Hearts All Around Socks

Needles: Needles: 2.25 mm dpn
Yarn: WoolCandy on Etsy; Cotton Candy colorway for main color. Hearts knit from scrap of Cranberry Sauce colorway from AlaskanNancy on Etsy.
Pattern: Stockinette stitch with heart pattern from page 18 of Sock Club: Join the Knitting Adventure by Charlene Schurch and Beth Parrott.

Finally!

I wanted to make heart socks this month and have spent the past two days struggling to find the right pattern and the right yarn. I auditioned six different yarns and as many patterns. I tried lace hearts and garter stitch hearts of various sizes and proportions and was unhappy with every result. Finally I found the right combination. The rest of the sock will be straight stockinette so it should go quickly. Yay!

Cupid's Arrows Socks

Cupid's Arrows
Needles: 2.25 mm dpn
Yarn: 3.5 oz/100 gm (460 yds) of fingering weight yarn in 75% Merino wool, 25% nylon in Cerises colorway from WoolCandy on Etsy
Pattern: A free pattern on Ravelry

Chocolate Covered Cherries Socks

Chocolate Covered Cherries
Needles: 2.25 mm dpn
Yarn: 420 yard skein of superwash merino fingering weight yarn in Cranberry, Chocolate, and Salmon colorway from AlaskanNancy on Etsy
Pattern: Plain stockinette

I was glad I was working with this particular colorway the last two weeks as my father-in-law was very fond of chocolate, especially chocolate covered cherries.

Photos

I have finished two pairs of socks for February--Chocolate Covered Cherries and Cupid's Arrows. I will post photos of both tomorrow.

Slowed Down

My father-in-law died January 30th. He was 89 and a wonderful person. He will be missed. My knitting time was taken with notifying friends and relatives, organizing my household as our oldest son and his fiance came from out of state and the other three sons, one with his wife and one with his fiance, from nearby towns. I wrote the obituary, helped John assemble a power point of photographs for the memorial service, we met with the rest of the family with the minister, and spent time with and comforted my mother-in-law. With all four of our sons here we took the opportunity to spend time with them--a dinner with all of us at a restaurant; a dinner at home. It was hectic, emotional, and exhausting.

I did get some knitting done--early in the morning when no one was up yet, late at night when I couldn't sleep--but so far I've only managed to knit one pair of socks and part of another pair this month.

I will put up a photo of the pair I've finished tomorrow. Perhaps I will also have finished a second pair by then.

Sock Names

I have a list of names for socks. With some I've just changed the name of an already available sock pattern. With others, I've found a stitch pattern which reminds me of something and I incorporate it into a generic 64-stitch sock pattern. Sometimes the sock is named after the name of the yarn. I have a list of possible sock names and ideas for the entire year.

I try to focus on the month or season which why this month the sock names are mainly about hearts and valentines. Next month there will be Pineapple Express (I'll explain that name when I get there) and Daffodils. In April there's Lilacs and Spring Fern, in May Leaf Lace and Spring Ahead, and in June, there's Cherry Ripe and Fly Away Home. I don't try to get too far ahead and some months seem to get a longer list than others and, then of course, I keep re-naming them and moving them from one month to another too.

New Year's Day Socks

This is the last pair of socks for January,although I suppose they should have been the first. I'm glad I have a few extra days to work on February's socks as it's an ambitious list and February is a short month to begin with.

Details:
Needles: 2.25 mm dpn
Yarn: 100gm, 420 yds of 70/20/10 blend of superwash merino, cashmere and nylon from StrickenSmitten on Etsy in Nighwing colorway
Pattern: Free pattern found here.

Needles Are Flying!

I'm working on the second New Year's Day sock now and it's going fast. I love the pattern and the yarn is yummy; I almost don't want to finish these because I'm enjoying it so much!

I'm working today so they won't be finished until tomorrow and it's unlikely I'll get a photograph up until Saturday. (Alert readers may have noticed that I removed Silver Bells from my January list because I knew I wouldn't have time to do them. I've renamed it Wedding Bells and put it on June's list.)

Flickering Flames Socks

Flickering Flames
Needles: 2.25 mm dpn
Yarn: 435 yd skein of 70% merino wool/30% silk, colorway Ruby Lips, by March Hare (Meg Warren) on Etsy
Pattern: Flickering Flames, a free pattern found here

I liked knitting this pattern, especially the picot cuff.

Orange Sherbet Baby Socks

Most of my baby socks are made of yarn left-over from making adult socks, but sometimes I want to make baby socks in colors I wouldn't use to make adult socks. Lucky for me, CraftsMeow on Etsy sells mini skeins of about 100 yards of beautiful sock yarn and I've bought several of these. This is one.

This is the stitch pattern I used:
Rnd 1: *P3, K1. Repeat from * around
Rnd 2: * P1, YO, P2tog, K1. Repeat from *
Rnds 3, 4, and 5: Knit around

Deep Winter Socks

Deep Winter
Needles: 2.25 mm dpn
Yarn: 420 yd skein of Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Select merino fingering weight yarn, kettle dyed by AlaskanNancy on Etsy
Stitch pattern:
Rnd 1: yo,ssk,k1, k2tog, yo, k1-b
Rnd 2: purl
Rnd 3: k1, yo, sl1, k2tog, psso, yo, k1, k1-b
Rnd 4: purl

I wasn't pleased with my choice of stitch pattern, called Little Arrowhead Lace, for this yarn as it effectively hides the zig-zag. I hope to use this stitch again, but this time using a plain colored yarn.

Winter Violets Baby Socks

Stitch pattern:
Rnds 1 and 2: k2,p2
Rnds 3 and 4: p

Dreaming of Hawaii Socks

Dreaming of Hawaii
Needles: 2.25 mm dpn
Yarn: 435 yards 70% merino wool and 30% silk in Glacier Bay colorway from The March Hare on Etsy
Pattern: Jigsaw Socks, free pattern on Ravelry