Sock Yarn Junkie

When I completed the meme. I should have included the fact that I am a Sock Yarn junkie!!! We are talking about a serious addiction. I collect sock yarn. I love to sample different things. I am in to hand dyed right now. I tend to keep to the blues and grays and browns. I need to start branching out because I really have too many, especially when they are in the same color families.

I walked through the dinning room last night and there were 3 skeins on the table. When I came out of the master bathroom, I noticed some on my craft table that I stopped to fondle. I had forgotten about them. I bet I am up to at least 3 Rubbermaid tubs - we talking big boys here!. When Lime and Violet started their sockathon thingie, I counted up my yarn and had enough for at least 50 pairs. This is truly a problem!!!! Especially since I live in the south and no one else in my family will wear wool socks, in fact my children rarely ever even wear socks. Oh well, confession is good for the soul and is the First Step.

These are my most recent completions and acquisitions:

Move Your Fanny

I beg your pardon, no, no, just the name of the sock pattern.
Remember the Tofutsies yarn? I finished the second sock last evening. I am still on track to meeting my goal of a pair of socks a month for 07. The pattern is an arch support sock called Move Your Fanny designed by Gigi Silva for Monkey-Toes Designs and Socktopia.net. (I am a little behind on that project!)

The sample was knit in the same yarn, my gauge matches the pattern, however, I do not like the fabric. The yarn is rather thin, has a slight halo and little stretch. It also has a noticeable odor, I guess that must be the shellfish.

You must admit, the sock looks much better on the foot than sitting on the table!

The pattern called for short row heel, 3'' of 1x1 ribbing for the arch support and then a short row toe. The thin yarn made it difficult to do the short row heel without leaving heels. As for the toes, I had read that term before but did not realize that it meant you decrease down to the toe and then you keep going and pick up the wrapped stitches. You end the sock by Kitchenering the toe stitches to the stitches on the bottom of the sock. I frogged that and went back to my typical toe decrease. I guess the wear on a sock occurs more on the toe than the ball of the foot but I just didn't want that seam on the bottom of the foot, no matter how smooth it was.

The colors are clear and lovely. I can see myself wearing this sock with my Birkenstock this summer on those rainy days of August. I sure hope we have some rainy days. It has been incredibly dry so far this year. Our last storm was two weeks ago. A lightening strike ignited some pine straw in the woods and it took about 10 days but it grew into quite a forest fire. 100 acres were burned but thankfully no homes. The fire has been mostly under control for the last 4 days but there are some occasional hot spots. The odor outside in the morning is horrible, It makes it very difficult to breathe and I live and work miles from the burned area.

Wooly Wonka Fibers

100% BFL Superwash wool. 425 yds in River. There I go with blue again but I love the variation in this yarn. The yarn came in a kit with Boudica, a Celtic-braid inspired pattern by Miriam of MimKnits (designer of the Icarus shawl).

The Knittery

Water Lilies and Cherries in Merino Cashmere Sock yarn. 70% Merino, 10% Cashmere and 20%Nylon. 397 yds. I ordered it from Theknittery.com. This yarn was handpainted in Victoria, Australia. The yardage seems a little short. I had hoped to knit a very patterned sock with this yarn but I am afraid I amy not have enough. The cashmere makes this so luscious. I wish we had feel-a-vision.

Opal Crazy!!

What a wonderful name for a fun yarn. I had been buying mostly hand dyed lately and trying to pruchase yarns I have not used. I have several socks out of Opal so I am breaking the rules but I just could not resist. Doesn't this look like fun?!


Current Constant Companion:
Artyarns Ultramerino in color 104. This is one of the yarns I picked up this fall when I traveled to Dallas. The pattern is another from Socktopia.net by Gigi Silva: Eleanor. It is a simple 12 row repeat that I had memorized after the second row.