Love these socks, I am tempted to keep them for myself. (That’s the danger when I make a pair in my own size). If they don’t sell soon, look for them on my feet! I cannot get any more of this yarn, so when they are sold, they are gone… UPdate SOLD!
Fall into Socks
I love the colors of these socks. They are the colors of Autumn to me. The yarn is slightly thicker, more of a sport weight than a fingering weight sock yarn and they are just the ticket for warm feet this winter. Want a pair? Just $30 plus shipping and they also come in a colorway in shades of blue. Send me a message or use my store and I can custom make a pair for you. (Some larger men’s sized will cost slightly more due to needing more than 100 g of yarn.) This pair is for a size US 8.5-9.5 woman’s shoe sized foot. They were the first pair made on my 54 stitch cylinder and have a 2×1 rib stitch on the cuff and leg. Look for these socks and more of my knitted items at the Weavers Guild of Greater Cincinnati Fall Sale, November 11-13. There will be many handmade items by the artisans of the Guild available to purchase!
WiPs and FOs
I finished a WiP (work in progress) yesterday, Hyrna með krónuprjóni is finally finished after 7 years (approximately 6.75 of those years it was in a bag). Now it is a FO (finished object). I will submit it to my Weaver’s Guild UFOFF (unfinished objects finally finished) Challenge Exhibit in a week and it will be on display in the guild gallery for a while beginning in May.
Here is a pic of it before being blocked.
After soaking in a little warm water and Eucalan wool wash, she needs to be shaped and pinned out to dry. I folded it in half for blocking to save space (along with my back–bending over and pinning it out takes a while) andto keep the symmetry.
Wet blocking is a transformative process that softens the yarn, lets the stitches settle into place, stretches out and shapes and opens the lace. When it is fully dry and you unpin it, the shawl keeps it shape.
Have I said how much I love Old Shale lace?
Socks in progress. The pink pair is waiting patiently to be removed from the machine and have the toes grafted closed.
They will be part of the basket my study group is putting together for a raffle at the Weavers Guild of Greater Cincinnati for the Fiber Arts Fair we are having on April 30. If you are interested in buying fiber art or making fiber art (members will be selling used equipment a tools and extra stash yarn) come to the Fair at the Guild House! I will have cowls, sock and some towels to sell.
I also finished up a pair of clogs for my 13 year old son. They were a collaborative effort. I bought the yarn, my daughter did most of the knitting. I finished the knitting, sewed them up and felted them. Here they are pictured with my size 8.5 foot.
He has outgrown two pairs (grown 8 inches in the last year), here is the first pair I knit Pair 1 and a post when I was working on his second pair. (for some reason I didn’t take a pic after they were finished) so the new ones are bigger than his size 10 feet to have a little growing room.
Camo Socks
I have begun breaking in my 72 stitch cylinder and ribber dial and can now make nice men’s socks sized small (shoe size 8-9) and medium (shoe size 10-11). I knit these for my son in his favorite color green that is called “Camo”. His dad wants a pair now too, so it’s a good thing I have more of this yarn. I think they will be very popular! These socks have a 1×1 ribbed cuff and a 3×1 ribbed leg. I am working on a pair with a 2×2 ribbed cuff and leg. It requires a different type of cast on and I almost had it the other day, but when I took the ribber off, I saw that I had missed one stitch on the back half of the cylinder.
I may need to save up for a larger cylinder and ribber dial for large men’s socks, but will get some advice from the other crankers at the Crank in next month at the Cape on whether I should get the 80 or 84 stitch combination.
Do you like my sock stretchers? I got them yesterday at the estate sale of a weaver. There was quite a lot of yarn, books, and weaving tools, but I spotted these and snatched them up first thing. They are vintage men’s stocking stretchers. Before there was such as thing as superwash yarn, the wool socks would shrink when washed and needed to be stretched out as they dried to maintain the size. (Since I use a superwash wool/nylon blend, I don’t have to worry about that, and they can even be machine washed on gentle.) I think they are a great way to feature my men’s socks and will look good when I get enough inventory to have a booth at a show.
Be Kind To Your Socks
Now that I am selling more of my Measured Steps socks, I thought I would put up a post about caring for them. I typically use high quality German sock yarns when I knit. They are a superwash wool/nylon blend, which means that you can machine wash, gentle cycle and tumble dry on the lowest heat setting if you so desire. But, I always recommend to hand wash, lay flat to dry or drape over a towel bar. I use mild shampoo and lukewarm water, let them soak in the sink while I take a shower, rinse and squeeze out water, roll in a towel and press on it get out even more water. An occasional rinse with hair conditioner is nice too. If you lay them on a heat vent, they will dry overnight. You can wear them two times before washing if you let them air out between wearings.
They should not shrink appreciably in the washing machine and dryer if you follow the instructions from the yarn company, but there is abrasion in washer agitation and tumble drying which can cause the wool to pill and look worn sooner than if you hand washed your socks. If you insist on machine washing, turn them inside out and put them in a lingerie bag to keep them from rubbing and getting snagged on things. The good thing about the yarn is you won’t ruin your socks if they end up the the washer/dryer by accident, but if you treat them kindly you will keep them looking their best and lasting longer. I also recommend not walking around in your stocking feet in the house. Put some slippers on,e specially if you have rugs (friction again). Keep your toenails trimmed to help keep the toes from wearing out. Yes your socks will eventually wear out, but I usually get 3-4 years of frequent wear out of a pair of socks made with good quality sock yarn.