recent socks

Ahem, let's pretend I didn't take off the past two months from blogging ... instead, I'll show you what I've been up to, knitting-wise! This post is all about the socks ...

First up is a pair of 2x2 rib socks I last blogged about in March ...



This is yarn I got at Maryland Sheep & Wool last year -- Autumn House Farms Strideaway Twist sock yarn in colorway Montego Bay. It's really lovely yarn, just awfully thin. I knit these on size 1 needles and I think they'll wear like iron!



These next socks were for a friend as a pick-me-up gift.



The yarn is Socks that Rock mediumweight in the colorway Paula Mae A Night at the Show. (BOY does this yarn knit up fast.)

I knit a pair of baby-sized socks out of the leftovers, for a friend who gave birth to a baby girl about a month ago.



Don'tcha love how different they look even though it's the same yarn?

Next up is another pair for me -- my first picot-cuffed socks:



This is STR lightweight in a rare gem. It's funny, I think one sock looks like it has more purple than the other! I can't wait to wear these when the weather turns cool again.

Next up -- some socks for my dad!



This is Lion Brand Sock-Ease in colorway Toffee. As it turned out, the color looks lot like honeybees, and my dad started bee-keeping this year, so they were extra appropriate! (On a side note, my dad had some bloodwork done this week and found out he is still cancer-free, six months since his surgery, so we are all so happy!)

Next up -- some tweedy socks for me:



This is yarn I got on my trip to Missouri last year with my mama. It is Hand Painted Knitting Yarns Sock Donegal in a colorway unique to the store where I bought it (Simply Fibers in Springfield, Mo.).

And finally, the piece de resistance ... knee-highs for myself!



I took these on as a Tour de France project. I know spinners have the Tour de Fleece, where they try to spin a certain goal during the 24-day bicycle race. But since I don't spin, I wanted a knitting challenge. I've had this hand-dyed, DK-weight yarn marinating in my stash since the fall (when I purchased it at Knitting Addiction in the Outer Banks) and this was the perfect time to take on the knee-highs. The first one was knit in all of a week -- same goes for the second. I finished with about 10 days to spare in the Tour!



They were knit from the toe-up. Since I wasn't using my usual 64-stitch sock, I needed to find a new number formula to do the gusset increases + heel turn. This site was super, super helpful. I mirrored calf increases along the center back of the sock.

I don't know when I'll wear 'em -- it is rarely cold around here -- but I'm sure I'll find a time!

More detailed info about all these projects can be found (as always) on my Rav page.

I'll be back in a couple days (seriously) with a post about other recent FOs -- I've been knitting more than socks lately!