Happy Halloween!

Finished some socks

It was a productive weekend, finishing a big project that I’ve been working on, and a pair of socks that I’ve been working of for a couple of months. I’m happy with how they came out. The yarn isn’t the softest, it is silky though and very smooth. I think they’ll work well with clogs and my boots.

These are the double eyelet ribbed socks:

Here’s a shot of the pattern close up (it’s a little blurry):

Pattern: Double Eyelet Ribbed Socks (bottom of the page) from Wendy Johnson. This is a great pattern. It says it has a lot of stretch and it does. The socks look tiny when they are off the foot, but they fit perfectly. Of course E had to try them on, and she loved them (the heel came up to above her ankle, and they were knee-highs). I may be making her a pair too.
Yarn: Fleece Artist Merino in Paris, purchased at the Loopy Ewe
Needles: 2-2.0 mm needles

Never too old to learn

A few weeks ago I listened to an interesting pod-cast from David Reidy who does Sticks & String, a show I enjoy tremendously. Each week he does a thoughtful essay. That particular episode was about learning, from other knitters and teaching as well. I like to think I’ve got plenty more to learn – as evidenced by my dragon socks. However, I have to admit that I thought I had the basics down pretty well, until I started reading Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Workshop and realized that I’d been purling the lazy way for some time. I’m not sure when I started doing it this way, but I’m pleased that a lot of my questions about decreasing (k2tog) are answered by the fact that I was knitting “wrong.” I’ve been looking for pictures that illustrate what I’ve been doing, versus what I should do, but haven’t been able to find any. Basically, what I need to remember is that the working loop should be in front, regardless of whether I’m knitting in the round or back and forth. I’m looking forward to finishing the book, and finding out what else I don’t know!