Go on, cast on that sock
Life is short, the world is chaotic, keep your feet warm
Each year, I hit my stride at this point in the winter and my creative energy goes into overdrive. I have the urge to cast on new projects with wild abandon but try to keep myself focused on knitting through my existing pile of WIPs.
Appropriately, I have a flurry of finished projects that I’ve started and finished since the last time I posted. Let’s get into it!
Impulsive Valentine’s Day socks
I’m not really a pink person but I found this beautiful yarn at my local secondhand craft store and couldn’t leave it behind. The inspiration to use it in a sappy, heart-themed sock in time for Valentine’s Day struck me last week and I knit these up in a fugue state this weekend.
They give me Juicy Couture in 2004 vibes in a good way and I had no regrets abandoning all of my active projects to get these done by the holiday. Also I’m proud that my sock colorwork skills have leveled up enough that these were a breeze.
Vacation socks
My partner and I recently took a long trip to Ireland and I diligently cast on socks for both of us on the plane ride across the Atlantic Ocean. I only managed to finish his socks before we came home but I’ve since finished mine and am wearing them as I write this.
His are my go-to 3 x 1 ribbed sock from Knits About Winter and mine are the Guernsey Sweater Socks by Summer Lee. The Donegal tweed felt like the perfect yarn to use while in Ireland and I learned from Alice Starmore’s book Aran Knitting that the famous Aran sweaters were very likely inspired by traditional Scottish gansey knitting traditions!
Very green Lanark
I am a sucker for bright greens. The lily pad bright color of this garment does not fit into my wardrobe at all but I decided to lean into it by adding the bright orange zipper. I was pretty worried about the fit before I finished it but I gave it an aggressive block and now I’m really happy with it.
The Peace Fleece DK is a woolen spun yarn so the finished object is surprisingly light and very warm. I had to pull out a lot of vegetal matter as I worked and it’s a little rustic against the skin but it’s perfect for an outerwear garment like this.
Ice blue Doppio
For a sweater cobbled together from stash yarn, I’m very happy with how this turned out. All three of the yarns have silk content and it is the drapiest, softest sweater I’ve ever made and the bougiest sweatshirt replacement that I could imagine.
I’m also really impressed by the fit of this pattern. I knit a size up (and accordingly ran out of suri yarn for the hem and the cuffs) and it sits perfectly on my shoulders with just the right amount of slouch. I added the optional raglan faux seams and I feel like they add really nice structure to balance the drape.
What’s next?
If you think I went on a big trip to Ireland and didn’t come home with a sweater quantity of aran weight tweed yarn you’re delusional. These colors are gorgeous and I think I might use it for a mash-up of the Badana Cardigan and the Ginsan Cardigan, both of which I have in my library.
I’ve also got my Esther Jacket on the needles and I moved quickly through the back panel and fronts to get it joined in the round. The yarn is lovely but I’m starting to worry that the gauge is a little too loose to get the fabric I want. For now I’m going to plow forward and keep my finger’s crossed for some blocking magic.
On top of this, I’m working on a Sophie Shawl, some more colorwork socks and a barely begun Lakes V-Neck. We’ll talk more about them when I have more progress. At the rate that I’m casting socks on and off my feet will never be cold again!
Awww yay! I loved all these projects, esp that you added a zipper to that one sweater, fancy! And Ireland!! Oh so jealous. And I'm so glad you got some yarn there. Can't wait to see it knit up! Miss you!