WIP #1 – Kiwi Christmas Socks

So I’m calling this “WIP #1.” It’s just a starting point for talking about my WIPs.  The numbering is absolutely not related to the age of the project.

WIP #1 is a pair of Christmas socks. Two years ago I ordered some self-striping from Stray Cat Socks on Etsy in the Kiwi Christmas color way.  If you haven’t looked at her self-striping yarn, you really should.  The yarn is lovely to work with and the stripes are gorgeous and so much fun. She winds the yarn into a gobstobber ball which is completely awesome! Also, she offers matching mini-skeins at a reasonable price for contrasting cuffs/heels/toes. Of course, as soon as I say this, I note that her Etsy shop is currently on vacation.

I started these socks last April. As is typical with me and socks, the first sock was like whoosh and off the needles. Then, as is also typical with me, I started working on a different pair of socks and the second sock was put on hold a bit.

Of course, once a project gets buried, there can be many projects that begin to take precedence. This summer was no exception. I had a bit of startitis. I went to the CNY Fiber Festival in June and came home with gorgeous yarn from a number of vendors. It was all crying to get on the needles. Then of course there was the #titsoutcollective going on in July. (Those are the feature socks in the last post, I have too many WIPS!) I started working on a practice scarf to learn a pattern so that I could make scarves for my sister and her wife. More on that later. I made a new bag for my iPhone and an even smaller bag for id/credit cards that I tend to carry with me more than my purse when I am at work.

Ok. So other projects got in the way. But I’m working on these again. I’m even past the waste yarn for the heel and am working on the foot. I’m sooooo close. I really want to finish this soon, so that I can work on other projects to be discussed in future WIP postings.

I should make note of a few things here. First, this pair of socks is my 2 x 2 ribbed vanilla sock pattern. That means, it’s a recipe for a 2 x 2 ribbed sock that works for me. I have found that I really like an afterthought heel. Although, I do place waste yarn where I want my heel. So it’s not a true afterthought. Also, I almost always use a ruffle at the top of the sock as this gives me a stretchy top that is more comfortable on my calves. The ruffle I use is a recipe given in Knit Circus years ago when they were still publishing a digital magazine. I love me a ruffle and use ruffles on a lot of items. But, I have found that on my 2 x 2 ribbed socks, it gives me a cute cuff when I fold it over, which is how I tend to wear my socks.

Also, I usually knit socks on double points. I have used two circulars and I have tried magic loop. Neither really worked for me. I found them fiddly. And, I know what you’re thinking. That’s what many people say about double points. But for me, it’s the other way around. Now having said that, I am happy that I have these skills, as some patterns just work better on two circs. But when it comes down to it, I love my dpns. They just make me happy. And I love that I can get 8 inch dpns in the Addi Flip Stix (which you can see above) and in the Knitter’s Pride Zing. The Flip Stix make me super happy because they are color coded with one accent (red) needle. So I have a good idea how many rows have gone by just by noting where the red needle has landed. This totally satisfies the Mathematician in me.

Finally, I love project bags. Well, I just love bags. But since I became a knitter I have become obsessed with project bags. There are so many styles and so many fabrics. I think there will have be a future post about project bags. However, as can be seen in the top picture I love for my project bag to match my project. In this case, I’m using a Christmas themed bag from Knit Spin Farm as well as a Grinch needle cozy from Slipped Stitch Studios.

Ok, I think that’s all for this project.

Thank you for visiting. We’ll talk some more.

Update: I finally finished these last weekend! Now, I’m waiting for Thanksgiving so I can wear them!