Sherilyn #2

My second time knitting the Sherilyn pattern from Ysolda I thought I was being so smart by knowing exactly how much yarn I would need based on my first version. Turns out my calculations must have been wrong (the skeins probably were heavier with more yardage than listed, so I'd used more yarn than I thought), and I had to leave out two rows from section 4 in order to not run out of yarn. My plan B was to use a different yarn to finish off the shawl, but since it lasted this far, I figured it might be better just to skip a couple of rows that weren't critical. I think the Wollmeise Pure in the Ooohm colorway makes a perfect spring shawl.

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Tulip Socks

This time with the Cookie A Sock Club pattern I went by the book and actually used the club yarn, Dream in Color Everlasting Sock in the Violet Hour colorway, because I felt it was the perfect choice for the Tulip Socks pattern. The yarn is a bit splitty, but with this pattern it was manageable, and the socks are so soft. This is an example of a yarn that I probably would not have bought were I to pick something up from a yarn store, but the color grew on me during the knitting process, and I enjoy the very slight color variation (that is not evident in the photos).

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Twisted Flower

I've been wanting to knit the Twisted Flower pattern by Cookie A for years, and I've started on it at least three times before, but I never got further than half a sock until I got exhausted. Having knitted a few more or less complicated sock patterns recently, I figured I might be finally ready to knit a pair of Twisted Flower socks from start to finish, and I was right; the pattern just didn't feel as demanding as it did before.

For a pattern with such pressure to finally succeed, I decided the yarn had to be perfect. My recent experiences with Cephalopod Yarns Skinny Bugga! made me convinced it would be the ideal yarn base, and since Blue Lobster is possibly my favorite ever colorway of any yarn, I decided my dream socks deserved nothing less. This skein of Blue Lobster was slightly more variegated than the one I had earlier, but not too much so.

Knit with my current favorite needles, the DyakCraft Heavy Metals, Magic Looped, the knitting process was as pleasant as possible. I wish I could knit every project with these needles, but unfortunately they don't come any larger than 3.25 mm.

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Newton

Second pair of socks from Cookie A 2013 Sock Club's first shipment finished. These were slightly more difficult than the Ernie pattern, because you had to keep an eye on the chart all the time. Or, at least my photographic memory is not well-trained enough to memorize the pattern. I knit the largest size, because I wanted them slightly bigger, but apparently my gauge was so intensely tight that they turned out more like a small or medium size. I hope they are roomy enough for the recipient's needs. The yarn was Cephalopod Yarns Skinny Bugga!, just like with the other club socks, but this time in the colorway VW Bug.

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Walk on the Moon

Admittedly not something I particularly enjoyed knitting, the pattern from the Wollmeise Lace Colourbag was still something I wanted to finish. I did like my slightly adjusted color combination at first, but grew somewhat tired of it during the process of knitting. I combined colors from two different bags, and ended up with Gianduia, Aquarius and zartbitter. My lack of patience for getting it just done already was not helped by the 1200 stitches per row in the end. I do like the ribbed edging, though.

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Ernie

My first Cookie A pattern knit as a legitimate sock club member. I did not go with the club yarn, because I felt the dye lot of the yarn I received (there were a few different dye lots, some more variegated than others) was not solid enough for this pattern, so, instead, I chose Cephalopod Yarns Skinny Bugga! in the colorway Bronze Moth. I think the pattern and yarn work well together. This was the easier of the two patterns for February 2013, because the pattern repeat is easy to memorize, but I'm going to knit both patterns, anyway. I have an ambitious plan to knit each of the 12 patterns in this year's sock club.

I knit the majority of these socks Magic Looping my new DyakCraft 5-inch Heavy Metal interchangeable needles, and these are best needles so far I've used for this technique. I also learned of a trick to use a smaller needle in your left hand to make it easier to push the stitches around, since the size of the right-hand needle is the only one that matters for gauge, so I used a 2.00 mm needle on the left and a 2.25 mm one on the right.

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Carson

I really enjoyed knitting Romi Hill's Carson pattern (except maybe for the lace edging, when I just wanted to be done already, there were so many stitches on one row). The way the two-colored section works is so genius and simple at the same time. I think I want to knit this pattern again, with a different color combination. Choosing Wollmeise Pure in colorways Wolke WD and Grashüpfer WD (both colors I received in a grab bag as surprise skeins, neither color necessarily being something I would have chosen myself originally) may have been a surprising move from me. I really enjoyed knitting with these colors, but I have to say the finished shawl, while pretty, is probably something I will not end up wearing myself. It will likely end up being gifted to someone who is more comfortable wearing this color combination. That's fine, though. If I really end up knitting 12+ shawls again this year, I don't think I need that many new ones for myself, anyway.

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Batik

A solid beginning to the 12 shawls in 2013 challenge, Kitman Figueroa's Batik pattern in the largest size has moderate yardage and an allover lace pattern. It's a good thing the shawl is knit in a way that the rows get shorter and shorter towards the end, because in the beginning, when you're still full of enthusiasm about a new project, the long rows don't matter, and then the rows get shorter at about the same rate as your motivation diminishes. The last 10% of knitting took me about 25% of the knitting time (in days). Wollmeise Pure, in the colorway Ebenholz, is great for maximum stitch definition. For being the largest size, this shawl is strangely small, even though I used slightly more yarn than the pattern estimate. The size is fine, but I wonder how small the smallest size would have turned out!

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Haleakala

The official first finished project of the year is Cookie A's Haleakala sock pattern. The socks turned out a perfect size, and, as a bonus, they are also quite pretty. I used Wollmeise Pure in the colorway ein klein wenig verrucht WD, a skein slightly warmer in tone than a named skein of the same colorway I also have. I'm very happy with the result. Not much more I can think of to say about this project.

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Ripple Leaf

Finally a finished pair of socks. For some reason I've had a hard time getting into a successful sock knitting mode. There was a recent encounter with one sock pattern that resulted in giving up after three frustrating tries. With Cookie A's Ripple Leaf pattern, however, there was no frustration, just enjoyable knitting. My first time knitting socks with Wollmeise Pure was also fun. I'm aware that without nylon these socks might wear out faster than otherwise, but I don't expect my knitted socks to last forever, so it's ok. Socks wearing out only means I will have a reason to knit more of them (not that a lack of necessity has stopped me from knitting countless shawls). I only wish I'd used larger needles or knit a larger size, because the lace pattern on the leg is so tight they barely go over my heel. I was careful not to make them too big, because I expected the superwash yarn to stretch in use, but I think I left a bit too much room for stretching here. However, they do fit, and they will get a lot of use.

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