Getting It Done

The last of my 2025 "hanging projects" is nearing completion. This pair of socks moved to the bottom of the barrel with the cuffs and heels of both done, as well as five rows on each foot. I was so annoyed with the quality of the yarn (a Herrschner's sale special, not something they usually carry) that I was close to tearing out all my work to use the yarn for something else. It is very loosely spun, splits with almost every stitch, but the fiber content makes it desirable for socks: superwash wool and polyamide. Despite the splitting of the plies, the socks will be durable. Yesterday, I made significant progress, working almost to the toe of one. It usually only takes me about a week to turn out a pair of socks with fingering yarn, so I am ashamed to admit that while finishing these up is easily within the range of a few days, I just couldn't bring myself to work on them until they were the last "incomplete" on my list.

Knitting Socks To Match

Day 143: Today, I thought we might step sideways into another area of fiberarts: knitting. Variegated/ombre yarns are an excellent choice for socks, but people often have trouble getting both socks to turn out the same. There are several reasons for this, the first being that commercial space-dyed yarns are put up by yardage, not repeats. Let's assume a colour sequence of red/white/green for ease of explanation. If the sequence was one yard of each colour, life would be easy. A 333-yard skein would contain 111 repeats, starting with red and ending with green. But that isn't the way the real world works. The colour sequence might be two yards of red, one of white, and one of green, i.e., a four-yard repeat. Therefore, our 333-yard skein would contain 83.25 repeats, which is obviously not a convenient multiple. The next skein wound by the factory would pick up where that one left off, and thus, the chance of our purchasing two skeins which each started with two yards of red would be fairly small. And then it gets even more complicated, because many space-dyed yarns contain more than one sequence, e.g., the full repeat might be two yards of red, once of white, one of green, one of red, two of white, one of green, one of red, one of white, two of green which, although the colours are equally represented over 12 yards, the repeat of the full sequence occurs over 12 yards as well. Consequently, the first thing you must do to create matching socks is identify the colour repeat and start each sock in the same place.

Now we come to another factor: tension. None of us, no matter how good we are, knits at the same tension every time we pick up the needles. That means we may get 40 stitches out of one yard of red from our example one day, and 42 the next. These small differences can add up! That means at some point, we're going to have to make allowances, and here's how to go about it.

As I said in the first paragraph, the first thing you want to do is identify the repeat and start each sock in the same place. Yes, you will be working two socks at once, although as a general rule, you can probably knit a whole cuff/leg before you need to adjust. In the case of the socks in the photo, I had trouble telling the blues apart until I came to the lightest one at the end of 55 rounds. Aha! That would be where I needed to have the socks match up. I knit the second sock to that point, found that I still had a yard or so of the next-darkest shade left, so I cut the yarn at that point and, using a Russian join, connected the darker section to the lighter one so that my next stitches would be in the lighter colour. Now the heels will match (or, as they say, "close enough for gov'mint work") and I won't need to make another adjustment until I begin the foot (and probably not even then). If I'm a stitch or two off when I reach the toe, I'm not going to obsess about it.

Almost Showtime!

Day 296: Two weeks from now, these four items will be delivered to the Washington State Fair (Puyallup Fair). The waffle-weave coverlet is my sole entry in the Weaving Division. The other three will be competing in Spinning in the classes Socks, Blended Fibers (the center skein) and Drop Spindle. The Fair runs from September 1-24, open every day except Tuesdays and Sept. 6. Unfortunately, my reservations with regard to COVID and being in public places will mean that I do not attend, but I'll be using the time wisely, working on pieces for the 2024 season.

Fair Socks

Day 197: The Washington State Fair (aka the Puyallup Fair) isn't until September, but I am hard at work on several entries for the "Textiles-Spinning" division including these socks. Yes, that's handspun, a blend of Merino wool and bamboo fiber: silky-soft and durable, and if you think the colour is too pink for the Crow, you'd be right on the mark. Some lucky person will be receiving these as a gift, and hopefully, they'll be accompanied by certification of prize-winning status. I've never competed in the spinning division before. I will also be submitting a full skein of fingering weight in a different colourway, and possibly even a skein of finer yarn spun on a drop spindle. All three will fall into different classes within the spinning division increasing my chances to bring home a ribbon.

Yeti Socks

Day 144: Okay, I admit it: I'm a cheapskate. It's my Scots ancestry coming out. When I knit, I tend to knit serviceable items as opposed to dressy or "fun" ones, and the yarns I use are also of a rather plain and purely functional nature. However, when a skein of novelty yarn comes my way, I like to use it to best advantage. Such was the case here. Kevin's wife purchased the recommended amount of Caron Latte Cakes for her project and wound up with a full skein left over. Since companies like Caron frequently produce unique yarns intending only a short-term run, she couldn't get more because the yarn was no longer being made. She passed it along to me, and after some careful counting, measuring and planning, I determined that I could get a matching pair of fuzzy socks out of a cake which only held two and a half repeats of the colour sequence. I'll use the remainder for cuffs on mittens or a hat. The saddest part of this story is that I really like the yarn! Too bad it's discontinued. I call these my "Yeti socks."

A Foot And A Half

Day 94: "The world needs more silly." Friends often hear me say that, so here's a fit of the sillies, Crow-style. A friend gave me some utterly delightful merino/nylon "washable-wool" fingering yarn for Christmas which I immediately assigned to become a new pair of socks. I started the first one about a week ago using the wrong pattern and didn't realize it until I had the cuff done. I ripped it out and started over with 12 additional stitches. By the end of the day, I had a new cuff. Socks are fairly quick and fun, so I've split the work into daily goals: cuff, heel and gusset, foot and toe, i.e., three days per sock. As you can tell, I have a foot and a half done (actually, a foot and two-thirds, but for the sake of preserving the visual pun, we'll leave it at this).

And The Stockings Were Hung

Day 68: Since November 30, I have turned out ten pair of socks in women's sizes 6-9. I don't recall an occasion when I have worked as steadfastly at the needles over such a prolonged period. Even though both friends who placed their orders told me that I didn't need to rush, I felt compelled to get the job done quickly so that they would have them in time for Christmas gift-giving. There were a couple of days when I turned out less than a whole sock, but others when by bedtime, I had completed a sock and a half.

I credit my swiftness to knitting in the European style ("picking" as opposed to "throwing"). In picking, the yarn is held in the left hand. The right hand stays almost stationary and the yarn is brought forward to purl by a simple movement of the left index finger. It makes ribbing a breeze! Interestingly enough, I was taught by my paternal grandmother to pick, although I learned most of my other needle skills from my mother's mother. She insisted that I throw, so until I was on my own in the world, I abandoned picking and struggled with the tedium of throwing the yarn with each stitch. Once I reverted to the European style, knitting became a much more enjoyable task. Socks remain one of my favourite projects, but maybe I'll take my time with the next pair.

The Week In Socks

Day 55: Every year I make several pair of socks for the Park's Christmas party silent auction which benefits our Employee Association. Last year, I put out three pair. One of my colleagues was bidding on all three, but got nudged out on all but one pair. This year, she wanted to be sure she had socks for gifts, so on November 30 when we met to start planning the party, she told me she wanted four pair. That was one week ago, and my fingers have been flying. I'm on Sock #8!

Fortunately, socks are one of my favourite things to knit. Although the idea scares many knitters away from tackling the task, turning a heel isn't as difficult as it sounds. Beginners may want to make notes as they complete rows, but with very little practice, you'll learn to recognize the points at which decreases should be made while shaping. When picking up stitches for the triangular side gusset, I use markers so I don't have to count.

I'd never really thought about how long it took to knit a sock. I usually just pick away at them in my idle time, but with time constraints driving me, I discovered that on average, one worsted-weight sock takes about five hours to complete. When #8 is done, I think I'll just keep going. Might as well lay in a supply for next year's silent auction!

Knitting 4-Needle Socks

Day 67: Seriously, no aspiring knitter should be afraid of making four-needle socks. Knitting in the round is easy, and turning a heel presents no problem as long as you pay attention to the count. Even if you lose track, there are visual clues you can't miss unless your attention is really wandering. Making socks is loads of fun! I just wish I had an extra pair of hands so I could make more.

No Idle Hands

Day 49: Of the many things my grandmother taught me, one basic piece of philosophy stands out: keep your hands busy. She expressed this tenet by saying, "Idle hands are the devil's playground," and while I don't believe in devils, it's quite true that boredom opens doors for mischief in most people, mild or otherwise. It may manifest as something as simple as snacking too heavily. After all, your hands want something to do. Why shouldn't they pick up a scoop of nuts or a piece of chocolate and convey it to your mouth? Busy hands are happy hands, and as you might infer, mine have had plenty to do with more to come. This display doesn't show what's already boxed for shipping, just a few last-minute projects to keep my fingers out of trouble.

Sock Season

Day 11: It's sock season again! I'm back knitting away, in this case finishing up a project I started last spring even as I plan for the next pair. Knitting is one of those things I do when the weather is nasty, and this past week has certainly fallen into that category. Socks are one of my favourite projects, too. Know anybody who has cold toes?

Going On The Block

Day 71: Someone is going to have warm tootsies on Christmas morning! Our Park Christmas party includes a silent auction, and I've crafted these two pair of 100% wool hiking socks specifically for the occasion.

Knitting socks is not as challenging as it sounds, and can be very addictive once you've mastered the technique of turning the heel. I prefer to work the full length of the cuff in k2, p2 rib. It helps to keep the socks from bunching up around the wearer's ankles. For hikers, I keep the foot plain. Cables or other fancy stitches tend to become uncomfortable in firmly laced boots. Save the decorative stitches for lighter weight yarns and socks you intend to be seen!

Flying Fingers

Day 66: Busy, busy, busy! Making socks has renewed my interest in knitting, a hobby I'd laid aside for a number of years in favour of crochet, hardanger and counted cross-stitch. When you pursue any craft on a regular basis, it tends to go stale at some point, and I'd become bored with Fair Isle, Aran and four-needle projects, regardless of the challenges they presented. With my mind on other things, I forgot how much I truly enjoyed knitting; listening to the clack of the needles, feeling the yarn slide over my fingers, watching the garment grow beneath my hands. After making a couple of pair of lightweight socks using wool blended with rayon made from bamboo, I decided I needed some heavy-weight wool "hikers." Knitting continental style ("picking" with the yarn held by the left hand), the work goes very quickly. With my sock drawer full now, I'll be donating several pair to the Park's Christmas party silent auction.

Knitting Around Corners

Day 44: The very thought of turning a heel is enough to put many needleworkers off the idea of knitting four-needle socks, but the process is actually quite simple to master. Once the cuff is complete, the stitches are redistributed so that the instep is divided onto two needles and the remainder of the stitches are slid onto one needle for the heel flap. The flap can be worked in different ways, but I prefer to add reinforcing thread at this point. For a cushiony, thick flap, Row 1 is sl 1, p across. Row 2 is *sl 1, k 1,* repeated across the row. Turning the heel is simply a matter of working short rows back and forth, increasing the distance travelled past the center mark by one stitch per row until there are no more stitches to work. The first stitch of these short rows is always a slip stitch.

Then comes the fun part! To make the triangular gussets, stitches are picked up along the edge of the heel flap and markers are put in place to indicate where the instep begins and ends. Knitting progresses to within three stitches of the first marker, two stitches are knit together and one stitch is knit plain. The instep is worked straight across, and when the second marker is reached, one stitch is knit, the next slipped, the next knit, and then the slipped stitch is passed over the knit stitch. Decreases are made in this manner, most often with a plain round between them, until the appropriate stitch count is reached. Then you're back to plain knitting (or patterned, if you want some variety). All that's left is decreasing for the toe and weaving the last few stitches together. Oh, and making Sock #2. Double the fun!

Warm Winter Woollies

Day 6: I decided to dedicate myself to finishing up the sock project over the last couple of days so I could start a pair of mittens. I waited for this morning's natural light to weave the toe, and once that was done, I pulled out a skein of wool worsted and a set of size 4 double-point needles, casting on a mere 44 stitches for the mitten cuff. It didn't take long before I had the requisite three inches completed and now I'm ready to start the thumb gusset. I seldom knit with worsted yarn and it always suprises me at how quickly the heavier material works up. I feel like I'm knitting ship's hawser on a pair of spars!

Three-Quarters Of A Pair

Day 267: I don't recall the specifics, but for some reason (possibly decorating for Christmas), I moved the Ethiopian basket and the project it contained from the top of a living-room bookcase to a less obvious one around the corner in the kitchen. The basket has sat there ever since, the sock in progress forgotten, and other more pressing works (quilting, blackwork, bobbin lace) pushing the unfinished knitting away from my attention. You see, a personal rule governs my needlework: I may engage in any number of projects concurrently, but no two of the same type, which is to say I may be knitting, crocheting, quilting, making lace, embroidering, spinning, weaving, tatting in any given time frame, but I may not knit a sweater until the socks are finished. The rule prevents me from becoming bored over the long term, but I think it's about time I pick up the needles again!