Thursday, March 17, 2016

Sock Update


For a few days, we have been wrapped by lovely warm air and every corner of my immediate world shouts SPRING!  I am not sure just how long this will last, but this feels so right and so good. There is the sun, beautiful and bright, and the light wind; it is almost like a soft warm whisper!
Yesterday I finally put the last stitches on my crochet scarf and it is blocking now. It is going to need buttons and ends woven in and then finally(!) it is done. Getting something off the needles/hook is such a good feeling! It freed so much energy that I could seriously tackle my sock knitting. 
I have had the February socks hanging in the air for a long time. The first one of the pair is done but getting the news stitches on the needles for the second one, seemed to take some serious determination. However, there they are at the moment and already it feels like the second one is almost done. It is the first 5 centimeters of the second sock that are the hardest. Once I have passed the 5cm (2") mark, the rest seems to get done with less effort.
I cast on for the first pair of March socks and they are also progressing well. I combined the blue/violet/green self-striping yarn with some off-white, because somehow the color as itself felt little bit too dark for this season. The self-striping yarn is Viking MiniRaggen (discontinued), the yarn seems little flat, as if it is lacking body, quite different from e.g. Regia, that feels sturdy and squishy. I paired it with mystery yarn from my stash, or so I thought when I found the yarn, but I have a feeling now that I have been knitting with it, that it is combination of wool and bamboo... it feels almost the same as MiniRaggen. I wet blocked my beginning (with the stitches on the needles!) to see how the yarns would change when blocked, I was afraid that they would lose all their body and would turn out to be too loose, but no, the sock seemed to keep its shape quite well which was a happy surprise. I have decided to keep the stitches on the needles and hopefully this pair will be done and not end up being ripped. I am having second thoughts all the time and usually these thoughts result in ripping back.
The second pair of March socks will be with this Regia Fluoromania, this ragged looking skein. I have plenty of similar sad and ragged skeins in my stash, as I am always too eager to cast on only having to rip back after few hasty rows without any plans at all. I don't seem to learn, and my shortsighted behavior feeds my stash with skeins without bands.
This is my sock drawer as it was yesterday. Few pairs are in the mending basket and few in the laundry but most of them are here. You really need to be a sock knitter to understand this;
photographing the contents of a sock drawer, but seeing sock drawers or sock boxes on Instagram (#operationsockdrawer) is so inspirational that I just had to take a picture of my drawer. I think I have one pair of knee-highs but they don't seem to be here... I wonder where they are.
Sock knitting is keeping me entertained but have you seen these crochet shoes? (Ravelry link) You totally can crochet your own shoes, go and take a look. I am tempted, bought already couple of patterns and would love to make a pair. Take your time and see them all, there is plenty there to look at. In the pattern, there are instructions how to put soles to your slippers so that you can wear them outside. How great is that?
This is all for now, be well and wool with you,
Lene

PS. How to pronounce Väinö? V and N are normal V and N, but ä is like a in hat, but  - "ö is roughly like the same letter as in German or EU in French; the nearest equivalent in English is the (long) vowel in "fur" which would be written in Finnish as "föö" or "föör".  If you would like to know more, please click this or this link.

12 comments:

  1. Lovely drawer pictures - I understand perfectly, and recently posted a picture of my drying rack with nothing but handnit socks :)

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  2. Minä ainakin ymmärrän sukkavillityksesi. Minun laatikossani on ainakin yhtä monet sukat ja niitä on oltava aina. Ohuista langoista kudottuja, kauniita sukkia. Ihana sinun laatikkosi.

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  3. Oh, your sock drawer is giving me envy!! They are all so beautiful. I'm almost done the second sock in the (only) third pair I have made. But...I just bought yarn for 3-4 more pair and have more in my stash. I've been tempted to try to knit and felt slippers. I have a couple of patterns for that. I may wait until fall and cooler weather to do that though.

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  4. Jeannie18:38

    I wish I lived in a cold enough climate for wool socks! They are so beautiful!!

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  5. Your sock drawer is quite lovely. I have about a quarter of the number of socks you have, but as I live in North Florida, I don't need nearly as many as you do... :-) Ran across a 16 second video on a new way to fold socks this morning and will be dumping and refolding all my socks this evening! Thought I'd share with you and your followers.~~~ http://www.wimp.com/folding-socks-the-right-way/

    Warmest Regards,

    ~~Mary~~

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  6. Anonymous04:36

    I am anxious to see your crocheted scarf after blocking!

    Love that sock collection.

    Melody

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  7. Love your sock draw ! I never get tired of knitting socks. Do you wear them with boots or clogs I wonder..

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  8. Your sock drawer is very similar to mine but I have about half the number of socks. I am using up the left-over sock yarn this year by knitting socks with two or three different yarns and am enjoying the process. My socks are all stocking stitch so far but looking at your March socks, I might introduce some cables/lace into the next pair.

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  9. Very beautiful sock drawer!

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  10. Anonymous20:54

    I, too, would love to see the crochet scarf modeled. It looks so wide I am wondering if it gets doubled around the neck. Your sock knitting is amazing! I have a drawer that looks like yours and the number of socks goes up and up! Good for the soul!

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  11. That sock drawer is full of dreams. Dreamy. I understand your need to lighten up a sock with some off-white for this season. I have been fussing with yarns for this very reason. I seem to have all these darker skeins on hand from the winter but now I crave the knits bright and light!

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  12. Lene - Your socks are lovely! Just wondering how you care for them. Do you had wash? I've been putting mine in the washer and then hanging to dry, but they are starting to felt a bit which is not good. Penny

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