January 2021 Sock KAL - Chat

[lovestostitch]

Our theme for this month: What do you see outside your window? For your theme picture, include a picture looking out your window and tell us how your view inspired your pattern choice.

Our color for this month: Any color you see outside your window.

As always, you can knit any pattern or color you like but you get an extra entry in the prize drawing for using a pattern that goes with the theme and/or using the monthly color.

Chat about the KAL in this thread and post your finished projects in the Finished Thread.

The prize for this month is a skein of fingering weight yarn, handspun by Pegg Thomas. Thank you Pegg! For more information about how Pegg spun this yarn, check out her blog:
https://fiberkind.com/creating-a-wool-sock-yarn

[Char]

Pegg Thomas Thank you for donating - this is awesome!

[Pegg Thomas]

And it just *happens* to be a color that will work for the February challenge ... if the winner needs yarn for that.

[Char]

How conveeeenient.

[KnitsWithHorses]

Agree! This is awesome Pegg Thomas !

[rubyyarn]

Pegg Thomas That is so gorgeous! May have to try for that one...

[rkennell]

That is beautiful! I enjoyed going and reading your post about the whole process! I have yet to really spin a yarn I would trust for knitted socks, but it is my goal!

[Pegg Thomas]

Keep at it. Time and practice will accomplish much.

[rkennell]

Pegg Thomas - Most likely true. I do love to spin, so I will continue on.

[Spice2s]

I have a question. I see there are 4 opportunities to enter, do all four need to be four different projects ? Or can one project count for two entries ? (say theme and completed pair of socks).

[Spice2s]

lovestostitch Chicago? I'm in Wisconsin, north of Milwaukee, actually just north of Port Washington in a town called Belgium We got a bit of snow on the ground. Luckily, I still see green year round, as we have several evergreens in our yard This will be fun. I usually have a pair of socks on the needles. Thanks for the explanations, I plan on jumping right in in January.

[lovestostitch]

Spice2s - I'm in the western suburbs. We're getting the winter storm now. Are you getting it yet?

[Spice2s]

lovestostitch We are getting snow too. It just started around 5:30 or so. I had an appointment in Port Wa at 5:15, and picked up pizza on the way home, so I am glad I was able to be home before it got bad. I like snow, I just don't like driving in it!

[lovestostitch]

My view has changed! Looks like green was still a good choice unless I wanted to use white. My yarn is caked and I'm ready to start January 1.

[KnitsWithHorses]

Oh no...it looks so pretty out the window. I really hate ice. They are saying we may get a "wintry mix" tomorrow night which, in Oklahoma could mean anything from light rain to a foot of snow or an inch of solid ice or anything in between. I always hate when that stuff hits on New Years eve.

[rkennell]

It looks like the perfect yarn--the greens stand out beautifully and a white pair of socks tends to look dirty a lot quicker anyway, even with just dust on the floor! Our snow is hanging on as well; lines keep snapping and we keep having to go crank up our generator until the power company guys can get things up and going! It just isn't thawing and the power lines are sagging lower and lower with the ice and snow. A good time to be inside and knit!

[lovestostitch]

rkennell - We were on the far northern edge of the ice part of that winter storm. We got a light glazing but it melted quickly. Sounds like you got the real stuff.

[PurlgirlButtons]

Here is my January Socks cast-on that I did today during our Fiberkind Virtual Yarnies meetup. The yarn is KnitPicks Hawthorne . I am thinking about a slip stitch lines pattern. The view out of my office window today...very dismal skies, but no snow, so the grass is faded yellow-green, an aqua-blue house.

[lovestostitch]

Your yarn goes perfectly with your view.

[Pegg Thomas]

You sure captured the colors!

[rkennell]

I have to agree--your colors work perfectly with your photo!

[KnitsWithHorses]

I haven't cast on yet but here's my Jan 1 view.... 😑 The first pic is the driveway from the RV going to the barn. Horse and goat pens aren't as flooded as this but bad enough. But at least the ice from last night has melted.

[lovestostitch]

Lots of colors to choose from. What color did you pick?

[KnitsWithHorses]

lovestostitch I have a skein in my stash that picks up the shades of green and the red of Gini's tiny house and the faded reddish brown on the oak leaves that never fell. There are also a couple of shades in there that aren't in my view but it's not a bad match really! It's either that or just solid gray. My equipment for winding this into balls is up at the barn and the path is very flooded so it may be Wednesday or so before I try to get up there and wind it. Or may get impatient and hand wind it like I did the first 30 years of my knitting life. Lol

[rkennell]

Looks like some serious flooding going on! Hopefully it's gone down a bit for you so you can get out and get your winder (and just get outside period!).

[KnitsWithHorses]

I think I'm going to use this... several of the colors match the palette from my view. Not perfect but it's either that or gray socks.

[lovestostitch]

I think that's a great choice!

[Carlota]

That's awesome!

[rkennell]

Definitely a good choice!

[Pegg Thomas]

Here's the view out my front window. Snow and pines. I carded some white wool today and two different shades of green. One is too spring-ish green, and the other is a very blue spruce. I think I'll go with that one. Or maybe spin them both and ply them together. Time will tell!

The last photo I snapped out the back window with the light on after dark with the snow coming down. So maybe I'll do white and navy!

[Pegg Thomas]

rkennell, it only takes about 2.5 ounces to knit my shorty socks, so it's not that big of a deal to spin that much. I got both colors spun this weekend, and will ply either tonight or tomorrow. Wash, set the twist, I could be knitting by the weekend!

[KnitsWithHorses]

This colors really are perfect for that night photo. And they are going to be pretty!

[rkennell]

Pegg Thomas - Good for you! I need to do some more spinning--I just can't seem to find enough time, with weaving and knitting!

[rkennell]

I think I will use this West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4-ply for my January socks. It matches a lot of colors for the view outside my kitchen window, including the tan color matching the posts on my bird feeder and the brown on my bridge with snatches of white and gray for the snowy gray days we've been having this week. I'm still waiting on the gray yarn for the toes and heels; I ordered it halfway into December, but it's not here yet. Keeping my fingers crossed it will come this week. 🤞🤞🤞 It's my first time working with this brand of yarn and I'm excited to see how it knits up! I am ready to work on an easy sock pattern and get this pair up and running! (I know, bad pun! 🤣)

I think for the pattern, I'd like to use the "Darjeeling" sock pattern by Cat Bordhi from The Knitter's Book of Socks, page 61. The name Darjeeling makes me think of a cup of steaming hot tea in the afternoon, while soaking up the winter scenery. It looks like it should go well with a variegated sock yarn. I will probably use the FLK heel; it seems to be my favorite go-to heel.

[lovestostitch]

Your yarn and pattern are perfect!

[lovestostitch]

KnitsWithHorses - I like having flexible themes and colors that gives us a chance to be creative and share something about ourselves. I added some new themes and colors to our schedule that do that. I hope you like them.

[KnitsWithHorses]

lovestostitch I'm definitely enjoying them! Thank you for putting in the time and effort. 💖

[Pegg Thomas]

Got my yarn plied last night, skeined and washed this morning. Woo-hoo! Will be knitting soon.
Skeins are each 2 oz and about 170 yards 2-plied.

[rkennell]

Pegg Thomas - the yarn is absolutely beautiful! It will be a pretty pair of socks!

As for the rest of you, I thank you for making my feet feel positively petite--all these years I've worn either a 9 extra wide or a 10 and I always thought I had big feet, but it's all matter of perspective, apparently! But I love that we have options with our knitting, for sure!

[Spice2s]

KnitsWithHorses I have heard of an idea, and your comment reminded me of it. What about going to the websites that specialize in cross-dressing ? There are men that purchase women's style heels and flats, and there are specialized websites for them to buy their clothing and shoes from. It may be weird, but if it gets here a nice pair of flats for church ?

[KnitsWithHorses]

Spice2s I never thought of that! I know Harmoni could never walk on high heels (she has Aspergers and Madelungs and is a bit clumsy) but surely they would have some flats or low heels too... This is going to do weird things to my search history and "recommended for you" stuff... 😆

[lovestostitch]

I started my socks and chose the size based on the pattern's circumference measurements. I thought mine would be smaller because I was using a smaller needle size but I tried the cuff on and knew they were too big. I frogged and started the smaller size. I think they might still be too big. . I'm going to pull out a pair I knitted with the same yarn and compare.

[rkennell]

I know I tend to find that I use a size smaller needle for knitting my socks. I think I knit looser on metal needles. But there's no point in spending all that time making a pair that doesn't fit well, for sure!

[lovestostitch]

rkennell - This yarn (That Yak Sock) is a very light fingering and I find it is the perfect weight to fit in my walking shoes. In the summer, I wear those light liner socks but I need something warm in the winter. This yarn is perfect - as long as the sock fits well. I don't want the bulk of baggy socks. The pattern I was doing had 2 ktbl, p1 on the cuff but it switched to k2, p1 on the leg. The leg pattern was considerably wider. I don't know if a ktbl snugs it up more or if my gauge is different on the different stitches.

[KnitsWithHorses]

lovestostitch there must be something in the air. Lol I had to frog and restart mine twice but I'm finally underway! Forgive the messy photo. I'm putting off turning on the heat because it was a beautiful day and I'm in denial that it is now turning cold again. So I'm sitting under my covers in my bed listening to a book and surrounded by my WIPs.

[rkennell]

I am just starting my sock toes as well and am wondering if I will need to frog and go up a size as well. It's worth it, though, if you make a pair with all those stitches and then can't wear them. You would do the same for a sweater and they say a pair of socks has as many stitches as a sweater. (Can't prove it though!)

[lovestostitch]

Time to frog - again . This sock has multiple problems. The ribbed cuff is the same width as another pair, knit from the same yarn, that fit well but this sock is wider in the leg. Another issue I just noticed is the weird gaps on the cuff. I think I did some sloppy color changes.

[Spice2s]

Well, Practice makes Progress, right ? ..So sorry that you are having issues with these socks. Hopefully third time's the charm!

[rkennell]

Sometimes I think it just goes different the 2nd time around. I have a sock that I am knitting as a mate to one I knit early in 2020 and even though I'm using the same yarn and I'm doubly sure it's the same needles, it seems tighter than the first one. (It's another reason I generally do 2 socks at a time--I think even waiting a while can affect tension)