Knitting Genius

No I don't have kankles but I couldn't resist taking a picture of the Marilinda sock heel. My model is out town so I had to resort to other measures. I stuffed the sock with a skein of Trekking hence the kankle.



This pattern makes me appreciate the genius that is Cookie A even more. From the 5 to 3 decrease worked into the center heel wrap stitch to the fabulous heel design the patterning of the sock is beautiful. Nothing beats a great knitting design that is also fun to execute.

KALS

I don't know why I join knit-alongs. I rarely participate in them fully. I start out with good intentions but somewhere along the line I get distracted by other projects.

I belong to six KAL's and the only one I'm active in is the Shirley Paden KAL. I joined the Summer of Socks again this year even though I didn't get a single pair done last year. Guilt started knocking on my door so today I cast on a pair of socks. I'm knitting Marilinda by Cookie A.


The yarn is Kona Merino Fingering that I dyed this year. It's hard to tell in the picture that it is a semi-solid done using one shade of Grasshopper Pro Chem One Shot dyes. I was going to add it to my Ravelry project page when I realized that I never got around to stashing this skein and several others.

I have 13 rows to go on the back of the Circles and Butterflies sweater. I'm debating whether or not to block it and put the front and back together or wait until the sleeves are done. The only reason I'm hesitant is that I may need to make some adjustments to the armhole depth. They seem too deep but I'm not sure they will be once the sweater is stretched out and blocked.

I delivered Tyler's sweater on Saturday. It was a hit but I forgot to take pictures before I packaged and delivered it. One of his grand aunts let me take pictures on her camera and she is going to send them to me. Much as I love knitting for my mother I think I love knitting for babies and children even more. The sweaters are so tiny and cute!

There's one more baby on my list and a special sweater for my youngest niece. I mentioned earlier that I was considering making fingerless gloves for the girls this Christmas. They were here two weeks ago so I checked with them to see what their colors are and they've all changed! Since I already dyed some of the yarn I'm debating whether or not to continue with the colors I currently have or start over. Decisions, decisions!

Angee Revisted

For reasons which shall forever remain unknown it has taken me this long to get a photograph of these socks. I rarely repeat patterns but this one deserved an encore.





Specs:
Pattern: Angee from Sock Innovation by Cookie A
Yarn: Sandnesgarn Lanett hand dyed using dye in the skein method
Needles: 1 US Inox dpn's
For: 9.5 womens
Started: September 4, 2009 Finished: March 21, 2010

No mods needed for this pattern. I enjoyed knitting these. They took so long because other projects kept getting in the way.

Vilai

I've finished what I believe is my favorite pair of socks to date. Of course they are from Sock Innovation by Cookie A since that is where most of the socks I've knitted lately come from.



Specs:
Pattern: Vilai from Sock Innovation by Cookie A
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy Absolute Magenta
Needles: 1 / 2.5 mm dpn's
Size: 9.5
Started: August 17, 2009 - Finished: August 26, 2009

The hardest part of this sock was the cable crossing which required 2 cable needles. After the first one I understood the directions and it wasn't that difficult. This pattern is not as difficult as it looks and I enjoyed the challenge. It never got boring and as each row is different. I did have to pay attention to the chart until I got each new section established. I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner.

Rick Socks

For some reason I was thinking that I had already posted these finished socks. I was getting ready to do my regular Sunday blog reading when I realized I hadn't. I can't say why these socks took so long. Once I got restarted with the first foot I whipped it right on out. I took a couple of days break before starting the second foot and whipped it out in about two days.



Specs:
Pattern: Rick Socks from Sock Innovation by Cookie A
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino Peacock
Needles: 1//2.25mm Knit Picks 6" dpn's
Size: 10
Started: July 20, 2009 Finished: August 13, 2009
Modifications: I cast on 72 stitches instead of 60 and decreased to 64 while doing the gusset. The foot is nice and snug but the leg feels a little loose. Next time I will do the entire sock on 60 stitches. These socks used almost the entire skein of yarn.

**Edited to change photos.
I enjoyed the pattern and love the socks even though the aren't for me. I highly recommend this pattern. It's very rhythmic and easy to memorize. The only time I had to consult the charts was for the foot which after few rows also had an easy to remember rhythm.

Hedera

Time has a way of getting away from you. There has been knitting going on even with the sad lack of blog content.

I've finished the first pair of socks for this month's Sock Innovation knit-along.


Specs:

Pattern: Hedera by Cookie A
Yarn: Froelich Wolle Special Blauband
Needles: 1/2.5 mm dpn's
Size: Women's 10
Started: July 1, 2009 Finished: July 19, 2009

I'm going to try and get a pair of Rick's done since they are my favorite pattern from the book.

I only have the sleeves left to do on the Peacock cardigan.



I had hoped to get all the pieces done on my recent trip to Atlantic City, New Jersey. I finished the front to discover that my size 5 needles and bag of knitting notions was missing. Upon getting on the bus to head back home I found the notions bag in the over head. I found one needle on the floor and the lady riding behind me found the other one. I was so disappointed when I thought had lost my fancy scissors and needle holder among other things.

I had a great time in Atlantic City. I don't gamble and gave my $30.00 comp to my mom. We stayed at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino. Our free show was a production of Fame! It was very well done and the singing was great. We explored the outlets and the boardwalk. The weather was great the entire time and did not rain until the day we left. I plan to return and hopefully will be able to take some of the tours that are available.

Kai-Mei

I joined a Cookie A knit-along on Ravelry and each month starting with May we have the choice of knitting two patterns. One pattern is from her book Sock Innovation and the other from her individual patterns. This month's choice is Kai-Mei. At first I didn't plan to knit this sock, but as time went on and I saw the beauties knitted by others I gave in.





Specs:
Pattern: Kai-Mei from Sock Innovation by Cookie A
Yarn: StahlScheWolle Socka in Red
Needles: Knit Picks 1.5/2.5 mm 6-inch dpn's
Size: Women's 9.5
Started: May 14, 2009 Finished: May 25, 2009

The pattern is is very basic until you reach the foot then the fun begins. Once I sorted out what was going on with the panel the sock was a breeze to knit. I increased the number of stitches to 72 instead of the 66 given in the pattern. The toes end in an offset slope which worked perfectly for my foot since my toe next to the big to is longer than the big toe. I would knit these again. The pattern is well written and I didn't encounter any errors.

And just to round things out, a little more of the beauty we are experiencing here in South Carolina.

Another Sock Bites the Dust

Another one down and many more to go. I finished the Angee socks and they do fit mom. She said I could keep them, but I made me a pair of purple Trekking socks earlier this year. This was another great Cookie A pattern.




Specs:

Pattern: Angee from Sock Innovation by Cookie A
Yarn: Sundara Yarn Sock in the original 185 yard put up. No color just a number.
Needles: Knit Picks 1.5 (2.5 mm) dpn's
Size: 10 for mom
Started: April 19, 2009 Finished: April 29, 2009

Love, love, loved knitting this pattern. If you can "read" your knitting you will be able to memorize the pattern. I also loved knitting with the Sundara Sock. It gives excellent stitch definition. I used the same yarn for the Cascading Leaves socks.