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Since I’ve been holed up in my apartment for the last 48 hours with a sore throat and head cold, I thought why not talk about my socks to interrupt the tedium of cooking split pea soup (a new recipe, I like my old one better) and jamming out to pop music, as much as one can jam while the pressure in the sinuses steadily builds.
I managed to finish up all my Christmas knitting, save one notable project, on time and I think most recipients were pleased. My nephews liked their matching sweaters and now I have blackmail for life (evidence on Flickr and Ravelry). In the midst of all the holiday knitting, I completed a project I had been wanting to do for years now. Introducing, the cleverly named Kilt Hose.
What makes these kilt hose and not just kneesocks? Probably the top section and my say so. I didn’t construct them in the traditional way, I used my own basic go to toe-up sock pattern for the feet and legs, then knit the top section separately and grafted it on to the sock.
The lace pattern comes from Designs for Knitting Kilt Hose and Knickerbocker Stockings by Veronica Gainford, which has surprisingly little information on how kilt hose are actually constructed. I wouldn’t call this a beginners book at all. If anyone is looking to use this book should already know their way around a sock, hence the toe-up business I did. What the book does contain are some great designs for stocking toppers, like the Horseshoe Lace pattern above, and tips on the proportion of stockings. Veronica isn’t going to teach you how to knit a sock, but she will teach you how to make them pretty.
Detail of the increase section on the calf. This was the part that gave me the most trouble. I was knitting the stockings to fit me tightly so I could avoid putting elastic in the top to keep them up, and that lead to knitting the legs far longer than I thought I needed to, and many fitting sessions.
This unfortunate picture has the best representation of the yarn color out of the whole set. I used Oregon Red Clover Honey from Socks That Rock, which is a nice durable yarn, but a little too thick for this purpose. I’d heard chattering online before about STR being too thick and I never understood it until now. There’s just a little too much weight to the yarn. Still, I think the color is lovely, and I’d use STR again, just not for kneesocks or anything with a lot of detail to it.
A note about the photos: It seems that the way WordPress and Flickr talk to each other has changed in the time I’ve been away from the blog (serves me right, I know), so I’m not entirely sure that clicking on the photo will link you back to my Flickr set like it does in previous posts. If anyone wants to view the photos on Flickr or see any of my new photos (I’ve been updating there, too) there is a link on the sidebar and I will continue to figure out how to get those links working. Gah! Technology!
Yes, yes. It has been awhile. I did remember you, dear blog. But I must confess it was at the prodding of several people, who I was not aware even READ this thing, that brought me back.
Summertime was slow for crafting, as summertime often is, but I managed to finish a few things. My Ravelry page was sadly not up to date and my Flickr languishing, but I rectified that over the weekend. With the help of Chrissy, I documented some FO’s from the past few months (and a Christmas present from last year!) in Laurelhurst Park on Sunday, right before the torrential rains started. Here’s a smattering of photos. (Be dynamic!)
Here’s the Tomato sweater from No Sheep for You. I renamed it the Mac and Cheese sweater because… do I have to spell it out? I used Blue Sky Cotton and size 6 needles and beyond that I can’t really remember, since I finished this back in March. It hasn’t seen much action this summer, since the cotton is warmer than one would imagine. But fall is almost here (huzzah!) and I can see myself reaching for this one in the morning quite often.
And here we have the lovely Chrissy modeling Elaine’s Blouse from Interweave Knits Winter 2008. I knit it for myself and wasn’t pleased with the fit, nor was I inclined to rip it out and try again. I think this was a case of me wanting the sweater to be my style, rather than it actually being my style. Happens all the time. *sigh* Anyway, it’s much more Chrissy, so it’s found a happy home (I think). I used Garnstudio Drops Silke-Tweed and size 7 needles and a lot of soul and will power to sew on the 11 buttons down the back twice.
Selbu Norwegian Mittens (NH #7) from Selbuvotter. Amazing book. I highly recommend it if you have any interest at all in stranded colorwork. These were Chrissy’s Christmas present from last year, folks! Slacking Stacey, that’s me. I used Regia sock yarn and wee little size 1 and 0 needles, and more bits of my soul to get the thumb pattern to match the palm. I’m making another pair right now, and am all finished, but for the thumbs. I believe I have met my Waterloo in mitten thumb form.
Plain jane stockinette socks in Rio De La Platta sock yarn. Toe up, Judy’s Magic Cast On, short row heel, and sewn bind off. Pretty much my generic sock pattern, but with psychedelic rainbow colors, I prefer to keep the stitching plain. My feet will be happy and colorful this winter. I call them my Jerry Garcia socks.
As usual, details can be found on my Ravelry page. That brings me up to date on finished objects.Kind of. Not really at all. These are just the ones I’m thinking about right now.
Yesterday I did spend some time planning out my Christmas knitting (it involves matching sweaters for my nephews!) and reknitting the yoke of the Rambling Rose cardigan that I’ve been working on again after almost a year in the UFO pile. So the crafting continues….
As for tonight, I think I’ll knit a little on a new scarf for a co-worker (I’m making the rounds through Cubicle Land) and watch a some movies.
Well, soldier on for one more post, then I swear it’s over.
The Squirrel and Oak Mittens are officially done. I wrestled with the thumbs (not my favorite part of the process), wove in the ends, and blocked the suckers yesterday.
Sorry for the blurry, but I think you have the idea by now.
I could be happier with the quality of my knitting on these. It was my first time knitting with the yarn on both my right and left hands, so it took a little while for my tension to even out, and a little while longer for me to manage the floats on the wrong side properly. Well, they won’t fall apart, at the very least, and my coworkers didn’t turn up their noses as I tossed the pair over my cubicle at anyone who would listen. “Look at my mittens!” I had hoped it would be cold enough to wear them to work, since I trudge half a mile from my car to my work each morning at 5:30 and it gets a wee bit nippy out at that hour. But no dice today. Once I move, and I’m taking the bus to work at 5:30 am everyday this winter, I’m sure I’ll get plenty of use out of them.
And I’ve picked up the stitches of one Houdini Sock. We’ll see how the fit goes on these things, but for now they’re my mindless knitting.
Only one week to go until I move into my ultra cool hip and swingin’ 280 square foot studio apartment. I would regale you with tales of packing like I did last spring, if only I had any. Most of my things are in the same state as they came to Oregon in, as in still packed up, and I’m a little relieved that I don’t have to go through all that again so soon.
