February 2020 Sock Knitting Chatter 🧦

[Char]

Greetings All!!

I do hope your New Year is off to a great start! It has really been quite "new" and exciting for me! I've been a little busy with my Accounting business, so I haven't been able to craft much, but I really plan to after January is behind me! It does slow down some when that happens.

Our pattern of the month is from Cascade yarns – I think this would look nice with some pretty hand dyed yarn:
Heritage Golden Socks



A special thank you to Cascade Yarns for their kind permission to use their photos!

Our theme this month – Lace – it’s time to start thinking spring, and I am itching to get some lacy spring socks done

Our color of the month – pink or red (It is Valentine’s Day after all) Rose the Rebel - sure why not!

You may also choose any pattern you would like.

Show me what yarn and patterns you choose!

knitter131 is donating a skein of sock yarn for our prize in February! Thanks you!!! I will get a picture soon.

[knitter131]

Oh, I love the Cascade pattern, and I have several solid pinks I can choose from 😀😀. Thanks, Char for getting this to us early - I'm looking forward to getting started!

[Hellokitten]

I agree that's a really nice pattern.

Thank you knitter131 for donating the February prize.

[knitter131]

It's my pleasure 😊

[lovestostitch]

What if we tried to dye a yarn pink but it ended up reddish orange? Do we get credit for effort?

knitter131 Thanks for donating a prize!

[Char]

YES! (You might post a reminder - preapproved for color!)

[rkennell]

Hmmm..I have some handspun and handdyed Icelandic yarn that is variegated with black and pink with of bit of gray (I think that was the original color of the wool, maybe). I bought it several years ago at a farmer's market and still haven't knitted it up. I think this Cascade pattern would still work with that type of coloring, despite the variation of color in the yarn. As much as I'd like to buy new yarn, I think I will make this my goal to knit this up! Again, another stash buster! So, I will cast on with the Cascade pattern! I'm not expecting them to be the softest of socks, but certainly think they should be warm. I wonder if I should also use some nylon thread since there is no nylon in the yarn, or would the Icelandic be tough enough without the nylon? I do have some handspun singles of white Lincoln longwool that I could use for reinforcement, but it will definitely make it more of a thicker yarn to knit.

ETA: As I look at the yarn, it doesn't look very tightly spun, so that does make me think I should at least add some sort of reinforcement, unless Icelandic wool is extra tough. I can't seem to find any information along those lines, so I would welcome any experience or advice in this arena!

[lovestostitch]

My feet don't seem to mind rough yarn but my ankles sure do. I've given up on any wool yarn except merino.

[rkennell]

Char --you are so kind! I would be happy to pay you for it and for the shipping if you have extra you aren't using. Do you buy it in large amounts? If not, I will be happy to get some online. I know our local Walmart doesn't carry it, although maybe a fabric store would. I think I might give the socks a go with this yarn.

lovestostitch -- I might change my mind about the yarn after doing this. To be honest, I think I've only made socks out of commercial sock yarn (or thicker worsted slipper socks that I made when I first learned how to knit socks), so maybe I'll change my mind after these are done!

[Char]

rkennell I do have a bunch - I'll send you some off in the mail tomorrow. You don't need to pay me for it

[knitter131]

Oh, your yarn is such a pretty mix of colors, can't wait to see how the socks work up.

[Hellokitten]

rkennell I have some experience with Icelandic yarns. The ones that i have worked with seem to come apart easily; I suspect the lack of much twist may be part of the problem .
Which yarn do you have? The ones that I have worked with seem too soft for socks. They are extremely warm however. And a bit rough.

[rkennell]

This is some handspun yarn, but I think it does seem a bit too loosely spun (singles are a 60 degree twist) and plied (about a 75 degree twist). I wonder if plying it together with the Lincoln longwool would make it a bit sturdier. Or scrap the sock plan altogether and use it for a hat or mittens!

[qfknit]

I also like the pattern, but LOL the independent thinker in me sees the texture of this wonderful stitch pattern as fish scales, fun to knit in shades of blues-greens-teal-aqua-turquoise... mermaid socks!
(even though mermaids do not have feet, they have a fish tail)

[rkennell]

LOL--it totally would work as that!

[Char]

I was also looking at the pattern curious to know how it would look with striping yarn. If it could come out "just right" so every set of waves (or scales LOL) were a different color. Oh the possibilities.

I am so glad the pattern is well received.

[Rose the Rebel]

I really like the Cascade pattern too, but I really have my 💗 set on knitting some lace heart socks in red for my mom's birthday, she is in a singing group that does song grams on valentine's day. Maybe I'll shoot for making 2 pair in February.. Do you think my red can pass as a really, really dark pink? Hahaha

[qfknit]

I agree... pink... red... same color family. Wikipedia says this:

Pink is a pale shade of red that is named after a flower of the same name. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, sensitivity, tenderness, sweetness, childhood, femininity and the romantic...

[Rose the Rebel]

I'm not really a fan of pink, it's just so girly but ok for baby girls and pigs 🐖 when I see something pink it makes me think of that chant....pink pink you stink

[lovestostitch]

I love pink, especially hot pink.

[lovestostitch]

I'm going to try the Wave and Box mosaic pattern with red and white.



https://www.mosaicknitting.com/2016/...round.html?m=1

ETA: I've got my yarn wound and ready to go!

[lovestostitch]

Rose the Rebel - It's an easy pattern and I think it would work out really nicely with two solid colors. I gave up on it with my "Neps" yarn but I'm going to try it in the future with two solids.

[Rose the Rebel]

I am thinking solid red and blue to go with all the Americana holidays.... Memorial day, flag day, Independence Day, Veteran's day, voting day, in my case any day of the year 🇺🇸

[lovestostitch]

Very patriotic! What yarn do you typically use? Some reds are such bleeders. I like Opal for colorwork. It never bleeds. I used Opal for some red socks with white snowmen, orange noses and black hats and no bleeding. I used a red Cascade with white for a snowflake design and my snowflakes are now pink. Cascade told me it is normal for their superwash to bleed. Opal is superwash too and it doesn't bleed so I never use Cascade anymore.

[Char]

Hey guys - I believe we will be easier to find if we hold activities here in the forums, so I moved it. :-). I did leave a redirect in the Sock Knitters United group so folks know where to find us, but I feel like more people equals more fun. :-)

[Char]

I'm trying to decide how "wild" I can go with the cascade socks. Probably not very. I think I'll go with a striped yarn, and definitely my own short row heel. I'm ready to knit some socks. Maybe I should be focusing on finishing my other pair that I just passed the heels on. I'll finish those tomorrow. I just started a temperature blanket for my son, so I'm going to work on that this evening.

[knitter131]

Yarn selected and wound. ☑️

Needles ready. ☑️

Cascade Heritage Golden Socks pattern in Knit Companion. ☑️

Excited to begin tomorrow

[lovestostitch]

I see four needles. Are you doing two at a time but on separate needles?

[knitter131]

Yes, two socks on two circs --opos, I mean 2 socks on 4 circs- thanks, Char!

[Char]

knitter131 - two socks on four circs!!!

[lovestostitch]

I started my Box and Wave mosaic but I don't like how it looks. I like the pattern but I think the two colors with the colored "Neps" looks messy or something. You just don't get that clear color definition.

[Char]

I do like the yarn.... I wonder how it would look with the cascade pattern, and maybe this pattern is with two solids, no rainbow neps?

[lovestostitch]

I looked at the Cascade pattern but my problem is I need to use two colors because I wasn't thinking when I dyed the red one that I should have dyed more than one skein. This is a dk weight and one skein isn't enough for my long feet unless I make short legs and I don't like short legs. I could never get the same red again (since I was aiming for pink!) so dyeing extra isn't an option. I frogged what I had done back to the cuff. I'm trying 3 red stripes, 1 white stripe to see how that looks.

[Char]

lovestostitch how did that work?

[lovestostitch]

Char - I think it looks better with this simple striping.

[knitter131]

lovestostitch, I really like this yarn with these little stripes 💖

[Char]

It looks great! I like the neps here. :-)

[FreedomLover]

I love how this is turning out.