Tag Archives: Knitting Vintage Socks

Purple aka A Sock Update

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

Gentleman’s Plain Winter Socks are finished. Compared to my other purple socks it doesn’t look very purple but the Malagribo Candombe reads as a dusky plum on its own. I did read a description of navy and brown but I scoffed. Anyway it is done. The other socks are made from the much thicker and fuzzier Bearfoot sock yarn and need a good de-fuzzing. It just so happened that I had purple socks needing a wash when I finished up my latest pair. Actually all my socks need washing but I have plenty of purple ones. All are here except for a singleton that has lost its mate. Poor mismatched sock.

Anyway extra time was taken finishing the socks because I noticed that the heel flap was curving under my heel. I decided this whilst getting to the toe on the second sock so knit a few more rounds on second, undid the toe on first and added the extra rows.

Of my little yarn cache to work through I have now stuck with one of the 3 yarn piles. Huzzah. Not to break my stride but…. Tyler has asked me for a winter hat to replace one I knit many moons ago for him. Of course I took no real notes. But a hat cannot possibly take too long.

Sock update complete. Yarny days and knitterly evenings~ Elka

Dutch Heel

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner
The Dutch Heel

One of the things I most appreciate about Nancy Bush’s patterns is the variety of heel and toe shaping offered. This one is new to me and creates an interesting underside. I am getting ready to do the heel on the second sock now so should be done soon. YaY for a finished object.

Also really really really love the colors of the Malabrigo Candombe.

This weekend, after I finish my sock, I will be doing a wardrobe change over. I suspect there will be some impetus to knit warm layers since I know my options are slim. I used to be quite the clothes horse. I had walk in closets stuffed to the brim until I was about 30. Somewhere along the line I just pared and pared and pared until it has become difficult to actually get dressed properly. Thanks to these socks I am envisioning a lot of purple and olive greens.

All the while working on my yarn caches which most likely are neither purple or olive green. The woe.

I have digressed from my admiration of the heel to musings about wardrobes. Sooooo I guess I just need to figure out what I am going to do next.

yarny days and knitterly evenings~ Elka

To be an ant

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

Sometimes I wish I were more like an ant. You know the story about the industrious ant vs the free wheeling grasshopper? Yeah that ant. So here it is starting to turn chilly and I am ill prepared for the upcoming Polar Vortex or whatever they are calling it this year. Admittedly the weather is vacillating between mid 70’s and low 50’s –not in the same day– but I can tell I am not going to deal well with the cold this year.

Last I left you guys I was on the border of Magnolia and wouldn’t you know it–still on the border of Magnolia. I did cast on for a shawl and then realize I didn’t begin to have enough yarn to complete the project. The Birita Faroe Island Shawl calls for a mere 500 yds of yarn and I started with 819 yds. When I finished the first ball I became suspicious and checked Ravelry projects to see others had used up to 1500 yds! I did find another partial ball in same dye lot but ended up frogging anyway. Here is my shawl 2 balls in but still on the lower lace border section of pattern:

The I haven’t finished a project in almost an entire year fired me up to tackle my craft caches. The first of which was in the bedroom. In the wardrobe were several hanks of yarn *to be knit next*, the not yet knit 3rd ball of Istex Einband, a wound into yarn cocoon Malabrigo Sock in Candombe, and some Gotland laceweight I kept casting on and frogging over the years.

First I set the still hanked hanks in the yarn room and decided to just knit all that yarn I loved so darned much I had to wind into balls or what not. The first of the 3 options in closest to me at the moment cache to get picked up was the Malabrigo. There is a very high chance I would whip out a pair of socks. After all according to Ravelry my completed projects for 2018 consisted of a pair of socks & a pair of wristers.

The colors are really pretty and the sock is knitting up easily enough. Not very quickly considering it is mainly plain stocking stitch. Actually I knit the 4″ of rib faster than I did the 4″ of stocking stitch. From Nancy Bush the Gentleman’s Plain Winter Sock with Dutch Heel out of Knitting Vintage Socks book done on less stitches and smaller needles to fit my Lady Feet.

yarny days and knitterly evenings ~Elka

Lichen 3.0

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

Nancy Bush, as I am sure any knitter would agree, is a sock knitting queen.  I was lucky enough to take a class with her at Stitches Midwest over a decade ago and she is a real delight.  Her Folk Socks book was the first sock knitting book I ever purchased about 22 years ago now.  One would think all this fan girl talk would result in copious socks but any blog reader of mine will know I do not consider myself a sock knitter.  Tho I do knit socks.  Probably a lot more than I think I do considering my husband and myself plus my child all have socks.  It just doesn’t seem as if I am knitting them! Case in point Lichen from Knitting Vintage Socks:

Lichen

 Ignore the couch.

This is a basic 3/1 ribbed sock with an unusual heal and toe-or at least unusual for me since I usually work a short row heal and toe ala my other favorite sock pattern-Michelle’s Basic Socks.  Michelle’s are a 4/1 rib and was my go to sock pattern for a long time.  Lichen I knit twice in the span of a week way back when.  I knit myself a pair out of gray yarn and a pair that was made out of self striping yarn.  The self striping was for a gal who admired the first pair while I was at a women’s retreat so I whipped them out super super fast.  Plus retreat is code for lots of knitting time and no cooking, cleaning, children etc.  At the time {2006? 2007?} I posted about what a difference yarn choice can make and this will be another example.  I made this set out of Alpaca with a Twist yarn and I can already tell they are not going to last nearly as long as my Regia-ish {you know the Regia type of yarn} gray pair which is looking worn.  But they are cozy warm and I love them already.

More fun details.  I *believe* I started these when I finished Strokkur so Nov 2017.  I finished these yesterday so Thanksgiving 2018.  I am starting to think I should stop calling myself a knitter given that I so rarely knit.  But it was such a large part of my identity for so long I am struggling.  Ah well

Yarny days and knitterly evenings