Fast FO!
In reference to the number one item I learned on this latest trip back to MN I provide photos above and below as evidence. Above is what I knit on the airport shuttle from the Harmony Transit center to the Frontier stop at DIA. I took the photo just as I arrived at the gate. The toe is sitting on one of those U shaped neck pillows. I found that to be really helpful to my knitting. I sat it on my lap with the bottom of the U towards me and the ends point out along my thighs. I could then rest my wrists on those and drop the knitting down in the opening of the U. It kept me from tensing my shoulders and forced me to remain relaxed in the shoulder and neck area, thus allowing me to knit for longer periods of time.
This next photo is where I was at shortly before they started boarding. It may be hard to tell, but there is a good inch or inch and a half more foot knit after the toe. My intention was to photograph the sock at significant points in either the sock construction or the travel and watch it progress. However, once I landed in MN I was just focused on getting to see my family and the camera got sorely neglected. I can tell you sock number one was completed while watching Akeelah and the Bee after a few days off from knitting. Then number two was cast-on and a large portion of the foot knit while watching Closer (wouldn’t recommend that one, BTW); it was finished while watching Juno.
Pattern: Variation on Master Upstream Sock (rav) from New Pathways for Sock Knitters I
Designer: Cat Bordhi
Yarn: 2 balls Zitron Life Style, 1862
Needles: 2.75 mm (US 2)
Gauge: ~7.5 sts and 9 rows per inch
Size: 60 sts or ~8-inch Finished Circumference, Foot Length of ~10 inches
Changes: While I used the same gusset placement as Bordhi’s Upstream construction I used the standard gusset rate of two stitches every other round rather than the two every three the original pattern called for. I incorporated this change in the math to determine when to start the gusset. I also increased 3 wing sts on each side for “J.” It was just a random guess as I didn’t bring the book or even a cheat sheet with me for calculating that number. With this gauge I could have gotten away with no “J” I think as my “flap” stops at about 1/4 inch above my ankle bone.
Notes: In reference to number 4 of the previous post, I forgot to restock my usual traveling sock knitting pouch and was on the road without a tape measure and Chibis etc. When I realized this during the shuttle ride to DIA I texted DH to send me the dimensions of my cell phone so I could use that to eyeball my gauge. It worked quite well because my Razr is very nearly 2 x 4 inches, so very convenient for taking gauge measures. The hardest part was that the phone has some softened corners. But this allowed me to continue knitting and I was lucky that I still had dental floss in the bag so could use that for stitch markers.
Due to the gauge estimating though the socks are just a tad larger than I would normally want. In fact, they fit my mom quite well and I would have left them with her if the colors would have worked for her and the care of the socks were easier. If I were to knit another pair of socks with this gauge I would start the gusset at 5.25-5.5 inches rather than 6 and I’d likely use 56 sts rather than 60. Had I used ribbing in the gusset area the 60 st sock would fit a tad better. But since this was my first stockinette sock I didn’t know to figure in a greater negative ease than I normally do with my patterned socks.
I did have issue with the yarn. I’m so torn. I love the way it striped and there are a couple other colorways of this yarn I’d love to knit with. However, I ran into a lot of snags in the yarn. One was even bad enough that I had to cut it out. I’ve seen my share of snags in yarns that contain the “sticky” cellulose or engineered fibers like silk, bamboo, corn, etc. but I’ve never seen that problem with pure merino yarns. It is also a relatively spendy yarn, costing about $22-24 dollars for a pair of socks with a somewhat short leg so I’m kind of disappointed in the yarn quality. The company is that of Trekking and I’ve never had any troubles with that yarn. Amanda didn’t mention such troubeles with her two pairs of socks from this yarn either (though she did have a knot in one of four). My first ball also had a knot about 5-7 yds from the end of the ball which of course interrupted the striping pattern. Thankfully it happened on sock one, so I knit sock two from the opposite end of its ball so that the socks were truly fraternal mates instead of nearly identical. It even appears that the second ball, even without the knot in the first sock wouldn’t have matched. While my family would swear about my analness I don’t require my socks to match. However, with self-striping sock yarn I was looking forward to the challenge of getting them to match and didn’t have the opportunity to do so in this situation. I’m unsure if I’d give into my desire to knit with 1860 and 1861. We’ll see I guess. The fabric it creates certainly makes a comfy and warm sock.
