So, you might ask… what have I been up to lately, in the way of string? Some fancy medieval thing, a new technique, an insane piece of tablet weaving?
Nope, I’ve been knitting socks. A year ago, I was hunting for a pair of purple socks to go with a shirt I like, and no success. Lavender, blue, all sorts of socks, but no purple. Phooey! Well, I said to myself, lots of people knit socks – how hard could they be?
I was at least smart enough to start with cheap yarn, some sort of wool-acrylic blend. I used this generic sock pattern, which is great for people who like to know how things work. All I have to say, is that heels are magic! This first pair of socks was actually foot-shaped, and even better, shaped like my feet. Along the way I learned that I don’t knit like everyone else, and spent some time learning how decreases really work so that I could make socks that look like everyone else’s even though I made them funny. But more on that later…
Next, purple socks! These didn’t photograph very well, but they are exceedingly purple.
They’re also slightly more complicated, with a knit-purl stitch pattern.
I was very fortunate to find someone who would dogsit in exchange for interesting handknit socks. I let two pairs of socks escape unphotographed, but Tamie promises to get me pictures, or the socks.
I’ve now taken my first stab at “sock yarn” instead of the worsted-weight wool I’ve been using. Just as I got the urge, Webs had all sorts of Regia sock yarn on sale. Hee-hee!
So, socks the first… Like the purple socks, these are really much brighter than they appear, very spring-like.
I was forced to cast on a second pair by the arrival of a set of rosewood DPNs. I like them – they are slower to knit with, but very light, and when I ball the whole thing up and stuff it in a bag, the wood needles are much less likely to pull out. It took me a few minutes to get used to the floppiness compared to metal or the thicker bamboo needles I’ve used.
Nick looked at them, and at what I paid for them (hey! They were on sale, thank you very much), and now thinks he might take up making knitting needles as a sideline, both wooden ones and eensy weensy metal ones.
