Posts Tagged ‘socks’
What am I celebrating today?
December 4, 2016I am not sure why National Sock Day is celebrated on December 4, but there you go.
I made these. These are not my feet.
More socks:
What am I knitting?
May 24, 2016
Socks!
With the cuff, heel flap and turn, gusset, foot and toe defined by different colors – harmonizing, but not matching. I had to snatch them off his feet to get a picture.
What am I knitting on tattoo Tuesday?
January 27, 2015
This is a pair of socks I made using a double strand (Madelinetosh and Koigu yarns), 36 stitches on #4 needles. The cuff was knit on #2 needles. The furry part was knit on #4 needles. I had the furry yarn on hand. I cannot remember the manufacturer. I thought these socks would be nice and warm to wear around the house – or the office instead of wearing my boots all day!
I bought the sock yarn at Bo-Peep Fine Yarns in Ligonier, PA. This is a wonderful yarn shop!
Because it is Tuesday, here are some tattoos. You have heard of tattoo sleeves. It turns out there are tattoo socks, too. These designs, however, take the name literally.
What am I knitting?
October 10, 2013I know, the title of this blog is Gunsmoke and KNITTING and I have not posted much on either subject lately.
This one, however, is about knitting. I recently traveled to Pittsburgh to see my brother and other things. My brother lives in Ligonier, PA. Ligonier is really a charming town with a lot of little shops – including Bo Peep Fine Yarns. I had to stop there.
So this is the sock yarn I purchased there:
And I bought this yarn because it was pretty and sparkly. I don’t know what I am going to do with it, but would appreciate any suggestions:
More yarn shop – They are winding my sock yarn into a ball here.
This is a yarn shop with a fireplace –
We wound up the afternoon with some excellent coconut cream pie:
More Ligonier photos:
What am I knitting?
April 10, 2013
Thanks for HMS Defiant for this reference about Romano-Egyptian socks. He watches me knitting and sent this delightful story along.
I am a sock knitter and one of the nice things about knitting your own is that you can tailor them to the recipient – color, length in all dimensions, weight.
However, I have never had to adjust my knitting to accommodate the apparently stork-footed (see there are storks again) individual for whom these socks were made.
Another note is that the story talks about single-needle knitting. I always thought that was crochet – ?
What am I obsessing over?
October 2, 2012
Not me, so much, but apparently some people become obsessive about sock matching and that need is being addressed by a Swiss company that manufactures radio-tagged socks. Please note that this article and the device are all about black socks.
Really?
Here is the article from the NYT that also explains:
Apparently this is something of a problem for people who wear nothing but identical black socks.
Personally, I cannot understand this. On the other hand, HerRoom, an online site selling women’s lingerie, does offer a survey that enables you to categorize your breasts. That might be useful.
They are chicken breasts. What did you think I was going to post?
What am I knitting?
October 14, 2011
Happy I Love Yarn Day
I do love the socks. They are small. They knit up quickly. They are complicated enough that they are interesting, but not too complicated that I can’t watch a movie or something while knitting. They are useful and they feel good. I have gotten good enough at it that they fit right and don’t make me walk funny (like the first pair I knitted.) Also, there is something meditative about the process – I’ll have to think some more about the Zen of knitting.
Click here for my Basic Sock Directions
My words of advice – buy the best yarn you can afford. There are great washable wool and other luxury blended fiber yarns available. Natural fibers feel SO much better (and wear better) than the cheap stuff. Most socks only take one skein or ball of yarn – 2 at the most – so go ahead and splurge. I (now) make sure that the yarn is washable and sturdy enough to handle the wear that socks get. Still, I wash them in cold water on gentle and hang them up to dry.
The socks in the picture are from left to right: worsted weight yarn, 2 in sport weight, and the stripey design ones in fingering yarn.
I am a devotee of double-pointed needles. I think that people who have trouble with double points are using too long a needle. For socks, I think 4″ needles are ideal although they are a little harder to find. Addi makes some good ones that are aluminum. Metal is not usually my favorite, but these little needles do the trick. I am also salivating over a set of 4″ multi-colored, wooden double points at Knit Picks.
Favorite yarn sources:
Cala Lily Yarns in Wooster, OH
Yardgoods Center in Waterville, ME
Fine Points in Shaker Heights, OH
Heavenly Socks Yarn in Belfast, ME
also
Gunsmoke and Knitting 