One of my many secret projects lately was testing a pattern for a local knitter. Recently Janel Laidman (author of
The Eclectic Sole and
The Enchanted Sole) moved to town. When she sent up the flare looking for test-knitters for her sock club, I offered to help out.
I learned a lot of things knitting this pattern. I learned that Merino/cashmere/nylon sock yarn is like knitting with a dream. I learned that cables on reverse stockinette are totally worth the pain it is to knit them. And I learned that while I can certainly do it, knitting on a deadline is not my favorite thing to do.
I was really worried the whole time my gauge would end up being tighter than I thought. I knit like a madwoman all week. I knit at every opportunity. I gave up my usual evening pass-times to knit. I knit frenetically, with single-minded focus to get to the point where I could say, "Why, yes, Janel. These will fit!" And I got there! Whew.
And then it took another three weeks to knit the second sock! HA!
They are totally worth it. These socks are GORGEOUS. Named "Kells" for the knotwork that inspired them, they have luscious cables down both the front and back of the leg. Ribbing in between makes for a comfortable fit. The MCN yarn from
Anzula is beautiful and knits up into a very squishy fabric. These socks look rich, and feel rich on your feet. My only problem is owning a pair of shoes that will show off the amazing cable on the heel and not cover up the cabling on the front as well.
I played around a little with the toe. I knit it as directed, but at the very end rather than just grafting the stitches shut, I knit across the tip of the toe perpendicular to the rest of the knitting. It makes for a funny little four-stitch band that starts from the toe-decreases and in the end closes the tip. In the end I did graft the last eight stitches together. I'm not sure it's any better than any other way to end the toe, but it does have a very nice, seamless appearance.
1 comment:
Very pretty. Love Janel's designs!
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