Sock Drawer

In a post I wrote almost three years ago on August 1, 2009, I stated that I had been inspired by a photo of a drawer full of socks I'd seen on Flickr and that I wanted a sock drawer like it.  I have it now. Click on the photo to see all the socks.  There are 55 pairs of socks and I have 20 more pairs that didn't fit.  I've also knit about 35 pairs of baby/toddler socks.  Am I finished?  No!  I love knitting socks.  My husband keeps asking me if we have enough socks now and I tell him no.  Perhaps I'll stop when I reach 100 pairs.  Or perhaps not.

Starry, Starry Night

I bought this yarn over two years ago and finally decided it was time to use it for a pair of socks.
In my journey to find the perfect plain vanilla sock pattern I did the following:  I cast on 64 stitches, used size 0 needles, and continued with k2, p2 for the ribbing.  I had planned to switch to stockinette at that point, but I liked how the ribbing emphasized the colors in the yarn so I just continued in k2,p2.

Watermelon Slices Socks

Yarn: Fannie's Fingering Weight yarn, 400 yards, 4 oz.  80% Merino, 20% Nylon  Colorway: Watermelon
Needles: Size 0 (2.00 mm) double pointed needles
Pattern: Plain stockinette.  See here for a sock calculator.

Watermelon socks?  In May?  Well, yes.  I haven't knit any socks in almost three months and when I saw this yarn in my stash, I thought--this is it!  I am so tired of cold wind, dark clouds, and rain.  We are just starting to get some nice weather--a little blue in the sky, some sun.  I am done with winter and I skipping right over spring into summer.  Oh, I'll go back (maybe) and knit some spring socks.  But for now I'm going to pretend it's summer.

I plan to knit quite a few pairs of socks this summer, many in plain stockinette.  I am on a quest to find the perfect plain vanilla pattern.  This pair was knit over 60 stitches using size 0 needles.  I  began with k2(b), p2 ribbing for 12 rounds.  The needle size seems right but on the next pair I knit I'm going to use 64 stitches.  We'll see how that works.

Robin's Egg Blue Socks

Needles: Size 1
Yarn: Robin's Egg Custard Sock Yarn 100 percent Merino wool, 3.5 oz/100g approximately 490 yards/448m from Wool Candy on Etsy.
Pattern: Summer Lovin Socks designed by Dawn Matkovic available free on Ravelry.

I finished one sock last year and started the second. I love the yarn and the color and how they turned out. Finishing a UFO has helped me jump start my sock knitting again.

Selling Sock Yarn and Where I've Been

I've put some sock yarn for sale on Ebay. You can see the listings here.

And after boasting not too long ago about how I was able to knit so many socks because, for one reason, I did not have any chronic illnesses, I have to admit that I have been felled by calcific tendonitis. The medical literature describes the pain as "exquisite". I would use a different word.

I forgot my age and spent a couple of days before Christmas cleaning carpets and moving heavy furniture and boxes. I felt a twinge in my right shoulder and the pain kept getting worse. After two weeks of not being to raise my right arm to do so much as comb my hair I went to the doctor and the x-ray showed calcific tendonitis. Another x-ray a week later showed the calcifications had resolved but even with a cortisone shot, opiod pain relievers, and physical therapy the pain was still bad.

I was sent to get an MRI to see if I had rotator cuff damage (i.e., a tear) but it only showed a few remaining calcifications and a lot of inflammation. I'm back to icing, taking Advil, and going to physical therapy. Sock knitting has, alas, fallen by the wayside.

That'll show me for tempting fate. *sigh*

Christmas Dreams Baby Socks

Needles: 2.25 dpn
Yarn: unknown from stash
Pattern: Same as for Jingle Bells socks.

Jingle Bell Socks

Needles: 2.25 dpn
Yarn: 90% merino wool, 10% nylon from AlpacaJoe on Etsy. Colorway: Jingle Bells
Pattern: My Favorite Sock Pattern

12 in 2012

Here's a knit-along I've joined. The goal is to knit at least 12 pairs of socks in 2012 using yarn from stash. See here for details.

Mistletoe Socks

Needles: 2.25 dpn
Yarn: 90% Superwash merino, 10% nylon, 385 yards from AlpacaJoe on Etsy. Colorway: Mistletoe
Pattern: plain stockinette

How I Do That

Several people have asked me how I knit so many socks each month, along with knitting items for charity and hand quilting doll and full sized quilts and reading a minimum of 100 books a year. (You can find links to my other blogs where I talk about these other projects on the sidebar.)

Here's how I can accomplish so much:

1. I only work two days a week. My husband is retired and he does a lot of the cleaning, errand running, and cooking.

2. I am in relatively good health. I don't have arthritis or back problems or any other chronic medical condition which limits me or causes pain.

3. My four children are all grown and on their own, but I don't have any grandchildren yet to keep me occupied.

4. I get up between 4:30 am and 6:00 am every morning. Obviously I am a morning person. I organize my day so that I'm doing work I have to concentrate on mid-morning, when I'm most alert and energetic. I alternate doing something physical (raking leaves, doing house work or yard work, going to the gym or for a walk) with my sitting down projects throughout the day.

5. My strongest personality trait is persistence. I don't give up. I set high goals for myself.

6. I'm flexible. If a project isn't turning out the way I want it to, if I can't afford to buy the materials or tools I need for a project, or if I come across a project I just *have* to do now, I'll change my plans.

7. I am a list maker. I make lists of what I want to do each day, each week, and each month. I don't always get everything accomplished, but the lists help keep me focused.

8. I'm careful about how I commit my time. I work two days a week as a librarian and archivist at a university library and one morning a week volunteering, accepting consignments at a thrift shop which uses the proceeds for scholarships. I joined a quilt guild for a while, but I realized their focus was on art quilts while I prefer traditional quilts. It was not a good fit for me and so I dropped it.

9. I document what I do in these blogs. This way I can see what I've accomplished. It encourages me to do more.

10. I have fun! That's really the whole point, isn't it?

Slate Socks

Needles: 2.75 dpn
Yarn: Fannie's Fingering Weight 400 yards 4 ounces, 80% merino, 20% nylon. Colorway: Slate
Pattern: Plain stockinette over 52 stitches

Cranberry Socks

Needles: 2.75 dpn
Yarn: 70% merino wool 30% silk; 430 yards. Colorway: Ruby Lips. From The March Hare on Etsy.
Pattern: Autumn Lace.

Fairy Glen Baby Socks

Yarn: Unknown
Needles: 3.25 dpn
Stitch pattern:
Rnd 1: *sl1, k2, psso, p2*
Rnd 2: *k1, yo, k1, p2*
Rnds 3 and 4: *k3,p2*

Done over 40 stitches

Blazing Woods Socks

Needles: 3.25 dpn
Yarn: 100% superwash merino 2 ply wool; 100 gms/440 yds from SeeJayneKnits on Etsy. Colorway: Autumn Blaze
Pattern: Plain stockinette

I had to start this sock several times because I was having a problem with colors pooling. Using 3.25 needles and doing K2, P2 ribbing over 60 stitches, did the trick.