Mad, Mad STR Love

Having a cuppa.

Oh Cupid. You strike, and your arrow doth pierce my heart. And I fall, fall so deeply, into a mad, mad love for Socks That Rock.

weeza like wingy
I couldn't wait any longer. The second those Embossed Leaves Socks came off the needles, I cast on with this lurvely STR, the result of a swap with the fabulous trillian42.

My initial intention was to knit the Diagonal Rib Socks from IK (the pattern for which has since been pulled from their website, as it now appears in Favorite Socks), but the yarn and pattern were having...issues. In the end, I went with a stitch pattern that seemed less fussy and winged the rest.

The cuff is your basic 1x1 rib, which segues into this Diagonal Rib pattern on the leg. As you can see, unlike the IK pattern, the diagonal here refers more to the purl chain than the rib itself. It's a simple yet interesting stitch that knits up quickly and gives the colors some texture without obscuring the variegation.

Continuity is cool.

For the heel, I thought it might be fun to carry down the ribbing, and I really dig how it turned out! If you look closely at the next pic, you can see how on the left side, the purl chain flows right into the gusset stitches, too. Pretty neat, huh! You'd almost think I did that on purpose. :P

Did my now-favorite pretty way pickup for the gusset, and from then on out, it was straight and simple stockinette to the end. For the toe, I followed this wicked awesome knitty tip to round off the ends of the kitchener. It worked brilliantly! Now I don't have to try and anchor them down after the fact! I have noted however, that next time I need four more stitches than usual when I get to the end to make up for the psso on each end.

(Sidebar: I'm watching Little House on the Prarie right now and Bobby Brady just showed up at the end of the episode. That is SO surreal.)

A re run run run a re run run
I had a rerun moment after I finished the first sock - despite careful measuring (meaning I held it up to my foot), it ended up a teeny bit too short. I thought about just leaving it, since I'd already woven in the bindoff and tinking for additional length would also mean joining in a new strand. And, well, let's just say joining in is not one of my favorite things to do (Reason #84532 why I love socks). But, after wearing it around for half a day, I decided I just couldn't live with the flap tucked under the heel that way and did the dance with the frog down to the beginning of the toe decreases, adding several extra rows to the foot. New end join-in and all, it was a good decision, because the fit is now perfection!

Look ma - no pouching!

Yaaaarn
Well, you probably couldn't tell from my sly, subtle hints, but I love this freaking stuff. You know how people rave about this or that to the point where your expectations build up to an almost impossible level and the reality ends up being a little disappointing? Yeah, not a problem here. Socks That Rock moooore than lived up to my expectations.

This yarn is unbeLIEVEably soft. Roll around nekkid in it soft. What's more unbelieveable? After a Euclan bath, it actually got softer. As I wear them now (for the third time), they caress and stroke my footsies with every glorious step. And ooooh, is it squishtastic. There's something about the way its spun that gives it the ultimate in sproing. It's so dreamy to knit with! Unlike many sock yarns, it doesn't unply itself when you cast on (or, ahem, frog) either, a nice little added perk.

This colorway - Rainforest Jasper, which instantly sets off monkey sounds in my head - striped up in an assymetrical way (neat!) with some fraternal pooling in the gusset (even neater!). The colors themselves are rich and true, and yippee! No bleeding in the wash! Time will tell how these survive the wear and tear of my weezafeet, but three washes in, all they've developed is that nice, soft halo with no major fuzzing to speak of.

That's a wrap
Love the socks. Love the yarn. Want more. Need more. Must have more.

My lys is trying to woo BMFA into letting them carry it (apparently you have to convince them to take you on as a retailer). So Tina, if for some random reason you happen to come across this blog, PLLLLEEEASSSSEEEE let them carry it! I'm telling you, I alone will deplete their stock on a regular basis and increase your profit margins by a healthy percentage.

Mad, Mad STR Love Socks
Pattern: This stitch pattern for the leg, winged the rest
Yarn: Socks That Rock in Rainforest Jasper
Needles: Silvalume, Size 1 dpns
Lessons learned: Sometimes you gotta dance with the frog to see the prince