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Another long-standing project finished! The sock knitting part was easy — duplicate stitching took FOREVER.

• On Ravelry: EXTENDed Bubble Bobble Socks
• Pattern: Mash-up of Amy Swenson’s Universal Toe-Up Sock Formula and a Bubble Bobble mittens pattern that used to available on Ravelry. The original pattern had charts for Bub, Bob, and the empty bubble. The rest of them were pretty easy to make — 1 pixel = 1 stitch. Lots of item images are available on the Bubble Bobble Strategywiki.
• Yarn: 353 yd/323 m of Katia Laine Nylon in black (501), small amounts of Sandnes Garn Sisu in white (1001), blue (6027), apple green (8514), yellow (2117), coral (4316), and purple (5226).
• Needles: 2.5 mm circular

Another project on the go.

So far, these are just basic black socks for my boyfriend using the Knitty Universal Sock Formula. Once they’re knit up, though, I’m going to duplicate stitch some Bubble Bobble dragons on them!

There was a free Bubble Bobble mittens pattern on Ravelry but the designer has since removed it. :/ Luckily I have the pattern saved in my Ravelry library but it’s pretty easy to reverse engineer the charts from the photos of finished items.

I finally got around weaving in the ends of the Striped Noro Socks I posted about earlier.

• Pattern: Universal Toe-up Sock Formula (Ravelry) by Amy Swenson from Summer 2006 Knitty
• Yarn: one skein (100 g/462 yards/422 m) of Noro Kureyon Sock in colorway #S188
• Needle: 2.5 mm
• Mods: Turkish cast-on, two-row stripes, revisited Widdershins heel, ribbing

wilwheaton:

Via Reddit

OMG Wil Wheaton posing with a knitted sock, SWOON! (is that Monkey?)

On my needles right now: Striped Noro Socks (cat not included with yarn)

More FOs: Carolina.

• Pattern: Carolina (ravelry) by Gigi Silva
• Yarn: sKNITches Limited Edition sock yarn (60% superwash merino / 30% bamboo / 10% nylon), colorway “Cottage”
• Needles: 2.5 mm circular
• Mods: Toe-up, two-at-a-time on one circular, replaced the k3tog’s with a centered double decrease, eye-of-partridge-heel, added calf-shaping.

These socks were the May 2008 challenge in Sockdown: Ravelry. The first round of Sockdown continued in June and July as well, but after finishing this pair I got sucked into Sweater Land…

Time for another Sockdown challenge!

One of the May themes is Gigi Silva (also known as Momma Monkey). Gigi was a wonderfully talented and generous sock designer who sadly succumbed to an illness in February 2008. As a memorial to Gigi, SKA included the option of doing one of her many designs as part of the February challenge. But, since the Sockdown schedule was set up way back in Fall 2007, the intention was always to have her as one of the featured designers in May and no one wanted to change that. So, two chances of knitting one of her designs. Since I didn’t do that in February (I was too busy with the Bayerische and Firestarter Socks), I’m remembering her now.

This is Carolina, knitted in sKNITches Limited Edition sock yarn (60% superwash merino / 30% bamboo / 10% nylon), colorway “Cottage”.

I’m not usually big on pastels but this looks yummy knitted up! The yarn is very soft and shiny — I can’t believe it’s not silk but bamboo.

The weather’s finally getting warmer so it’s time to get out from under a pile of clothes and show some handknit socks. And I’ve got the shoes to go with!

• Pattern: Elegant Ribbed Stockings (Raverly) by Ann Budd (in Favorite Socks)
• Yarn: 384 yard (136 g) of Novita Nalle Colori (75% superwash wool/25% polyamide) in colorway #833 (olive tones/camouflage)
• Needles: 3.0 mm circular for foot, heel and ankle; 3.5 mm for leg and ribbing; 4.0 mm for upper leg (calf shaping)
• Mods: toe-up

The calf shaping is done by going up in needle size (twice!) so these are super easy to knit. I will say, though, that I’m not hugely fond of the resulting fabric. The 4.0 mm needles were a bit too large and the fabric looks loose. (But the socks fit quite nicely, no complaint there.)

And I finally got around getting buttons for Hannah.

Aaand another pair of socks finished. After the Bayerische, these seemed to fly off the needles. The pattern is wonderful and looks much more complicated than it really is to knit. And the fit is marvelous.

• Pattern: The Firestarter (Ravelry) by Yarnissima
• Yarn: Hot Socks Laola (75% superwash wool/25% polyamide) in colorway #655
• Needles: 2.5 mm (foot) and 3.0 mm (leg) circulars
• Mods: Turkish cast-on instead of the suggested provisional cast on and short-row toe; increased one extra stitch at each side for calf shaping; modified Russian bind-off instead of the suggested one

These are probably the best-fitting socks I’ve ever made. The foot is nice and snug, the heel is amazing, and the ribbing on the cuff is wonderfully stretchy.

And then something that’s not socks: Mystic Light (ravelry) mystery shawl by Anna Dalvi in The Knittery 4ply Merino Cashmere Sock (60% merino/20% cashmere/20% nylon, colorway “Midnight”)

How I Converted the Bayerische Socks to Toe-Up

Toe
Cast on 14 sts using Turkish Cast-On (28 sts total). Knit 1 row across, then increase 1 st at each end of both needles every other row 11 times (36 sts on each needle, 72 sts total). When toe measures about 5 cm (2”), increase 14 sts evenly in instep only to 50 sts. Knit across the 36 sts in sole (86 sts total). Lay out all charts side by side in this order: D2-C-B-A-D1 (start reading the chart from the right edge of D1). Stagger two vertical repeats of panels A, B, and C so that you have a single chart consisting of 16 rows. Don’t forget the ktbl’s in between the charts! (I redrew all the charts by hand on a piece of printed out chart paper.) Begin on row #1 of the master chart.

Gusset Increases
Start gusset increases when sock measures 5.4 cm (2.1”) less than desired and you’re about to start row #5 in chart. Follow the instructions for Revisited Widdershins heel with the following figures: B36-C54-D14-E26-F10. Working the gusset increases, turning the heel, and working the heel flap should take you exactly 20 rows — this should land you in the beginning of row #1 in the chart.

Leg
After you have decreased all the gusset stitches on the left side (and have one remaining on the right), you should be ready to begin row #1 in chart. Before that, pick and purl 4 sts between the needles (the picked-up stitches will be part of panel D). Work across the instep stitches. In the back, pick up and purl 5 sts between the needles (this completes the other D panel), k2tog the last remaining gusset stitch and the next stitch, and follow row #1 of chart starting with panel A. Work 17 sts, M1 purlwise, and work to the end of the heel stitches. All this crazy-making maneuvering should make the k2tbl’s flow seamlessly from the slipped stitches. Work leg until desired length. (Skip instructions for calf increases if you wish.)

Calf Increases
When cuff measures about 20 cm (7.8”), start cuff increases. On every 8th row, increase 2 sts in the calf only three times:

1. M1 purlwise on each side of panel B. Work 7 rows.
2. M1 purlwise after panel A and before panel C. Work 7 rows.
3. M1 purlwise after first D panel and before second D panel.

Total 6 sts increased. In the final row (row #16) before starting ribbing, decrease the increased stitch by purling 2tog with the preceding or following purl stitch.

Ribbing
When cuff measures about 28 cm (11”), start k2tbl, p1 ribbing. On the first row, decrease 20 sts by knitting every consecutive 2 knit stitches tog tbl and purling every consecutive 2 purl stitches tog. Work 14 rows (or until you run out of yarn :) in ribbing. Bind off using modified Russian bind-off.

If you’re still sane at this point (and even if you’re not…), put on your new socks and do a happy dance!

The Toe Up Bayerische are done and I’m more than happy that this project is over.

• Pattern: Bayerische Socks (Ravelry) by Eunny Chang
• Yarn: 657 yards (3 skeins) of ONline Linie 2 Supersocke Silk (55% new wool/20% silk/25% polyamide) in colorway #0002 (ice blue)
• Needles: 2.5 mm circular
• Mods: Converted to toe-up and knee-high

I made a foldable ribbing in which you can thread an elastic through but I’m in two minds of whether I should actually sew it down or if I prefer the longer ribbing. And about the yarn… It’s wonderfully soft and smooth and really makes the cables pop but I did notice considerable pilling even before wearing the socks. All that stitch mangling is apparently pretty hard on the yarn too, not just the knitter.

As if that project wasn’t twisted enough, I’ve started another! Another theme in February 2008 Sockdown is new heel construction and these are certainly very unique.

The Firestarter (Ravelry) by Yarnissima

What a perfect colorway and pattern combination for Project Spectrum. These teeny, tiny cables are amazing.

Bayerische Socks have been in my queue for a long while. When I noticed that the February 2008 theme in Sockdown: Ravelry! is Eunny Chang, I figured it’d be a perfect chance to cast on this project.

On Raverly, there are lots of warnings of bent or broken needles or even sprained wrists. Apparently that’s not enough of a challenge cause what do I do? I up the ante by working the socks two-at-a-time on a circular while trying to convert them to toe-up. 

But they are very, very pretty.

I didn’t want the yarn to clash with the stitch pattern so I chose something really uncomplicated and light-colored. Supersocke Silk (55% new wool/20% silk/25% polyamide) was the perfect choice. It’s very soft but with a great twist and the silk gives a great sheen. The twisted stitches really pop up in this yarn!

Here’s two FO’s for Sockdown: Ravelry. Sockdown January 2008 theme was intarsia or Cookie A. and I chose the latter.

• Pattern: Baudelaire (ravelry) by Cookie A. from Summer 2006 Knitty
• Yarn: 315 yards (80 g) of Apleks Superwash in red
• Needles: 2.5 mm aluminum circular
• Mods: I substituted the heel in the pattern with my favorite heel construction, Revisited Widdershins Heel, and eye of partridge heel. The cuffs were quite snug for my feet so I increased 1 purl stitch between the lace pattern and the cables once every 8th row 5 times (total 10 increased sts), then decreased on the first round of ribbing on the back of leg back to 32 sts.

Next up: socks for Sockdown: October (Nancy Bush or cables). Yes, October. I did blog about these when I cast on but not when I finished.

• Pattern: Chausettes (ravelry) from Bergère de France. (The pattern is in French.) Click the pink “TELECHARGER” button to download the pattern in PDF format.
• Yarn: 607 yards (little over 3 skeins) of Hjertegarn Ciao Trunte, color #1380 (sage green)
• Needles: 2.5 mm aluminum circular needle

Mods: Lots!

• I made a hidden casing (pictured above) for elastic by casting on with long-tail provisional cast on, knitting in stockinette for 6 rounds, purl across 1 round, and then 6 rounds in k1, p1 ribbing. Then I unpicked the cast-on edge and knit it together with the live stitches.
• Followed the pattern for the cuff otherwise but made it custom-length (= started heel flap when the cuff seemed long enough for me).
• The pattern had a regular slip-stitch heel flap but I wanted to try the eye of partridge heel since I’d never used it before. It looks very nice with the moss stitch pattern! And you can tell I liked it because I used it on the Baudelaires, too. :)
• Next, decreased 5 stitches more on each side (10 total) than what the pattern called for in the gussets. And because I had fewer stitches remaining, I re-calculated the toe decreases… somehow.
• Ran out of yarn! I could only find 1 ball in the same dye lot so the other toe is a little off-colored. You can’t tell it in the pictures (and even I can’t find it in natural light) but fluorescent light makes it pop up. I loved the first batch of yarn I got (it’s very soft and sproingy) but I was surprised and disappointed that a commercially produced yarn would have such drastic differences in color (and even yarn thickness!) between dye lots. :/

• Pattern: Barcelona Socks (ravelry) by Mona Schmidt
• Yarn: 296 yards (2 skeins) of Novita Nalle in red (#547)
• Needle: 2.5 mm bamboo circular
• Mods: Worked two-at-a-time on one circular. The S/L size leg chart is a bit wonky so you might need to tweak it to get the decreases to line up correctly.
• Other: for Sockdown: Ravelry! November 2007 

Christmas project wrap up:

• a matching set of Haruha socks and mitts for my to-be-SIL
• November mystery socks for my mom
• Woodland shawl also for my mom