golden light socks

On Friday, I finished the final rounds of ribbing for these socks. It’s been too hot to do more than a quick photo shoot but I’m definitely curious how these will wear. I found the yarn less splitty on the second sock, perhaps because I remembered what I was doing and simply knit.

it feels wonderful to have finished these and they are bright and happy and provide hope. A stitch here and there can make progress. Sometimes it doesn’t feel as if I’m working and moving forward but it happens, stitch by stitch.

I’ve turned the heel and am making steady progress on the leg. Now others believe me when I say I’m knitting a pair of socks.

Dot approves!

I’m not sure when I will finish them, I’m trying to make progress on all the blankets too. For this second heel, the yarn didn’t seem as splitty as the first. It helps that I remembered the pattern and it all went more smoothly.

I’m getting eager to give them a wear test!

This morning, I finally started the gusset increases. While this sock was my coffee knit all last week, if I worked two rounds that would have been a lot.

I am eager to finish this pair for several reasons. First, I really love this colour and want this pair in rotation. Second, I want to do a wear test. The yarn is a multi ply, but is not tightly spun and is termed sock perhaps because it is 100g/400m; and it has 20% nylon[1]. With the addition of the alpaca, the question becomes: will it felt. I agree I'm investing a lot of time into knitting a pair of socks that may not have a long wear-life[2]. I think it's worth it. I'm cautiously optimistic. Third and finally, I've been working on them for over six months. That's silly. I need a different EDC project in my bag!

So while this photo may not look very exciting at all, I'm pleased to have reached this phase of the sock, even if it makes each round[3] more tedious.

Notes

[1] Specifically:
60% Superwash Merino, 20% Super Fine Alpaca, 20% Nylon
437 yds/100 g, Fingering weight, 4 ply

[2] I'm also knitting this at a tight stitch gauge which is my preference for socks and has kept some pairs in rotation for over a decade.

[3] Increases are every other round, but it's still extra stitches to work!

All week at my morning coffee[1] I've been working on this sock instead of my blanket projects. This morning I made the final increases.

We had another semi-unexpected[2] site visit again today and Friday traffic on the highway meant extra knitting time. I've been focusing on this sock this week in a desire to get past the toe: it's been at coffee most days, and other little errands we went on this week. At coffee this morning I finishes the toe increases.

I knit over an inch in about 2.5 hours of traffic[3].

Overall, I'm pleased at my progress.

Next week I expect to return to my regular coffee knitting, blankets. So I am not sure how much progress I'll make on this second sock. It's in my EDC bag, so it's always there ready and waiting for me.

Notes

[1] It's maybe 15-20 minutes of knitting each morning, not very long at all.

[2] Decided Thursday late afternoon which is better than in the morning when I get home from minyan!

[3] I am not the driver. I also do not knit continuously as my role is navigator and often overrule the GPS.

On Sunday I bound off the first sock and immediately began the second toe. I'm trying to find a few more moments here and there to work on them and maybe the second sock won't take six months!

There's something about trying on a toe-up sock after turning the heel and that feeling when everything fits just right.

This moment is when I generally get a short burst of interest to knit the sock because I want to get to the next one. I knit on these this morning at coffee because it was another grey dismal morning and I needed the bright hope of אור (Or), of light.

As always it's difficult to take photos of your own foot!

Yesterday we took the train in for a relaxing day off (read: we walked and people watched). I did what I always do on the train, I knit. This long neglected sock finally saw its heel turned. It's been so long since I've knit myself a pair of socks in this manner (toe-up with flap; 2019) I had to look up the pattern! When I was commuting and knitting many socks I had my favourite instructions for both toe up and top down memorized.

I'm unsure if I should be upset I forgot the instructions or impressed that my socks have been holding up and I've not needed to replace any.

The heel is now completed and I have started the leg.

This pair of socks is essentially a swatch. It's a yarn being marketed for socks but I'm not sure how well it will wear. I really wanted a bright golden yellow pair that I was willing to cast on knowing the risk felting. This is a 4-ply yarn with 20% nylon, but it's a very gentle twist of the four strands and as I turned the heel I began to question if I'm knitting a folly.

The yarn is dyed beautifully, but I'm not sure this is the right type of yarn for me to knit into a sock that I will wear. I've knit and worn enough socks over the years to know what works and what doesn't. Something tells me I should listen to this little voice and turn this beautiful yarn into something else so it can shine its light.

I still love this colour.

Making progress and getting snuggles with Dot as I’m at it. About another inch and I begin the gusset increases. I’m curious how far I’ll get.

this has been a lot of golden yellow for me lately but I’m finding that it’s become a colour of light and hope. Especially for this past very difficult week.