Disco Socka

I really enjoy knitting for my beloved.  He is very appreciative of anything I make for him.  I have only knit him socks and mitts but he never complains about color or fiber choices.

I do worry, however, when knitting for others.  My children are persnickity, my sister doesn’t wear my hand knits and my mom tends tuck away the goods as too nice to wear.  Did I mention I saw her in Chicago when I went to see the big Greek Exhibit over holiday break?  She, my mom, was wearing Laminaria over her winter coat.  I knit that when the pattern came out–over the winter ’07/spring ’08 and gave it to her for Christmas ’08 so it was nice to see it in action.

So update.  Strokkur is idling.  It seems that in my hurry to have something super warm and toasty to wear over the winter I tightened up my gauge as I progressed with the knitting.  Yes I knit the sleeves first.  Yes I measured my washed and unwashed swatches.  I ripped and restarted the sweater with  larger needles and once again my knitting tightened up.  I am a bit frustrated by this turn of events.  Only once before have I had this happen to me–when knitting a throw for Berroco yarns in their Chinchilla yarn.  I think I tried to  knit that a dozen times before I called and said it just wasn’t going to work.

My proposed fix at the moment is to wait until it is sweltering outside and I will not be in any hurry whatsoever to wear it and then cast on again.

Meanwhile I was showing my fabulous elegant gauntlets to a co-worker and her eyes just lit up.  She exclaimed about how soft they were and pretty and warm.  I offered to knit her a pair of her very own for a flat rate that would kinda cover the cost of yarn.  I did this while another co-worker was in the office and she too would like a pair of ‘arm socks’  Very gratifying to this knitter’s heart that others are wanting gauntlets of their very own.

Once I faced the fact that this winter was to pass without my wearing Strokkur I was a bit down in the doldrums and it took a while to find my knitting mojo & suitable yarns in my stash.  For the first co-worker I am having a hard time finding a yarn with the similar feel, color etc as my prism mia but the second said she liked pink and most importantly I believe, easy care.  I went through my stash and found several balls of the now discontinued Schoeller + Stahl Fortissimo Colori Disco Socka.  Wow what a mouthful.  I have actually knit several socks and hats and mitts out of this yarn and find it to be a true workhorse of a yarn.  It doesn’t pill, barely fades and I have yet to encounter a hole in any item knit out of it.  I have a pair of socks that are 8 yrs old at this point that still look brand new.  Anyway I decided that this yarn would be perfect for Kristen’s arm socks.  The finished babies are in the washing machine right now having the stitches evened out so a picture of the gauntlets in progress will have to suffice.  Above you have a close up of the yarn chosen that I sent to Kristen to make sure it wasn’t too pink or glitzy for her and below you see proof that despite being knit smaller than mine they still fit a human arm.  The wrist looks impossibly tiny on and off the needles… a heads up for anybody who looks at the gauntlets and thinks these will never fit.  They do. 🙂

Trying on impossibly tiny mitts to make sure they fit.

yarny days and knitterly evenings~Elka