11 August 2006

Satisfaction

Thank you all for your guesses/responses to my "sneak peek" last night. Here they are, completed:


Pattern: Really? the infamous Jaywalkers (pair number 4 for me)
Yarn: Socks that Rock, in a colorway they unfortunately no longer carry - Fire on the Mountain
Needles: Those same Inox dpns, US size 1/2 (they fall kinda in between)
Started: Oh god, so long ago, I can't even remember
Completed: 11 August 2006

Notes: So much to say, and nothing to say at the same time. I raced to finish them before daylight disappeared... This shouldn't have been a problem -- I was more than halfway down the foot when I posted my sneak peek, but then I house-sat for a friend last night with two kittens who have not yet been introduced the wonders of yarn and poof! My plans to knit all night were thwarted. I did finish in time this afternoon, thanks to some old episodes of Project Runway and a very productive (work-wise) morning. I started these socks so long ago, there might still have been snow on the ground. I need to the ankle of one sock, got tired and didn't touch them until this last weekend. In the last six days, I have knit the heel and foot of one sock and the entire second sock. I thank Clifftop and my new-found urge to finish all these old WIPS for getting me through it.


I'm not sure why I stopped. For a long time, I thought about ripping out the ankle I had knit on the one sock and starting over. Now I'm SO glad I didn't because I love them. I love the way the colors look in the pattern, I don't mind the huge swatches of pooling pink (though I wish it was the green pool instead). I don't even mind all that much the fraternal quality of them, though can someone explain to me why they don't pool similarly? I think my initial frustration was due to the fact that I knit the first half of the first sock using magic loop. I don't like magic loop. I'm all about dpns.


The one thing I don't like? I tried a new toe-technique. That is, I waited too long to start decreasing the toe, so I didn't it pretty fast, creating a rounded toe. I like the looks of it on, except that with this pattern, I think there is something strangely alien about the toe. Does anyone else get this? Maybe I'm crazy...


And, you might remember, I once said the sign of a good pair of socks was how they look with your favorite shoes? Well, here you go:


These are obviously not boot socks -- too bright. But they do look great with my favorite pair of Doc Martens (ignore the safety pin holding the strap on -- these babies are 12 years old!). Oh yeah, fall socks! All ready to be worn with a skirt and a cute little sweater (to be knit, of course!)

In other news, today I felted for the first time. And it wasn't on purpose either. Remember these?


Well, they are now these:


The world's warmest, felted socks.


Yeah. Oops. In my defense, they were already felting a little as a result of being worn with my boots and being a little too big. So I figured, "What the hell? I'm throw them in the wash!" (I'd heard that some knit picks "hand wash" yarns held up to a delicate wash). No go. Out came felted socks.

I also think I'm going to join Sock Wars. Although I think my sock knitting patience is wearing thin (I crave a sweater -- a whole sweater!), I can't resist the call of competitive knitting. I've also joing Sock-a-Month II. Yeah... 2006, the year of the sock.

** Editor's Note: Who I am kidding? I'm going to be writing my dissertation this fall. I don't have time for competitive sock knitting... though it sounds like so much fun... sigh.

6 comments:

msubulldog said...

Ah, Koigu! And discontinued at that. . . *sigh* Really beautiful Jaywalkers.
And I'm amazed that those socks still fit after felting! With my luck they'd have become just the right size for my 3-year-old. :)

Theresa said...

Fire on the Mountain is a great color name for you - and they came out really well. Love them with the Docs.

Chris said...

Those Jays are spectacular!! And can I just tell you how happy I am to have a skein of Fire on the Mountain squirreled away?? Don't forget to send Grumperina a picture of your Jays - every 50th picture sent wins a prize. :)

Leah said...

Those look so awesome! I love the picture with the Docs! For years I held mine together with a saftey pin as well!!! :)

Meg said...

They look great!
With the colour called FOTM, do you think the STR people are old Grateful Dead fans from way back?

lexa said...

Love the brightness of your Jays! Too bad that color is no longer available.