A Bit Longer

Lacy Rib Socks
Originally uploaded by Garyou.

This pair took me more than two months to finish.
Well, it was almost finished, as a matter of fact. I've just procrastinating . You know, you need a lot of energy when you begin and finish something.

This was my commuting project and the fourth pair for Summer of Sock 2007.
Here is some information.

Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Martha's Vineyard
Needle: Size 0 (2mm) circular needle 80cm
Cast on; Magic Cast on
Heel: Short Row Heel with Wrap
Cuff: K2P2 rib
Cast off: Turbular Cast-off
Knit 2 socks at a time
2007/6/23 - 2007/9/9
Pattern: No.103 from _Knitting Pattern Book 300_

Now, this is my kind of colourway. It doesn't suit me at all, but I love blues, greens, and purples.
Cherry Tree Hill yarn is fabulous. But I had hard time winding a ball. I think it is slippery. Today, I wound another ball of Cherry Tree Hill and made a mess. I did wind other 8 balls just fine, each from different yarn companies. I really love this yarn, but I don't know I'd get another skein.

It was so much fun to knit with this yarn, though. Tight twist and soft feeling kept reminding me how fun to knit, especially socks.

I made these socks a bit longer than usual. I'd like to try something different for Summer of Socks 2007 socks. That's why.

I'm going to start next project for my commuting time, but I haven't decided which pattern I knit. I'm in mood of lacy pattern. I just want to do yarn overs. Maybe another Mata Hari socks.

I don't think I can finish it by the autumnal equinox. That doesn't bother me at all. Sock knitting, that's what I cannot resist.

After a Long Break

Rib Socks
Originally uploaded by Garyou.

I'm back. Well, more or less.

This is my third pair for Summer of Socks 2007. I thought I could knit more before the KAL began, but I can't. Tired of sock knitting? No! Of course not.
I'm just overwhelmed by my work. It's summer vacation season and I've worked more than 200 hours last month (And you know what? This isn't a hard work at all! My colleagues and boss worked much more than I did.) I had to see everyone going vacation while I was commuting to work. I know. They say there's no justice in the world. Maybe, maybe not.
In this month, I'll be busier than last month. I'm surviving somehow. Quitting work means death, you know.

I can't believe I really made this pair. I chose easy rib pattern and that made my knitting automatic sometimes. The yarn is fabulous. Once in a while, I felt as if I was knitting with chenille yarn. So smooth and so rich. As already written, this colourway isn't usual for my taste, but I really love it. I can finish this pair because of this bright colourway.

I have another pair waiting for me to cast off. I used toe-up pattern for it. I'm thinking of doing a kind of turbular cast-off. I usualy choose this method for casting off 1K1P or 2K2P ribs.
That is my commuting project. I've just begun my home project. It's another twisted stitch pattern. It is beautiful and complicated. It is too much for my exhausted-from-work brain to memorise the pattern. Every three or five stitch, I have to look up the pattern. Over and over again. But in a way, that makes me relaxing a lot. Knitting is fun and knitting socks is sheer bliss.

Sorry for the Artistic Picture

Gram Rock Socks
Originally uploaded by Garyou.

Yeah, I know. It's just blurred.

Anyway, this is my third project for Summer of Socks 2007.
Yarn is SocksThatRocks GramRock colourway. This pink and rose (and yellow) colourway is usually not mine. I like blues, greens and purples.
But, you know what? This colourway really makes me happy. It's just fun to knit with this yarn. Ah, pink, what a lovely colour it is! And yellow, what a lively colour it is!

I've tried several patterns before I started knitting a sock. None was for this yarn. At least I thought so.
So, I just pick a rib patten. It's a kind of garter rib pattern, K5 P1 for odd rows and K every stitch for even rows. This simple pattern goes very well with the yarn. I'm pleased.

This is my first time using the Channel Island Cast on. It's a fabulous cast on method! It's very stretchy, and very sturdy, and also, looks so nice. I'm sure I'll use this method again.

BTW, I leave for the office 10 to eight, and get home around midnight every day during weekday. I go to work at least a day on weekends. I don't have much time to knit, really.
Still, I try to find time to knit with all my might :-)
After all, it's fun to knit and knitting makes me happy.

Upside-down Socks

Upside-down Socks
Originally uploaded by Garyou.

Or, rather ,Grotesque Socks, so to speak.

Because it's just too much for a sock, as already written.
I've come to notice that while I was knitting the first sock. But, anyway, I've just finished the pair. And I've learned a lot.

A lot, indeed.

Well, here are some information about this pair.

Yarn: Lorna's Lace Shepherd Sock, Denim Colourway
Needle: Size 0 (2.1mm) DPN
Pattern: No082 from _Knitting Patterns Book 250_ by SHIDA Hitomi
Turbular Cast-on
Eye of Partridge Heel
Started on 3 July, 2007
Finished on 15 July, 2007

I definitely love Lorna's Lace Shephered Sock. This yarn is so soft, fun to knit, and almost solid's heathered looks are fabulous.
It was such a delight to knit with this yarn.
Unfortunately, the yarn as well as other sock yarns are not easily available around here. The yarn I used came all the way across the Pacific ocean. What a traveler!

Although this pattern is too much for a sock, it was unstoppable to knit it. It was just fun to knit it. It would be nice for a vest or a sweater. I would like to try that some day.
(And I know that someday never comes, as Creedence Clearwater Revival sang.)

Eye of partridge heel is so lovely. Well, it doesn't go wel l with the pattern very much. Still, I've been wanting to try this heel for a long time. And I'm pleased with the heels.

My next home project is a pair of plain socks with SocksThat Rocks Gram-Rock. Actually, the pattern is a kind of garter rib.
It's so nice to knit a plain sock.

Too Much for a Sock

Upside-down Sock in Progress
Originally uploaded by Garyou.

Summer of Socks 2007 is great. I've been inspired a lot since the summer solstice. Everybody's doing tremendously wonderful jobs.
Before SOS2007 began, I was thingking of choosing the patterns out of my knitting pattern dictionaries. I have quite a number of patterns I'd love to use for socks.
Now, I really want to knit Breeze. I've seen some of the members of SOS 2007 already made their Breeze and every pair is so nice.

However, I'm working on two different socks in progress and the picture shows my home project, Upside-down socks.
I took this pattern from the book _Knitting Patterns Book 250_ by SHIDA Hitomi.
I enjoy knitting this pattern so much, but I've already noticed.
This pattern is too much for a sock.

What is too much?
Well, too decorative, too much work and yet less stretchy.
It must be nice for a vest or a sweater, but not for socks.

I call this "Upside-down" because I knit from the cuff. You see, the pattern book usually shows how to knit from the bottom, hence I made the last pair, Twisted Stitch Socks, from toe up.
This time, it seems interesting to see the pattern upside-down, so I just started knitting from the cuff. I like the way the pattern comes out, and anyway, if I look down my foot put on this sock, I can see it from the right side.

Finished!

Twisted Stitch Socks
Originally uploaded by Garyou.

Yey!
This is my first pair for Summer of Socks 2007.

Yarn: Shelridge Farm Soft Touch Heather Colour: Fury
Needle: Size 2 (2.75mm) DPN Lantern Moon Ebony
Cast-on: Magic Loop Cast-on
Heel: Short-row heel with wrap
Cast-off: Turbular Cast-off
Pattern: No.067 from _Knitting Patterns Book 300 (ISBN 4-529-0417-7)_
Started on 22, June, 2007
Finished on 1, July, 2007

I'm not a creative person. I always need a pattern when I knit socks, or whatever.
Sometimes, I try to knit something totally original, but then, my mind ceases to work. My hands stop. And I wonder what I was trying to do.

Pattern books are for knitter like me. Well, they are for every knitter (and every knitter-to-be), but still I really appreciate them a lot.
I took this twisted stitch pattern from one of those books. At the very first time I saw this pattern, I thought it would be very nice for socks.

As already written, I was right.

It was just fun to knit this pair.
The pattern looks like chained hearts, more or less. Also, it is a bit whorled.

It was too hot to wear them, but I put them on.
Oh, how I'm content with them.
If I'd knit this pair again, I'd like to make toes a bit longer and foot parts a bit shorter.

I'm thinking of knitting next pair with a pattern from another pattern book.

Oh, I forgot.
I'm knitting another pair as an outside project (This pair was my home project).
I'll blog about them next time.

So Far So Good

Twisted Stitch Sock
Originally uploaded by Garyou.

Yes, I've started my project for Summer of Socks 2007.
I'd like to try something different from what I have already knitted. So, I look into a pattern book Knitting Patterns Book 300.
I chose the pattern No.067 as a starter. It's a twisted stitch pattern and I thought it would be looked nice with socks.
I was right.
It looks great. I love twisted stitch pattern on socks, anyway.

The yarn I use is Shelridge Farm Soft Touch Heather and colour is Fury. It's very dark green, almost black. Also, there is very subtle dark purple. I think this colour and the pattern really go well.
This is my first time using this yarn. It seems a bit thicker than other sock-weight yarns.

I've listed up other patterns I want to try for SOS 2007. How many pattenrs I can knit? I'm really excited.