Tantalizing

You've probably all been wondering if I stopped knitting socks, haven't you? Well fear not, because I finished another pair.

Pattern: Bartholomew's Tantalizing Socks from New Pathways for Sock Knitters by Cat Bordhi
Yarn: Araucania Ranco Multy (75% wool, 25% nylon), color 324, one skein (with just a little bit leftover!)
Needles: two 12" US 1 (2.5 mm) Addi Turbo circs
Started/Completed: September 2/September 16
Mods: used same needle size throughout, knitting more loosely for cuff; substituted my usual toe

These socks are worked cuff down. The architecture (Sky Sock) involves increasing across the top of the foot opposite the heel, between the ankle and what you'd traditionally call the instep. The heel is then turned and a heel flap, so to speak, is worked on the bottom of the heel. I managed to inadvertently screw up both heels in different ways, so I had to fudge the end of the heel to make sure I had the right number of stitches for the sole. I honestly can't tell which mistake was on which sock, so I'm not worrying about it at this point.

This was the second time I worked with this yarn, and overall I enjoyed the experience. It's not the softest of sock yarns, but it's sturdy and knits up into a nice fabric. I was pleasantly surprised by how well this variegated colorway behaved -- no noticeable pooling or flashing in sight. I particularly like how it works with the linen stitch patterning.

This may shock some of you, but now that these are off the needles, I have no immediate plans to cast on for another pair of socks. Yes, I know. But don't worry, I'm going to be knitting with some sock yarn so that I won't go into sock withdrawal! One of my friends from work asked me to knit a blanket for her baby daughter, a very sweet little girl who has an unfortunate medical condition that will likely cause her to wind up in the hospital from time to time. My friend mentioned how much a brightly colored blanket would help cheer things up (and keep her warm) in such a situation, so I couldn't say no to her request. I'm using some of my many sock yarn scraps to do a log cabin-style blanket that I think should knit up pretty quickly.

Tonight, however, I'm turning my attention back to my father's sweater, which I cast on over the weekend. I now have less than a month to get it done, so be prepared to see a fair amount of navy stockinette tubes in the next few weeks!

Those of you who'd like to can see it in person tomorrow night at Barnes & Noble at the Waterworks, starting at 7 p.m.

How I Spent My Labor Day Weekend

An Essay in Pictures (and a Few Words)
by SJ

I finished spinning up the second bobbin of my CMF superwash merino and started in on the third bobbin (not shown).

I swatched for Mystery Stole 4, which begins this Friday.

I got started on New Pathways with my learning socks (Little Sky and Little Coriolis) in some leftover Cascade 220.

I took my last two pairs of socks in to be weighed at Natural Stitches and rewarded myself for a job well done in the contest (I won't win, but I'll make a respectable showing) with some more sock yarn specifically for New Pathways socks. First up will be this Araucania Ranco Multy, which I wound a little bit ago.

How did you spend your holiday weekend?