Friday, July 2, 2010

{My First Real Socks}

All the socks I have made up until this point have been on worsted or larger yarn, so they're more like slippers than socks when they're done.  After I swapped for some very pretty sock yarn called "Zen" I decided to put my Christmas present to use and pick a pattern from Socks From The Toe Up.

I picked the Mock Cable Socks because it would balance out my other current project, the Icarus lace shawl.  I went to cast on literally about an hour after I finished the cabled scarf and I just didn't want to mess with a cable needle again for a while.  I decided to take the same patten but not cable it, making instead an interesting ribbing.

I liked this pattern too because in the book it used a heel that I've never done before.  I think it's called a slip stitch heel.  It looks like this:


I love this heel!  I love that you don't have to pick up stitches to make the gusset.  It's so clean looking! I also really love how the slip stitch pattern works with the stripey yarn like this. Totally cool texture.

And here's the front of the sock:

(please don't adjust your monitor, I really am that white.)

I like how the stripes are falling so far except for that one bit of flashing right there at the base of the leg.  It's weird how it worked out, isn't it? Just that ONE spot.  But otherwise, these are looking way cool.

So, we come to my dilemma.  I do not want any of this yarn left when I finish this pair of socks, meaning each sock has to use 1/2 a skein almost exactly. I don't know any other way to be sure of this except to weigh the sock with a kitchen scale.  I don't own a kitchen scale.  So this sock is waiting for next pay to continue knitting so that I can acquire the appropriate tool, weigh the sock, and then continue on carefully knitting and weighing until as close to exactly half the skein has been used.   Unless my lovely knowledgeable readers know another way? :)

6 comments:

  1. I have a very cheap kitchen scale that I use to weigh my yarn. Works just fine and it only cost a few bucks at Target. Lovey socks, btw. I love working on socks from the toe up and socks on two circs - that is what it looks like you are doing.

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  2. We have all wood and tile floors so they get cold in the winter months. Those socks would be great!

    Di

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  3. I know nothing about weighing yarn, but would I sound like a naggy mom if I said be sure to subtract the weight of the needle? I apologize if I do. (Being a teacher means sometimes you treat everyone like children.) I love the socks and toe up is the only way I will make socks. Did you know it is possible to do cables without a cable needle?

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  4. That is a nice looking heel. Love the colors :D

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  5. I love the sock. What pretty colors. I have that book but haven't tried toe-up yet. For some reason, it seems scary to me.

    It is a slip-stitch heel, which is what I use on my cuff-down socks. I love this heel because it's very comfortable to wear!

    I don't have a scale either, but I've been thinking about getting one.

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  6. It won't help this time, but next time you could knit two at a time, one from the inside of the ball/cake/skein and one from the outside, then you would meet in the middle and be done without having to weigh them.

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