Grey Man Socks

I am dying, absolutley dying to post about my unbloggable projects, but I can't. I want to, but I won't. I will say that I am really happy with what I've managed to knit up so far -thank you L.K. Yarns for the technical help( I love those ladies, they're always so nice to me.) and I can't wait to share the photos and all my trials and tribulations. I will just say that Tvåändsstickning- that's Scandinavian double-ended knitting for you - is a frustrating endeavor to undertake when on a bit of a schedule. I will revisit it, but not when I feel pressured to get things done by a certain date (you know, like christmas).

Since I can't write about my favourite WIP, I will share with you the glories of knitting Grey Man Socks. I know, calm yourselves, it is exciting stuff.

My Beloved requested man socks for christmas; "hey, you could make me socks for christmas. Not fancy ones though, you like to make fancy socks, I just want plain guy socks. Grey ones." Awesome. Grey socks for big guy feet. Bring it. So, being the loving girlfriend that I am, I dutifully took myself to my favourite LYS (see above) and bought 3 balls of Phildar Preface in Gris Moyen. I bought 3 balls in an olive green too. It's not like this man ever asks me to knit anything for him (which is good, because after last year's 3 hat I-don't-like-any-of-them episode, I mostly gave up). I had a hard time finding a suitably plain sock pattern and ended up using a the 3-Ply Ribbed Sock pattern from a vintage Beehive pattern book my mom found at Value Village for 69 cents. The pattern is just like it sounds, ribbed. The book itself is kind of neat and the pattern is easy to follow and fits the criterion to a T. The yarn is hard to get excited about, not that it's bad, it's just a study-ish sort of slightly heathered sock yarn and doesn't set my heart to fluttering like some other brands do. No slight to Phildar, but not every yarn can be a Fleece Artist yarn.

Let's see, what else is there to write about? I've been missing my weekly knitting and lunch with with Miss J., but she's been busy with her brand new baby girl Frances. I am so happy for Miss J. and can't wait to meet little Frances. I forsee very little knitting getting accomplished, what with all the baby cuteness to distract me. Happy knitting!

It's Fall, it must be migrating. . .

It's crisp, it's cool, it's Fall. It's baking season. I decided that I whip up a batch of lemon-poppyseed muffins. I dug out the classic Muffins and More, readied my ingredients and pulled out my mixer (best christmas gift ever). I looked in the bowl and what do I find nestled next to the beater? A small ball of black yarn. Does yarn migrate? If so, where does yarn go for the winter?

In my last post (which seems ages ago), I declared that I would attempt to cable. I have been hesitant to try cables, it looked so hard, so complex and well, so cable-y. I figured that there must be some sort of secret, a trick that one could learn after being admitted to the elite Cable Club. Turns out I was wrong on all counts. Cables are not so hard after all - I say this as if one pair of socks makes me an expert. I knit up a pair (okay, really I've knit 1 and 3/4 pair. I'm going to finish that bad boy off tonight if it kills me.) in aKoigu Premium Merino semi-solid. For once the photo actually reflects the yarn's colour. I bought this yarn in Charlestown, South Carolina at the fabulous Knit. What a great store - bursting with yarn, lots of delicious yarns in every flavour of fibre. If you're ever in the neighborhood, I suggest you ditch your friends or family and spend the afternoon - that's what I did. Anywho, I really like this yarn. It seems that whenever I post, I've just knit with a new-to-me yarn and this is another one. I love the semi-solidness of it and the sproingy texture. Yes, I said sproingy. I was saving this yarn for me, but I decided to let it go as it's a colour I know my mom will like. I've got no quibbles or complaints except for the fact that although it's a Canadian product, I can't buy it locally and their website leaves a little something to be desired, hence no link. But those are minor issues and I'm looking forward to knitting with it again (which is good as I have three skeins of a nice navy semi-solid waiting in the stash).

The pattern for these lovelies is the Uptown Book Sock from Interweave Knits 25 Favorite Socks, originally published in the Winter 2003 issue. Everytime I flipped through that book (which I love) I would say to myself, "Man, those are nice socks, someday, if I ever larn to cable, I'm gonna make those." Mission accomplished. An easy to memorize eight row repeat, nice short row heel and a kitchener stitch toe make a nice sock. I will definitely make another pair if these, but for myself. I think they'll look pretty good in her Birkenstocks and will be more practical than a pair of lace socks (for which more than one hint was dropped).

The moment that the final sock is off the needles is the moment that the core of my christmas knitting is finished. Sweet. This is not to say that there isn't more, oh no gentle reader, the auxilary backup list is by no means short. Aside from the recently requested socks for the Beloved, in plain grey and olive green (sigh), we're into the unbloggable projects. This means that I'll have to get creative with the posting for the near future - or start something for myself - which will break my new rule of no new projects, but a girl has to write about something. Until next time knitters.

Making Progress

Just a quick post today to show off a pair of completed Christmas socks. These are the Simple Socks with a Slant form Cat Bordhi's latest book (I am obsessed with that book). I originally intended a pair of Roza's socks for the BF's sister, but let's face it, big yarn on big needles for little feet equals a faster finish. I learned a few new things form making these, and that always makes me happy. I can now perform Judy's Magic Cast-On without aide or instruction (sorry to J. for the repeated demos!) and can knit a decent toe up sock without holes along the heel. Sweet. They make a nice home for cold feet.
Next up? A pair of socks for my mom. She wanted lace or cables, I opted for the wavy cables of the Uptown Boot Sock from Interweave Knits 25 Favourite Socks. This is my first attempt at knitting cables so let's hope for the best!