Cranberry Twist Socks

Cranberry Twist
Needles: 2.25 mm dpn
Yarn: 420 yard skein of Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Select, a pure superwash merino fingering weight yarn from Alaskan Nancy on Etsy
Pattern: Mock baby cable

You Are My Sunshine (Baby Socks)

Needles: 3.25 mm dpn
Yarn: Summer Sun by March Hare 75/25 Superwash merino/nylon; 455 yards per ball; fingering weight
Pattern: Two x two ribbing

A Good Day to Wear Wool Socks

I recently came across this essay, A Brief History of Socks and Hand-knitted Footwear, which I found fascinating to read. There was recent post on the knitlist as well, signed "Maggie in IL" who reminded us that many years ago almost all hand knit socks were made of wool and people knew to wear them with shoes and to darn holes and thin spots. She reminds us that yes, 100% wool socks do need to be hand washed and that the tighter the knit the better the wearing.

It's a cold, dark, wet, and dreary Oregon autumn day and I'm working late today and so this morning I put on a pair of handknit socks ; specifically the Go Beavs! socks I finished recently, with an orange pullover and a black skirt. My feet are very, very happy that I did.

Autumn Sunset Socks

Needles: 2.25 mm dpn
Yarn: Castle Fibers 90% wool, 10% nylon sock yarn
Pattern: Stockinette

Goldengrove Unleaving Socks

I named these socks after a phrase in a poem I like entitled Spring and Fall: To a Young Child by Gerard Manley Hopkins.

Margaret, are you grieving
Over Goldengrove unleaving?
Leaves, like the things of man, you
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?
Ah! as the heart grows older
It will come to such sights colder
By and by, nor spare a sigh
Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie.
And yet you will weep and know why.
Now no matter, child, the name:
Sorrow's springs are the same.
Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed
What heart heard of, ghost guessed:
It is the blight man was born for,
It is Margaret you mourn for.

Needles: 2.25 mm dpn
Yarn: Uber-gold sock yarn (100g of 75% superwash merino wool and 25% nylon) from
Black Trillium on Etsy; bought in May, 2008
Pattern: Cascading Leaves, a free pattern on Ravelry.
Modifications: I knitted extra repeats for the legs and included the pattern down into the feet.

Deep Blue Sea Baby Socks

I knit these during my breaks and during lunch time at work earlier this week.

Needles: 2.25 mm dpn
Yarn: Fingering weight 75/25 Superwash merino/nylon 455 yards per ball from The March Hare on Etsy
Pattern:
Rnd 1: Sl1, k2, psso, p1
Rnd 2: K1, yo, k1, p1
Rnds 3 and 4: K3, p1

One More Pair

Here's a preview of some socks I wanted to knit in October. They're not going to be finished in time so I'm going to put them on November's list. The list is long. We'll see how many of them I can finish.

Go Beavs! Socks

Yes, I know they're black and orange. They do look like Halloween socks, don't they? But don't be tricked! These treats are Oregon State University Beaver socks.

Black and orange are the university's colors and as I work as a librarian/archivist at the university library, I made this pair of socks to show my school spirit. Homecoming is this week-end! On Halloween! Go Beavs!

Needles: 2.25 mm dpn
Yarn: Self-striping 460 yards 75% superwash merino / 25% nylon from knittingdiva on Etsy
Stitch pattern: Stockinette

Pumpkin Vine Socks

Pumpkin Vine
Needles: 2.25 mm dpn
Yarn: Moss Rock 4 oz/113g 480 m 75% merino wool, 25% nylon from Wool Candy on Etsy
Pattern: Pumpkin Vine (free on Ravelry)

Review of The Little Book of Socks

The Little Box of Socks by Charlene Schurch is just that--a book sized container with 20 laminated sock patterns. Many of them are especially helpful for working with hand-painted yarns so they don't become blobs of color. It includes lace socks, felted socks, and Fair Isle socks. There is only one toe up sock, which is fine by me as I like to knit cuff down. I'm making a list now of the patterns I plan to add to my to-knit list.

Work in Progress

I really have been knitting this past couple of weeks. I'm working on my Pumpkin Vine socks. I hope to finish them in the next few days.

A Little Nutty (Baby Socks)

Details:
Needles: 2.25 mm dpn
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM
Colorway: 613
Stitch pattern: Rnd 1: p1, sl1, k2, psso, p1; Rnd 2: p1, yo, k1, p1; Rnds 3 and 4: p1, k3, p1

Witch's Stockings

My Halloween socks!
Details:
Needles: 2.25 mm dpn
Yarn: 50% superwash merino and 50% tencel; 100g approximately 330m from LaJoie de Fibres by Tricoterie on Etsy
Stitch pattern: Stockinette

Prairie Field Socks

Details:
Needles: 2.25 mm dpn
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM (2 skeins)
Colorway: P506
Stitch pattern: Rnd 1: p2,k2,p1,k1; Rnd 2: p2,k1,p1,k2