Tenacious S! (Socks, That Is)

I finished my Embossed corded Rib Socks, made out of the Socks that Rock Peaseblossom. I do like how they turned out, although there is a lot of pooling...I guess it's to be expected. They fit well and that STR yarn is COMFY!


My darling daughter, who just turned 14 yesterday (Happy Birthday, Honey!) has asked me to knit her socks for the first time. Yay! We ordered a lovely skein of Fearless Fibers sock yarn in the pretty blue "Sky and Clouds" Colorway.

The request was for a simple pair of socks, just stockinette. As there wouldn't be much challenge there, I decided to try knitting the socks from the toe up--something I haven't done yet in the 5 pair of socks I've completed. I had the Knitty Widdershins pattern and thought I'd give it a try.

WELL...last night I tried "Judy's Magic Cast On," which is what is recommended in the pattern. Couldn't do it. Then I went to Sensational Knitted Socks and tried almost all of the toe-up cast-ons suggested there. No go. My needles kept slipping, the stitches were twisting...you name it. This morning, I tried again, and found a great site on Knitty where Wendy offers several variations on the toe-up cast-on. While I was shying away from the ones that used a provisional cast on--since I'd not done that yet either--she noted that the one using this method was very easy. So I gave it a shot--and it finally worked! I even unzipped that provisional cast-on like a dream--what a thrill!!


I am now almost done with the toe and while it was definitely awkward at the beginning, it is now getting much easier and I think knitting the socks toe-up will make it much easier to achieve a perfect fit for my girl! I'm proud of myself for persevering; now when I see patterns written toe-up, I won't skip over them, thinking I can't do it. We'll see how the rest of the sock goes...

I am also plodding along on my Red Scarf Project Scarf (which I'm enjoying) and hope to finish it on time. My Pink Suede Jacket is getting less fun--I think I am coming to the conclusion that I much prefer knitting with wool or cotton than some type of synthetic. But I will finish it, in time.