LACE (NOT SO) KNEE HIGHS

Yarn: Three Waters Farm Merino in "Etudes in Brown" colorway
Source: Maryland Sheep and Wool 2006 purchase
Pattern: "Lace Knee Highs" from Interweave Knits, Winter 2004
Needles: Inox size 2.5mm (US 1.5) metal
Notes: Features and inspiration noted here

I love these socks. They are probably the most intricate thing I have made - and I am proud of myself for going through with it. They took me some time to complete - I started them in late July - but it is completely worth it now (Well actually, sock one took several months; sock two only took about 2 weeks). The weather is perfect to wear these out and about with my Mary Janes and my boots. They did not turn out to be the knee highs that I originally planned them to be, (there was no calf shaping in the pattern!) but I love them all the same.

These were my first real lace chart, and I really enjoyed the process. The repeat was small, and I could handle watching TV at the same time (and that is really the true test for me). I can say that there will be more lace in my future. I don't know exactly what shape it will take, but I am looking forward to it. I have enough leftover of this glorious yarn, purchased at Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this past May, to make a lace shawl or scarf, and I just may give that a try.

The yarn was similar in ply and texture to Koigu or Louet: soft, with a subtle shine. The colors mesmerized me from the moment I saw them at the booth - I believe Amy and Stacey were with me - and they bought some too! They were the quintessential autumn colors - and now I can wear them on my feet whilst the beautiful trees peak around me!

These socks will be my *good luck charms* as I am planning to wear them tomorrow morning / afternoon during my graduate school comprehensive examinations.

~Please think good thoughts for me!~

I recently purchased Nancy Bush’s Knitting on the Road.

It has been on my wishlist for ages, and while I had her other sock books (love them all, by the way) I knew this one had a place in my collection as well. Basically, if it has Nancy’s name on it… (Speaking of Ms. Bush, I had an exclusive interview last week! Stay tuned for the transcript, and possibly the some sound recording - if I can figure out all of that techie stuff…)

It is such a fitting title too, for nearly all of the knitting I have been able to fit in lately has been on the road, or similarly on the rails. Progress on the Lace (Not So) Knee High occured en route to the optometrist yesterday morning. (See my new glasses?)

Only 60+ lace rows to repeat! (slow knitting is the name of the game at this point)

I am trying not to get frustrated with my lack of progress on these socks. Therefore, I think about how much I love this lace pattern (from Interweave Knits Winter 2004 issue) and what a joy it is to knit… and then I remind myself how much I love it when I have to frog a row…

…and speaking of frogging…

My knitty math skillz must be way oout of whack. This “customized” knee sock pattern is way too big. I am thinking of using this gorgeous Yarn Pirate (Cannon Beach colorway) yarn for another pattern, one that doesn’t involve so much math, conversions, and measurements.

The proclaimed Hokusai Knee High in my knitting bag along with the *now complete* scarf for my ISE pal (more details next post).

Sock knitting IS the perfect “on the road” project: portable, small, convenient. There is a fun discussion thread on the Socktoberfest Flickr group that would make a great discussion here as well:

Where have your handknit socks been?
What is the furtherst they have traveled?

My Dublin Bay socks made the long trip from Maryland to Hawaii last year (a year ago this week, in fact!), and my Diagonal Fixation socks were finished up on the road trip down south to Alabama this past January. There is no doubt that I will be bringing socks on my upcoming California vacation either (one month away and I can hardly wait!).

Feel free to weight in here, over on the thread, or even make your own blog post about it! (and tell me here that you did so!) Have you knit socks on the trip? Did you take finished socks to wear in a faraway place? I would love to know where your socks have been!

…Close to home, but still out in the wild…

My Koigu Indigo socks on my nature trek yesterday!

…Where Lolly braves the wilds of the nation's capitol, and the public transit system, with her trusty sock by her side…

I was off to a school-related workshop on Tuesday night, and I took my sock along with me on the Metro train into DC. Any other public transit knitters know that people STARE at knitters… like they are mesmerized by the knitting motions. It is an unusual phenomenon, and has held true in my years of riding the train and knitting. And nothing seems to draw the stares more than the double pointed needles. Maybe people are afraid I will use them as a weapon… who knows.

Yes, I took a picture of myself on the train with my sock. No, there was no one else in the car at the time. There is about a 5-minute lull where I can get this picture - from my stop (at the end of the line) to the following stop, where lots of people get on. I snapped the picture just in time too, right before anyone saw me. My second Lace (Not So) Knee High is even further along at this point, into the lovely lace panel!

See the headphones? That is to keep the weirdos away. (Yes, I know I am a weirdo too for taking a picture of myself on a train with a sock WIP… but these are different weirdos altogether).

Let me explain: I am not adverse in any way to sharing my craft with the casual stranger. I have had many nice people compliment my work, ask about knitting classes, or simply smile and nod. However, I had one particular encounter with a woman a few months ago that I just can't shake…

…It was bad from the beginning. She was a protestor - not that that is automatically a bad thing - but she was in support of something that I am very much against: Her t-shirt actually said (and I kid you not!) Make War. She was decked out too: pins and buttons and picket signs. (Okay, no more politics, I promise…) The train was not full, and yet, she came over and sat right next to me. I was working on my Trekking XXL #108 socks. She was inches away from me and was staring at my knitting. I shuffled to give her some more room (and to get a breath for myself) and she took that as a cue to strike up conversation. Let me preface this by saying: I am a nice person. I will not be mean to anyone unless insulted or provoked in some way. And although I don't remember the exact wording, this is definitely the way the conversation went:

"Is that hard?"

"No. It is not too bad."

"It looks awful."

[flustered] "No it doesn't! This is only 1 inch of the cuff, and it looks exactly like it is supposed to look."

"I meant 'awful hard'. So, it's a sock, right?"

"Yes."

"Is that wool? the scratchy kind?"

"It is not scratchy at all. It is called merino."

"Lemme give you this… [fumbles around in one of her bags] Here is my address. I want you to knit some size 8 socks for me, and some size 4 socks for my daughter. Pink for her, and purple for me, and I don't want the scratchy kind. You can mail them to that address."

"Excuse me?" [I totally heard her, I just couldn't believe what she said]

"You do make socks for others…"

"Um, no. These are for me. I only knit for my family and friends… and I don't take orders! I can't believe that you would say that to a complete stranger!"

I stood up, did not look back, and promptly got off the car at the next stop. I could not believe the audacity of this woman! I moved one car up, and thankfully there were no other propositions there!

I do wish I had seen the look on her face, however…

The point is: make things for people who will truly appreciate the work that was put into your craft. Someone who will value it, cherish it, and take good care of it. Sometimes that person is you, and you alone. Sometimes it is your mother, your sister, your dad, your best friend, but don't EVER make things for weirdos on the train.

PS-I was holding on to this story for weeks and weeks - I couldn't wait to post about it for Socktoberfest

Lest you think that I only write posts about Socktoberfest, I wanted to prove that I am actually making socks this month too! Sock knitting comes slower for me than other garment and accessory knitting.  I have whipped up a sweater in ten days, but socks take me weeks upon weeks.  However, this has not squelched my love of socks - it just takes me longer to get a product!

Festive, no?

This sock has taken so long, it feels like I should count it as a finished object by itself! 

This detail (blocking on a wine bottle, I might add) is a great representation of the natural color of the yarn, which is Three Waters Farm Handpainted Merino from Maryland Sheep and Wool festival.  These socks have been notoriously difficult to photograph throughout the process.  The lace panel is quite fun to work through, and I find myself looking forward to sock 2. I started this sock at the end of July (right before Project Spectrum's neutral month).  At this speed, is sock 2 a possibility before 2007?  I hope Socktoberfest can help me with that!

Just as a reminder, this sock was originally planned to be a knee high, as seen here in the Winter 2004 Interweave Knits magazine.  They were inspired by a mid-90s Vivienne Westwood design[seen here at Anna's site], and adapted and changed by knitwear designer, Kristin Spurkland. However, it became clear that with the lace panel and no calf-shaping built into the pattern, it was not going to be a knee high.  I am very happy with the length, however, and they will be worn frequently, because brown is my obsession.  I am already planning outfits around the socks! 

Now… to move on to the second one!

However, with the premiere of LOST last night, I could not get bogged down in the lace chart of that sock.  I had not planned on starting these, but it just kind of happened… (was anyone else slightly disappointed with the premiere? I hope they pick it up)

I bought the lovely Greetings from Knit Café book over the summer with a gift certificate (I won *bingo* at the company picnic!) and there are many patterns that I like in the book, but I knew I had to have these socks (see the theme here?  I can't seem to get knee socks outta my mind!)

CANYON HIKING SOCKS from Knit Café

My version:

Dark Rose Heather colorway of Lion Brand Wool Ease - It's been in my stash for ages, and I played around a little with the needles and got a nice gauge swatch.  I am also planning a dark pink/purple stripe around the calf section, like the model photograph above, except in one color.  Working these on size 5 (3.75mm) needles might actually give me some quick(er) results too - But, no promises!

It's the crisp in the air… the slightly lower temperatures… the start of school… it's almost AUTUMN, my friends! 

This is without a doubt my favorite time of year!

Fall foliage, pumpkins, harvest, and of course, the return of cold weather knits!  For me, this means some cable-y sweater goodness, and SOCKS.

My "not-so-knee-highs" are still on the needles, I am on the homestretch of sock one!  The socks accompanied me to my first fall semester course last evening.  Class went pretty well, and I even met another knitter. Looking over the syllabus for this course, I found another way to work knitting into my final project requirements!  I ran it by the professor and she seemed thrilled!  We'll see how it plays out as the semester progresses. 

2006 has definitely been the Year of the Sock.  In the three years that I have been knitting and reading blogs, I have never seen as many socks on the "internets" as I have over the last few months. This excites me to no end, but I have to admit, I was also a little nervous about it… did that mean that people would burn out on socks quickly and not want to be a part of the second annual Socktoberfest? 

Say it ain't so…

I have received a few emails asking about Socktoberfest 2006, and I would love to have another - I even have one sponsor willing to donate a prize in the contest! - but I wanted to check the pulse of the knitting community first.  Can you handle another sock knitalong?  Socktoberfest 2005 was another no-pressure knitalong (I do that for myself, more than anything!) with over 300 participants, administered over the whole month of October.  We gathered some great tips, loads of free patterns, tutorials on unique cast-ons,  and all participants were eligible for PRIZES.  It wasn't a race - it was simply about socks and the joy (and sometimes the slight frustration) that comes when one makes handknit socks.  It was also about encouragement and problem-solving.  I am still a new sock knitter - a year ago yesterday, I finished my first pair of socks!- and I learned so much about sock knitting last year through Socktoberfest.  I was so inspired by Margene's beautiful sock knitting that I had to try it on my own, and now, I am addicted to socks!  This year, I want to take it further, by experimenting with different styles and cast-ons, and delving into the technical aspects of sock knitting. 

Project Spectrum will be over (unless of course, you have leftover socks from Project Spectrum months that you want to pull out again!  I may do the same with the aforementioned Lace Knee Highs, as well as my long-suffering Blueberry Waffle socks) and socks of all sizes and shapes will be celebrated and accepted.  If you have never knit socks before, but have an interest in trying it, Socktoberfest is just for you! 

All the socks (minus the gift socks for mom) that I knit in the last year.

So, no sign ups yet or anything formal, but tell me, if there was another Socktoberfest, would you sign up?  what would you like to see in Socktoberfest 2006 (tips and tutorials? reader feedback on patterns, needles, yarns? more contests and prizes?)  I would love to know!