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Tuesday 20 November 2012

FO: Socks and More Socks.


Holy flying cows, man, another month has passed without me blogging! Oopsies!! I will just do a quickie post today about some more finished socks. Fear not, I will do my utmost to find the time to change the record and write about something other than finished socks.

 To recap, I set myself the challenge of knitting 12 pairs of socks in 2012, and now this is well under way. After last month's slight 'where is this going?' dilemma, this month has been more 'who the hell cares where this is going?' and I've cracked on. And so, dear reader, I have not one but two pairs of shiny new socks to show you.

First up are my Jazzy Jaywalkers. I do love it when a pattern and yarn come together so well.


Yarn: Regia 4ply Ombre Stripe by Kaffe Fassett in Shade 4483 from Hobbycraft, Aberdeen.
Pattern: Jaywalker, a free pattern on ravelry (which is free to join if you haven't already!). The rav link is here.
Mods: Made the smaller size longer as I have long skinny feet. Also made on dpns (magic loop is recommended in the pattern), but the change was straightforward and and I just put one patters repeat on each needle.
Ravelry project page here.


All in all a pretty easy sock, good as a second pair. Top-down, slip-stitch heel flap, short row heel, and then decreasing symmetrically for the toes before grafting.

Next!

The second pair of socks are named 'Helter Skelter', as there are purl stitches that twist around the entire thing. The toe is a twisted toe and the heel is a short row heel - the first time I've done this on top-down socks - involved yarn overs instead of wraps, and I'm not sure I'd do it again as it's turned out a bit holey. I do feel like the yarn and the pattern are not getting on as well as with the Jaywalkers, but such luck doesn't strike twice in a month!

Also, you may notice that they are not matching socks, and this is the first time I've really done this. All down to the first ball of yarn having a couple of knots in it that meant the stripes went out of order, and I am pragmatic enough to decide that hacking up the second one to create the same effect was out.


Pattern: RPM by Aija Goto, free from knitty and on ravelry.
Yarn: Regia Design Line by Kaffe Fassett in Shade 4453, 'Exotic Pool'. Also from Hobbycraft in Aberdeen.
Mods: Not one, but if I had my time again I would do a standard slip-stitch heel and would rethink the twisted toe decreases.
Ravelry project page here.

In conclusion, I'm back in love with sock knitting and clearly loving Kaffe Fassett's colours. See you next time for something that isn't socks. Promise!