Feather & Sand Socks
Did you vote? Did you knit in line? Luckily, the wait was only about 40-45 minutes here in the morning! I only got a few rows in though, as most of the line was outside, it was sprinkling, and Hubster wasn't real keen on holding my pink "Drinky-poo" umbrella so my hands could be free to knit. Wussy.
But now, back to the knitting - and a sock FO!
Bounce that around the stadium, baby!
Oh Sandy
With unusually warm weather (even for here) making the rounds lately, this summery colorway, called Beach Ball, seemed appropriate! It did present a challenge, however - as a self-striping yarn, there just weren't a lotta options when it came to patterns.
Which is why these drove me insane at first. I'd just finished a pair in plain stockinette (and wasn't up for knitting another snoozer) and my last striping pair (in similar colors) were Chevrons, so those two were out. And I couldn't seem to settle on another stitch pattern. Not that I didn't try. Repeatedly. Grrrr.
With the tink ceiling rapidly approaching, I decided to put the socks away and... wait for it... swatch. Yes, for socks. Something I generally avoid. Like heated tuna. Tuna melt, blech!
But it was well worth it, 'cause it took half a dozen tries and some trucker-level cussing to hit the right stitch pattern, and another half a dozen to hit the right mods!
May the swatch be with you.
What came out was a modified version of the Feather & Fan stitch, trumped up for 64 stitches, minus the purl row, with some extra knit stitches and a couple of side purls for stretch. Here it is, in case you wanna save yourself from cussing like a trucker (not that that isn't fun):
Row 1: *P1, K2, (K2tog) 2x, (YO, K1) 4x, (K2tog) 2x, K2, (K2tog) 2x, (YO, K1) 4x, (K2tog) 2x, K2, P1, repeat from *
Rows 2-4: *P1, K30, P1, repeat from *
I like how it gives the socks a pretty, lacy touch, but adds in some straight sections to highlight the stripey goodness. And how it undulates like ocean waves (heeheeheeheehee, undulates).
The stars must've been aligned, 'cause I got the stripes to match up, too! And didja notice how these have a slip-stitch heel instead of EoP? That's three pairs in a row now that my favorite heel has been forsaken. It was tempting, but the EoP didn't seem to mesh well with the stripes.
Your toes are in the Feather & Sand.
Toe-up close-up
Beverly asked me to post a close-up of my sock toes after my Mingus socks to get a better look at the decreases. (I lean them outwards rather than inwards as I think it looks neater and for some reason, fits my toes better.) So Bev, these are for you! :)
Yerrrrrr out!
Yarn thoughts
After Zonda posted her Seriously? socks, I simply had to get me some sKnitches. Had to. You understand. If you know of Sam, the creative genius behind sKnitches, you'll also understand the gushing that's about to abound, because she is one seriously kickass dyer!
You know what it's like to hop onto a hot update, take half a second to say, blink, and discover it's all gone? Well, here's the great thing about Sam. She puts an update out, and of course, it's gone in minutes. But do you have to pine away, call in sick, and hope you'll hit the stash lottery next time? Nope! Just send her an email, ask if she'll custom dye whatever colorways you want (because let's face it, you'll want like, six) and they're yours! She doesn't even charge you extra!
That's what I call summer lovin'.
This skein, a Limited Edition colorway (which I believe she will also custom dye - but don't quote me on that), I scored in an update. Then Sam custom dyed a skein of Seriously? in Syncopation and Goddess in Kettle Drum (which, btw, is gorgeous and about to become my next pair of socks) for me as well and shipped everything in one squee-worthy package. All it took was a couple of extra weeks, and I had the exact colorways I wanted without having to wear out my refresh button or throw my laptop out the window 'cause someone snagged half my cart out from under me.
So now you know the dyer rocks, but how's the yarn? Fabulous! Soft, lovely, and a joy to knit with. There was a bit of tint in the soak but as you can see, no fading or bleeding into the white (of the yarn or my transluscent legs), with minimal pilling. Excellent yardage, too. I made these a little longer than usual and still had a fair amount left over.
Wrap it up
These are summer in socks! The modded stitch pattern worked out great with the stripes, they feel wonderful on, and the bright, happy colors are just awesome! Do they not remind you of a bouncy bouncy beach ball? Do they not make you wish for an oceanside vaca? Do they not have you running for the sKnitches website? Yeah, me too.
Feather n' Sand Socks
Pattern: Modded up stitch pattern from BW Treasury
Yarn: sKnitches Limited Edition, 1 skein in Beach Ball
Needles: HiyaHiya Steel in Size 1, 32"
But now, back to the knitting - and a sock FO!
Bounce that around the stadium, baby!
Oh Sandy
With unusually warm weather (even for here) making the rounds lately, this summery colorway, called Beach Ball, seemed appropriate! It did present a challenge, however - as a self-striping yarn, there just weren't a lotta options when it came to patterns.
Which is why these drove me insane at first. I'd just finished a pair in plain stockinette (and wasn't up for knitting another snoozer) and my last striping pair (in similar colors) were Chevrons, so those two were out. And I couldn't seem to settle on another stitch pattern. Not that I didn't try. Repeatedly. Grrrr.
With the tink ceiling rapidly approaching, I decided to put the socks away and... wait for it... swatch. Yes, for socks. Something I generally avoid. Like heated tuna. Tuna melt, blech!
But it was well worth it, 'cause it took half a dozen tries and some trucker-level cussing to hit the right stitch pattern, and another half a dozen to hit the right mods!
May the swatch be with you.
What came out was a modified version of the Feather & Fan stitch, trumped up for 64 stitches, minus the purl row, with some extra knit stitches and a couple of side purls for stretch. Here it is, in case you wanna save yourself from cussing like a trucker (not that that isn't fun):
Row 1: *P1, K2, (K2tog) 2x, (YO, K1) 4x, (K2tog) 2x, K2, (K2tog) 2x, (YO, K1) 4x, (K2tog) 2x, K2, P1, repeat from *
Rows 2-4: *P1, K30, P1, repeat from *
I like how it gives the socks a pretty, lacy touch, but adds in some straight sections to highlight the stripey goodness. And how it undulates like ocean waves (heeheeheeheehee, undulates).
The stars must've been aligned, 'cause I got the stripes to match up, too! And didja notice how these have a slip-stitch heel instead of EoP? That's three pairs in a row now that my favorite heel has been forsaken. It was tempting, but the EoP didn't seem to mesh well with the stripes.
Your toes are in the Feather & Sand.
Toe-up close-up
Beverly asked me to post a close-up of my sock toes after my Mingus socks to get a better look at the decreases. (I lean them outwards rather than inwards as I think it looks neater and for some reason, fits my toes better.) So Bev, these are for you! :)
Yerrrrrr out!
Yarn thoughts
After Zonda posted her Seriously? socks, I simply had to get me some sKnitches. Had to. You understand. If you know of Sam, the creative genius behind sKnitches, you'll also understand the gushing that's about to abound, because she is one seriously kickass dyer!
You know what it's like to hop onto a hot update, take half a second to say, blink, and discover it's all gone? Well, here's the great thing about Sam. She puts an update out, and of course, it's gone in minutes. But do you have to pine away, call in sick, and hope you'll hit the stash lottery next time? Nope! Just send her an email, ask if she'll custom dye whatever colorways you want (because let's face it, you'll want like, six) and they're yours! She doesn't even charge you extra!
That's what I call summer lovin'.
This skein, a Limited Edition colorway (which I believe she will also custom dye - but don't quote me on that), I scored in an update. Then Sam custom dyed a skein of Seriously? in Syncopation and Goddess in Kettle Drum (which, btw, is gorgeous and about to become my next pair of socks) for me as well and shipped everything in one squee-worthy package. All it took was a couple of extra weeks, and I had the exact colorways I wanted without having to wear out my refresh button or throw my laptop out the window 'cause someone snagged half my cart out from under me.
So now you know the dyer rocks, but how's the yarn? Fabulous! Soft, lovely, and a joy to knit with. There was a bit of tint in the soak but as you can see, no fading or bleeding into the white (of the yarn or my transluscent legs), with minimal pilling. Excellent yardage, too. I made these a little longer than usual and still had a fair amount left over.
Wrap it up
These are summer in socks! The modded stitch pattern worked out great with the stripes, they feel wonderful on, and the bright, happy colors are just awesome! Do they not remind you of a bouncy bouncy beach ball? Do they not make you wish for an oceanside vaca? Do they not have you running for the sKnitches website? Yeah, me too.
Feather n' Sand Socks
Pattern: Modded up stitch pattern from BW Treasury
Yarn: sKnitches Limited Edition, 1 skein in Beach Ball
Needles: HiyaHiya Steel in Size 1, 32"
posted by weezalana at 6:45 AM
16 Comments:
Very summery! About as summery as wool socks can get huh?
I love the socks. The colorway is so vibrant, and I think the pattern really is a perfect choice. I've been coveting sKnitches yarn for awhile, and I appreciate the info on custom dyeing. That certainly would make life easier!
They make your feet look like a party!
Beachball is a perfect name for that colorway!
Hello! A new reader (I found you by Googling "Seascape"; I'm thinking of giving that a try), and just wanted to say the socks are adorable - totally dig the colorway.
Fabulous! They do make me think of the beach. Those are going to be some seriously uplifting socks on the gloomy days of winter.
Love(1) What a fun pair of socks! And your toe? Love it. I'm gonna try that sometime.
Great socks. What a perfectly happy colorway of stripes. :)
Great socks! Even if they made you curse like a trucker they turned out totally cute!
Eeenteresting toe decreases. I may have to try that on my next pair. Thanks for posting the pic!
Thanks also for posting your mods to the pattern. I have been on the lookout for a pattern that will work with self-striping yarn, and I'm really liking this one. It's perfect.
Oh I likey, even though there is yellow in there ;) My next pair is gonna be in her cashmeeere...ahhhhh
I love the toe decreases too! ?? on how to do them though..help
Those are so purty!! And before I even realizes it was sKnitches, I thought, this pattern would be perfect for my sKnitches yarn (which I love!! and I love that I got them through a custom order too..easy easy!!). Great job!
well done! I'd say it was worth swatching!
Those socks are freaking goregous great job
Your patience definitely paid off. They are very pretty. And I will NOT click on the website. I do not need more yarn. Repeat it with me... I do not need more yarn. (But I want LOTS more!!!)
Gorgeous - I love the colorway - and its cold here so I would love a little summer! Great pattern too - I'm going to save this because I have a lot of self-striping yarn in the stash. And I'm not going to click on the link for the yarn....well, maybe just a peek...
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