At Last: The Jaywalkers Can Jaywalk

Well, it's mid-November, but I finally knuckled down and finished the Jaywalker socks, my supposed Socktoberfest project; 'supposed' because I did, after all, start them at the end of September. My wrists and hands hurt after knitting the last four inches of the second sock in one evening, but it is decidedly worth the effort.

And there was much rejoicing. (Yay.)



Pattern: Jaywalker, by the lovely Grumperina.
Yarn: KnitPicks, Dancing in 'Square Dance' (41% cotton, 39% wool, 13% nylon, 7% elastic).
Needles: 2.5mm nickel-plated circulars
Time: Very gradually, over the course of a month and a half.
Modifications: Magic loop method.
Skills Learned: Magic loop, heel flap/short rows/gusset, kitchener stitch.
Comments: A great first-time sock pattern. Simple, addictive, fun. I would definitely knit these again, perhaps in a different yarn (due to pooling issues). The yarn itself, however, was very nice to knit with, and feels pretty strong.



We see the aforementioned pooling action in the above photograph. It's unfortunate (especially on the top sock, the one I knit second), but bearable. I am simply not experienced enough to come up with an easy fix that wouldn't have affected the fit of the sock. In any case, it makes it obvious that they're hand-made. :)



Hand-made, and quite comfortable, I might add! And despite my inability to take a decent picture of them being worn, they do, in fact, look rather splendid.



Isn't this yarn just fabulous looking? The streaks of white make it look shinier than it is, but the colors are wonderfully vibrant without being overstated and totally immature.

As you can see, four out of five rabbits approve of munching on freshly knit socks.



Mum, these are tasty!

It feels amazing to have finally finished my first pair of socks, and I must say, I am hooked. They are the perfect portable project. Tomorrow, I restart Hedera (in a stunning deep red), in hopes of getting the gauge better this time around.

—J

This just in: Socktoberfest celebrations postponed indefinitely

It's November, but no, my Socktoberfest socks are not yet complete. They were started before October anyway, so I don't feel too badly about it, and frankly this whole last-semester-of-my-undergraduate-collegiate-career/looking-for-a-job/trying-to-get-my-writing-career-off-the-ground thing tends to get in the way of my knitting time. Besides, they're my first pair of socks ever, and the journey has been fun. I'm going to make every effort to finish the heel flap and gusset this weekend between various papers that need to be written and books that need to be read. That way, when Monday comes, I can go back to knitting on busses and trains without having to worry about how many decrease rows I have left, and losing count, and all that nonsense.

In the meantime, enjoy your obligatory (and long-awaited) bunny photo:



Cheers!

—J

learn by doing

It's interesting to see how people all over the place can make the same mistakes, without even realizing it. My mistake? The gusset---perhaps unsurprisingly. That whole "pick up and knit" thing that you're supposed to do somehow slipped [knitting pun---get it?] right by me. Literally, I picked up the stitches (just one side, not two), and knit into it through the back of the loop (to keep things tight and neat). Evidently, I did more than make up the ktbl. part; I did it entirely wrong.

I'm in good company, though. Grumperina did the same thing on her first pair of socks. And you know what? I'm happy with this method. I think I'll stick with it. Deviant behavior (and social control?) ahoy.

Either way, I have officially finished my first sock ever, which is entirely too exciting. As seems to be the case with me and learning new knitting-type techniques, learning how to sew up the toe with the kitchener stitch was quite simple. I did make some other mistakes on the toe, mind you (thanks to my own carelessness, more than anything), but we'll come to that next time. Huzzah! :)

ah, October, mums!

I've made a bit more progress on the jaywalkers---indeed, since this photo was taken, even---so I think that in a few more rounds I should finally be able to start the toe. It should be quite the adventure!



It looks to me as if the heel flap should have been longer (I guess I really do have big feet---but I'm only a size 8), but they feel fine, so I'm willing to leave it as-is, and I won't make any alterations for the second sock (lest they feel different on my feet, which would drive me bonkers).

In the meantime, I've cast on for the first hedera sock, as well. I think breaking up the pair will help keep me more interested in the second one of each set---but more importantly, I want to do the toe in the quiet of my apartment, so I needed a new travel project (I don't have another size 1 circ. to start the second jaywalker sock). I'm doing it in a deep red color, which I think will look really nice in the end. Pictures will come when I actually have something worthy of taking a picture of. :)

In the meantime, a breath of October---



Ah, mums. I love them so.

the jaywalkers live!

I haven't been updating; I know. The truth is, I haven't been knitting much, either. If anyone's interested in my progress on my first sock, though, here's something to whet your palate:



I have big feet, sadly, so it's going to be a while before I'm done.



The only new skill I have left is dealing with the toe (kitchener stitch). After a few practice runs through, the heel flap/gusset is a breeze, although somehow less than enjoyable. Turning the heel, however, was way too exciting. I'll have to try short-row heels for my next pair, I think. Until then, ta!