What's on my needles (#130)

  I am not knitting only socks 

But let's start with socks.

I finished the pair for myself in the beautiful Hedgehog Fibers Sock yarn Color "Tremble". I love the color and think the stitch I used is perfect for this. For the toes, heel and cuff ribbing I used the same yarn in a different color ("Aroma"). This was left-over yarn from Stepehen West's Building Blocks Shawl which is in it's final stages and may be done by the time I write my next post (in two weeks).

If you want to knit up your heel in a different color using the FLK method by the Sox Therapist (click for the $1 instructions), there are several ways to get that color change done. I have more extensive notes on ravelry, but let me quote myself here:

" TIP. When using a cc yarn for the FLK heel, make sure to work the first row in the main color so you have your working yarn sitting in the right position once you are done with the heel and ready to knit once again in the round.
If you forgot, you can carry your working yarn by doing a triple stitch in the first two sts of the last row.
A third way would be to knit the first two stitches of the first heel row in the main color and then switch to the cc at the third stitch thus positioning your main color yarn to use for the final heel row."

To  read all my notes on ravelry, click on the caption below the picture.
 

MORE

My husband's birthday surprise socks are also almost finished and at that will be ready way ahead of time (mid-April).  

Another Birthday, more Socks

My next two pairs of socks :)

 

When I saw the free pattern by Skacel for Tom & Ethel Socks in CaBaSi, I knew I wanted to knit these up for Tony and me.  The main difficulty was to choose colors we both like.  I ended up getting brown and light blue.  These will be my Anniversary present (35 years on July 1st !).  Tony's socks will be blue with brown stripes and mine will be brown with blue stripes. <3

The heel construction in this sock is similar to the FLK heel in as much that it, too, is worked entirely with short rows.  But the Sox Therapist's FLK heel pattern has additional information on how to custom fit your sock and where to place the heel for the best possible fit (well worth the $1 for the 16 page instructions).  Also her short rows are using a unique stitch and I will most likely use the FLK heel for these socks.

You can download the free pattern on ravelry by clicking here:  Tom & Ethel Socks

 

Caesura Tuck by Asa Tricosa

And last not least the Caesura Top is coming along in leaps and bounds as this is my TV knitting now after finishing my socks since I don't want to knit Tony's socks in front of him.

The red scrap yarn indicates where I will add a small pocket. I have to do another 3-4 inches to finish and then I will think about whether or not I want to change the sleeves from straps to slightly capped sleeves by adding a few short rows around the arm-opening.

Winter's Dreams

 

Summer Socks (post #113)

 

Tony's summer socks

Summer Socks in CoBaSi                  

I finally understand why Tony likes to wear the hand knitted socks other than for the fact that I made them.  With a size 11 foot the 9-11 socks you can buy are too small and the 11-12 socks are too big... He  has a total of eight (!) pairs of hand knitted socks, but even the craziest Englishman (as in the song "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" by Noel Coward) stops wearing woolly socks when it is 90+ degree out there.

So I did some research looking for a cotton blend sock yarn and found the HiKoo CoBaSi by Skacel  which is a Cotton, Bamboo, Silk and Nylon blend, perfect for summer!! The skeins are 220 yards each (a steal at $9.50), so you don't have to divide a bigger skein for your 2-at-a-time sock knitting. The yarn feels awesome! So soft and squishy :)
But it gets better:  My LYS, The Knitting Garage, in Rhinebeck just started to carry this yarn <3 <3
For those of you who don't want to knit socks:  This is the yarn called for in the very popular 14 Carat Poncho by Michelle Hunter (as in Knit Purl Hunter). This pattern is a free ravelry download! (click on the link).
And you can use it for all sorts of your summer knitting (shawls, tank tops etc.) which calls for a fingering weight yarn (you get the picture).  On ravelry you can find three pages of patterns which specifically use the CoBaSi yarn; many of the patterns are free.  Click this link or put in "CoBaSi" in your pattern search:  Patterns using CoBaSi.
I knitted the socks in a simple 1x1 ribbing toe-up and two-at-a-time in just 16 days.  I used the methods which I had just taught in a class in Spring. An easy to remember method which lets you integrate all sort of patterns if you want.  If you are interested and missed that class, you may be happy to hear that I will offer the class again this Fall as well as two other Sock knitting classes.

So many pretty colors