wifeKnits

Handspun Socks

My handspun socks are done. I cast off sock # 2 last night and wove in all the ends. I even wore them and took pictures. :) Hurray. I think they are pretty comfy. A bit loose, but being 100% wool, maybe the next time I wash them (by hand, which I really need to remember), they will shrink just enough to be a bit snugger. I really like them. This pair of socks marks my first toe-up socks, my first knitted item using my handspun yarn and my first short-row heel. And for a first time, my heels and toes look pretty darn good.

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Quinn

I’m up to the heel on my 2nd handspun sock, but last night I decided to polish my toes, so I couldn’t work on it because I couldn’t try it on. So what did I do instead? I started a new project. Gah! I’m doing Quinn (a cabled bag) in some TLC Essentials that I have in my stash from the old granny square project I abandoned. I’ve only gotten one repeat done of the top band and it looks awesome. I consider this an advanced cable pattern, because it’s an 11 row repeat and every row has a cable cross. After one one repeat of the pattern, I can already see the cable pattern forming. It’s so cool.

I’ve been wanting to do cables for a while now and I think this is a good practice to get me a little more comfortable with it before I plunge into the Central Park Hoodie. My husband of course, was teasing me about starting yet another project before finishing the ones I’m working on. LOL! But he really is supportive of my hobbies.

I’m itching to work on it again, but I do want to get the heel done on my sock so I can get it finished. There’s just something about knitting with yarn you made yourself.

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Short Row Toes

You know, I was doing a little thought processing this morning on the way to work while listening to the Knit Picks podcast and I had an aha! moment. I just recently did my first short row heel and it made perfect sense. I started thinking about how it would apply for the toe and suddenly it all clicked. It also suddenly made sense why you need a provisional cast on and that I’m sure I could figure out how to use the cable of my cable needle as a "waste yarn" when using the magic loop method, which I prefer when making socks.

I also decided I much prefer the short row heel when using circular needles, because you don’t have that insane # of stitches on the needles from picking up gusset stitches. Somehow it all made perfect sense.

Isn’t it great when you have that aha! moment when everything clicks and it all makes sense finally?

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The 2nd Sock

I cast on and finished the toe of sock #2. I’m working the Campfire socks toe up using handspun yarn. I started this second sock with a different ball of my handspun and I can tell it was spun thicker. My sock fabric is thicker and not as flimsy, if that makes sense. It actually looks better than the first sock. I guess that’s what happens with handspun yarn, especially first yarn. It’s somewhat uneven in thickness, but it looks pretty good, although my toe could be better. The stitches are a bit holey, I didn’t work the toe cast on tight enough but oh well. It’s only my second toe.

I’m not sure on my technique though. I need to research it a bit more to see if I can improve it. I went off memory from the last time I attempted toe-ups socks. I think I’m doing the magic cast-on, but I better double check it.

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Another Blanket

So much for my attempt at being a one-WIP gal. I started a new project today at work. I’m working the Tiramisu using TLC Essentials in Dark Thyme that I have in my stash from a previous granny square project I’ve decided to quit working on. 

I’ve been doing so much knitting that I didn’t realize what I was doing and I grabbed the yarn with my right hand. I knit English and it was a habit. Then I realized what I did and decided to try to crochet that way. It worked, as long as I remembered to wrap the yarn opposite of how I would wrap for a knitted yarn over. Now I can say that I can crochet with yarn in either hand. :)

I’ll post pics of the project and add it to Ravelry once I have some progress made. So far I only have 2 rows, but I can already see that this project will go fairly quickly as long as I work on it regularly.

In other news, I finished sock one of my Handspun Campfire socks. Must cast on the second sock this weekend so I don’t fall into SSS. 

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