Afghan Socks

I've had some Poems sock yarn in my stash (came with a shawl kit), and recently came upon an old book from SpinOff on socks. I love the Afghan Socks pattern, and decided to try the color changing Poems with the pattern. 

This yarn is quite  thin and loosely spun, and a single, so I think that  a two color pattern seems appropriate to help it wear better.  Regardless, I loved working the changing color patterning so it was a quick knit!   Next time I will do a provisional cast on for the heel.

I get very cold feet in the winter, so these are a nice thing even here in Georgia at this time of the year.

I've done afghan inspired socks before.  Anna Zilboorg's book "Magnificent Socks and Mittens" gave me the pattern from a pair of mittens that I adapted to socks a couple of years ago.  The yarn is Frangipani guernsey and so far it's very sturdy for socks. These don't have the traditional "afterthought" heel, I did my regular heel flap style sock.

Socks in the Lusekofte Spirit

Years ago, I bought a set of sock patterns by Beth Brown Reinsel. The patterning is based on traditional Scandinavian sweaters. I love the patterns and have knit a few. Here is the original Lusekofte Sock.

However, my laziness with some of the specific details has overtaken me (Beth used some very nice and interesting construction specifics). So with this pair, I just let the patterning fly over my vanilla sock pattern which is in my head.  The yarn is a washable wool that  I dyed at my very first indigo dyeing experience in a class taught by Tamara, whose website is here.  The white yarn is from one of my bunnies, who no longer live with me.  I originally tried reversing the colors, but it was just too much soft fuzz!  These are plenty fuzzy.

No, this is not a "snowflake" pattern. "Luse" refers to lice, and I believe that "kofte" is a type of jacket.

Thoughts on Socks, and Custom Woolen Mills Mulespun Yarn

Once upon a time, I said that I would like all the socks in my sock drawer to be hand knit. Since then, I have learned that this is just plain silly.

I have knit socks from Koigu, the best yarn of all. This was from the inspiration of a famous knit blogger and it was silly. Holes were had quickly...and I live in a warm climate where socks are only needed 6 months or less of the year. Koigu is for many beautiful things, but not socks.

However, I have a son who likes outdoor sports and needs wool socks. I have bought him and his brother buffalo wool socks from here, and they have been a hit.

And then...I went to Nova Scotia last May. Visited  "The Mariner's Daughter" in Lunenberg,  My travel friend Barb and I spent a long time in there. 

I found some great wool for socks. It is from Custom Woolen Mills in Alberta, where my good travel friend Barb who was with me hails from. The yarn is   Custom Woolen Mills CWM Sock which is 4 ply,  mule spun. It is a dk weight. It is a blend of Merino, Rambouillet, and Dorset with 30% nylon. The colorway is "Ewe Reek of Teal."  "Mule spun" refers to the  spinning equipment which  can use a long draw technique, resulting in an soft yarn full of air, similar to what can be obtained from hand spinning with a woolen technique. The spinning mule at CWM is from 1910. 

Here's a nice blog post with some information on woolen spun and mule spun yarns. 

Here are the socks  (well, one of them) done for my son, B. He promises that he will handwash them.  The pattern is a standard sock pattern of my own, gauged to B's foot measurements. Now, this is a good sock yarn. 

I am hoping to visit CWM on a future trip to Canada!

More baking than knitting

There was likely more baking than knitting this last weekend, although some of the latter did happen.

A bit of a celebration of sorts forced me in to the kitchen.  While I try really hard not to bake sweet stuff because I eat too much of it, I really had no choice.

Found a recipe from my favorite baking book for whole wheat cinnamon rolls.  Who knew, before Judith Fertig taught me, that yeast dough would rise in the fridge??  What about all that " put in a warm place to let the dough rise" business??

Anyway, while the recipe says to grind one's own flour from wheatberries, I didn't, but I swear I'll do that once I retire.  I swear.  Rather,   I used King Arthur white wheat, which is my go to...  I didn't forget to use Grandma Helen's ancient rolling pin, which adds a dash of those  je ne sai quoi old wood fragments, the matrilineal rolling pin version of sour dough??  (Its handle fell off about 5 years ago, still works great...).

There's a reason that I knit rather than, say, sculpt;  it's that I don't create matching 3 dimensional free form shapes well  (I'm very bad with  the Lucia bun S shape...)

However, the result looks pretty fine, on a tea saucer also inherited from Grandma Helen. It also tasted pretty good, the cream cheese drizzle on top used a WHOLE BOX of confectioner's sugar, which sort of mitigated the taste of the tannins in the whole wheat.  A particular teenager wasn't unhappy with the lack of white flour

And then...at yes, I confess, Walmart, I found the cutest little mold for gingerbread men cookies, which was convenient as I had some frozen gingerbread dough left over from Christmas (these pictured are unbaked).

Really cute although really the wrong time of year...

On the knitting front, I have had some gauge-related frustration with a pair of socks that I've been working on and put aside last month, waiting for patience to return. I  got back to them this week, figured out which needles I needed, and steamed ahead

They are for that nice man, done in Poems sock yarn.  Do love the slow color gradation.  I'm on a size zero.  Just heard on a podcast today that the smaller the gauge, the better they wear.  That's good news, I'm at about 9 stitches per inch here...

Vintage Knitting: Socks for Soldiers: Articles and an FO

The New York Times offers PDF's of some interesting old articles on sock knitting for soldiers.

Here are two links from the Times in 1914:  the link will open in to a downloadable PDF of the original articles!

Mrs. J.P. Morgan and daughters knit socks for soldiers

Mrs. DeLancey Nicoll's instructions on "How to Knit Socks for Soldiers"  Apparently, Mrs. Nicoll interviewed a woman from the Red Cross who stated: "The trouble with American women is that so few of them know how to knit socks. Practically only the foreign-born women know how."

And finally, from 1917, a general article including socks:

"How to Knit for Soldiers.; Mrs. Leeds Gives More Instructions In Making of Garments"

The Times has some other fascinating articles both old and new on knitting. Go to NYTimes.com and search, although you'll want to specify a little in your search  e.g., "knitting socks."

In the meantime, my authentic Civil War socks are completed

Civil War Sock Knitters

I recently listened to an interesting podcast from public radio.  Walter Edgar is a professor of history at the University of South Carolina and  he has a public radio program on all topics South Carolina.  

We all recall Mary Chesnut from Ken Burns' Civil War series on PBS from 1990, right?  And Mary's diaries were often quoted;  Julie Harris read the quotes.  Mary was a South Carolina blue blood. She was the wife of General James Chesnut, an  aide to Confederate president Jefferson Davis. Several different annotated versions of her diaries are available at Amazon.  Here is a nice synopsis of Mary's life and writings from Elisabeth Showalter Muhlenfeld, her biographer.  Dr. Muhlenfeld also edited and published two of Mary's unfinished novels.

On the particular podcast I listened to, Dr. Edgar (we treat him with great reverence down here) was interviewing Julia A. Stern, author of Mary Chesnut's Civil War Epic.  She is a scholar from Northwestern University who has published a book, which considers Mary's so-called diary to be more of a nonfictional epic.  This she helped to realize by examining earlier less simplified versions of Mary's complex work, and delving in to its details.

To add to my interest, in a more recent podcast, Dr. Edgar interviewed a descendent of Mary Chesnut, Martha Daniels.  Apparently Mary had a vast collection of photographs.  At some point, the photographs were separated from her diaries. Amazingly, the photographs were located (on ebay!!) and purchased by Martha's family.  The description in the podcast of Martha's Grandmother recognizing unlabelled individuals in the photos brought tears to my eyes.  The photographic collection is donated to the South Caroliniana Library at the University of South Carolina, and a new edition of the diaries combined with the photographic images will soon be published.

Here is the SCETV link to Walter Edgar's Journal Podcast;  scroll down and you can listen to these two podcasts, or locate them on itunes!

Well and yes, of course, Mary was a sock knitter.   The more I read about knitting, the more I realize that small garments:  hats, mittens, and socks are the items often knitted through history, as larger garments are perhaps more easily made of woven fabric. Marys quote: " I do not know when I have seen a woman without knitting in her hand. 'Socks for the soldiers' is the cry."

Here is a link for an authentic pair of Civil War socks, suitable nowadays for reinactors!  More discussion is here.  I am trying this pattern using some Guernsey wool that I have had in stash for waaaaay too long;  see the photo, above, of the one I am working on.  I will avoid second sock syndrome as it is a holiday gift!  My gauge is a little larger than that called for.

Yahoo's Civil War Needleworker's Group has a collection of sock patterns as well, but you must be a group member to join (that's easy, however).

Holiday Knitting Begun

I think that part of the discipline of being a lace knitter is being able to put it down to work on something else that perhaps you don't want to work on quite as much.  I find that difficult.  To wit:  holiday gifts. 

I'm not really in the mood this year for holiday knitting, usually it's full steam ahead...but I was good last week and started two items

a pair of socks (two views)

 and a hat (more gray than purple in real life)

I do like starting things, even if they're not lace.

I still have globe basil in the garden and happily stumbled on this recipe for bread machine focaccia with basil.  Why it's in the Southern food section at about.com I haven't a clue.  It was very well received by all.  I used fresh basil in the bread, and before baking it gently spread some marinara sauce and grated parmesan on top. It didn't last long!

FO: Socks

His socks:  done.  First pair I've finished in a long time.  I like Anne's pattern, The Sock Pattern to End All Sock Patterns.

I do know sock pattern ratios in my head, but this pattern was helpful with using my gauge to the intended's foot.  I think it came up a little short, and I was too impulsive to add length.  But the width is great.  I do think my gauge on 4 double points does tend to vary during knitting.  But they are very pretty and I love the yarn, Online's Supersocke 100. Very very soft, contains some angora.

OK and why DOES my "Christmas" cactus bloom closer to spring equinox than winter solstice?  Perhaps its age (5) has caused it to revert to more normal blooming tendencies, as the light increases??  Worth waiting for...

 

A Sock Reconsidered

After starting on THE sock, I decided to consider switching patterns.  Feeling very unsure about fit.

I frogged and went with Anne's "The Sock Pattern to End All Sock Patterns."

Happier now, went down 8 stitches on the leg/ankle:

Am still really liking the yarn, Supersocke 100.

Here's Fiona, finding eye camouflage near the betta's bowl

Current Sock Project

OK  all that said about my not loving sock knitting, I am now working on a pair of socks for someone, hopefully that person isn't reading this.  This person may have figured something out as I did take some foot measurements.

In the past I have enjoyed the color changing yarn so I picked up this lovely stuff

its Supersocke 100 and is lovely and soft, merino, angora and polyamide...what is polyamide anyway? 

Looked it up...here's the scoop via Wikipedia....apparently it's nylon...maybe it's German for "nylon".

Also in the past I have had sock fit issues, so I did a Ravelry search and used this top down sock calculator.  

More later when we see how this proceeds

Some bread machine advice:  if you're VERY lucky, which apparently I am today, you can put the ingredients for not bread machine bread to do "dough only" for two loaves not just one, and have it not spill over on the rise in the machine, only almost

and come out with this

rye with anise instead of caraway seeds.

Love-Hate Sock Knitting

A long, long time ago, like in 1980, I said out loud once that I wanted my sock drawer to contain all hand knit socks.  At that time, I knit socks from scratchy 100% wool.  Nothing else was readily available.   (I've done so many socks that I have the formula in my head, although I'm lousy at getting the fit perfect).

Then, the holes started.  I persisted.  Eventually I knew that there was better sock yarn out there, and I sometimes used it.  But, I stumbled on Yarn Harlot's Koigu socks, and started in on those.  Can't locate the original post to show you, that was a while back too.  I probably did 4 pair of koigu socks, comfy and great under Birkenstocks.  More and plentiful holes.   For example (under the ball of the foot/metatarsal heads)

Yes, you know, you can wear them with holes under Birkenstocks.  But really, Koigu has better uses.  (There's some in the stash for a shawl/stole).

One sock concept that I have done was highly successful.  Beth Brown Reinsel's little books for Scandinavian themed socks. Obviously, this is me and we know where this is going with the Scandinavia theme;  be it lusekofte, fana, or ullared, I love them all.

 Oops, I didn't do the lusekofte.

I used Brown Sheep Wildfoote for these and they are going strong, although I wear them sparingly.   I highly recommend the Wildefoote.

They would make awesome Christmas stockings.

While the shaping is fun, and I do love the sock yarn that changes color, I've tired of sock knitting for now, at least for myself.