Tootsie Roll Sock

by Lee Louise

I accepted the challenge to knit a Tootsie Roll sock,  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tootsie-rolls on July 15. What fun, I said — knit a sock!! I can do that! I can knit one sock… for my husband, Tom. And, if I knit two, he can wear them!! So I didn’t follow my inclination and use brightly colored self striping sock yarn (follow the link above to see how this pattern zings when you use colorful yarn). Instead, I checked my stash for some nice, serviceable gray. Conservative gray. Manly gray.

Eureka! There were still a few skeins of gray Regia 4-ply that have been kicking around the house for years. 9 or 10 years ago, I bought a whole bag full of this beautiful gray yarn:

My husband had learned to knit in the Marketplace at Stitches Midwest, because he wanted to knit himself some socks. I bought the yarn and gave him a copy of Cat Bordhi’s book, New Pathways for Sock Knitters. He used 3 balls of yarn and knit 2 1/2 socks in the past 10 years. All the same color, but nothing “identical” about them, I might add. BUT, I have once again claimed this yarn as MINE. And if I find the book, I will probably appropriate that as well.

On July 25, I cast on and started the ribbing:

Regia 4-ply is an old favorite of mine, as is this heathery gray colorway. Unfortunately, this yarn has been discontinued and so, when it is gone, I will be unable to get more. And that’s a shame, because I would if I could.

A month passed, as months do. I knit on the sock some, and then I didn’t knit on the sock for days at a time. Poor neglected sock! On August 29,  I finally grafted the toe. The sock is a slouchy sock, and as I knit it I had serious misgivings about whether it would fit Tom or not, which may account for not pressing on and finishing in 3 or 4 days, as I could have:

The sock scrunches up on the horizontal rib, making it appear shorter and wider than it really is. With a foot in it, it fills out nicely — more nicely than I had dared to hope as I knit. Tom is modeling here, and I think it is a very nice sock:

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I especially like the appearance of the heel (no gusset hole!!)

The graft didn’t come out as well as I would like, but that is an issue with my execution of the graft, and not with the pattern, which is well written and easy to follow. Tom says that if I make another, he will wear them, and so I will. But maybe not tomorrow, or even next month. Because let’s face it, knitting socks for a man who wears 9 1/2 EEEE(E) shoes requires courage. It truly is an act of love.

A Learning Adventure

by Lee Louise

I love to teach. The preparation, for me, is almost as much fun as the actual class time. I choose a technique, then I evaluate designs (and the evaluation process can take hours). I try to choose a design that will focus on mastering the technique, and that will be fun to knit at the same time! Then we start a learning adventure together.

Recently I led a workshop on socks. Specifically, Priscilla’s Dream Socks, knit from the top down on double point needles, with short row heel and toe. Most of the participants knit one child-size sock with worsted weight yarn. That is what I asked them to do. I chose the child-size sock in worsted weight yarn so they could finish in a timely manner, and most everyone did finish in two sessions. We were all delighted with the results, me most of all.

I love it when the rewards continue to accrue after the workshop ends, and they continue their individual learning adventures. Sandy is knitting a fraternal twin to her class project. Beth is knitting a pair of adult-sized socks in fingering weight yarn. And Cathy has moved forward on tiny sock adventures of her own:

I am so proud.

 

My Pair of Socks, Revisited

by Lee Louise

I know I must move on and, indeed, I have gotten my hap shawl out again and started knitting the outer border. But I give you one more picture of my remarkable accomplishment from last weekend (the last one, I promise — I.Will.Move.On — I will Not post another picture of these socks):

Pair of Socks

And here is Cathy, who finished her Dream Sock today:

A Pair of Socks

by Lee Louise

I am thrilled to announce that today I finished a pair of socks. That is, a pair as in two. I guess that may mean I finished two half pairs of socks today.

First, my Faux Entrelac sock is done, from the turning of the heel to the grafting of the toe. Done, done, done!!

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Washed and modeled:

The other half pair of socks I finished today is child sized, made over my Go-to Sock Pattern, officially known as Priscilla’s Dream Socks (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/priscillas-dream-socks). I used Cotton Fleece for this iteration of the sock. I have used this pattern before and will use it again. The short row heel and toe, with the Greek zigzag bind off, makes for a very wearable sock. Made in sock weight yarn, the zigzag bind off is not nearly so prominent as it is here, in worsted weight:

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Some of my Tuesday Knit Night friends have finished socks too. Here’s Sandy and Elizabeth, proudly displaying their very own Dream Socks:

 

Kiwi Green Shawl

by Lee Louise

I loved knitting the Pembroke Wrap, a triangular shawl designed by Angela Rangel (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pembroke-wrap):

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I loved the kiwi-ness of the Lamb’s Pride Bulky kiwi green yarn:

I think I knit my Kiwi Green Shawl in the latter half of March 2016, because I know I bought the yarn on March 17 at a St. Patrick’s Day sale. I actually made it to see how quickly I could finish it. It took me 3 or 4 days of dedicated knitting, even with having to unknit 3-4 rows at a time here and there, when I didn’t pay close enough attention to the chart in relation to my knitting, and a full time job. I wanted to see if I could endorse the Pembroke Wrap  as a lace beginner’s project, and I can, with reservations. If the beginner is familiar with reading charts, and is Very Careful, she can do it!!

Using a bulky yarn makes it extra easy to see how to unknit the lace patterns, something that a beginner needs to be able to do. (It’s so much easier to unknit SSK, for example, in a bulky yarn than it would be in a lace or fingering weight yarn. So much easier to see! The extra bulk gives you something to hold on to!) All the geometry of a top-down triangular shawl is here — your garter tab cast on, a garter edge along the top, yarn over increases, two identical triangles making up a larger triangle. A confident beginning lace knitter can make this pattern.

Note to self: Block the shawl and add one more picture here!!