charcoal angler's loop socks

pattern : Angler's Loop Socks by Andrea Mules
yarn : Premier Yarns Serenity Sock Weight Solids in Charcoal
needle : US 1[2.25mm]
size : 9.5 [size large in pattern]

Aaand they're finally finished! These socks really should not have taken this long to be finished, but still, super satisfying to have on my feet.

As you can [sorta] see above, I took the time to figure out how to mirror the little ribbing ridge that goes along the length of the foot so the pair looks symmetrical. Usually I'm the type to have a designated left and right side when it comes to accessories like these, but I think the ribbing should work both ways--it might even show a little better with the stripe going down the inside instead of out.

I just can't over express just how pleased I am with how these socks turned out. This would be my first real cabling project and, while intimidating at first, it turned out to be very simple to do. I'm almost considering a massive aran sweater project in the near future, but the more realistic plan would be to cast on some more lovely cable-featured sock projects. 

I am one pair closer to a fully handmade sock drawer--if you have any lovely cabling sock patterns that I may love, don't hesitate to let me know in the comments! Oh, and as usual, check out my project page on ravelry for more photos of my sockies.

wip: first sweater

Alright, now if it were any other project I'd spend a little time blogging about the yarn I chose or other project preparation details before getting into the meat of the knit piece, but 1. I wanted to devote my time to the inevitable beginning mess-ups/frogs/re-cast-ons that come with embarking on such a large project before telling anyone online about it and 2. I was just too damn excited to work on and eventually wear this thing!

So here it is, after 5 hours of shopping yarn colorways and prices, and at least 3 repeated cast-on attempts, my first hand knit sweater in progress. Thanks to Jane Richmond for her so-far wonderfully simple and easy to follow pattern.

I went with the fisherman's wool in natural brown because I thought it went pretty well with my skin tone and wardrobe. Also because, for three skeins on the day I decided to head out and buy, it cost about $16, as opposed to the cost of $45 for the 7 skeins of the recommended Patons Classic Wool (right now, I'm having so much fun with this sweater so far that I just might make a second for myself in Patons, just because I can).

It also turns out that my three skeins of yarn bought for this sweater are of two different dye lots--one is labeled with 001, and the other two with 002. I...think I'm okay with this. Maybe I'll try some super subtle striping along the sleeves or wherever the first skein looks like it's beginning to run out. If I don't do it and it looks like I knit this with two loudly different shades of brown, I think I'll love the sweater anyway. <3

One big worry I have while working on this thing is the annoying itching I get on my nose and lap. I'm hoping so hard that it isn't me discovering that I'm actually allergic to wool (which would be the most tragic thing), and that I'm probably just reacting to the little bits of grass that I occasionally pull out of the yarn fed into the wip. I've never had this reaction while working with wool before, so maaaaybe whatever's making my skin itch will come out in the wash.

All of my fingers are crossed on this hope here. If that doesn't work out, I'll happily take allergy medication as gifts, cos I'm not planning to give up wool any time soon.

Expect my next update of this sweater to be an FO one! Or...one that's full of curse words.. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

a socktober indeed

I've made some slow but steady progress on my Angler's Loop Socks this month. Whenever I felt a little impatient I would try the finished sock on and admire the cabling, that's been enough to keep knitting for another 10 rounds or so.

Doing that didn't always work. At one point late one night I just needed some instant knitting gratification, so I did some digging in the queue and found John's Short Footies, a skein of about the right weight, and just got started.

Between these two projects in progress, one semi-secret gift pair in the works, and a super ambitious piece casted on yesterday, I can say there's a lot to look forward to on the knitting front this month.

wip: charcoal angler's loop socks

I've spent so much of my time working on my day job or on shop knits that I've neglected my own personal projects! After my first craft show at St. Cornelius in Long Beach (which went very well, btw!) I decided to get back to knitting an old wip I took on in July. I don't think I blogged about it yet but here's my try at Andrea Mules's Angler's Loop pattern.

I've never really taken on a real cabling pattern so this was daunting at first but quickly became very fun to do. I decided to go for two pattern repeats instead of the three shown in the pattern photos, but other than that I was true to the instructions. Can't wait to see this finished. I'm in love with how the yarn looks and feels and just need them on my feet asap.