Diggin' in the Yukon

Whew! I was afraid the contractors...

Ack! Four FOs unblogged! The backlog is starting to give me hives. With luck, they'll be done working on the house in about a week. Then I can start putting everything back in its proper place, and peace and freakishly anal organization shall reign once again in the weezdom. And I can take pictures somewhere besides my home office.

It's the FOooooo train!
First stop on the FO backlog train - my purty new Yukon Leaves Socks! I love this stitch pattern. When I look down at my feet, a trail of lopsided hearts stare back up at me to remind me of what my college...er, I mean, how much fun this stitch pattern was to knit.

I didn't memorize it completely, but a quick glance at the pattern was all it took to get through each row. Started out with some 2x2 rib for the cuff, which lines up perfectly with the purl column in the front. (The column doesn't line up in the back, but, well, it's in the back so I'm going with an outta sight, outta mind philosophy there.)


...would come back here while I was snapping these...

Then followed the stitch pattern with just a few minor mods:

• Switched the garter columns between the leaves to purls. It's prettier, helps the leaf pattern pop more, and has more stretchy give to satisfy my inexplicable fear of baggy sock legs.
  
• Did my usual EoP flap on 28 stitches to retain the P2s on each side down the instep.
• Continued the lace pattern down the instep.
  
• Slightly wider heel and toe.
• Decreased the instep only for the first two rows of the toe to even out the stitch count with the sole.

...and wonder why the crazy Asian lady was sitting on top of her desk hutch taking pictures of her feet.

Oh, I also came across a much easier way to work k3togs somewhere on the Rav forums (can't remember where, sorry!): knit 1, put that stitch back on the left needle, pass the next stitch over, then pass the next stitch over that (in other words, pass them over one at a time and in order), then put the stitch back on the right needle. Looks EXACTLY like a k3tog but is much easier on the hands and impressionable young children who may be within earshot when you're cursing like a drunken sailor on cheap tequila.

Yarn thoughts
It's STR. Heeee.

Wrap it up
*squooshy mushy lacy leaf sock love*

Yukon Sally
Pattern: Wool and Wood
Yarn: STR Lightweight in Mustang Sally
Needles: KP 1, 32" + HiyaHiya 1, 32"
Mods: Switched the garter columns to purls, EoP flap on 28 stitches, continued lace pattern with side P2s down instep, slightly wider heel & toe, decreased instep only for 2 rows at start of toe to even out stitch count