The sock drought

It's been almost four months since I knit a pair of socks (that I could share on the blog). That seems like a very long time for someone with the sock yarn stash I've got hiding upstairs. If we're going by that metric, this pair of socks barely count in the grand scheme of things (given that they are a) handspun and b) worsted weight yarn). However, I'm the one keeping score, so we're not going by that scale thankyouverymuch.

Toe-up socks with 2x2 ribbing at the cuff, Riverbed sockitecture a la Cat Bordhi, finished last week, but ends woven in yesterday. I split the roving (a gradient dyed superwash Corriedale from Spunky Eclectic) in half lengthwise, and then split each half in half again to spin two skeins of (mostly) matching two ply yarn. Started with red at the toe and kept going until I ran out of yarn (thus explaining the short-ish leg length).

 

I like them. G-man likes them too. They are just the thing to cure the winter blues, which is unfortunate since spring seems to have finally sprung. Guess that means it's time to weave in some ends on Himself's sweater, and finish the secret knitting.

Regressing

After a solid week of fingering-weight, handspun colorwork*, I felt the need to do something waaaay mindless and straightforward.

Enter toe-up, thick yarn socks, in handspun. Fiber is superwash Corriedale, colorway "Tartan" from Spunky Eclectic. US 5/3.75 mm needles. One sock finished in two short evenings of knitting. Gotta love it**.

* I finished on Saturday afternoon, wrapped it up, and gave it to Himself for his birthday. He was very pleased, and totally unsuspecting. Now I have to find the mental fortitude to weave in all the ends.

** I've also finished the center panel (yay!) and started the border on the SYB, picking up umpteen million stitches around the edge and starting to work in garter stitch. I'll keep going until it's big enough or I get tired of the damn thing.

FO: Some socks

I managed to get a few photos done yesterday.

My new handspun socks, which I adore (although I realized when taking these pictures that one is shorter then the other, so I need to go back and add a bit of length...).

Spinning this yarn was an exersise in trying to spin two skeins that would knit up into two matching socks. Ummm...actually, not so much, despite my best efforts.

That is ok, because I am madly in love with these socks. And it's finally gotten cold enough that I might actually wear them!

But it is hard to take pictures of your own legs that don't look funny.

Stats: toe up socks, size US women's 10/UK 8/EU 41 (otherwise known as porpoise-sized). I did an eye of partridge heel and calf shaping. Finished with about 3 inches of 2x2 ribbing.
Yarn: handspun Insect Wings BFL from Hello Yarn, two skeins of 255 and 254 yds, approximately DK weight. Spun as part of the Tour de Fleece 2010.
Needles: US 2/2.75 mm bamboo douple points.
Start/finish: 14 - 30 November 2011 (finished just in time for the November Sock a Month KAL)
Verdict: bliss

What happens when you knit socks out of handspun yarn?

They go really quickly! We went to York this weekend, and I managed to finish the first sock more or less on the way up. Of course, I had to redo the ribbing because I decreased too far and it wouldn't stretch enough to fit over my (rather generous) calves. But now the first one is done and I'm halfway down the foot of the second. Win!

Hopefully by the end of the week I will have handspun thigh high socks to enjoy. Maybe even in time for Thanksgiving!

bleh

Yesterday was the first of the Grim Days of Autumn here in London: grey, cold (about 9/45 degrees), and drizzling. I had one of those mornings where nothing goes right, including getting to work forty minutes later then planned and not having anywhere to lock my bike. In the cold rain. And I had a headache and wanted to put my head down on my desk and go to sleep. Bah.

So I came home early and snuggled the dog, dug out this yarn and wound it up on the ball winder. And I cast on some socks.

Suddenly, the day was much better...