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.

More Sock Yarn!

I just saw that I've won some sock yarn from Sock a Month. It's gorgeous! I can hardly wait to receive it so that I can fondle it and let it tell me what kind of socks it wants to be.

Soctoberfest!

I am thrilled I was able to knit four pairs of socks (one pair was a baby pair) this month, especially as I went through a few days of the stomach flu followed by a week with a bad cold. Although I didn't go to work on those days I was too sick to knit so it was a wash. I'm feeling better now and have begun the first pair of socks for November. I'm also looking at some other projects including charity knitting and making doll quilts.

Nevermore Socks

Needles: 2.25 dpnhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Yarn: 100 grams/438 yards of 50% superwash Falkland British Merino Wool and 50% silk. Colorway: The Raven from LolaDoodles on Etsy. The seller describes the color as "Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven, this yarn is hand-painted in rich, multi-layered hues of iridescent blacks, greens, blues and violets--as reflected in the feathers of that pesky bird."

Pattern: Hedgerow Socks. Pattern can be found here

Blackberry Pie! Socks

Needles: 2.25 dpn
Yarn: 3.5 oz/ 460 yards 75% merino wool, 25% nylon from WoolCandy on Etsy. Colorway: Pie!
Pattern: Blackberry Brambles by Irishgirlieknits

Pumpkin Patch Socks

Needles: 3.24 mm double pointed
Yarn: 75% superwash wool/25% nylon; 455 yds, fingering weight from The March Hare (Meg Warren) on Etsy
Pattern: Summer Lovin' (free pattern) See here.

Rain Clouds Baby Socks

Made from unknown leftover yarn, these socks were knit over 36 stitches and uses this stitch pattern:
Rnd 1: k3, p3
Rnd 2: k1, p1

Berry Tart Baby Socks

These were made from some leftover Koiga yarn. The stitch pattern is the same as the Heirloom Tomatoes sock I just finished.

Heirloom Tomato Socks

Yarn: 80% Superwash Merino/10% Cashmere/10% Nylon 100gm/435yards of fingering weight yarn. Colorway: Heirloom Tomatoes. From Catawampas Farm on Etsy.
Needles: 2.25 dpn
Pattern: Variation on Cloud Nine Socks by Debbie Orr. Pattern available free on Ravelry, here.

Firefly Baby Socks

I made this pair of socks from leftover yarn.

By the Sea Socks

The stitch pattern is a simple one:
Rnd 1: K1, P1
Rnd 2: K3, P3

The yarn is from Meg Warren on Etsy.

These socks are a reminder of our recent trip to the Oregon coast.

Watermelon Socks

I bought this yarn last March from Knitpurlgurl on Etsy. Knit in plain stockinette stitch they were fast, fun, and easy. I worked on them during our vacation trip to the Oregon coast and finished them today. I love them!

I even had enough yarn left over to make a little hat for Calvin's Hats. See picture and details here.

Hurry Spring! Socks

Needles: Size 1
Wool: 420 yard skein of hand-painted Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Select, a pure superwash merino fingering weight yarn. Colorway: Holiday Ornaments from AlaskanNancy on Etsy.
Pattern: Plain stockinette over 54 stitches

Daffodil Baby Socks

Needles: Size 2
Yarn: Leftover yarn Summer Sun by March Hare on Etsy. 75/25 Superwash merino/nylon
Pattern: Infant Socks, a free pattern found here. Modified by reducing number of stitches to 36 and using a K2,P2 ribbing.

Sage Leaf Socks Done!

Needles: 2.0 mm dpn
Yarn: Merino superwash sock yarn, 80% merino and 20% bamboo from WoolCandy on Etsy. Colorway: Olive
Pattern: Embossed Leaves from Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave, ed. by Ann Budd

I started these socks last September and have finally completed them!

Organizing My Yarn

I spent all of yesterday organizing my yarn and ended up with two large (18 gallon size) Rubbermaid storage totes and four file boxes. The storage totes hold my sock yarns and the others everything else. Everything is sorted by type of yarn and color. I also sorted my leftover sock yarn into gallon ziplock bags. I have two filled with fingerweight leftover and one with heavier (sock and dk weight). I'm hoping to use these to make Monstersocks.

I found some yarns I'd forgotten I had. I also couldn't find some I was certain I had, but I'll keep looking!

Wearing Socks!

The weather folks are predicting snow and freezing rain today so I'm wearing my socks. They may look strange paired with a skirt, but my feet will be warm!

Citron Vert Baby Socks

Lime Baby Socks, the first pair for 2011! I am busy knitting shop samples for the four classes I'll be teaching in the next couple of months and won't be able to work on more socks until I'm done. Hopefully, that will be by the end of next week!

These socks are made of leftover yarn, 100% Superwash merino wool yarn in fingering weight, I bought on Etsy from Evermore Studios on Etsy. I used size 2 needles and the stitch pattern is a double seed stitch.

Monstersocks!

I am being overwhelmed with baskets full of small balls of wool yarn left over from my sock knitting. What to do? I was intrigued by this idea which I first saw on a blog I read regularly, SockLadySpins. What a great idea! I may try that!