Fall Socks Roundup (Somewhat Late)

Dear Stuntmother,

I can hardly believe it's been nearly a month since I've posted. I won't go into my excuses, as they're the usual ones: time of year, work, kid... Same old, same old.

I need to show you sock pairs #20, 22, and 23, as I prepare to cast on for #24: the last socks of 2007. [In my head, it's Santa's voice in The Polar Express, bellowing "The First Gift of Christmas!" I don't bellow well. Take my word for it. ]

Somehow, I skipped showing you pair #20:


Pattern: Baudelaire by Cookie A.
Yarn: Louet Sales fingering weight (185 yds/50 g), Sage
Needles: Addi Turbo US#1 for foot and lower leg, US#2 for upper half of leg. (Cheaters' method of calf shaping, suitable for intricate patterns in solid yarn)

Evaluation: Cookie does it again. I think these were done back in October, so I'm not 100% sure which size I made (probably L), but Cookie always does a thorough job of providing several sizes for her socks. If you measure your foot carefully and do as Cookie says, they will fit. The toe-up heel is Widdershins-style, which I particularly adore. They look baggy on the blockers, but fit me perfectly. I highly recommend this pattern. The only trouble spot was in transitioning to working in the round again after the heel is completed. You have to do a weird increase/cabley thing which gave me fits, but it's only one row in the whole sock. The Louet Sales fingering (used to call it Pearl) yarn is great for socks. It really blooms in the first washing and makes a cohesive and flexible fabric. Some of my favorite socks ever are in this yarn (Waving Lace, Canal du Midi, and these) and it wears better than many other wool-only sock yarns.

Okay, pair #22:

William's "Zebra" socks
Pattern: None--plain top-down stockinette socks for my little man's measurements.
Yarn: Opal Rainforest Collection (100g=425m), Oskar der Traumer colorway.

Okay, here's the story behind these socks. I made William Opal Tiger socks last year. He's worn them well, and they're too small now. I mentioned that there's zebra yarn available, and he seemed excited. While visiting The Fold in October, I spied this lovely ball of black and white yarn, and bought it without examining the label carefully. Instead of a zebra, there's a picture of a black and white moth! My German friends say that the colorway just translates to "Oscar the dreamer", and it does not refer to any specific type of butterfly or moth. Hmmmm.

I figured that in a small sock, fancy colorways act unpredicatbly anyway...so I just call them zebra socks and the boy likes them. I did work on the rainforest socks literally inside the rainforest (El Yunque, Puerto Rico: the only actual rainforest within the U.S. Forest Service).


Look how huge they are compared with the socks from last year!


This is the only child-sized pair in my self-imposed "24 pairs in 2007" challenge. Yes, I'm counting them.

And, the penultimate pair, #23:


Pattern: Jeweled Steps, from New Pathways for Sock Knitters, by Cat Bordhi
Yarn: Mountain Colors Bearfoot (60% superwash wool, 25% mohair, 15% nylon, 350yds/100g). Mountain Twilight colorway.
Needles: Addi Turbo US#1
Size: I used Master Numbers to interpolate a size between the two listed (for about an 8.5" foot circumference)
Modifications: Added calf shaping by increasing one stitch each side seam above the heel "flap", every 6 rows. This was a little much even by my generously calved standards, and the purl ridge cuff flared out unattractively. I ripped back and did a K2, P1 ribbed cuff, and now I love them.
Comments: That darned Cat... she's pretty smart. Although using this book involves lots of jumping around for a toe and a heel and a cuff, the fit is superb. I so love the Bearfoot for cozy wintery socks. The steps were fun--they're just a wrap around three stitches. Very nice.

What will pair #24 be? Something not so avant-garde, no flashy colors, no crazy shaping. You'll see. Then, I'll show you my burgeoning sock drawer and a quick recap.

Love,
Eyeknit