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Yarnmule




"Knitting is very conducive to thought. It is nice to knit a while, put down the needles, write a while,
then take up the sock again." - Dorothy Day

Slipstitch Rib Socks

Another pair of socks off the needles.


There's a little bit of the contrast going on. I knew two skeins of yarn wasn't quite going to do it. I had about half a skein of the dark grey left from the last socks, so I took a chance.

Pattern: All from "Sensational Knitted Socks", but in pieces. The stitch pattern is Slipstitch Rib, but I used my favorite toe-up short row recipe. I love the stitch pattern. It's really, really simple, but not quite mind-numbing. It's quick; when 1/3 of the stitches are slipped it moves right along. And of course, Charlene Schurch should be named Queen of Sockland.

Yarn & Needles: Paton's Kroy Socks (again) in Glencheck, two 50 gm skeins. Toes, heels and cuffs in the Charcoal Grey color Kroy I used for BBMM's last pair of socks. It seemed like about a half a skein leftover, but I didn't actually check at all, just eyeballed it. In the main color, I probably had about 5 yards per skein leftover. In the Charcoal, I unraveled my gauge swatch from the last pair, spliced the yarn twice, and had about 5 inches left. It was really not pretty. My new mantra: I will always buy three skeins. Seriously, that was totally not worth it.

I knit the foot, through the heel, on size 0 needles, and the leg on size 1. As usual, I actually knit 3 socks. The first time through I forgot to switch up to the size 1's. I'm fairly certain I actually finished the sock; I may have even woven in the ends. (I do this every time. Really; it never gets better. I am currently working on two different pairs of socks. They have both been ripped out all the way back to nothing. One was literally halfway up the leg; probably about 3/4 of the way done. You know the saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? Yeah, I am clearly nuts. I think I'm going to tattoo "Try it on" across my knuckles.)

Mods: Nope, not really.

If I Could Do It Over: I'm not sure about the contrast bits. The heel is a little small and triangly. The cuff is a little funny; it would look better if it were two inches long instead of one. The toe is nice, so maybe next time just toe and long cuff.

If I were making these for anyone else I would have made the whole leg longer. But BBMM likes his socks pretty short, and since the whole point of handmade socks is perfect fit and customization, they are exactly the right length.

I haven't decided on the next pair of socks for BBMM yet. I know they will be brown or beige. I also know I will buy a better yarn. The main benefit of Paton's Kroy is that it is cheap. When I wasn't sure how I'd feel about knitting socks, that was a big benefit. But I am now hooked, and I'm working my way through some better yarns. I used some Fleece Artist; loved it. I'm currently working with Louet Gems; absolutely heavenly. I've swatched with some Mountain Colors Bearfoot, and drooled on it. I thought I had a rule about making sure my sock yarn had nylon in it for durability. I am totally over that; the difference in handfeel (footfeel?) between the Kroy and the better yarns is astonishing. I think he would appreciate it. I know it would make the knitting more enjoyable.

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