Socks, Take 2: Birthday Stripes

Remember how I was talking about allllll of the birthdays in March? Well, this birthday was in February. And I finished the socks in June. Yep.

These socks were made for my good friend, Jessica, and she didn't seem to mind too much getting a birthday present four months late. Maybe if I ask really nice she'll even send a picture of her feet in the socks. *cough*

I used the same pattern as in my first pair of socks, Lauren's Basic Worsted Weight Socks. As you can see, however, there was a little stripe action thrown in there! Stripes are fun.

For the ribbing on top, I knit four rows of each color (red, brown, red, brown, red) before transitioning into the body. The heel was done in the contrast color (red) and then I stopped an inch short of where I normally would to start the banded toe decrease.

Then it was 2 rows of each color (red, brown, red) and then 4 rows of brown. Finally, I knit the tow decrease in red.

Yay, socks again! I definitely still could use some practice though, as the decreases and color changes weren't as clean as I'd like them to be. I think these will make some killer slipper socks though! Happy warm feeting, Jess.

Yarn:
Cascade 220 Superwash Quatro (100% superwash wool)
1 skein Brown Bear (1936)

Cascade 220 Superwash (100% superwash wool)
1 skein Maroon (855)

Needles:
US5 (3.75mm) double pointed needles

Taking the sock obsession to a whole new level!

I love socks. The sock drawer in my dresser won't close when all of mine are clean. I also love knitting. It's really a match made in heaven.

The term "turning a heel" always struck a bit of fear in my heart. I think that was just because I thought it sounded really hard. Are we sensing a pattern here? Carmen seems to be easily intimidated and should just suck it up more often and get to the part where she learns that it's really not that hard.

Enter my first part of socks!

After months of encouragement and professions of sock-knitting love from my classmates, I bit the bullet and started my first pair of socks. Lauren helped me pick out a great skein of superwash (that is, machine washable!) yarn, printed me out her own Basic Worsted Weight Sock pattern and off I went!

There is about 2.5" of ribbing on top of each sock and then most of the rest is made by knitting around and around and around and around. Where it gets exciting is when it comes time for the dreaded turning of the heel.

It's really not that big of a deal (go figure). Basically, you take half of the stitches and use them to knit a flap with some slipped stitches and knits and purls mixed together. Once you've done that for another 2.5", you pick up stitches along each edge. Now that you're back on all four needles, the gusset and gusset decreases start with K2togs and SSKs and you find that you're turning that heel without even knowing it.

Once you've made it back to your original number of stitches, you knit around and around and around and around some more until it's time to start the banded toe. There are some more K2togs and SSKs and pretty soon your ready for the next and last feat (get it??). This is the kitchener stitch that's used to close up the toe in a nice, seamless sort of way.

These socks are quirky. See how one toe is darker than the other? Yeah... I definitely ran out of yarn before I was done. I'm a tight knitter, which requires more yarn to cover the same distance. And of course there wasn't any more in the shop. So I grabbed a new coordinating color instead. Good news is it's a great yarn for a new project I had in mind! Silver lining, my friends.

A little harder to see in these pictures is the fact that one of the ribbed cuffs is wider than the other. It's really only 1/4-1/3" but still... you can definitely tell. I have been assured that it's fine to just leave that part under the pants when I'm showing them off.

All in all, I'm stoked and already working on the next pair!

Yarn:
Pagewood Farm Kiana Hand Dyed Light Worsted Yarn (100% Merino Superwash)
3.4oz/225 yd skein
1x Army Girl

Needles:
US5 (3.75mm) double pointed needles