People, I take it back about making socks.
I can't, in good faith, continue to let you think that I hate them. In fact, having just completed the first sock of the second pair, I actually appear to be enjoying things.
A few moderating details:
- This time I modified a bunch of free, online patterns to suit my needs. The result: I'm knitting a stockinette sock with some cuff ribbing - aka as simple as it gets - in a circumference of 56 stitches rather than the standard 64. Better for my twig ankles, and I might, in future, scale down to 52. Note: Socks seem to work in repeats of 4 stitches, in my limited experience.
- I also went from using a slippery, spongy yarn with a needle having lots of traction (bamboo) to using a dense yarn with a (metal) needle having lots of slip. Repeat this mantra (at least if you're using magic loop and you're me): Less grip, more slip.
- It's official. I hate silk in yarn. I loathe how it makes it all floppy and drapey. In a sock, anything but strong, dense and close-fitting is untenable. No joking, as I write this, my daughter is wearing her new hand-made socks and saying: You need to make more in this yarn. It's so springy and soft!
- The Regia, however, is work-horse. It barely stretches, much less grows! The stitches are so tight and tiny and I love them.
- OMG - I finally understand the appeal of variegated yarn! It's so exciting to see, with each little round, what splotch or stripe or stray little pin-prick of colour will appear next. It's like magic colouring! Is it ugly? Hell yes! But it's so unrepentant, so jubilant in its ugliness that it's hard not to forgive and forget.
- To wit, I somehow managed to buy this:
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| More Regia variegated Color Twin sock yarn |
- Trust me. It's a whole new level of ugly. And I'm vaguely psyched.
Given that I'm half inclined to do a Sock Week series - in which I talk about various sock-related things and tell you how truly doable it is to knit a pair of them in a week - something tells me I may not be done with them. But I've accomplished this year's goal, thank you Gillian, and that's all I set out to do.
What do you think of my new yarn? Is it not 110% insane? Let's talk about what you like in a sock yarn. Variegated pattern? Cashmere? Machine-washability? I want to know!
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Oh boy, yeah, that is an interesting piece of ugly. Not my colours at all but I'm sure someone is going to absolutely adore it. When I did the blanket for my neice, the centre was solid and I debated about pink, yellow or baby varigated colours for the outside. My husband picked the varigated and I was kind of scared of it, but why ask for an opinion if you aren't going to listen? So I went with it and it was fun to see how the pockets of colours turned out as I went round and round. I get the appeal. Socks seem like a good place for a little bit of uncertainty.
ReplyDeleteHa! Whose colours could these possibly be?
ReplyDeleteSocks make you learn a lot about knitting and yarn and needles! I have a pair with a little silk in them (yarn is from Fyberspates) and they're great and durable. I suppose it depends on the amount of silk. I also have a pair with some alpaca and they're super warm! I prefer nickel-plated needles most of the time (I do magic loop as well) as the stitches slide nicely. The only times is switch for wood is when knitting shawls with a silky yarn. Oh and I so understand your love of variegated yarn: I'm especially fond of the self striping ones!
ReplyDeleteWhat are Addis made of? Those are the ones I use. I suppose, for silky shawls, the wood would be useful.
DeleteNot going to say it yet . . . biting my tongue. . . . so let's just focus on the ugly, 'cause yes, it is, and yet . . . like you, I find the various colour stories mesmerizing. So cool to watch them play out. Noro yarns are probably too rough/homespun for your sensibilities, but what they do with colour in a skein is crazy (one long non-repeating story, seriously . . . .) And Sweet Georgia does some beauties . . . now that you're not hating on the socks anymore, the possibilities are infinite!
ReplyDeleteI found some sweet Georgia and the colours were vibrant, but I felt the fabric might not hold it's structure to the extent I require. Of course, if I do keep this up, one imagine it will be a great opportunity to learn more about yarn. It's easy to experiment with a small volume.
DeleteI like using strange colors like that when I knit socks for the husband - not completely boring but not so crazy he won't wear them. My favorite sock yarn has a tight twist to it - think Koigu or ShiBuiSock and even Spud & Chloe fine. I like using a sharp, pointy, slippery metal needle and I work 2 at a time magic looping. If the yarn doesn't have enough twist - I tend to split it with my needle.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy. g
Then you should get this stuff! I agree with you about the yarn twist being important with the magic loop.
DeleteI'm so glad you are having more fun now! :) Once you are done socks, what are you going to cast on next?
ReplyDeleteStop with your bamboozling ways! I'm going to finish the fingering cashmere sweater I've been working on. I have some pics to show soon.
DeleteSo glad you have turned the corner with socks. (I knew you had it in you and I'm so glad you gave it a try.) I am always surprised at how a varigated yarn can look so awful, yet turn out so nicely. For a simple sock the anticipation of what is coming next is just enough to keep me going. I prefer metal needles for most projects, but especially socks. I am currently knitting a cable hat for my husband out of sock yarn and using some ancient plastic needles. They were inherited from my grandma and they were the right size so I went with them. I am really missing the metal needles.
ReplyDeleteWhen you're working a simple sock, it's all you've got to occupy you so it's very relaxing to just knit and watch. I wish you had told me that those plastic needles are fantastic and that vintage knitting stuff is the thing.
DeleteI will only knit socks with Regia. The Husband loves it AND he is rough with his socks, but the yarn patiently puts up with it. I must go buy some soon...I found myself wishing for a sock project today. They're so very portable.
ReplyDeleteI am so lucky to find these amazing yarns, even though I'm a newbie. It's accidental half the time. And, of course, because readers and commenters are always giving me the best info.
DeleteYay for socks! What you call "ugly" in variegated yarn, I call "character" and the more character (i.e. the crazier colours) the merrier, IMO. I also only knit with 75% wool / 25% nylon blends and find that the German brands are best. Glad to hear you are enjoying it a bi more.
ReplyDeleteOK, let's call it character :-) I do love the nylon wool combo. It's not chichi seeming but it is durable to the touch.
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