New Socks

A new pair of socks to show you. The socks are for a woman who wanted purple, not purple striped, not purple patterned, not purple heather, but purple. I found this color in Brown Sheep's Wildfoote sock yarn. It is 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon, and a little heavier than most sock yarns. I have not used Wildfoote recently due to pilling problems I had with it years ago, but the new yarn seems much better. I knit it on #1 bamboo needles and 64 stitches. Since it was a solid color, I decided to add a simple lace pattern to make the socks more interesting. After an inch or so of K2P2 ribbing, I used the following pattern: K2P2 for 3 rows. (Yarn over, K2 tog, P2), repeat to the end of the 4th round. Repeat these 4 rows for pattern. I continued the pattern down the instep. When I divided the stitches for the heel flap, I started and ended the instep with a purl stitch so the sock would be symmetric. The socks turned out well and were received with much enthusiasm.

More great socks from our own hand dyed yarn. Also- notice the beautiful pico edge.

New hand painted yarns

We have new hand painted yarns, and they are selling before we can get them on our website! As usual, we are in love with them, but we do intend to have them up by the end of the week, if possible. We talked ourselves into each getting to keep two skeins. Watch our website, www.societysocks.com, for the new selection. It 's certainly my favorite yarn to knit with now.

Mango, a sock loving cat

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Mango, the cat who made a cameo appearance on our DVD, The Zen of Socks. Mango was a small cat with a big heart. He loved a party, and had a vivid fantasy life. He was 16 1/2 years old, and in failing health. He lived a good and happy life, and will be missed by all, except perhaps by Gracie, our other cat.

Very large stash

Last weekend was the first of the fall craft shows. My friend Nancy, who tends to be a little impulsive sometimes, came on a booth that was selling out the inventory of a yarn shop that had closed. Of course, she bought it all. The photo is a very small part of her new superstash. She plans to send a great deal of it to Mexico, where her daughter has a hacienda in the mountains. They will give the yarn to the women in the area to make things for themselves and their famiilies. I donated a large bundle of needles that had come to me over the years. I think it's actually a pretty cool project.

Photos taken on a rainy afternoon

Fall is here, a good time for knitting socks. I just finished two pairs. The purple and green ones are from our hand knitted yarn, and they are sooo soft. It is the nicest yarn I have knit with, and it makes it hard to go back to the rest of my yarn. However, I have this stash... The socks are knitted on #1 bamboo needles, 64 stitches, and are 75% merino superwash wool, 25% nylon fingering weight yarn.
The second pair of socks is for a friend's birthday. She is 95 and her feet are cold at night, so these are super thick bed socks. They are 100% merino superwash worsted weight hand dyed yarn from Cherry Tree Hill. I knit a strand of wooly nylon serger thread with the yarn. I cast on 44 stitches and used #5 bamboo needles. The socks are quite soft. Next time, I might use #6 needles so the socks are a little drapier. They are very pretty - Cherry Tree Hill has some wonderful color combinations.

Back from vacation

We just got back from a wonderful trip to Italy. I should have photos of me knitting on the steps of the cathedral, in the Sistine Chapel, at Cinque Terre, in the Coliseum, but I don't. I do have photos of the socks I made, however. They both are from Trekking XXL yarn knit on size 1 needles. The burgundy pair are for a person with MS whose feet are always cold, but she can't stand any pressure on her feet. We spend quite a lot of time making sure the socks would fit properly, and she is very pleased. The heather green socks are for my husband. Knitting while you travel always is a conversation starter.