Taupe dress socks
Recipient: Dad
Designer: Debbi Young, with cable modifications by moi
Pattern: Sock It to Me Plain Toe-Up Socks for the Family with added cables
Source: elann.com
Completed: November 19, 2006
Colours: #1344, Taupe
Yarn: Scheepjes Invicta Extra, 75% wool/25% nylon, sock weight
Ungiven status: To wrap and give for Christmas
Pictures:
Completed socks
'In action'
Cabling detail
- 2006-Nov-19
- Done! Done! Done like dinner! And not only does this represent my first finished project in quite some time, it also represents the FIRST COMPLETED KNITTING GIFT OF THE YEAR. (The other pair of socks which completes my dad's knitted gift is this one.) A triumph. Especially since I had to redo the cast-off of the first sock because DH complained it was cutting off the circulation in his leg (generally a bad sign). I have been using DH as my guineapig for these socks because he and my dad seem to have the same size feet and calves.
Not only is DH my guineapig, he is also our lovely sock model for today.
(Please ignore the weirdness of the toe on the left foot - DH does not appear to have gotten his foot right into the sock. Of course, it's entirely possible that this is because the socks are a tad too big, but I have resolved to ignore this - I'll worry about it if the same thing happens when my dad puts the socks on.)
I am very proud of the cabling running up each side - I threw that in there myself and I think it looks super-handsome.
Incidentally, DH had two complaints after the photo shoot was complete:
- He didn't get to keep the socks.
- "What, not a single 'work it, baby'?"
- 2006-Jul-14
- My lace project was boring me so badly that in desperation, I decided to sit down and work out the math for how I was going to transition the leg cables into ribbing for the cuff. It turned out that my original assessment that the number of stitches wouldn't let me do it nicely was completely wrong. (Sometimes I miss the obvious.) It will, in fact, work perfectly and (hopefully) look fantastic. Now I just need to free up the sock needles to actually do it.
- 2006-Jun-9
- Before I can start on my grand scheme for finishing off DD's self-patterning socks, I need to free up my second set of sock needles. And that means completing sock #1 of this pair. It's getting close - I'm just a few rows away from starting the top ribbing.
(And thank you, Carrie K, for saying the sock looks good. :)
Unfortunately, the number of stitches on this sock does not lend itself to my being able to perfectly transition the cables on each side of the sock into the ribs at the top of the leg. Phooey. I love being able to make cables transition seamlessly into ribs. So I'm going to have to come up with some other way to start the ribbing that looks good. I don't know what that way is yet, but I'm going to have to figure it out pretty soon.
- 2006-Jun-5
- I just blazed up the foot on this one, boy howdy. You know that photo of the first sock I showed you in my last blog entry, of just the toe? Well, the next day I whizzed ahead like crazy and was turning the heel before the sun went down. I LOVE this continental thing.
After I turned the heel, I decided to do something different. I've been thinking about this for a while. All I've done so far are plain socks - simple stocking stitch with ribbing at the top of the leg. I was hankering for some variety and I thought my dad might like some classic-looking cables on his socks. And in taupe, they'll show up very nicely (it would have been pretty pointless putting the cables on his black socks).
So after I turned the heel, I did a bunch of increases and then started simple rope cables (4 stitches wide) all around the sock. A few twists later I decided having that many cables looked too fussy, so I ripped back and instead started doing two rope cables (twisting in opposite directions) on each side of the leg. I think it looks very handsome and classic, and I think my dad will like it.
The only doubts I'm having now are whether the twists in the cables are too far apart. I'm doing the cable cross every six rows, and I keep thinking it would look better every five rows instead. However, the more I knit, the less likely I am to rip all the way back and start again. I think I'm committed to what I've got.
- 2006-May-29
- With yet another pair of socks off the needles, I cast on tonight for this pair.
The yarn is still looking more pink than I would expect from a yarn colour calling itself taupe. However, I wouldn't say that the colours in this photo are tremendously accurate. I'll try to get future shots done in natural light.
- 2006-Apr-21
- The astute among you may have noticed that there is no royal blue yarn in my photo of my latest purchases, even though I had said I ordered some. In its place, there is taupe yarn. Here is how that came about:
Earlier in the week, DH called me at work to tell me that Yarn Forward had called to say that the royal blue colour I ordered for these socks had been discontinued and that I needed to call them back to tell them what they should do about my order. I was pretty bummed - the colour sample of the royal blue had looked fantastic on my screen and I'd been really looking forward to knitting it up. But, what can you do. There were no other colours that really jumped out at me and screamed, "Your dad would love me!" so I called my mom.
My mom revealed that my dad really, really likes taupe socks. Apparently he's been wearing a lot of clothes lately in the beige/taupe/cream spectrum and likes socks to match - or some story along those lines. I wasn't really paying attention, I was concentrating on scanning through the online colour card for something vaguely taupe-ish. I did indeed spot something - colour #1344, which turned out to be entitled, of all things, 'taupe'. Love it. I thanked my mom, got off the phone, and immediately dialed Yarn Forward back.
The friendly and entirely competent person on the other end of the phone was surprised to hear back from me so soon.
"I really want the yarn," I explained.
"Clearly!" came the response.
So, taupe it is. In person, this colour is a little more pink than I had bargained for, but my dad's pretty secure in his manhood, and also kind of oblivious to colour subtleties when it comes to clothes, so odds are he won't mind.
- 2006-Apr-12
- I may also have added some royal blue Scheepjes Invicta Extra sock yarn to the shopping cart. Oh, come on, don't look at me like that. The colour looked really gorgeous! And the only thing DH has dipped into the clothes budget for so far this year has been new underwear. There's lots of leeway for
a sock yarn-obsessesed wife to satisfy her sick, depraved cravings new socks.
Or I may make them for my dad for Christmas. I'm still undecided. Either way, I am so into the spirit of the 200Sox thing.
(Do not even think of mentioning The Schedule to me. Look at the sidebar. I am eight weeks ahead of myself. I totally have time for all these socks.)
