(ETA: I wrote this over a week ago and forgot to hit post! I’m all better now!) In hindsight, I’m not surprised that my last post was full of little frustrations because immediately after that, I got sick. Today is the first day in over a week that I haven’t woken up dizzy with a headache. I’ll be glad to see the back of January! Although I still managed to struggle in to work, I also managed to do things like pick up a puncture on the bike and not close the car boot properly so when I went to go to work on Sunday, the battery was dodo. Luckily for us, a friend was able to give us a jump so the car is ok. I’ll be able to retrieve my bike from school and fix the puncture tomorrow.
All this to say that there are times when one really needs a good pair of comforting socks – to knit and to wear.
I used Patons Diploma Gold DK which is a 55% wool/25% acrylic/20% nylon blend and very soft and squishy. I was really pleased with the definition in the cables considering the high artificial content. I tried out a new cast on, a stretchy rib cast-on that I found in the ‘Cast on, Bind off’ book (reviewed here). It worked very well but I would prefer a neater edge. It is very stretchy though.
I used a new (to me) type of heel – eye of partridge – and I love it!
They have star toes as well. They’re ok. I’m not sure if I like them or not. They’re very comfortable but since my toes turn my foot into a sort of triangle at the top, I’m wondering if I should stick to the wedge toe I usually make.
The pattern is one from this magazine, a seemingly once-off edition of ‘Hand Knit Socks’ from the publisher of Threads magazine. Here it is listed on the publisher website. I paid €6.94 for it in Easons (O’Connell St) and they had a big stack of them about two weeks ago so they still might have some.
It’s more like a book than a magazine to be honest. They cover pretty much everything you would want from a sock. It starts with tube socks in a variety of weights and sizes. Most of the patterns range from childrens (sometimes even babies) sizes all the way up to large mens.
There are sections for textured socks…
…lace socks…
…as well as colourwork socks and more crazy-looking socks with bobbles, beading or thrumming. There’s a big variety in terms of yarn weights used so the possibilities for shopping your stash are high. The other thing I really liked about it is that at the back, there is a comprehensive reference section for heels and toes. They give the numbers and methods for all of the toes and heels used, such as short row heels, flaps and gussets, wedge toes, star toes and so on. The patterns refer you to this appendix according to what size you’re knitting. It’s quite clear and a really handy reference to have if you’re knitting a different sock but want to change the toes or heels. You can match up your stitch count to the reference and continue on.
I found an error in the written instructions for this sock – one or two of the twists are reversed. In this instance, a chart would have been clearer but I just adjusted my knitting so it looked like the photo.