Socks!

Clearly, I have not spent a lot of time on the computer lately! After all, it is summer vacation, and I have been busy. I have taken 2 young children on an airplane, gone to the beach at the Gulf of Mexico in Galveston, TX, seen a major league baseball game, drank margaritas, and visited 2 yarn stores in Texas and bought souvenir yarn (more of that to come). All that was done in 1 week. So this week, I have been recovering, resting, doing laundry, and preparing for a road trip to Colorado, this time as a whole family. So, I have not really had the time to sit in front of the computer. I did however, have some great knitting time! And being as portable as they are, today, is all about THE SOCKS!

I will start by showing you the leftover shorties I finished. I used two different leftover balls of yarn, with my basic sock pattern and a 1.5" cuff, the beautiful Eye of Partridge heel, and this it what I got.



I was also working on Padded Footlets out of the book Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave. I made this out of my leftover Cascade Fixation from my Broadripple socks, and added white to it. I did not pad the foot as the patten called for, but they did turn out quite beautiful and are very comfy!



I also began my May OYT socks. They are out of Noro Kureyon Sock yarn from Japan. It has beautiful colors and changes. I did not want to use the pattern for May, but have fallen in love with the yarn (even though I have to wash these by hand and lay flat to dry - normally, I am a superwash - machine washable - kind of girl). I still wanted to mimic some of the shapes of the herringbone pattern, and ended up with Little Arrowhead Lace by Charlene Schurch out of her More Sensational Knitted Socks book. I did a 1 x 1 rib for the cuff, and then on the leg, every 4 rows I switched which end of the ball of yarn I was working. I then used the outside strand for the short-row heel and toe of the sock. The socks are not at all identical, but beautiful just the same. I am currently working on the foot of the second sock, and am anxious to finish it and have a pair! Aren't the colors beautiful, and the lily next to them when I took the picture fit in just perfectly.




I also had fallen in love with the Cascade Fixation yarn from above, and have managed to hoard quite a bit of it. Most specifically, with the cotton, I think they make awesome summertime socks. So here is my basic short sock with a 1.5" cuff and Eye of Partridge heel. These are what I have called, my Rainbow Shorties.



And then, of course there was souvenir yarn from Texas. I will write more about that soon - but I will be hitting a few yarn shops in Colorado, so the stash will have to grow more first. But while I was there, I picked up some Jojoland Melody yarn from Twisted Yarns. I have used this yarn before in a different colorway for my Rambler socks. This time I have decided to make the Crosshatch Lace by Charlene Schurch out of the same More Sensational Knitted Socks book. I just love watching the colors change and the pattern is working up beautifully. The yarn is soft and yummy, and a lot of fun to knit with and wear.



Well, so many socks, so little time. But wait, I have a 10 hour car trip each way coming up, plus vacation knitting time, yarn shops, mountains, ... :) I can't wait.