Usually I don’t name my socks. But this is the exception. Sergei Rachmaninoff was a composer of classical music. And the one that wrote the piece I spent some time knitting to indoors on a fine saturday afternoon, KIP’ing away. It’s not a great story, but I liked the name (russian and french names always make tongue tie itself into a know when I try to say them, it’s fun )

The special thing about them is that they are, in fact, my first pair of completly vegan socks! made in panda cotton. A yarn so lovely that I’m considering buying enough for 5 more pairs of socks…

For the rest of the details, check them out at ravelry.

As a ps. I’m not knitting as much as I used to these days, I don’t know why, I just dont. So these socks have been with me for a long time, and I’m still not finished with them.

Tags: kip, knitting in public, ravelry, socks, toe-up sock, vegan, yarn

It’s the last day of january today, it seems like a good time to make this years resolutions regarding knitting, and especially one aspect of it has been on my mind the last couple of days.
Stash… (long pause)

In 2006 I had no money, bought next to no new yarn except on a couple of occasions and was really modest about taking in new stuff just because I had no choice.

In 2007 I got my economy somewhat on my feet, and vowed to build myself a stash, just so that I would have a backup plan if I was back in the position from the previous year. I also went vegan in october, and stopped buying animal fibers.

And now it’s 2008. I got my stash, some of it is pretty, some of it isn’t, and most of it isn’t vegan. It might be a little late to have resolutions for the new year now, but I do.

• I will continue to not buy animal fibers, and knit down a lot of what I have
• I will try to use more from the stash than I put into it
• I will learn to knit socks without wool that I can love as much as the ones with wool
• I will make at least one hoodie, that I will wear regularly
• I have joined a stash-turnover group at Ravelry and I will follow it’s lead. By adding new gorgeus yarn to it, and use up the old

Tags: knit, ravelry, socks, stash, vegan, yarn

I’ve been a slack knitter this holiday, partly because I decided to not do any christmas knitting this year. I love not having to knit anything, the only problem is that as a result I almost didn’t.

Except: A sweater, in the pattern Ester. Unfortunately I’m not really finished with it yet, it needs a few more inches around. And I forgot to take a picture of it in the hour of daylight we had today… oops.

During my reading for my second exam a couple of weeks ago I cast on some socks (the new knitty had just come out) and I needed some knitting breaks from the world. They are beautiful, but I don’t knit on them constantly, they are a bit too involved for that. It’s the Azure pattern. At first I tried to make them in some Opal Bamboo. a variegated green colour, but seeing as this is textured pattern made up out of increases and decreases (but not lace, genius!) it ate it up too such an extent that I frogged it and restarted in a single colored yarn.

The sock yarn I chose is Fabel, by Garnstudio. It’s a pretty good yarn, wool/nylon blend, much the same as Regia or Opal, but a little bit fatter and a lot cheaper here in Norway, as it’s not import.

The other thing I’m making is Quant. From the newest knitty as well. My first attempt at enterlac, a technique I haven’t really had the need to try. At first glance the pattern didn’t seem to appealing to me, but a knitting a friend made three(?) for christmas gifts, and said the pattern was pretty cool. So I gave it a try.

So far, so good. I had to go down one needle size to get gauge. Not that I really swatched, I just made the beginning and frogged back when it turned out an inche too big, without doing the I-cord again.
I’m a bit disappointed with the yarn though, Noro Kureyon has been raved about so much that I thought it would be… better? None has mentioned as I have seen that it’s not uniform, in the spinning department, it’s almost thick/thin, but not quite. More like the yarn I’m producing as a pretty novice spinner, than what I expected out of Noro.

PS. The fact that I pulled all this yarn out of my stash kinda worries me. 2007 apparently was the year of stashbuilding for me

Tags: christmas, norway, opal, socks, toe-up sock, yarn

Exams are coming up in a few weeks and I’m getting really stressed out about that. I don’t have the energy to write a proper post today. Instead you get to everything about how I like to make my socks. Exciting huh?

I stole this from Jaimie that had taken it from someone else as well (I like tracking memes like that).

1. What’s your favorite sock yarn? (please note that the word ‘yarn’ is singular. Just pick one. I know it’s hard.)

I think it’s Opal. I love how it softens with wear but still isn’t worn trough by active use for four years. The only bad thing with it for me is that it contains wool. I’m not buying that anymore. And I will miss it when I’ve knit up my stash. But that will take some time, I’ve been hording it for years now.

2. What’s your favorite type and brand of sock needle?

Short (6 inch) bamboo needles made by a german company (of which name escapes me). I love them, and use them all the time.

3. Do you knit your socks toe up, cuff down, or sideways?

About half toe-up and half cuff-down. Most of my toe-up has been based around the widdershins pattern.

4. Do you knit both socks at once or just one at a time?

One at a time. I don’t want to have an extra ball of yarn or potential tangling when I stuff it down in my bag.

5. What’s your favorite toe and why?

The magic cast-on toe. My favorite technique as well.

6. Favorite heel?

Heel flap, with peacock or regular sl1 K1. On toe-up and cuff-down alike.

7. Do you prefer plain or patterned socks?

I do a lot of textured patterns, and a few lace socks as well. (I’ve done three pairs of pomatomus)

8. Who do you knit the most socks for?

Me. I’m selfish like that. But I recently started giving some away, how many pairs of socks are you supposed to have for yourself without feeling guilty? 20? 40? 60?

9. Do you darn your socks? If not, what do you do with them?

I’ve darned a few pairs, and I will have to have a darning day after I’ve taken my exams.

10. Do you only wear handknit socks?

I usually have on a pair of handknit socks, but for the thick socks I wear a pair of thin cotton ones inside. Most of my storebought socks are falling apart, and I’m replacing them with hand knit ones.

Bonus question: What pattern, if any, is your basic “I-just-need-a-pair-of-socks” sock pattern based on? Do you keep it written down or memorized?

2.5mm needles. 14 m pr needle, over 4 needles = 56 stiches
K2, p2 2 inches.
Knit 15 cm

Heel 14 x 2 sl 1 k1 rounds (14 long stitches is illustrated with a small drawing).
K 1 past the middle, ssk k1 turn
Sl 1 purl to 12th stitch p2tog, p1
Repeat until no stitches left on each side.

Gusset:
Ndl. 1: k to 3 last, ktog k1
Ndl 2 – 3: in pattern
Ndl 4: k1 ssk. K rest
Next round knit ndl. 1-4. Ndl 2-3 in pattern
Repeat until 14 st. pr ndl.

13.5cm from picked up stitches to toe.
Decrease until 5 st. pr. p. = st.

That’s from my very small knitting notebook. Translated from Norwegian, but it takes more place written in English. It’s written over 3.5 inches x 3.5 inches. It’s based on a yarnharlot recipe and every norwegian læste recipe I’ve seen, and I’ve both seen and done lots of those.

Tags: knit, lace, opal, socks, toe-up sock

I was knitting on my sock today while I waiting for the train to take me home after a long day, listening to a podcast and minding my own stuff.

A woman taps me on the shoulder “excuse me, the sock you are knitting, aren’t you knitting it in the wrong direction? How do you do that?”
I talked to her about it, just a little bit, at first, how I found stuff like that online.

She was so nice! And just as obsessed with knitting as me, and sooo happy when I gave her the directions to get a pattern like that!
Great!
So we talked until the train got there and both left smiling.

Stuff like that makes me want to knit in public more often

Tags: kip, knitting in public, socks, toe-up sock