Posts Tagged "Knitting"

Remember when I was trying to decide which yarn to use next?  It was going to be one of these.  They’re all described on the linked blog post.

My decision was to use the purple, green and pink Mardi Gras yarn.  But, being the nice girl that I am, I showed Vince the 5 balls of yarn and asked him which one I should use.  It makes my man feel good to help make decisions on things like sock yarn and quilt fabric! Not really but Vince never fails to entertain me with his choices.  He chose the one that has the sock started in the above picture.  I asked him why he chose that one and here’s the conversation:

Me:  Vince, pick one of these 5 yarns for my next socks.
Vince:  That one (pointing to the one that has the sock started).
Me:  Why that one?
Vince:  Because it’s patriotic.
Me:  Patriotic?
Vince:  Yes, red, white and blue.  Can have the socks when you’re done?
Me:  Why don’t you let me knit the socks and then you decide if you want them?
Folks, that yarn is pink, magenta and black.  The lighting is excellent in our living room.   How he thought this yarn was red, white and blue is beyond me and no, my man is not wearing pink socks!

Here’s what sock #1 looks like knitted.

No red.  No white.  No blue.  Figure that one out for me, will you?

I do not need any more sock yarn! I do not need any more sock yarn! Please Vince . . don’t be reading this post!   The last week or so, my mail lady has been my best friend!  I can’t wait to see her.  That’s all going to change though.  Two more packages and I’m done.  Really .. no more sock yarn.  I mean it this time.

It’s all the fault of those folks over at The Loopy Ewe.  There are yarns that people just rave about and I’ve never even heard of . . and surely haven’t seen or touched.  Everyone knows that the webpage is updated some time on Monday so half the knitters in the world camp out on The Loopy Ewe’s website all day Monday.  I never get anything done on Monday any more.  When I am lucky enough to get some of this can’tlivewithoutyarn, I never even know what color I’m getting . . I’m just sticking it in my shopping cart as quickly as I can and hoping for the best.  Sounds like I really do need a 12 step program, huh?

First, it was the Wollmeise Sock Yarn.  Getting that yarn is harder than getting a 12 point buck!  As soon as it shows up on the website, it’s gone!  If you’re lucky enough to get a few skeins in your cart, you’d better be real quick about checking out because it isn’t yours til you’ve paid for it and if there’s one skein left and someone pays before you do . . it’s going to their house . . not yours!  I got a few more skeins of Wollmeise Sock Yarn so I was happy.  I don’t need any more.  No . . really!  I don’t!

Then I heard that the Wollmeise Twin was heavenly for socks.  After several tries to get that from The Loopy Ewe, I heard that Claudia in Germany (the dyer) updates her web page on Friday mornings at 1 a.m. my time.  I managed to get some Twin straight from Germany!  Goofy me .. I left the invoice on the table and it was all in Euros. Vince looked at it and gasped and said . . doesn’t it take something like two dollars to make one Euro??  Hmmm . . not sure about that!  Let’s talk about something else!

Then there’s the String Theory yarn!  They have one called Blue Stocking and one called Caper.  Caper has 10% cashmere so it makes it a lovely sock yarn.  I’d never heard of it til those evil, evil ladies at The Loopy Ewe put it on their website.

Surely that was the end of the can’tlivewithout yarn!  Oh, no!  There’s Bugga! And it has 20% cashmere!  My feet will love me . . if ever I get socks made with it.  When it showed up last time on The Loopy Ewe’s site, so many of us were trying to get it that we crashed the server.  It’s all named after bugs and it’s as hard to get, if not harder, than the much desired Wollmeise.  In this picture:  Barrens Tiger Beetle, Tarantula Hawk, Sooty Dancer, Black Witch Moth and Death’s Head Hawk Moth.

Good . . I have all the can’tlivewithout yarn there is.  I can stop stalking The Loopy Ewe’s website and maybe I can paint new letters on my F5 key because I’ve worn them off.

What?  Not yet?  Monday I heard . . actually read on Ravelry . . that the update that night would include Numma-Numma.  What the heck is that?  Well, I managed to stalk the website long enough that I got some of that ordered. And then I heard that Sanguine Gryphon would have more Bugga in their Tuesday morning update.  I managed to get a special color called Love Bug and a very hard to find Northern Purple Gold Beetle.

Why can’t I be as disciplined with sock yarn as I am with quilting fabric lately?  It’s the hunt . . it’s knowing that if I don’t grab it now, I may never have another chance to get it . . ever!  I’m done .. really!

Everyone wants to knit socks!  Well, maybe not everyone. Many of you have asked all kinds of questions about knitting socks.  While I surely don’t know much about knitting socks, I’ll try to tell you everything I know about knitting socks.

1. If you can knit at all, you can knit socks.  But . . you have to do it — you can’t just keep wanting to do it!  I knitted in college and as a young adult but put it aside.  I had wanted to knit socks for years and when Susan finally sent me yarn and a pattern, I couldn’t even remember how to cast on.  That’s how little I knew!  With help, I figured out how to cast on.
2. If you can cast on, knit and purl, you can make socks.  If you get suck, there are plenty of videos to get you through the hard spots.  For the longest time, I had to watch a video to make the kitchener stitch (a grafting method for finishing off the toe).
3. The pattern I started with and still my favorite pattern is Classic Socks for the Family by Yankee Knitter.  This is the website for the designer and she has other patterns!

There are many methods for knitting socks:

1. Using double pointed needles (DPNs), you can knit from the cuff down (which is my favorite way) or knit from the toe up.
2. Using one circular needle, knit one sock at a time, or using one really long circular needle, knit two socks at one time, either toe up or cuff down.
3. Use two sets of needles (either DPNs or circs) and make two socks.  It’s the same as knitting one sock, then another but if you have a problem with finishing the second sock or remember how long to make the cuff or something, this method might work well for you.

The sock  yarn:

There are some fantastic sock yarns –  I most mostly buy mainly wool but some with cashmere, some with mohair, some with silk.  The yarns that have nylon added should last longer and I buy a lot of yarn with 10 – 15% nylon.

Much of the wool is superwash which means it can be machine washed.  I still wash all my socks by hand and lay flat to dry.

There are less expensive yarns at Hobby Lobby, JoAnn’s, and those kinds of places.  The less expensive yarns that I bought early on have held up really well but the feel of those socks don’t compare to the wool blends with cashmere, mohair and silk.  There’s a yarn out there for most everyone’s taste and everyone’s budget.

So far, my very favorite yarn of all time is this one.  It’s 55% Superwash Merino, 30% Silk and 15% nylon.  I love the colors, love knitting with it and love wearing it.  But, I have several new yarns that I haven’t tried yet.

The needles:

There are all kinds and sizes of needles.  I’m not crazy about the bamboo needles.  My knitting is tight and it seems to hang up on the bamboo.  I like metal or something called Quicksilver in 7″ DPNs.  I knit my cuff 7″ and from top of the ribbing to where I start my heel.  After the heel is formed, before decreasing for the toe, I knit 7″ (this is subject to change, depending on your preference, your pattern repeat, your foot length).  So, if I’m  using a 7″ needle, that’s also my measuring tool! 

I have knitted patterned socks but my favorite  is just plain stockinette stitch with no pattern.  I don’t have to count, nothing has to come out perfect . . just mindless knitting.

I’ve knitted shawls and sweaters but still prefer just plain socks.  Here’s the only sweater I seem to have from when I knitted 25 or more years ago.

If you truly want to knit socks . . just try it and remember that the first ones may not be perfect, but they will be fun!

The yarn I mentioned a day or so ago that I didn’t like . . it isn’t so bad.  I used a larger needle (size 3) than what I had used when I knitted another skein of this yarn and it worked out much better.  It’s a pretty thick sock and will be great for wearing with boots.  I’ll get the mate finished probably tomorrow.

There’s actually lot of yardage on these skeins and from the 3 skeins of this yarn, all different colored, I’ll be able to make a pair of scrappy socks . . can’t have too many ugly socks for wearing with the boots, right?

I’ve given up already.  I do not like toe up patterns.  I do not like this yarn.  I’ve already made one pair of socks using it and I thought bad words while making it but I used size 1 needles.  They don’t feel as scratchy on my feet as they do to my hands when I’m knitting.  The yarn is 75% wool/25% nylon but I think it’s the same wool they use for Brillo pads!  I know . . Brillo pads are not made of real wool . . are they?

I’ve switched back to my plain jane Classic Socks for the Family pattern that I love.  I’m using size 3 needles.  If I think bad words, I will not say them and I will hurry up and finish and be done with these.  And then . . I’ll just have one more skein of this yarn to use and if I’m lucky, it’s lost!

No, I’m not going out in the dark by myself!  In my yarn buying frenzy, I bought some ugly yarn.  I’m sure someone loves this yarn but I’m not that someone.  Not only do I find it big and scratchy for sock yarn but this is one ugly color.  What was I thinking?

It’s as boring in real life as it is in the picture.  It’s kinda pukey yellow to a washed out gray to a muddy mucky brown.  A far cry from the brights I usually buy . . what was I thinking? 

Anyway, while playing around on Ravelry today, I found a pattern that uses bigger needles (size 3) and is a toe up pattern, which I also am not crazy about.

So, on a Monday night, why not try a pattern I probably won’t like on a yarn I know I don’t like?  I suppose if I gift these socks to anyone, they’ll know they’re not my best friend!  Really . . I’m thinking I need some bulkier socks for my black rubber boots so . . here I go . . I’m going to cast on as soon as I publish this post.  The worst that can happen is I’ll throw the whole mess in the trash and forget that I ever bought it!