Pattern: Gentleman's Sock with Lozenge Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Lana Grossa Meilenweit Mega Boots Stretch (70% wool, 23% nylon, 7% elite), colorway 713, one skein (with plenty of leftovers)
Needles: two 12" US 1 (2.5 mm) Addi Turbo circs
Started/Completed: May 5/May 14
Mods: sized the pattern down to 60 sts to fit my foot, eliminated "seam" stitch at the back of the leg, shortened the leg, and substituted an Eye of Partridge heel flap
I love the subtle color shifts of this yarn, and I found it especially fascinating to see how it is is achieved now that I spin. The yarn is a three ply. Two of the plies stay constant in the lichen-y green you see at the toes of both socks, while the third ply gradually shifts from a darker green to a blue to a purple and all the shades in between.
As complicated as this pattern might appear to be, it's actually very easy and intuitive. It's essentially a stockinette sock with a purls strategically placed to give the appearance similar to argyle. You really only need to pay attention to the written directions through one repeat of the purl pattern before you see how it's formed and can carry on without looking.
This pattern is, in fact, a man's sock, and I've knit it once before as written. There was no way, however, that it was going to fit my narrow foot without some serious modifications, so I eliminated 20 (yes, you read that correctly!) stitches for my sock. The purl pattern is a repeat of 10 stitches, making the math very easy. I substituted an Eye of Partidge heel for one in stockinette for some added visual interest (and added durability).
There was plenty of yarn in the skein for longer socks, but I worried about the circumference of the cuff being too small for my calves, so I kept the legs to a respectable six inches. I'm using up the leftovers in some very cute baby socks!
Oooh, pretty!
ReplyDeleteThose look great, but I'm so in love with the Cat Bordhi heels I'm not sure I'm ready to go back to a traditional flap heel. We'll see what comes off my needles during SOS, though! :)
ReplyDeletethat is one amazing yarn/pattern combo! this is giving me inspriation to use some of the same yarn i have in my stash for this exact same sock because i heart these socks made with this yarn. YAY! THEY LOOK AWESOME!
ReplyDeleteWow, they look gorgeous. I have this book and have been eyeing off those socks for quite a while now...
ReplyDeleteLOVE! I had always assumed that the pattern was difficult, so I am happy to see your recommendation!
ReplyDeleteThat is really interesting yarn! I love that pattern to so now I'm heading to Ravelry to 'queue' it. That's the problem with reading so many good blogs, you always find patterns you want to knit. Too many patterns, not enough time!:)
ReplyDeleteThose look awesome! I've got to find some of that yarn. You are a real fan of it.
ReplyDeleteThose are great! I really like the look of the cuff, too. How stretchy is the lozenge pattern? Or does it essentially fit like stockinette?
ReplyDeleteOooh, such pretty socks!
ReplyDeleteThey're gorgeous! I love the pattern, and such great colors...
ReplyDeleteThose are cool. The pattern has a seam in the back? Ick. I think your modifications are great!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it interesting how different you look at yarn now that you spin? I was pulling a yarn apart today just to find out how many plies it has. I never did that before I started spinning.