duckies



pattern : duckies by samantha hayes
yarn : knitpicks comfy sport in sweet potato
needle : US 3[3.25mm]
size : 9.5
I actually finished this pair in mid-april but it slipped through the cracks because of the rush of finals in school [passed all of my courses, btw. WOO] These socks have been resting on top of the yarn basket for a while just begging to be worn, but I promised to not wear them out before photographing them, so here the photos are--and the socks haven't left my feet yet!
I found this free pattern by Samantha Hayes on ravelry--it looked just challenging enough to bust some more of my stash of comfy sport. The stitch definition is really beautiful with this yarn. I can't stop staring at how nice all of my handiwork turned out, and the color really knows how to shine when bits of sun hit it in my room. I learned just how much the yarn likes to pill, though from the last pair of socks I made, so the plan is to very gently handwash these to help them last as long as possible. Care of knitwear isn't my strongest suit, I'll admit. If it can't last in the machine wash I naturally put it off or just let it disintegrate, but beautiful yarns like the comfy sport [or any other I might find in the future!]
I think my favorite part of this pattern would be how the cuff to heel pattern was resolved. It was the first time I've ever knit anything like that in a sock, and I was wowed by the simplicity of the solution while knitting it. I also love the little bow made at the bottom of the heel as well--little details like that really make pattern knitting a pleasure.
If you're a sock newbie like me, I recommend you give this pattern a try. The socks knit up very quickly and only need about 80g of sport weight yarn--less than 2 of the little skeins of comfy sport. :]

thanks, april


Things turned out better than expected this April. My plate was full most of the time, my days and nights long, but in many ways that effort paid off. Hopefully you've helped me prepare for the month ahead, I know May's gonna be a real doozy.
Hikes, cotton knits, long hot drives down the freeway, and a whole lot of sketching and R&R is in order.

Find me on instagram as @bapsii.

new sock yarn!


The semester finally ended! I still have momentum from the rush of finals [and frankly, there's a feel that there is still much left to do], but I did count some change from my knitting jar and went to get these gorgeous skeins of Patons Sock Yarn. The pair on the left is in the colorway called Grey Brown Marl and on the right's Pumpkin Spice Jacquard.
Words fail me when I try to describe why I love these color schemes. Looking at these skeins really excite me. I'm sock/sock yarn addicted!
I casted on TDTU Vanilla Socks again with the Marl colorway, since I really want to see those color shine with a simple pattern. As for the color on the right, some Globe Trotter Socks might work well with them, but I'm not really sure.
Many of these lovely patterns that I see on ravelry involve motifs that move from the cuff toward the toe. I feel horizontal blocks of color might break what is trying to be achieved with that look of a pattern. Tempted to just work with another simple stockinette pattern with them, but something a little less mindless might be for the better. Don't hesitate to throw some suggestions my way!

P.S. I will be participating in this, starting tomorrow!
Do let me know if you're joining in as well so I can keep up with your beautiful posts.