Spring Forward

I've got one finished so far:



I'm using Bernat Sox in Wooded Denim, it's an acrylic/nylon mix. Although I did read a bad review, I think it's just fine. It's soft (not Panda Cotton soft, but still soft), sturdy, nice colours. Admittedly it's not that elastic, but I think it's okay for me. I haven't washed it yet, but from trying it on as is, it's great.

I also love the Spring Forward pattern. I'm using 2.75mm needles and changed the ribbing a bit.

Spring Forward - Socks on the Road

I finished my first Spring Forward sock somewhere on Interstate 24 in Tennesee - I'm pretty happy with it. The yarn is a hand plied 100% cotton and it's a little snug going on over the heel - that won't keep me from making another one just like it 'though.

I really like the pattern - it's easy enough to knit in the car - I get car-sick easily and I need simple patterns that I don't have to look at very much - this one was perfect.

Spring Forward Socks - Panda Cotton

I finally finished my Panda Cotton Spring Forward's. It's the "rosebud" colorway. I used 2 1/4 skeins since I did three repeats for the leg and I have big feet. In the photo you can see that one toe is longer than the other one. I made the first sock a little short in the toe so last night I went back and made it longer. I don't feel like taking another picture though.

These were super fun to make. The yarn is soft and pretty, the pattern is easy while looking complex, and it was fun to do some heel flaps as a change from my usual short-row heels.

Spring Forward FO

I finished my Spring Forwards! In a variation from the pattern I knit the first one toe up then, once I knew how long I could make the cuff, I knit the second one cuff down. This has the added feature of meaning that the socks are a mirror image of each other. I ended up with 4 pattern repeats on the foot and 2 on the cuff, with 20 rows of ribbing. I love the softness of the panda cotton, and the colourway makes me think of purple tigers.

Now these are finished I will go back to the Broadripples I am knitting in Cascade Fixation, which I'm using for the first time and which I'm not a big fan of. It's too lumpy and I find it hard to maintain a consistent tension.

Spring Forward Socks on Vacation

My spring forward socks are relaxing in our hotel room...

They're very pretty and the pattern is super easy - you can memorize it after just a few rows.

Spring Forward Socks WIP shot

I'm using Panda Cotton Print in "rosebud" a lovely mixture of white, light pink, and peach. I'm about to start the heel. I'm using size 1 1/2 US (2.5 mm) Addi Turbo circulars.

Mossinette Socks

Hello again fellow sock knitters! Just a quick post to let you know about the socks in the picture above, they are the Mossinette Socks that I designed for Knit Pink, a new site that sells pattern pdfs and donates the profits to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. They are knit from 2 skeins of Crystal Palace's Panda Cotton in the Rosewater colorway on US size 1.5 (2.5mm) needles.



Here's the Ravelry Link.

Spring Forward KAL and Contest!

It's contest time once again in the land of Vegan Socks! I was hoping to get this started at the first of this month, but I had a little vacation that I just got back from. Anywho, here are the details:

1. To enter, knit a pair (or just one) of Spring Forward socks by Linda Welch in any vegan sock yarn. For every sock you complete, you will recieve one entry into the contest. So if you finish a whole pair, you get 2 entries.

2. For your entry to count, please post pictures of your sock(s) to this blog and/or to the Ravelry group.

3. Prizes still aren't locked down yet, but the winner will recieve at least 2 skeins of vegan sock yarn. Other prizes will be announced later.

4. The deadline will be in about one month, August 15, 2008.

Also, please progress shots here on the blog, it's fun to see how everyone is doing!

-Kala

Bamboozled Anklets

Well, I can't show you the pretty socks I knit while I was at the lake yet, it's the test pattern for the Knitters for Knockers - you can read more about it here http://campanulaforthecure.blogspot.com/ and here http://sockit-tome.blogspot.com/. It's a great (and very pretty) pattern and I hope everyone will donate and knit a pair. But remember the pretty hand dyed Bamboo yarn from Poppy Flower Fibers. The Man-Cub and I stretched it all out in the hotel hallway (that was a funny sight - I'm sure) so that I could divide it into two equal balls. I just made a really simple pair of toe up anklets using 60 stitches on size 2 needles. I started out with a pretty lace stitch that I found in one of my pattern books - but I pretty quickly decided against that and went back to just plain stockinette stitch as that seemed to show off the pretty hand dyed yarn the best.






I love them - they're soft and silky and just a little bit shiny.

Crystal Palace Contest

Just wanted to make a quick entry about a contest going on the Crystal Palace Blog. The contest runs through July 31 and you can enter by knitting anything in three color ranges: A. May flowers - lilac/lavender or yellow B. June brides - white C. July fireworks - multi-colored. The prizes will be yarn or other goodies so be sure to check it out!

Simply Cinnamon

Easy peasy stockinette, I love it! These little buggers took a whole month to make because I could only work on them in between wedding madness. I used my beloved and ever so awesome Panda Cotton in the Red Cinnamon colorway. I used the 7 stitches per inches plain sock pattern, more or less, from Getting Started Knitting Socks. I used US size 2 (2.75mm) bamboo dpns, my weapons of choice for sock knitting. Wow, I just started the last three sentences with "I used," I'm blaming the allergies for my brain fog!

Brown Socks

There's that title again - they've actually been finished for a while - I've just not gotten around to photographing and publishing them.

I love them a lot - but they go with a pair of brown winter trousers - that I probably won't be wearing for a while.




I used Bernat's Cool Crochet in colour 74013 - Chocolat - I really like this yarn - I've used it several times now - it wears well and is soft and well 'cool'.

Rib and Cable Socks

The pattern for these is by Nancy Bush and is in Interweave Knits Fall 2005. I used 2 balls of Panda Cotton in Seascape and 2.25mm needles. I did one less pattern repeat on the cuff than the pattern called for, had I done the extra repeat I would have run out of yarn so it was good guesswork deciding not to follow the pattern exactly!

I'm not sure why one sock is lighter than the other, I had knit the lighter yarn into another sock but ran out of yarn so perhaps it faded a bit in the process...

I'm really happy with the result, they are really comfortable (I'm wearing them today!) and medium weight so they should wear well!

Anna
finally waking up

Brown Socks

I can't believe I just titled a post 'Brown Socks' - but I needed some brown socks...

I started these this past weekend while sitting around the pool watching the Man-Cub swim. I made good progress and I've just turned the heel. I'll finish the toe at Tae Kwon Do this week and hopefully start the second sock too.



This is Bernat's Cool Crochet in colour 74013 - Chocolat. The pattern is my old standby http://affectioknit.blogspot.com/2007/01/new-tkd-project-since-my-tkd-socks-are.html - and I think this is the first time I've ever made the pattern as written - I've always done 2 x 2 or 1 x 1 ribbing down to the ankle.

Laizy Maizy Socks

I've been working on these socks and the pattern for a couple of weeks and it's all finally done! This is my first pair of self-designed socks and I'm really excited about them!

I made them with 2 skeins of Maizy in the Springtime colorway using US size 2 dpns. So if you're interested in some Laizy Maizies of your own, the pattern is on my blog. Here's the Ravelry Link too. Yay for vegan socks!

Cafe Curtains Socks

I totally forgot to post these socks when I finished them a few weeks back! They are my first Panda Cotton socks and I used the pattern that can be found here (pdf link). The colourway is Strawberries and Limes.

I love the way these came out despite the pooling of the yarn and I'm working on another pair of Panda Cotton socks now as well as stocking up on more colourways as I really like it.

Anna
finally waking up

Campanula - FO

I finally finished my Campanula's yesterday - YAY! I love them - they are so pretty and delicate - the stitch definition is lovely...

It's kinda hard to take pictures of your own ankles...

see a matched set...

I'm thinking of dyeing them pink for the Walk for the Cure in April - what do you think?

Diamonds in his Socks

I just started these a few days ago. They are made of Maizy yarn (mostly corn with some nylon) and I'm using a pattern I found on Ravelry. They are for a men's size 11 or so foot and use size 1 needles (2.25 mm). Here is the pattern, which is very easy once you do a few repeats. I just tried it on my husband, who wears a 10.5 shoe and he is finding it a bit tight. If I make him another pair, I'll use 2.5 mm needles. As it is, I am increasing 3-6 stitches now before his foot gets larger. I am finding this yarn a pleasure to work with except if I have to rip out any stitches getting it back on the needles without splitting is very difficult.

FO: Lace Rib Socks

Pattern: Classic Elite booklet: Lace Rib Socks
Yarn: Classic Elite Nature's Palette 100% cotton
Needles: size 2 bamboo DPNs
Modifications: I modified the toes to make them rounded as I have big, wide feet and using a classic k2tog, ssk on each side made the toes too small. I knit 10 rounds of stockingette after ending the pattern before I began the decreases, and I did an extra round or two after decreasing before grafting at about 15 stitches on each needle instead of 10.
Comments: This is the splittiest yarn I have ever used, but it is very sturdy and pretty. I will enjoy wearing these socks but I don't think I'll use this yarn for such a pattern again.

Strawberry Limes FO

I already posted about these on my blog, but I gotta include them here too! They are made from 2 skeins of Crystal Palace's Panda Cotton in the Strawberry Limes colorway. I used US size 2 bamboo dpns and a pattern from the book Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd.

First Campanula Complete

Merry Christmas everyone. With all the Christmas knitting, my Campanulas have been languishing in my knitting bag for a while - but I finished the first sock and I love it - this is Bernat's Cool Cotton and I love the stitch definition - and they are really soft and comfy. I can't wait to finish the second sock - Our Walk for the Cure will be in April - so I'm sure they'll be finished by then...


This is posted over at http://campanulaforthecure.blogspot.com/ and you can still get the pattern there...

First Hedera Done!

(also posted on my blog)

Yes, I finally finished the first Hedera sock. I had trouble with the lace pattern in the beginning and I think that put some bad vibes into the yarn and kept me from working on it as much as I should have. (Bad vibes? Did I really say that?) Anywho, the sock is done and it fits wonderfully, I can't wait for the second one to be done so I can wear these babies!

The yarn is Crystal Palace's Maizy (82% Corn Fiber - 18% elastic nylon), the fabric feels great and it was nice to work with except when it came time to kitchner the toe. Oh how the yarn fought me! But I still love this yarn and will be continuing to collect it and pack it in the sock yarn box like a squirrel. Oooh, and there are going to be some new colors for Spring, I'm really excited about "stormy purple" and "earth."

Twinkletoes

I made the twinkletoes - I needed some new slippers and I happened to have some leftover black yarn - you don't even need a whole skein for this pattern.

It was fun and easy and I had a new pair of slippers in an evening...

My only changes were to add a little triangle of stitches to the strap...