Fickle Cupid

I’ve abandoned the Kureyon sock for the time being until I figure out how I want to knit it. It’s just not coming together. But on a brighter note, I wound the RSC Monsoon skein into two centre pull balls. The whole thing weighed 163g, and somehow split it became 80g and 78g (?). I was careful to compare the starting colours and snipped where they matched. I only have US1.5 needles (2.5mm) so am making do and seeing how they come out. The gauge was fine (I am a tight knitter) so hopefully it will all be fine.

The colours on my swatch were gorgeous – shimmering greens and browns, like a summer storm. I almost don’t want to knit the yarn it’s so pretty. But cast on I did, and am currently doing a wrap and turn provisional cast on short row toe only wrapping instead of YO (I learned from Sundara the short row yarn over toe and heel). I am in love.

Toe Up Socks – Square Toe Cast on, Dutch Heel

[Photo to come as sock not yet finished!]

Kureyon Dutch Heel Sock

Pattern: Denise Powell’s Toe Up socks

Yarn: 1 hank of Noro Kureyon yarn in colorway 154 Lot C

Needles: Crappy Pony circular 80cm 4.5mm/US 7

Method:

I cast on 8 stitches and followed Denise’s instructions for a square toe cast on. Increased every other row to 44 stitches. I increased the gusset by 12 stitches (6 stitches each side) to 34 stitches for the sole. Knit st st until about 7.5″ from toe. Then did 8 stitches for the flap. I think the heel looks clumsy, unbalanced. I also don’t like the slip stitch heel turn. The selvege looking line of stitches up the instep is also very ugly. And I got big holes where I joined back to knitting in the round.

Thoughts:

1. It would have been better to be 12 stiches for the flap. Actually scrap that, I really don’t like this heel. The flap bit bulges at the bottom. The German heel or French heel with the short row turn from Nancy Bush’s Knitting Vintage Socks looks like it would fit better and look neater.
2. The selvege join to the gusset should be eliminated. Not sure how just yet. Yarnover joins?
3. The gaps from joining in the round could have been avoided by judicious yarnover joins a la yo short rows, to be prepared 2 rows from the end of the heel bit.
4. Try a Nancy Bush sock first to see construction!
5. I liked the square toe cast on. I think though that the Turkish Cast-on (great tutorial from Knitter Deb) is still my favourite.

Time to start rockin’

Lucky lucky lucky! I decided today I was going to get organised and start my knitting blog. The bell rang just after I’d chosen the blog name, and lo and behold, Christmas has come early! The postman handed me a box, and I spied ‘Blue Moon Fiber Arts” on the label. I had ordered some STR yarn and can’t remember why, but for some reason called in my order. Lucky for me we got chatting about the Rockin’ Sock Club, and I was told there was room for me in the RSC as they had slightly overordered this year. PUT ME DOWN SISTER! I screamed! Okay, I didn’t scream, and I didn’t call the lovely lady on the phone my sister, I asked politely please could I join (but inside I was screaming it!). So the box either contained my STR yarn, or the RSC first instalment.

Opening up the box, I found the RSC folder I’d seen on other’s blogs. Yipppeee!! There is a badge, a NSK sticker, the monsoon mediumweight, some emergency yarn and a little 10% off coupon. I just checked my needles, and I don’t have any small enough! My smallest is 2.5mm. Hmmm. will need to rectify this shortly….a trip to Loop, not my LYS but near a friend I’ll be seeing on Thursday so that night it will be my LYS!

So the emergency yarn – is that for swatching or really for emergency?