Spring in the Air?

This morning I saw the first robin of the year. He stared at me through the window and then went about his merry way.

Less than two weeks ago, no robins were to be found and this was the view out my window. 

SNOW. In the south. 

At least I had these awesome pink socks to get me through the chill, and of course, handmade slippers. 

I'm ecstatic to report that within days the weather warmed up enough to melt the snow, and over the weekend, temperatures reached the 70s. That's right, the SEVENTIES! 

I spent far too much time outside to even think about taking photos anywhere... but I did manage to snap a shot of my new batch of Friday Flowers when I returned indoors. 

I do love it when Spring is in the air... especially when it's still February!

Sock Season

Sock season is nearly upon us. There is a slight morning chill in the air, and even though I'm refusing to give up my sandals at the moment, I know the closed-toed-footwear day is right around the corner. 

And when it arrives, I want to make sure I have enough warm socks to wear. 

Like these. 

 
You may already know that I adore slippers, from this post and this one. Despite my love of slippers, for years I shunned socks (even with non-sandal footwear). Now that I'm making my own, I can't get enough of letting my feet feel fancy in homemade footwear. 

I used the same Patons booklet that I used for these socks and also these. These pink wool socks were knit with the worsted weight pattern.

If you're scared of knitting socks, this booklet is a great step-by-step guide and well worth the few dollars it costs. I purchased mine at a local Michaels store when I first learn to knit socks. 

I'm thinking though, it's time to branch out from the standard, simple pattern. I have some lovely squishy perfect fall sock yarn that is awaiting my attention. I may need to try these Calendula Cable Socks next. What do you think?

Successful Socks

Sometime in between putting a hole in the blue cardigan and starting over on it, I knit a pair of socks. I need to diversify, especially in the middle of a knitting frustration (like the cardigan). I occasionally need to remind myself that I know how to knit. 

And while I know South Africa doesn't get the same crazy snow and weather that we get back home, I do know how cold it CAN get here -- especially at night. 

So I made my mother-in-law some fun socks for the winter. I used the same Paton's pattern book as before. I must confess that I haven't experiment much with any other new pattern for socks. (Why mess with what seems to work?)

I do think that I need to start branching out though -- I think my socks need a cable or lace pattern at some point. But for now, I'm sticking to the basic pattern. 

I should also confess that I never really thought much about socks before, especially to give as a gift. (I think I conjured up images of children ripping open gifts to discover plain blah socks, when they expected toys instead...)

However, since I learned to knit to make socks... and since I've gotten fairly good at this basic pattern, I've come to appreciate how wonderful hand knit socks feel on my feet. Now I feel I need to share the joy. They are definitely fun to give as gifts -- and I'm going to bet, just as fun to receive.

Happy Feet

Last night I finally finished these socks. 

This was the Happy Feet yarn I bought in Idaho, during the yarn haul. It was also the yarn I left in my checked bag on the way home, so I didn't get to start on the socks until later. 

And then when I did start them after the first leg of the road trip, they turned out too big because I used the new needles I also bought on the yarn haul. (Yes, I know I should have checked my gauge, but who does that with a sock?!) Besides, I've made this same sock pattern multiple times with worsted weight yarn. This was my first time using actual sock yarn, but it was from the same pattern book as the other socks I made (Patons Next Steps Four: Socks and Slippers if you must know). I figured since those socks fit perfectly following their directions and needle recommendations, so would these.

Wrong. 

I have big feet, but these were floppy enough to put over a set of skis. The one on the left is the first one I made. I know it doesn't look much different than the other one, but I can assure you, it didn't fit properly. Socks should hug your feet, and fit snug enough to keep your toes under wraps. They shouldn't flop off of your feet while you walk. Then I made the one on the right, two sizes smaller and on smaller needles. They fit wonderfully.

So I ripped out the first sock. 

And I proceeded to reknit it. Then I joined the ladies from my knitting club on Sunday at a local cafe to knit a bit. One lady saw the sock I had finished (the one that did fit me, mind you) and asked if it was for the Sailor. I told her it was for me. Bigfoot. 

Mid-way through my coffee, I noticed I had messed up on the instep count -- and had to rip out half the sock. Again.

Last night, I was determined to finally finish them. The socks themselves may not have traveled far yet, but the yarn sure had. Now though, the socks have finally found their home -- on my feet -- my now happy feet. 

Holiday Socks

Sock knitting is fantastic. It's portable, fits into the average handbag and if you're quick, you can whip up a basic sock in no time -- grafting the toe seam sometime in the middle of watching Downton Abbey season two for the second time. 

At first, socks scared me. Well, let's face it... knitting in general scared me. I learned to crochet first, so the thought of using two needles instead of just a hook was a little daunting. 

I learned to crochet so I could make blankets... but then I saw all of these cozy sock patterns and decided to learn to knit. I panicked slightly though when I realized that socks are generally knit on four needles instead of two. How was I supposed to wield so many sharp objects at once while dealing with the yarn at the same time?

But after a while, I got the hang of it and using four needles became just as easy as two.

Remember all of that extra yarn that was leftover from Lawrence? Enough to make a friend some warm woolie socks over Thanksgiving, just in time for the winter.