Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Sock UFOs

After knitting 2 pairs of socks in less than a week, I decided to raid the UFO pile to see what I had in the sock area. Look what I found! [Edit: see the 2/28 post; the two pairs were knitted with worsted weight yarn and went fast]

First up is an abandoned sock made with Paton's Kroy. Left at the heel turn, this has been around since, oh, 2004. I don't remember where I bought the yarn, but considering how icky the yarn feels, these may be candidates for total frogging. I don't know if I want to put in the time to finish the single sock to find out how the yarn feels after washing.


Next, we ha
ve a sock and a bit of sock #2 from 2005. This is KnitPicks' Sock Garden 100% merino in Hydrangea. KnitPicks has since consolidated several of its early sock lines into one, now called Memories, and the Hydrangea colorway is no longer available. This is lovely soft yarn, though I'd have liked it better if the leg had turned out with narrower 'stripes'. I'll probably finish these.



Before I started the Hydrangea socks, I made this pair in KnitPicks' 100% merino in the Yukon colorway (which is still available), a lovely blues/greys blend, and DH hijacked them. That pair is holding up well, as you can see, though there's some felting on the sole. I love how the narrow stripes worked out.


Saving the best for last, these are Grumperina's Jaywalker socks. The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in #38 Mixed Berries, and was a gift from a very
special friend. I couldn't quite get the hang of 2 socks on 2 circs, so I knitted the two on 2 sets of circs, working an inch or so on each in turn. These were my 2006 Knitting Olympics project and sadly, I was a non-finisher. In my defense, I went to Stitches West during the Olympics, and found that very little knitting happens at knitting conventions. With all the socializing and shopping and classes to take, there isn't much time or energy to knit and not much in the way of good lighting. I did knit a couple more inches on both of these at Stitches, but I found errors and had to frog all of that progress when I got back home. These I will definitely finish. I love the way the chevrons show up in the variegated yarn.

Remember, click on the pictures for a larger view.


And for some quizzy fun, here's one I enjoyed:


You Are 60% Left Brained, 40% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning.
Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others.
If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic.
Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet.

The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility.
Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way.
If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art.
Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.
Are You Right or Left Brained?

This summation is interesting, and seems to reflect how I've always thought about my own ways of "brained-ness". I'm not particularly philosophic, and I'm totally hopeless with sports of any kind, being terminally clumsy. I can't draw or paint but I do find a lot of pleasure in working with colors in knitting. I was a pretty good tax accountant, which involved a lot of reasoning skills and an ability to write coherently about tax law in a way that could be understood by non-accountants. Pre-retirement and pre-knitting I was quite organized, with an incredibly tidy if crowded desk and filing system, and my house was far less cluttered and messy. Oh, the faults we can blame on knitting!

13 comments:

jillian said...

2 pairs in less than a week????? Wow.

Madge said...

I second Jillian - wow!

And look at all that sock action going on at your house. I'm glad you'll be finishing the Jaywalkers; they're really pretty!

Cindy G said...

Oh the Lorna's Laces colors are pretty! Congrats on finishing both pair of the Afghanistan socks. I'm impressed!

Run quiz. I'm 45% left, 55% right (brained, that is, not politics)

Anonymous said...

Those Jaywalkers are looking great! The yarn is knitting up well in the pattern - the pooling is not obnoxious :).

LisaW. said...

well someone's feeling a little "soxie" these days! Go CBM!

TracyKM said...

I've made quite a few pairs of socks in the old Kroy 3 ply and never thought they felt icky (haven't used the 'new' version). However, compared to the 100% merino...well...just about anything would feel icky, LOL. Love all the colours you've chosen! I love purples too :)

Anonymous said...

The Kroy fuzzes up quite a bit I find but it's not horrid. Good working sock yarn.

Joan said...

CBM-QOS (Queen of Socks). You must have the warmest feet in SoCal!

jayne said...

Look at all those pretty socks just longing to be finished up. Think how happy your feet will be to have 'em. I see your favorite colours abounding there. The Jaywalkers are particularly pretty.

I took that quiz and came out 80% Right Brained. (!) I knew it had crept up there, but 80%? No wonder I can't hold two thoughts in my head anymore.

Anonymous said...

Those are all looking great! I just found a stashed Patons Kroy book - nice patterns, but I may think twice buying that yarn. While you're in a "soxie" mood (great word, Lisa!), I left you a note back at my blog. Maybe to help you replenish those sock yarns :).

Anonymous said...

Welcome back! It's March 28 and I'm getting your blog instead of the "not found" message when I use my bookmark to your site. Whee! It will be a pleasure being able to read you again.

Best wishes!
Sarah-Hope
www.whatifknits.com

junior_goddess said...

Hey, it's back!!! YAY~~~

Unknown said...

I have some socks from the identical Kroy. I thought exactly the same thing about how icky it felt. After a few machine washings and dryings, they are some of my favorites for comfort and cushiness.