Too Late for Fall
I've gotten a bit behind on the blogging. in honor of President's Day (or really, a day off work) I'll post a few things over the long weekend.
First up, a catch up post. The Pumpkin Socks are finished! I actually finished them on Super Bowl Sunday, but haven't had time to pictures since.
Pattern: From Sensational Knitted Socks. I used the Garter Rib stitch and the traditional cuff down heel flap method.
Yarn and Needles: The main yarn is Spirit Trail Fiberworks yarn/color # CO-07-09-03. It's 80% superwash Merino and 20% nylon, so they should be quite sturdy. This was an odd yarn to work with for socks. It's extremely soft and squishy in the skein, and I was really excited to make BBMM some "luxury" socks. When first knit up though, it loses a lot of the softness. I think because it's so loosely spun it doesn't hold its squish as well. Very technical explanation, I know, but it's the best I can come with. I was pretty disappointed as I was knitting them, but once I washed them all softness was restored.
The cuff and toe were knit with Aussie Sock, color WS04, Oak Moss . This one's 90% superwash Merino, 10% Nylon. It retained its softness and squishiness quite well, thank you.
The needles were US size 1 aluminum DPNs. I used 80 stitches for these, and they are actually a little loose.
Mods: Just a couple of tweaks here and there. I tweaked the heel placement a bit so the garter rib would be continuous down the heel flap. I also decreased along the gusset in a different place than recommended, again, to keep the ribs flowing continuously.
If I Could Do It Over: I probably wouldn't actually do these over, but I did learn a thing or two. This was the first pair of heel flap socks I have made for BBMM. I prefer knitting short row heels, so all of hs previous socks have had them. I have realized that for me, the heel flaps fit much, much better, so I decided to knit him a pair. However, he has a very shallow arch, and the heel flap doesn't really fit him. It gets all bunchy at the top of the heel. Proof here:
So it's back to short row heels for him; fine with me as I prefer knitting them.
I was pretty worried about running out of yarn on these. I've always knit BBMMs socks toe up for that very reason. After the first heel turn, I actually considered ripping back to redo the heel in solid. I'm not a huge fan of how that looks in heel flaps, so I let it be and kept my fingers crossed. I ended up with plenty of yarn leftover (probably about 10 grams).
As I mentioned before, these are actually a little loose. For his next pair (you'll see a glimpse soon) I am using the same needles over 72 stitches. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that would be enough stitches, but it works, and I probably should have done 72 for these. At least the ribbing keeps them from falling down.
First up, a catch up post. The Pumpkin Socks are finished! I actually finished them on Super Bowl Sunday, but haven't had time to pictures since.
Pattern: From Sensational Knitted Socks. I used the Garter Rib stitch and the traditional cuff down heel flap method.
Yarn and Needles: The main yarn is Spirit Trail Fiberworks yarn/color # CO-07-09-03. It's 80% superwash Merino and 20% nylon, so they should be quite sturdy. This was an odd yarn to work with for socks. It's extremely soft and squishy in the skein, and I was really excited to make BBMM some "luxury" socks. When first knit up though, it loses a lot of the softness. I think because it's so loosely spun it doesn't hold its squish as well. Very technical explanation, I know, but it's the best I can come with. I was pretty disappointed as I was knitting them, but once I washed them all softness was restored.
The cuff and toe were knit with Aussie Sock, color WS04, Oak Moss . This one's 90% superwash Merino, 10% Nylon. It retained its softness and squishiness quite well, thank you.
The needles were US size 1 aluminum DPNs. I used 80 stitches for these, and they are actually a little loose.
Mods: Just a couple of tweaks here and there. I tweaked the heel placement a bit so the garter rib would be continuous down the heel flap. I also decreased along the gusset in a different place than recommended, again, to keep the ribs flowing continuously.
If I Could Do It Over: I probably wouldn't actually do these over, but I did learn a thing or two. This was the first pair of heel flap socks I have made for BBMM. I prefer knitting short row heels, so all of hs previous socks have had them. I have realized that for me, the heel flaps fit much, much better, so I decided to knit him a pair. However, he has a very shallow arch, and the heel flap doesn't really fit him. It gets all bunchy at the top of the heel. Proof here:
So it's back to short row heels for him; fine with me as I prefer knitting them.
I was pretty worried about running out of yarn on these. I've always knit BBMMs socks toe up for that very reason. After the first heel turn, I actually considered ripping back to redo the heel in solid. I'm not a huge fan of how that looks in heel flaps, so I let it be and kept my fingers crossed. I ended up with plenty of yarn leftover (probably about 10 grams).
Labels: FO's
