Finished: Grasshopper Socks

Pattern: Knee High to a Grasshopper by Chrissy Gardiner (April Rockin' Sock Club shipment)
Yarn: Silkie Socks That Rock (81% superwash merino, 19% silk), colorway Walking on the Wild Tide, one skein
Needles: two US 1 (2.5 mm) 12" Addi Turbo circs
Started/Completed: April 4/April 21
Mods: used a twisted rib for cuff (k1 tbl, p1) and bound off normally in pattern

I am in love with this yarn -- that's the short and long of it. The pattern is okay, and toward the end of the second sock I was on autopilot, but I'm finding like so many others that these socks are a bit on the slouchy side. I followed the increases in the pattern because (and I know you've heard this before) I have rather shapely calves. The result is that the leg of the sock fits my leg, but I still did a twisted rib cuff and bound off regularly for a tighter fit at the top. If I knit these again, I'll omit the leg increases and do the normal 1x1 rib for the cuff with the sewn bind off the pattern specifies.

Actually, if I knit this pattern again, I think I'll try it with k2togs instead of p2togs, because I really like the "wrong side" of the fabric on these socks.

I wound this skein into two roughly equal center-pull balls to prepare to knit these socks so that I didn't have to worry about running out of yarn on the second sock. I did this by putting the skein on my swift and counting the number of individual strands of yarn there were at the one point of the swift. Then I tied a bright piece of yarn to that part of the swift and counted each time it went by me as I was winding. I stopped and cut the yarn after it went around half as many times as the total number of strands I'd counted at the beginning. Although the balls were slightly different in size, I had plenty of yarn for each sock (there's a bit left over of both) and, more importantly, I wasn't stressing out about my yarn running out.

Now that those socks are done, I only have one pair of socks on the needles -- the ones for my future MIL. I did indeed rip the socks I'd started and I rewound the yarn. Sunday night I cast on for a pair of Embossed Leaves socks (from Favorite Socks), and they are going ridiculously fast, especially considering I spent nearly all of my knitting time yesterday finishing up the Grasshopper socks.

(That's a lava lamp modeling the sock, for all of you who may be wondering.) I am ready to start the heel, and I am loving this pattern -- much more so than the sock I'd started before. I am planning to knit this sock they way I'd normally knit one, i.e., I am not going to cut the yarn after turning the heel as the pattern says, but rather knit across the heel and pick up stitches along the heel flap as usual. I also started knitting in the round from the very beginning, instead of knitting two rows flat and then joining in the round (has anyone figured out what that notch at the top of the cuff is for?) By now I wouldn't say I have the pattern memorized, but I certainly understand the logic of it and only need to reference the pattern every now and then. Judging from how quickly the leg of the first sock has knit up, I'd say I'll have a pair completed before we leave for vacation next Friday.

Thank you for all your kind comments on J's sweater (and for not making fun of his silly face!). I'm pleased that it came out so well and that I successfully avoided the sweater curse! Technically, I already had the ring on my finger when I started knitting it, so some might say I was immune to it, but you never know. I'm fully confident going into knitting a second sweater for him, although there was an interesting development regarding the yarn last night. I pulled out a skein and examined it in natural light, and what appeared to be a dark charcoal gray in the store now looks like a gray-tinted brown. I actually rather like it; it's very muted and neutral, and it's likely to appear to change color depending on what else it's paired with. It remains to be seen if J will like it or if he'll want me to return it for a real shade of gray.