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New year, new goals, new socks

Happy 2012 to everyone! My New Year’s Eve was pretty anticlimactic. Laura came over, we poured some drinks, wound some yarn, and knit while watching Romancing the Stone until another friend came over and we chatted. I definitely fell asleep before midnight. Go me!

I’ve already started on a new project to finish soon—a couple of Hitchhikers to knit as belated birthday gifts for a couple of friends. It’s a nice, relatively mindless garter stitch pattern, and is doing some fun striping in the colorway I am using first. I had planned this project a few weeks ago, so here’s to my first project off the queue, using stash yarn!

As you know, last year I decided to knit 12 pairs of socks. And while that didn’t end up happening, I did finish the socks for December, but didn’t have a chance to post about them until now.

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December’s pattern, Wishbone Socks, was originally January’s pattern, but I ran into some yarn problems (in the form of giant tangles). I started these socks on December 21, and knit most of them when I wasn’t reading Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or tearing my way through the Stephanie Plum novels. I just finished Hot Six last night, and I’m trying to pace myself—my mom loaned me books five through eight, with the promise of sending the others in the mail, but they won’t arrive until the end of the week. Anyway, socks.

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I wasn’t sure how I felt about this yarn while I was knitting it. A wool-nylon blend, it felt a little scratchier than most other sock yarns, but I have to say it was pretty comfortable for wearing. As for the pattern, I really don’t recommend using the pattern as written if you’re new to sock knitting. It is a free pattern, and a pretty easy to follow pattern if you know what you’re doing, but there are some vagaries and no chart key (it’s an easy chart, worked over 4 rows, but again, if you’re new to chart-reading, it may not be the best project for you).

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These socks are knit toe up, and I really can’t stand fiddling with a Turkish cast on, or even Judy’s magical one, but I love knitting short-row toes. And then I’m wacky and don’t really like knitting short-row heels, so I made up a gusseted heel thing (I’m sure I’m not the first, and I got the idea from looking at other toe-up heels, so I’m not going to go into detail). Ashley pointed out Wendy Johnson’s toe-up heel flap technique, so I’m going to try that out on my next pair of toe-up socks, which may happen sooner rather than later, as I have some awesome pink and deep purple self-striping yarn to make as-high-as-they’ll-go socks.

For now, though, I’m going to sit back with my garter stitch scarflet.

6 Comments

  1. preita preita

    they look fabulous! I love the color SO MUCH!

    • threadpanda threadpanda

      Thank you!

  2. I really love this color. I’d love to try the pattern but I’m a little intimidated that there’s no chart key! Eek!

    Could you point me in the direction of that Wendy Johnson heel technique? I’m obsessed with toe-up socks right now. But I hate picking up stitches and doing short rows there too. (I think I need to pick up the Knitters Book of Socks!)

    • threadpanda threadpanda

      It’s a really simple chart–four-row repeat with two 2-to-1 cable crossings on the fourth row. It’s just kind of annoying that the designer couldn’t be bothered to include a simple key. As for the toe-up with gussets, I did find this on Wendy’s site. She’s got a lot of amazing resources there, and a handy dandy search bar, so I would suggest just playing around there for a while. The technique also appears in at least one of her toe-up books (maybe both, I haven’t had a chance to see if it’s in both books).

  3. Becka Becka

    Just discovered this blog, and we have two things in common–a love of Stieg Larsson books and lofty goals. I committed to knitting 12 sweaters in 2012. I’m a little nervous, but more excited than anything else! 🙂

    • threadpanda threadpanda

      Hello there and welcome! I’ve only read the first of the Millennium Trilogy, so I don’t know quite how I feel about Stieg Larsson, but hopefully I’ll have a better idea as soon as I can get the other two. Twelve sweaters, that’s awesome! I managed to knit seven one year. Good luck!!

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