Expecting
He he, gotcha! This pair is for my co-worker's wife, who is 5 months pregnant.
Pattern: Toe-Up Baby Socks using Wendy's toe-up formula, her toe cast-on tutorial, and the short-row technique from Better than Booties Baby Socks in Interweave Knits' summer issue.
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Sheperd Sock in #32 Somerset
Needles: US1 bamboo dpns
I felt adventurous and decided to try a toe-up baby sock. It was quite simple; I completed this in 5 hours, which is fast for me. I reread Wendy's notes completely a couple of times, just to make sure I knew what I was doing. My formula: crochet chain provisional cast-on of 20 sts (after short row shaping and unraveling the crochet chain, there will be 40 sts total), short row toe , 14-row foot, short row heel, 18-row leg, 6-row 2x2 rib cuff. I'm so proud of these socks!
I decided to do it in stockinette to show off the lovely color changes in the yarn. The Somerset colorway is made primarily of bright pink, baby blue, and a bright seafoam green, and the transitions from color to color are pastelly and quite nice. My co-worker and his wife were the whole reason behind my starting to knit socks. Since they didn't know the sex of their baby, I had to pick a yarn colorway that was fairly unisex. This fit the bill.
Knitting designer Louisa Harding has a PDF of her fall collection. I usually don't go for ribbon yarns, but I love the romantic earth tones in hers.
Reading: Duuude, have you seen the Penguin Classics Collection--holy cow, does that qualify for free shipping? I stole borrowed a few books from my sister's nightstand: Mark Kurlansky's Salt: A World History, Alison Bond's How To Be Famous, Oscar Hijuelos' The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, and Ross King's Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling. Should last until the end of July. Can you believe it's already July?
Added later: That How To Be Famous is god-awful. I'm normally game for chick lit, but it was embarrassingly mindless. I'm changing to Juan-Eduardo Cirlot's Gaudí: An Introduction to His Architecture.
SO cute! This somerset colourway is really pretty, the same yarn for the previous cabled rib socks you knitted? And I have been peering at your short row heels, so nicely done, no holes. :) I'm learning to knit my first sock, hence the obsession with such details :)
very cute. I've been meaning to try toe up, i think i will on my next sock, which should be starting up any time now.
i love the colors too.
You had me for a minute there! I love that colorway.. they are adorable! I have a co-worker who is 5 months pregnant too... I need to get cracking on some projects!
Adorable little socks!
I love those socks, love the colours.
Hey, those PCs do qualify for free shipping! On the one hand, I think that it would be so cool to have all those titles on hand--on the other, I think walking through my rooms and halls with only the Penguin Classic black spines facing me from the shelves would totally freak my $h!t out (and I know I don't have enough room for them and my existing collection, even with my wormhole squirreling things away method, so somebody'd have to go to pasture). Besides, there's joy in building a collection piece by piece with only the bits you love, not just bits that came as part of a package.
what cute socks! i'm thinking of knitting my first baby garments for a friend who's expecting. they're requested a hat, but these socks are very tempting!
speaking of tempting - no, i had not seen the complete penguin collection. but i want it now!!
ps. can't believe it's july either! especially since it feels like march outside :)
Cute!
Those are very cute baby boots. I'm amazed that you used US1 needles! So far, I have only used 2.75mm and I already find it difficult.
Those are super cute socks! Such a pretty colorway.
Whose little socks are so pretty--that colorway of the LL is so nice. Thanks for the Harding knit preview--that is some exciting stuff!
I am reading a Hijuelos book right now too--I love it. I loved Kurlansky's Salt too. The King book has been on my wishlist forever, but have not read it yet... soon!
Hope all is well--take care~
Love the socks. :)
You got me!!!!!! I was about to do summersalts!!!!
Love those socks. Great color and so cute! Glad to see you're back. You were missed and hope you had a great time traveling!