River Rapids socks finished!

River Rapids socks finished!

Started: January 29, 2006
Finished: February 15, 2006
US 1.5's (Addis), 2 socks on 2 circs
Henry's Attic Kona Superwash, koolaid dyed, approx 4 oz

These took forever as my hands just couldn't take the 16" circ length I was using, and I just had to put them down til 24"-ers arrived. Also was working on KOlympics and other projects...

I had a good time with the pattern, especially as I'm getting more and more comfortable using charts. I even picked up some graph paper to write the chart out for traveling-- before I'd always write out pattern instructions longhand but I think those days are behind me. Its not so much that I can visualize it more, just that with a glance I can "see" the instructions, as opposed to reading them (and I'm a fast reader).

I also won't be knitting the Kona Superwash on US 1.5's anymore either; I got gauge with them, but felt I was pulling the yarn too much into submission. I like a tight knit sock, but this was too much wrestling, not enough redemption. I'm also curious to see how these fare in the wash being so tightly knit, if they'll bloom right off of my feet. The pics were taken before washing, they're headed for the machine after this post :)

I wish I "knew" sock knitters in person, or even knitters for that matter! I remember knitting the Knitty Shimmer shrug and getting gauge, but getting this airy looseygoosey fabric at the same time and not knowing what to do. (I ripped and reknit.) Same with socks, I aim for a tight fabric but sometimes I'm overshooting the moon-- I think perhaps I am knitting them too tightly, trying to block out any light from showing thru the fabric but making chain mail in the process (and a mess of my hands in pulling the yarn into submission). Right now I'm getting gauge on US 1 & 2's for the Cherry Tree Hill Supersock for the Six Sox' Glad Ragg pattern, but wonder if I should be using smaller needles than this... (I also remember using the "recommended" needle size of US 3's for the Supersock, what a mess for socks!)

Anyhow, I've strung the beads for the Glad Ragg socks from Y! Groups Six Sox knitalong, though I don't think I'll start it til I at least finish the back of the sweater for the KOlympics... sock knitting is such a distraction for me!







And, what is that hint of orange you may see? Oh, me running out of yarn at the tiptoes and using the leftover blip of yarn from my Wyverns. Desperation city.

What a difference 8" makes!

A few things in the knitting pipeline...

First, my Knitting Olympics event, "rib and cable sweater with hood" by Debbie Bliss in Knit Picks' Merino Style is going swimmingly, if I say so myself. I even think that this pattern won't take me the 16 days time, though I really - really thought it would. But this is a good thing, since its opened up a whole new knitting world of possibilities for me-- to knit sweaters for my toddler. I can't stand the idea of knitting a sweater in an adult size, but a 2 year old size is perfect for my knitting attention span. I knit this back piece of the sweater over Saturday, cast on in the morning and had a lot of blocks of time to work on it. Haven't touched it since (I've been trying to finish the felted bag I want to take to trek stuff in from Stitches... this weekend!!)



I'm about 10" in-- I'm using the width for a "1 year old" (24.75" chest) but I'm going to use the length for the 2 year old (14.5" from shoulder down). Even so, I think I have overbought the Merino Style; I bought 11 balls and am on my 2nd for the back portion. I'm thinking 2 for the back, 2 for the front (maybe 5 total for front & back)... one for the hood and one each for the arms. So, I'm guessing I may have 3 or so balls leftover, maybe a shorter Backyard Leaves scarf or Forbes Forest scarf (from Scarf Style)? I am planning on picking up 2 hanks of Four Play from Brooks Farms at Stitches for the Ruffles scarf...

I received my Addi 24" US 1's and knit my River Rapids socks onto them... what a difference! I love knitting these socks, and can't wait to get them off the needles (the KOlympics and the felted bag have been "holding me back" from finishing... I really shouldn't have so many projects going at once!) Another huge plus about them-- I washed and dried my Wyverns in the washer & dryer recently, and they are now my softest pair of socks ever. Its truly amazing how wonderful they turned out, they're sooo thick and comfy now after going thru the wash-- and my RR socks are made from the same Kona Superwash yarn I used for the Wyverns. So, I want to finish them and wash them right away! I seriously can't believe the difference, and want like, every pair of my socks to be like this :)



I also want to finish up the RR's since I already have my next sock project in mind-- the new pattern from Yahoo Groups' Six Sox Knitalong -- the Glad Raggs pattern for Feb/March 2006. I can't link to it but you can check out Yahoo Groups for more info... the pattern is lace and has beads on the cuffs! I had such a fun time knitting Odessa that I knew I wanted to knit these next. (Though, I think I may unknit Odessa... I added length to the cap and wore it for the first time a week ago, caught a glance of myself in a reflection and I looked like a pinhead. More than usual, anyway... the fabric was looser at the top, too much to conform to the shape of my head and as if I was hiding an extra cone up there. Oh well, after the KOlympics.)

I'll be using some Cherry Tree Hill Supersock that I bought in a millend from ebay ages ago for the Glad Raggs'. When I first started knitting, I went a little ape on buying these supersock millends (and to my credit, they're more expensive now than they were then... 2006 is really the year of the sock, and with knitty devoting its summer issue to "extremities" I don't think it'll be slowing down any time soon!). The ebay CTH millends are a great deal but they're a bunch of smaller hanks tied together and dyed in a batch, so you get about a pound of yarn but they're all underweight (under the 4 oz CTH usually packages supersock in)-- at least in my experience. Its still a good deal. Anyway, when I was (17, it was a very good year)... I handwound all of these smaller hanks into balls without knowing what I was doing-- I just rolled them into balls. Not just balls, not even center-pull balls, but tight tight TIGHT balls and stretched the poor yarn into thinnish submission. I've been going thru the stash and decided to relieve the CTH from its misery and unwound all of the balled-balls, and these 2 I soaked in some warm water to help the fiber relax from its unnatural state.



I also picked up extra 8/0 beads at the bead store, for who knows what... but beads and knitting are fun so I'm going to keep them on hand for something :)



Now I can't decide what to go and finish knitting! :)

River Rapids' cuffs down

Run for the heels!

Sockbug left me a cool comment about my yo before purl whine (pearls before swine)...

"I love the colors of these! Instead of doing that YO before a purl, you can M1 in the next row where the YO should be. Not for the faint of heart, though. Really, it's not as obvious when the whole sock is done."

I'm actually not sweating the yo's much now; I think I just wasn't careful enough with the tension when I first started and now they don't look so brobdingnagian to me... the size of the yo's also get lost as the sock gets longer :) But its a good tip, esp. as I've been seeing more comments and questions about this pattern pop up on Knitters Review and Knitty.

Undulating, mm.

River Rapids socks in progress

River Rapids socks in progress...

2 shots, front and back... the varigation varies :)

I'm having a time with to yo's before the purl stitches in the pattern; they're way too big in comparison. Bummed a little, will try and keep the yo's on the tapered end of the needle (using less yarn?) Don't know.