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Palouse by Marjorie Walter

So adding these to my Ravelry queue. Gorgeous!

@spillyjaneknits tweeted:

FREE, for a very limited time ONLY —> SpillyMitts fingerless mittens <— get them while you can! Please RT :)

Get them on Ravelry!

Gorgeous fingerless mitts with twisted stitches and buttons, for $2.00 in Ravelry.

(via Ravelry: Ace Fingerless Mitts pattern by Alicia Certain)

Thinking about this combination: Meisi & madelinetosh tosh sock in colorway “composition book grey”. Yay or nay?

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!