Sunday Sock Pattern – Mossy Block Socks Update

The sample socks for my new sock pattern, Mossy Block Socks, are progressing.  I’m really liking the textural interest in this pattern, which is appealing for men, women, and teens.  Today, I paused for a fit check.  Thus far, the pattern fit is as expected for the sample size.  I still have a bit to go before settup up for the heel turn.

You may recall that I am knitting this pair of sock two-at-a-time (2AAT) with one long (40″) circular needle.  I’m not convinced that I like 2AAT sock knitting.  It seems as though it is taking ages to see any progress.  If I were knitting one sock at a time, I’d already be past the heel and well into the leg.  Although I’ll have both socks completed once I reach the end, I don’t know that it is really a time saver.  In fact, I think I can two individual socks in less time that I can knit a pair 2AAT.  Knitting 2AAT seems to involve more fiddling than does 1AAT.  I’ll persist with 2AAT for this pair of socks, but think I’ll use a longer (60″) needle if I’m ever tempted to use this technique, again.  Fortunately for me, I don’t suffer from “second sock syndrome,” so I have the option of knitting 1 or 2 socks at once.

 

 

I also began work on a test sock for another pattern, which I’m tentatively calling “Rustica Socks.”  The yarn that I chose is highly variegated and comes in 50g skeins.  The bands of both skeins reference the same dye lot, but I’ve not been able to find a starting point where the two yarns match up for any reasonable length.  Mistakes sometimes happen at the factory, just as they happen to me as I’m knitting, and I suspect that one of my two skeins was incorrectly marked.  Despite the difference in coloration, I cast on for the toes – just to see what they would look like.  As you can readily observe, the yarns are very poorly matched.  I won’t be able to use these as the sample socks for my pattern, but I may finish them just for me to wear around the house.  Or I may frog and repurpose the yarn.

Elsewhere on the sock front, I am knitting a pair of test socks for a fellow designer who is working on a new sock pattern.  I am not free to say too much about this pattern as it is not mine and the pattern is still in development.  I can, however, share that I am using Knit Picks Gloss in fingering weight.

Gloss is a wool blend, 70% Merino and 30% Silk, and is remarkably soft.  The color, Kenai, is wonderfully saturated and has just a hint of sheen.  The yarn has a good twist; I’ve yet to experience any splitting.  I must say that I am thrilled with this yarn so far; give the quality and price point, I consider it to be of high value.  Gloss is not a “superwash,” so I will be hand-washing these socks (as I do for all of my handknit socks).

The pattern for the test socks that I am knitting are written as toe-up.  I used my favorite toe-up cast-on technique:  Judy’s Magic Cast On (JMCO).  If you haven’t yet tried JMCO, I would urge you to grab some yarn and your needle and give it a try.  It truly is “magical!”

The toe that I’m knitting for these test socks is different from the toe that I normally use.  Can’t say more about it right now, but I’ll show you one final picture (although the color is misrepresented in this image).  It’s a very nice toe, don’t you think?

I’ll share more about this sock and a link to the sock pattern once it is published.  Of course, I’ll be back next Sunday with another update on my Mossy Block Socks pattern.  Until then, happy knitting on circular needles!

. . . Linda, the well-rounded knitter

 

Filed under: Sock Pattern

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