Striation Socks

The last installment of Cookie A's 2012 sock club included some lovely dark purple cashmere-blend sock yarn from Stricken Smitten.  Of the two patterns offered, the pattern I chose was an open lace diamond design.  I started with the Large size, but quickly realized that the lace pattern has so much stretch to it that I ripped them back and restarted with the Medium.  It feels so good for a girl with huge hobbit feet to make a pair of size Medium socks!  They knit up very quickly (in just two days for the second sock) and fit perfectly.

I have made a difficult decision this year to not join the sock club again.  I really loved doing it for the last two years, maybe even more than I loved the Blue Moon Fiber Arts sock club the two years prior, but I think it's time for me to start making a dent in the sock yarn I already have, rather than continuing to add to it.  I'm currently working on making a bunch of stockingette socks from the variegated yarns I have left over from years past, and I'm also mentally pairing up fancier designs with the semisolids I've been buying more recently.  It's going to be a good year for socks.

Jedi Mind Trick socks

Another of the languishing knitting projects I finally picked up after my scarf adventure was this pair of socks from the August 2012 shipment of the Cookie A sock club.  When the shipment arrived, I was super excited because the theme of these socks was Star Wars-related, which is - duh - sort of my thing.  It's also a pretty cool design.  Those of you who aren't knitters will see a nice-looking sock, but those of you who knit might be looking at that sock and thinking: "um, what the heck is going on, there?"  I guess that is the mind trick part.

I sat down with the first sock back in August, and figured out how to knit the stitch pattern.  It's a bit fiddly, but obviously looks awesome when it's done.  I finished the first sock pretty quickly.  I am not generally one to get second-sock-syndrome, but for some reason, after finishing the ribbed cuff of the second sock, it just sat there... and sat there... while I finished several other things (including entire other pairs of socks.)  A couple of days ago, I was inspired to pick it up again, and I finished the second sock in three days' knitting.  I am a bit worried about the pattern being too bulky for shoes, but at least one other knitter who has made them says they're no more bulky than a simple cable would be.

The yarn is from Enchanted Knoll Farm and is a new one to me - quite thin and sturdy-feeling, as with most wool/nylon blends, and very tightly spun.  The colour is so great, just a perfect acid green.  Another win for Cookie A (and Jedi everywhere.)

Jubal Early Socks

One of the great things about being in a sock club is that it pushes you out of your comfort zone, a bit. This month, Cookie A pushed me out of mine.


Orange is, without doubt, my least favourite colour. I never wear it, and rarely buy anything that is at all orangey. I tore open my package last week to find an orange skein of yarn. It wasn't even yellowish-orange, or brownish-orange, or (one could only hope) pinkish-orange. It was Orange. Like, if orange was a two-by-four that hit you over the head, it would be this shade of orange. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a chance, and to my surprise, discovered that I even kinda like it. It's just so darn bright and cheerful and friendly, that I couldn't possibly resent it just for being orange. The yarn is from Hazel Knits, called "oh my darlin", and the funny thing is that the only other time I've used Hazel Knits yarn, it was also an orangey-pink yarn that I bought at the first Sock Summit.


The two patterns were a bit harder to choose from, since they are both pretty cool, but I chose the road easier traveled, and knit the ones Cookie called Jubilee Socks. For some reason, the word jubilee kept jumbling in my brain into Jubal Early, a bounty hunter ("So you're a bounty hunter..." "That ain't it at all." "So what are you?" "I'm a bounty hunter.") from Joss Whedon's Firefly. Jubal Early isn't particularly orange, but his is as unlikeable as he is likeable, which suits, I think.

The socks themselves were a simple 6-row repeat, with purl welts alternating with a little lacy faux-cable. Easy to knit and very quick. They fit well, and what better way to brighten up a rainy day than with some bright cozy socks.

Boysenberry Socks

Once again, I've been completing projects here and there, but just not showing any evidence of it on the blog. I present you with some evidence: a completed pair of socks.

These ones were from the April installment of Cookie A's sock club. Once again, there were two patterns to choose from, and once again I chose the simpler one. This one has a variation on a feather & fan lace pattern, with twisted ribs in between. Nothing terribly complex about it, but it certainly creates a lovely sock, especially in this bright berry purple colour.


The yarn is from Lorna's Laces, and is called Solemate. It's some sort of fancy space-age yarn, with a fiber called Outlast in it, that is meant to help control your body's microclimate so you don't get too hot or too cold. When I have mentioned this to other knitters, most of them have said "but wool already does that." It's true, and I haven't worn these socks yet, to find out if they really do make a difference that way. Today is a nice sunny day, so maybe I'll try them out and see if my feet stay cool.

In any case, the yarn is thin and strong, as Lorna's Laces tends to be, in my experience, and the colours go from lavender to magenta to a bright exciting pink. I really enjoyed knitting these socks. Even though they took two months because I only worked on them at cafe knitting with the girls.


Finished them just in time, too, since yesterday a parcel arrived in the post, containing the June shipment of Cookie A's club. I can't show you yet, in case some clubbers haven't received theirs and don't want spoilers, but it is bright and mouthwatering and not at all my usual colour. I wound it immediately and already have a couple of inches of sock cuff knit. Awesome.