my tiny sock repair

I found a tiny little hole in one of my hand knit socks and was pretty excited to repair it! Preeetty sure i won't feel the same way about any damage done to my socks in the future, but right now I'll go right ahead and embrace this feeling of opportunity.

It's such a tiny little hole too! Normally I'd just loop a bit of yarn on the purl side of the thing, tie a knot and leave it at that, but a little while ago I found that Jason's Hunter Socks came loose around the heel and is on the shelf waiting to be fixed and worn again. It feels like a good idea to put in some practice with my own pieces.

repairing socks reminds me that I don't need to worry about unexpected events or problems that may lie ahead in my life. as someone with an at times overwhelming problem with anxiety and withdrawal, it's a small but very important bit of assurance that sticking to and fixing things that you've spent a lot of time building and making with love is almost always a better option than just jumping ship or throwing it all away. The result is also often even more beautiful or meaningful than something that's gone on with no snags or problems.

tl;dr knitting is pretty cool, and repairing knits is pretty cool too.

fo: john's short footies

I took so long to blog about this mini sock project because I was just too damn busy wearing them around the house. Now they're all pilly and extra wooly and a little felted, just how they should be.

pattern : John's Short Footies by Rosemary Chapman
yarn : Patons North America Classic Wool Worsted in Dark Grey Mix
needle : US 4[3.5 mm]
size : 9.5

I am definitely planning to make about a billion more pairs of these. The pattern is clear and easy to follow, the project itself very quick and satisfying. Patons Classic Wool is a FANTASTIC yarn for warm socks and other accessories. So awesome in fact that I bought two more skeins for my "her" pair of Hunter's Socks to go with the ones I made for my boyfriend. :]

There's gonna be a whole lot of sock knitting going on this season. I've got 2013 resolutions to achieve!

charcoal angler's loop socks

pattern : Angler's Loop Socks by Andrea Mules
yarn : Premier Yarns Serenity Sock Weight Solids in Charcoal
needle : US 1[2.25mm]
size : 9.5 [size large in pattern]

Aaand they're finally finished! These socks really should not have taken this long to be finished, but still, super satisfying to have on my feet.

As you can [sorta] see above, I took the time to figure out how to mirror the little ribbing ridge that goes along the length of the foot so the pair looks symmetrical. Usually I'm the type to have a designated left and right side when it comes to accessories like these, but I think the ribbing should work both ways--it might even show a little better with the stripe going down the inside instead of out.

I just can't over express just how pleased I am with how these socks turned out. This would be my first real cabling project and, while intimidating at first, it turned out to be very simple to do. I'm almost considering a massive aran sweater project in the near future, but the more realistic plan would be to cast on some more lovely cable-featured sock projects. 

I am one pair closer to a fully handmade sock drawer--if you have any lovely cabling sock patterns that I may love, don't hesitate to let me know in the comments! Oh, and as usual, check out my project page on ravelry for more photos of my sockies.

a socktober indeed

I've made some slow but steady progress on my Angler's Loop Socks this month. Whenever I felt a little impatient I would try the finished sock on and admire the cabling, that's been enough to keep knitting for another 10 rounds or so.

Doing that didn't always work. At one point late one night I just needed some instant knitting gratification, so I did some digging in the queue and found John's Short Footies, a skein of about the right weight, and just got started.

Between these two projects in progress, one semi-secret gift pair in the works, and a super ambitious piece casted on yesterday, I can say there's a lot to look forward to on the knitting front this month.