One Trick Pony

Yup - it seems that if I have a finished object to share, it's going to be a pair of socks. After losing my sock mojo last fall, it's back in full force. Socks are a relatively fast knit (especially when you compare how long it takes me to knit a sweater), so it provides the sense of accomplishment.

These are Cleopatra's Stockings, the RSC 2008 kit from last July. You may recall I shared a bit of this project while we were gallivanting around the lower 48 in our Eurovan. While I love the yarn, the fit, and the construction (toe-up), the process of knitting these things wasn't nearly as enjoyable. Lots of traveling crossed stitches which normally don't cause any issue. However, the my normal needles of choice back then weren't pointy enough to do the job, so I struggled with these for so long. Finally, after staring at 1 finished sock and 3/4 of its mate for the past 6 months, I finally decided to bit the bullet and finish them. I only had the cuff to finish - sad, I know.
Of course, when I picked them back up, I couldn't remember where I'd left off, so the cuffs do not totally match. After 6 months, I can live with this. The instructor of my finishing class say historically eastern knitters rarely had matching socks as they could only knit with available materials, so.... in keeping with history, and all - my cuffs don't match, and I don't care. They will be hiding under my pants for the most part anyhoo.

Close enough, huh?

Wait... that's not all....
I've also finished the RSC 2009 January kit - Queen of Beads by Sivia Harding. Please excuse this crappy photo - I was wearing my slippers outside (where there is still snow, uggh) & just wanted to capture something to upload.

Glad these are done. After the beads were finished, these socks flew from the needles. My regret is that I didn't knit these on a smaller needle. I used a US 2 (2.75mm) and should have used a US 1.5 - they are a bit loose & feel a bit slouchy.
I only made a slight mod to how I knit the left twisted stitch. After finishing the first sock, I kept looking at the left twisted stitches and just didn't like how they looked. They didn't seem to match the right twisted stitches. So - after a little google-fu, I ran across this tutorial & used it for the 2nd sock. Go figure - now the left twisted stitches have a bit more 'pop'.

I hope to have something different to share with you next time. I have cast on another sock (just can't be without a sock project; oh wait - I still have 2 other sock projects on the needles - whoops) for the Ravelry KAL while I'm waiting for the RSC March kit to arrive. (The kit's been sent, but with Mt. Redoubt blowing it's top again and again, the kits arrival might be delayed due to flight cancellations.)

Happy Knitting! Ciao!