I have been working diligently on my second pair of socks and they are coming along nicely. I find I enjoy knitting socks for a few reasons:
- They are quick
- Not a lot of finishing work
- Stay interesting by changing often
I don’t get bored knitting socks because the heel and gusset break it up and keep it interesting. The only finishing work is grafting the toe, which I think is easy. I also love to knit with lots of colors.
This pair is a learning experience as far as knitting with 2 colors at a time. I knit the leg part of the sock the way I do my fair isle sweaters which is weaving through every other stitch. The problem doing this on the sock is it makes it very tight and not enough stretch to get the sock on easily. For the foot part I have started knitting inside out and now I am carrying the yarn instead of weaving it. This should enable a little more give when I try to get the sock on. I sure hope when this is done I will be able to get this sock on my foot!
Here it is inside out:
The sock inside out
and turned right side out:
Right side out
I picked up the Barbara Walker book from the library. It is the 2nd of her knitting pattern series called A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns. Wow, there are a lot of patterns in this book! I don’t think I would ever purchase any of her books. I don’t need this many patterns. This book is for the designers out there who love to design their own patterns. Maybe I will design my own sweater some day, but if that day comes I would just borrow it again from the library. I think I will cancel the holds on the other books. My curiosity is satisfied.
In the Barbara Walker book there are other helpful articles including one on changing a pattern to knit in the round which I found interesting and helpful. Her introduction was nice reading too, but I will save my $30 for other things. Like the designer I just discovered, Alice Starmore!
What beautiful designs! I am in love with them and I can’t wait to get my hands on some of her books. I have ordered some via the library and I put the ones that are still available for purchase in my Amazon wish list. Maybe when I get my tax return I will allow myself this little treat. A lot of her work is out of print, but you can still get them if you order yarn from her store. It is a little pricy and then the exchange rate makes it even more expensive. One day I am going to order one of her kits. I must have one, but I will have to take my time choosing. This will be a tough decision!
Not only are her patterns works of art, but the colors she has created for her yarns are just breathtaking. She has 4 colorways named after different aspects of nature. I love all the colors and the way they go together. Amazing. The stories that are behind the colors are so interesting. You must go read about them on her site! The colorways are named Moor and Mountain, Sea and Shoreline, Birds, and Summer Isle. The colors she has are all taken from her natural surroundings in Hebridean island where she was born and still lives. She takes you there with her stories. It makes me want to make a sweater with her yarns so I can wear a piece of that beautiful island’s beauty. Go see for yourself!
