Saturday, May 15, 2010

Summer of Sock Innovation



I have absolutely fallen in love with Cookie A's Sock Innovation book. Because I haven't been able to decide which sock to do first, I have decided to do all the patterns from the beginning. I will blog about the progress of each sock. This is also a great way to "stash bust" my sock yarn.

The first sock I'm starting with is "Glynis." It's a very easy to follow lace pattern. I'm confident that I can do these with no difficulty. I plan on using some nice green, white and black Opal yarn. I think the tweedy look will highlight the lace pattern. I'm also going to be knitting two socks on one needle which raises the "swear factor" up a few points. Will be highlighting progress so stay tuned.
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Monkey Socks

I have always wanted to knit up some "Monkey Socks" from knitty.com. I have fallen in love with all of the patterns designed by Cookie A. I also wanted to knit up something with Noro Sock Yarn. This is the best of both worlds. 

I found the colorway was perfect for the recipient of these socks. I loved working with the Noro, but beware of certain disadvantages. First of all, the yarn can be very tangling. Be careful when you are balling it up. 

Secondly, the yarn has thick and thin slubby spots. Some people like this, but I don't, especially when some of the thin spots were in the heel. The thick slubby spots also showed up when I was finishing up the toe. While sewing up using the Kitchener Stitch, the thick, underspun part came undone. I had to take out the entire toe and start all over again. 

All in all, the project was a success. I love the colors, and the color graduation. The yarn was a little coarse when I started knitting up the socks, but I hear that the more you wash these socks, the softer they get. Even with the thick and thin spots, the yarn made a sturdy fabric. I hope that my friend likes her gift.
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