FO Report: Lemon Ice Socks

Happy Birthday to me! Yes, I am posting this on my birthday. This year marks 35 years on this earth. I’m very excited about my birthday. Not that there is much planned, but I’m always a bit happier and cheerful on my birthday, as well as I should be.

A pair of socks has made its way off my needles, yay! Lemon Ice socks which were gifted by Kathy in my coffee swap package. The sockotta sock yarn did not sit long and immediately launched itself onto my needles.

A very simple sock, a k3, p2 rib. I used 60 sts on the first sock and realized it was too wide. 55 sts on the second one and it’s a perfect fit. The socks are quite comfortable and cozy. Not much to say about these socks. The yarn was easy to work with. Not exactly my favorite, but definitely nothing wrong with it.

Project Specifications:
Sockotta sock yarn
Needle size: US 2 (2.75 mm) dpns
Started: mid-July 07
Finished: August 07
Mods: none really.

And because Beth asked so nicely, a couple photos of the finished DFS modeled by me.

Have a great day! I sure intend to. Oh and while you’re at it, please wish my grrl,
Michelle, a Happy One year Anniversary!!

Sockapalooza Trifecta!

Just in the nick of time, the Sockapalooza socks have been completed. While I was kitchenering the last toe of the second sock, I was also at the same point for my first Lemon Ice Sock. And I’d started another sock, so I thought, “Why not show all socks in some measure of completion?” So here you go. . .

The first picture shows the Sockapalooza socks (in red/orange/brown/cream jacquard), then the first sock in a colorway I call Lemon Ice in Sockotta sock yarn and lastly, a new sock started in Opal Rainforest colorway Caterpillar.

A solo picture of my sockpal’s completed socks.

The yarn is Fortissima Socka Mit Bambou (a wool/nylon/bamboo mix). Since my sockapalooza pal likes her socks on the tall-ish side, I knit the leg to 7″, after that I start to tire of knitting socks, truly. The pattern I used is Thuja from Knitty. I couldn’t decide on a pattern for the longest time and decided to go with a known winner. As Polly always mentions on her blog that socks for an unknown person or someone you’re unable to measure for, a sock with lots of stretch is best, that’s how I decided on Thuja. It works well with the sock yarn and the pattern doesn’t distract from the self-patterning nature of the yarn. Overall, very pleased with these socks. And I finished them fairly quickly for me, as well as having time to get started and finishing an entirely different sock.

On to the next sock, it is the completed first Lemon Ice sock. I love this crazy yarn that my Coffee Swap Pal, Kat, sent me. I actually am less in love with the content of the sock yarn, but love the colorway. It’s very fun. It’s just a K3, P2 rib, but I did learn that 60 sts for a slightly heavier yarn didn’t work for my gauge. The second sock will be 55 sts. If I were to knit with this sock yarn again, I would definitely use about 54 stitches. And I knit the cuff in rib and the foot of the sock plain. Can’t wait to finish the second sock, should be doable by the end of the month!

And certainly not least, a new sock! Whee! How I love knitting socks. And lately I’ve not had the mental capacity to do much more than do simple patterns. Just way too busy and feeling like I can’t ever catch up and too hot when I get home, so all socks all the time it has been. The yarn is more from my Opal collection This is from the Rainforest Collection, in the Caterpillar colorway. This yarn was gifted to me by Stacey. I was lucky to receive it, I really just adore this colorway right now. Not sure why, but oh well.

Next up, the “knitting camp update”.

Sock Knitting Palooza

Hey all,

I’ve fallen off the deep end of the earth this week, reading more than knitting, although there has been knitting too. I’m on my second book this week and some nights have found me curled up with a book instead of knitting.

Lately, I’ve been a bit of a joiner. I signed up for round 4 of Sockapalooza, perhaps idiotically, but I participated in Round 2 and it was a good experience, so I’m chancing it once again. I’ve really be in a socks and lace mode as of late. My pal says that she prefers fall colors and I took that to mean oranges and reds. After further re-reading her information, I realized I didn’t pay attention to the part that also mentioned her idea of fall colors was oranges, but also reds, blues and greens. Yikes! The colors I chose were more oranges and browns, so none of those other colors. I guess this should teach me to pay more attention to the full text of an email.

I contacted my pal to see what preferences she had in terms of cables, texture, stitch patterns or lace and she was pretty open to anything, which is good. I kept thinking I would do one of the new sock patterns I’ve seen on the web, but I also ended up switching yarns at the last minute. I started to use my Brick House Fearless Fibers yarn as socks for my Sockapalooza pal, but then realized that I think the yarn is pretty, but is very fine. I cast on for 72 stitches and honestly the love was not there to knit those socks and to also do it quickly as these socks need to be finished and mailed by the beginning of August and I’m casting on the 1st week of July. Yeah, a bit of a time crunch.

So new yarn to the rescue, Fortissima Socka mit Bambou. I saw this at one of my local LYSs and picked it up. Cast on shortly thereafter and by Monday of this week, I’d completed ribbing and started the heel flap. The colors in the skein were not indicative of a pattern, if any. I’m not 100% convinced I like it, but this is the final yarn as I’m not switching again. The bamboo gives the sock yarn a softer hand, but it is splitty like a mofo. No fun that.

I’m using a tried and true sock pattern favorite, Thuja. Man, do I love this sock pattern, so simple, but has a nice effect. I might even use this for socks for M. He’s been hinting lately for a pair of socks.

Then, because I couldn’t just have one pair of socks on the needle and for someone else, I had to immediately cast on for socks from my wonderful coffee swap pal, Kathy. I’ve cast on for a pair of short socks, not really anklets, but with a 4 inch cuff, some shortish socks with a K3, P2 ribbing (not exactly sure why I did that) with Sockotta. I like how the yarn is knitting up. I’ve dubbed them my Lemon Ice socks. I’m knitting them with 60 stitches on size 2 needles. This is really information for me, in case I forget by the time I cast for the second sock (ha!). Also, because it is the Summer of Socks, I obviously had to have new socks on the needles to count towards it, right?

That’s it for now chicas. Have a good weekend, everyone!