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Saturday, August 4, 2012

A little something on the side.

A couple weeks ago (on the day Niecey-poo arrived, in fact) I started a pair of socks.  Socks are my "idiot knitting" - something small that I don't have to think about too much, and that I don't mind stretching out over many months as a side project.

I had some nice Cascade Heritage Solid from a pair of frogged legwarmers that I wanted to use, so I went exploring on Ravelry to find a pattern that would help me spice up the project without making it too "thinky."  I came up with Kalajoki.


This sock looks like a bunchy mess, until you put it on your foot.  Stretched over the instep, all the bunching goes away to reveal the lovely wave pattern.

I'm only nominally following the pattern.  I'm superimposing the chart onto my go-to sock recipe (memorized long ago from a leaflet that was my mom's, probably from the '60s) so that I have a little bit of interest, but don't have to pay too much attention overall. 

However, I would like to knit these socks again, following the pattern to the letter.  There is a lot of fantastic detail in there:  mirror image waves and "ergonomic" toe shaping for right and left feet,  and asymmetry on the waves themselves, which are kept crisp with twisted rib.  I have another hank of Cascade Heritage in charcoal grey that will be just right . . .

14 comments:

  1. Oh, pretty! I like the thought of "idiot knitting"

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  2. Ooh nice. I like how you call socks "idiot knitting", lol. I haven't even learned sock knitting yet!

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  3. Oh, look at that stitch definition! Heritage is so great. If you're doing the whole sock from memory, how do you keep track of where you are? I guess I'm mostly wondering about the heel flap, since everything else goes by length or number of decreases (I think).

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    1. I usually count the loops at the edge of the heel flap (which are created by slipping the first stitch). I like to pick up 16 stitches along each side of the heel flap, so I work until I've got 15 loops on each side; the final picked up stitch is worked in the fabric of the sock to help avoid a hole.

      Other than that, the rest of the sock sort of goes by formula and the measurements of the foot.

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    2. Brilliant. I've been writing hash marks on my printout, but that gets old and slows me down. Much smarter this way! I love how mathy socks are.

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  4. How beautiful! I really love this!

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  5. I really love that pattern a lot! I've attempted to knit it on two separate occasions, but both times ended up ripping it out for reasons I cannot even remember. But seeing your beautiful version is making me really want to give them another go!

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  6. Oooh...liking the wave!

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  7. I've made that pattern " as written" and it is lovely! You've reminded me I want another pair!

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  8. Oh, great, another added to my Rav Queue, Gail.
    There are so many great sox patterns out there, plus the rhythms that are in are brain ready to flow from our fingers to needle.

    Gorgeous ! ! ! ! !

    hugs

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