesn't look decent after I get a little way in to it, I'm going to use the Panda Wool I got on my visit to Burlington. Wish me luck!