handknit socks – Dramatic Lyric

Finished Object: Squircle Socks

Hello, there, lovelies! I have been a busy bee and finished some socks! I started the Squircle Socks on Thanksgiving Day last year as my husband drove us 2 hours to his grandparents house. The project stayed in my bag as a “just in case” project for a long time, and I’m not a very prolific sock knitter anyway (I once knit a pair of man-sized socks in 2 weeks and hurt my wrists so bad I couldn’t knit for almost a month afterward. Not doing that again). The yarn is Knit Picks Felici in Mint Chip, which is sadly no longer available. This was my first time using self-striping sock yarn. I can’t believe I hadn’t tried this before! It was so ridiculously fun! The pattern is a little involved and asks you to do a little math, but it was a really fun and interesting knit.

If you want to explore different sock styles and like a bit of a challenge, I would highly recommend the Squircle Socks.

One Sock Down

I love garments with interesting constructions. I think it’s fascinating how many ways people can come up with to do the same thing. I have been knitting the Squircle socks by General Hogbuffer with Knit Picks Felici in Mint Chip. Whoo, is this an interesting construction! Let’s take a look and compare classic sock construction with this sock construction.

This is a regular sock construction. You cast on a number of stitches (64 in my case), join in the round, and knit your leg. The heel flap is worked on half the stitches, then you turn the heel with short rows and/or decreases, pick up stitches along both sides of the heel flap, and decrease for the gusset. The foot is worked even, and the toes are made with decreases every other row.

And this is how the Squircle sock is constructed. You can see how this sock starts just like a normal sock. Everything changes, though, when you knit the thinnest heel flap ever! You then pick up a million stitches and start double gusset decreases while increasing for the heel! Once you’ve finished the heel increases you finish decreasing as for a normal gusset. The foot and toe are done much in the same way as a normal sock, but the toe decreases are graduated instead of being every other row for the whole toe.

One sock down, and one to go.

What is your favourite sock construction?

In Progress

In order from newest to oldest projects…

Washcloths: Some friends recently bought a house and are having a housewarming party. I am knitting them some washcloths because every home needs something hand knitted.

washcloth

Watermelon Socks: I’m past the gusset and well into the foot and starting to get a bit pink. I pulled a few yards of white out so the sock would turn pink more quickly.

watermelon

Raindrops and Wildflowers Cowl: this is my second time knitting this pattern. I don’t normally re-knit patterns, and I am having a hard time with this one. On the original I ran out of yarn before the final border, so I have to re-knit for pattern photos. I keep telling myself it is worth it…

cowl

What’s on your needles?

Languishing

This has been a happening week! Several things are almost done. Do you ever do that thing where you only need to put in an hour or 2 of work to get a beautiful finished object, and yet for some reason it languishes unfinished? I have a sweater that only needs a neck modification to be perfect, and yet it has sat in my drawer for months. It is madness, I tell you!

Exhibit A: Pink Floyd Socks

We see the first sock finished except for a heel, which I have since begun (but not finished)

sock

Exhibit B: Rumplestiltskin yarn

This is actually a partial success. I had just a few lengths of fiber left to spin, and it is now all spun up! I now need to string eighty jillion beads, because I am going the whole way with this yarn. It is going to be amazing.

I hope for it to look like this. Except, you know, yellow.

artyarn — This is ArtYarns Beaded Silk Light. Yum!

Progress on the yellow yarn was imperiled by a crack in the pulley on my spinning wheel. I emailed Majacraft (the maker) and they said I could glue it, so glue it I did. It’s terrifying to think your precious wheel might be falling apart!

Do you let your projects languish?

In Progress

It turns out that if you actually work on your projects, they get done (I know I say that a lot, but it’s embarrassing how often I forget it). I started these socks almost a year ago, pulled them out in September when my feet started to get cold, and found them again earlier this month. I am determined to finish them by the end of the month. I’m about to start the second heel, so it seems a realistic goal.

socks

I also plan to finish spinning this electric blue soy silk by the end of the month. It should end up as a sport or light worsted weight. What should I make out of it?

spinning

This shamrock wasn’t long in the making. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

shamrock

Finito!

Here you see a pair of newly finished, freshly laundered stripey socks!

socks

Yarn: Knit Pick Swish in Rainforest Heather – 1.5 balls; Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Superwash in Oyster Heather – 1 ball

Pattern: Vanilla socks using the Fish Lips Kiss Heel

Needles: US 4/3.5 mm

These socks were a quick knit. I knit them in 2-round stripes, which were strangely compelling. At first I had planned to do jogless stripes, but this was way too inelastic and might have undermined the integrity of the sock (doesn’t that sound like such a smart thing to say?), so I decided to skip the jogless-ness and just change colours like normal.
seam

square

Lessons from Socks

If you knit on anything long enough it eventually gets done
It’s ok to break a large task into bit-sized chunks

first-socks

Use nice materials – socks don’t take that much yarn and you can enjoy them as you knit and once they’re done
Knitting the same thing twice sucks (but is really rewarding when you have warm feet)

Warm feet make me happy
Fit is important. Sometimes it’s worth frogging and restarting to ensure a good fit

Socks are some of the most useful and appreciated things you can knit
Stripes are addicting and make everything go faster

Currently on my Needles

Well, friends, I have been good and only worked on projects that are on the list to be done. Luckily, a few things on the list are projects yet to be started, so I began a pair of socks (not for me). Incidentally, I’m trying a new thing this year where I have a goal of knitting socks every month. I don’t have to finish a pair, but I want to start them. Last month I knit some Rye socks for me, and this month is for stripey green socks.

sock

Let me tell you, friends, worsted weight socks go so fast! And 2-round stripes are ridiculously compelling. You fly through the needles, and then it’s time to change colours. Just like magic!

What’s on your needles?

Toasty Toes

You might remember from a few weeks ago how I made a pair of worsted weight socks for my mom. I didn’t realize it when I started my project, but I actually had enough of that yarn for 2 pairs of socks. And my feet have been cold lately.

socks

Now my feet are toasty warm! What shall I finish next?

Pattern: Rye by Tin Can Knits (with a Fish Lips Kiss Heel)

Yarn: Cascade 220 Heather in 9489 (Red Wine)

Needles: US 4 / 3.5 mm