A Song of Socks

There are things when you dress
That you put on your toes
There are boys who wear tubes
And girls who wear hose

If you wanna keep me warm
When the freezing cold wind blows
Don't give me your love and forget it
Just give me a pair of those

I want your socks
I want your socks

I'll wear 'em on my feet
I'll show 'em to my friends
'Cause I like the feel
Of those hand-knitted trends 



The second in my series of socks for myself are the Rainy Day Socks made from MadelineTosh sock in the lovely Wash colourway. They were fast and the pattern was easily memorizable and they are perfect for spring wearing. I made size small on US 1.5 dpns. I did adapt the pattern, which called for a kitchenered toe, to a star toe. I'm all about the Easy!

But I found it hard to continue to knit things for myself. After all, the little guy needs socks too - he is growing like a sunflower! I just bought him two new pairs of shoes, because his toes were bumping the ends of his old ones and there were absolutely no handknit socks in the drawer that fit him! I think the last time I made him socks, his feet were only 3.5 inches long and now they're 5.5 inches! Oh no, that's not right! I did knit him these Sherlock socks a year ago, and they were 5 inches long - but they were no where to be found.

And besides, I'm impelled to create for those I love, so I've switched my attention to making as many pairs of little socks as I can before Camp Loopy starts on May 27th. So far, I've managed three socks and I hope to finish 3 more in the next week - all stripey:



I have my own method of toe-up construction and they are fast, fast, fast and easy, and fit so well! 



And because the little guy's socks take so little yarn, I'm left with a fair amount of widowed and orphaned skeins in colours that don't suit me (but that he loves). Should I save them for the next growth spurt?

Sigur Ros - This is a Good Beginning

In spite of my long list of knits waiting to be finished for other people, I've taken a creative break to make myself some socks and stockings.

Like the fairytale cobbler whose children go shoe-less, all of my socks are grocery-store-bought black of an indeterminate fiber and have holes in the heels. Sadly, this isn't a new state of affairs. I gamely sew up the holes and continue wearing them while knitting away on gifts for others.

Well, last week I said (to myself) "No more"! I'm going to knit up a drawfull of stockings for myself before I finish anything for anyone else!

So, the picture shows my first pair, finished yesterday. They are made from Blue Moon Fiber Arts STR lightweight in Sigur Ros (one of my favorite bands). The cast on was 60 stitches and I used size 2.5mm Darn Pretty DPN Needles. I used a simple stitch pattern - 3x2 rib - in a simple formula - cuff down, short-row heel, and star decreased toe (no Kitchener!).

I wore them as soon as they were off the needles - not even waiting to block them, though I know blocking would soften the yarn even more than it already is and help it to 'bloom'. They are super comfy!

I've already begun the second pair: Rainy Day Socks using Madeline Tosh Sock in Wash. I hope the Force for sock-knitting stays strong in me. I want lots and lots!