Like a Rolling Stone

My brother and I worked out a great deal for birthday gifts this year. For my birthday, he went to his local yarn store and chose a skein of Blue Moon Socks that Rock in a colorway he liked (Moss Agate). For his birthday, I knit the yarn into some woolly waffley socks to keep his feet warm this winter. These socks are already well-travelled: they went to Boston with me and most of the first sock was knit at 30,000 ft elevation, both east- and west-bound.

Moss Agate has green, gold, plum and a bit of brown. The garter/waffle rib pattern created even stripes with very little pooling. I made the sock legs longer than usual (for warmth) but then found I would run out of yarn, so I added toes in a complementary color from yarn in my stash. My brother loves them - and they fit!



project name: John's Birthday Socks
pattern: garter rib (modified)
designer: Charlene Schurch, Sensational Knitted Socks
main yarn: BMFA Socks that Rock (lightweight) color Moss Agate
toe yarn: Claudia Hand Paint Fingering color Honey
needles: 2.25 mm (US 1)
size: men's size 10, cast on 72 stitches
my gauge: 7 st/inch
Ravelry project link
project notes: I modified the garter rib pattern by knitting two plain rows between each rib row, which gives the fabric a waffle look.

Autumn Socks

These are the Spring Forward socks, and I understand now why the pattern is so popular. The lace is easy to memorize and execute, and the fit is perfect. The only change I made was to add a round toe.



project name: High C Socks
pattern: Spring Forward
designer: Linda Welch of Colorplay Fibers
yarn: Hazel Knits artisan sock High ocTANG
needles: 2.0 mm US #0
size: cast on 66 stitches
my gauge: 7.5 st/inch
ravelry project link

A Perfect Day

Beat sock, despite its tough name, is a lovely soft smooth wool. The color is named "Woods and Frozen Lake," but it made me think of sandy beaches, blue sky and little fluffy clouds, maybe because it's summer now. The Garter Rib pattern is stretchy and comfortable. These socks are for me, and they fit, hooray!

project name: Perfect Day Socks
pattern: Garter Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks
designer: Charlene Schurch
yarn: Perfect Day Yarns Beat Sock "Woods and Frozen Lake"
needles: 2.0 mm bamboo dpn
size: 64 st cast on
my gauge: 8 stitches and 12 rows per inch
ravelry project link
notes: the only change I made was to use my best loved toe: the round one.

Forward & Back

Only one FO for May, but it's a lovely one, and (for a change) these socks fit me perfectly.



Pattern: Forward & Back socks (Ravelry link)
Designer: Ruth Greenwald, The Yarnarian.
Yarn: Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in Cami Chic
Needles: 2.0 mm (US 0) 6" aluminum Inox DPN
Gauge: 7.5 st/inch and 11 rows/inch in stocking stitch
Pattern notes: 56 stitch cast on; substituted a round toe
Ravelry project link

The photo above was taken outdoors in natural light. The following one was taken indoors on a cloudy day, and shows the beautiful flow of colors on the heel and sole of the socks.

Birthday Socks

Oak Ribbed Socks by Nancy Bush from Knitting Vintage Socks, knit for gnr's birthday and finished four days early, even though I've been distracted lately by lacy socks and baby boots and chasing around town hunting down exclusive yarn (Wendee, I'm looking at you).

Stats:

Regia Stretch (70% wool, 30% poly) Color 111, most of 2 skeins
2.25 mm bamboo DPN
15 st / 24 rows per 5 cm (2 inches)
Ravelry project link

Notes:

Knit exactly per the pattern except that I omitted the heel "seam" stitch. The ribbing lets the socks stretch to fit size US 10 men's feet. I love the Regia wool blend as a workhorse practical yarn that can take hard wear and lots of laundering.

Next: something possibly less practical, but definitely more beautiful.

Bootees Flat and Round

These bootees, designed by Saartje, are wildly popular on Ravelry (over 2,000 projects) and it's easy to see why. Adorable, quick to knit, and perfect for a baby shower gift. I knit the first of the pair per the pattern, which is written to knit flat.



There were two seams to sew up, and eight ends to weave. Lazy knitter efficiency expert that I am, I decided to try knitting the second one in the round. I also made the straps using a cable cast-on with the existing yarn, rather than adding new yarn for each strap as the pattern stated. In the round, you get one short seam, and four ends.

If you would rather eat a bug than purl, you won't care for the round version, but even with writing the pattern as I knitted, it was faster in the round.



Bootees in the Round

I added one stitch to the original pattern to make it easier to work on 2 or 4 needles. The bootee is knit inside out (i.e. wrong side facing outwards).

Cast on 32, divide over 2 circs or 4 dpn
row 1 P32
row 2 KFB, K14, M1, K2, M1, K14, KFB
row 3 P36
row 4 KFB, K15, M1, K4, M1, K15, KFB
row 5 P40
row 6 KFB, K16, M1, K1, M1, K4, M1, K1, M1, K16, KFB
row 7 P46
row 8 KFB, K18, M1, K1, M1, K6, M1, K1, M1, K18, KFB
row 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 P52
row 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 K52
row 19 change to contrast color and P52
row 20 K15, (SSK) 5 times, K2, (K2TOG) 5 times, K15
row 21 P42
row 22 K42
row 23 P42
row 24 K10, BO 22, K10
row 25 K10, turn the work and cast on 10 using cable cast-on
row 26 K30, turn the work and cast on 10 using cable cast-on
row 27 K40
row 28 BO 20, K20
row 29 BO 20

The bootees above were knit with Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in Beachglass and Natural, on 2.25 mm needles.

Irresistible Temptation

The Wendy Knits Temptation socks (ravel it) are done:



Yarn is Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in Greenlake. I love the way the colors don't stripe or pool, but instead drift around the sock.

I adjusted the pattern to a 58 stitch cast-on due to my larger gauge.

Ravelry project link.