Sock Stories

Since 2015 began I have been hooked on socks. I have other projects on the needles too, but it seems like the sock project is always the one I focus on. No surprise I have finished two pairs already!

I discussed my "Show off stranded socks" in the last post, and since then I have started and completed one other pair. 

When the time came for my next pair, I decided to literally reach into my stash bin and grab a skein of yarn. If it was sock yarn, it was my next pair. The lucky winner was Merino Twist DK by Sweet Fiber. This skein of 100% superwash merino was given to me in a swap last summer and has been hanging out in the bin since. 

Such a dark yarn needed a nice lacy pattern, and I just couldn't find one on Ravelry that really fit the bill. So.... I designed my own! 

Nothing goes better with lace than waves, and I found the perfect motif in my "365 stitch calendar". Sadly, it didn't translate well to working in the round, and I had to change things up a bit. I was able to find another wave pattern online and went to town swatching. After ripping out the toe (these are toe up) for the 4th time, I finally got the design down! And the rest flew off the needles. 

Good news for you all also, I decided to publish the pattern! You can find it here - "Midnight Surf Socks" And if you use you the code "2015SOX", you can have it for $1 until Friday, Feb 13th.!  It hasn't been tech edited (yea...I know...) but I read it over three times and really worked to make it perfect. 

With this pair done, I decided I wanted to keep the "Grab and knit" trend going, even though I have two other projects on my needles. I also want to keep designing the socks myself - I have decided that every pair of socks I knit this year will be my own personal design! The next pair? With the solid purple shown above. Blue Ridge Farms Subtle Shades. I am thinking something a bit more solid, since the yarn is solid it can show off design work more. Maybe cables, or twists or both or lace. Who knows.

Weekly Inspirations:

Knitting: I haven't posted mine on Ravelry yet, but one of my other projects is the Fire Opal Tee in Cascade Ultra Pima Cotton. I started it last week because I needed something new on my needles.

Art: I started teaching this week and working with the kids is giving me lots of new ideas. I actually am really enjoying coming up with fun projects like scratch art and homemade sketchbooks from envelopes.

Food: This week I tried a baked oatmeal recipe and fell in love. You will too if you check out my food blog!

Life: THREE MORE WEEKS UNTIL I GET A PAY CHECK!!!!

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading my adventures. Any ideas what kind of stitch would look good on that purple are happily welcomed. :)

~Lisa