right angles never looked so good

Math Whiz socks from knitspot
Cashmere/merino/nylon yarn from Pigeonroof Studios
US 2/2.75mm dpns, 4
Started: 23 May 2007
Finished: 2 June 2007

Still love them.

I went on (and on!) last time about the yarn, so its the pattern's turn today :) I've been working on a gift design, and these were my go-to knitting for those many times I just was dizzy from numbers and sizing and just.wanted.to.knit. These were perfect and filled that need-- more interesting than the vanilla stockinette of recent socks, but not too confusing or chart-heavy.



The stitch pattern's a combo of right triangles in knit and purl reliefs, tilting into a windmill shape (or, at least to my eye!) Its obscured by the deep color of the yarn, but the purls do some interesting work and break up the color in a fun textured way. I liked how it reminded me of the right triangle work of my hypotenuse scarf (also from knitspot), and the good math/love connotations that I still can't put into words and will save for another time :)



Anne's pattern has a little fun surprise as well... instead of a traditional ribbing at the top, she skips ahead to the good part and lets the pattern stitch work doubletime in keeping the sock up and on. It works and is a fun treat-- something new to my experience. I love that many of anne's patterns are unisex-- these'd make a great pair of socks for the man man enough to wear pink.



Simple short row heel (I used PGR's as always-- I just realized that it was profiled by Ann Budd in the Summer 2007 Interweave Knits "A better sock from the toe up" article, too) and flat toe. Doesn't get much better, a warm little treat today as I seam up a little treat for my son (ugh, I hate finishing inversely to the amount I love him!)

Have a good one! Today's the last day for the $10 threadless tshirt sale... and they have an awesome new sheepie offering too (from their May 31 new shirt selection, "hairstyle secrets of a sheep"):

math whiz socks in pigeonroof yarn

I had a really long story about math and love here, but hey! You came for socks, yeah? :)


Math Whiz socks by knitspot
Cashmere, merino & nylon sock yarn from Pigeonroof Studios in "poison"
US 2/2.75mm dpns, 4
Started: 23 May 2007

I.love.these.socks. Seriously... I am such a touch and feel person. My tastes in colors change a lot of the time (more for adding to than subtracting from), but these socks feel so good and just want to be held. I shouldn't go on about a yarn that's not available right now (Krista says it will be back with a higher cashmere content at the end of June), but I can't stop :) Its crazy soft, and one of the rare times that I actually prefer the knit fabric to a skeined yarn. You know what I mean-- stuff sometimes just doesn't have that strokability once knit up-- Koigu (et al.) is smooth and sproing but is almost too slick to love, frictionless like skin in the shower once in socks. This yarn though... its missing the "hardness" of say Socks that Rock and Koigu, even though it has a super great twist. The closest hand-wise that I can compare it to is Henry's Attic Kona DK Superwash (not the fingering)... you know its surface softness? Like that.

And the color? Dude. For you non-pooling cats out there:



It was a tight fit (my favorite kind!) yarnwise with the pattern's looong cuff (7"+)...



...but I made it. Full cuff as written, PGR short row heel, flat toe for a 10"+ foot. Yay! :)

Have a good long weekend if you're in the States... I'm off to spin and play on Ravelry (if you're on already, add me as a friend!)


edit, 5/30-- the book bundle is back to regular price :(
ps! if you didn't know already, amazon has knitting nature AND last minute knitted gifts bundled together for 10.98 (?!!), and threadless (my favorite place for tshirts) is having a $10 tee sale sitewide, incl. women's and kid's american apparel shirts! happy happy :)