Hi All! I know I say this every single month, but seriously…where did this last month go? This is two months in a row where the 1st of the month has landed on a Thursday and you know what that means? It’s sock time! For those that would like to join along, we post about our sock progress (or lack thereof) every month on the first Thursday, with the title of Once Upon a Sock. We then link up to our other blogger friends who love to knit / crochet socks. This month, we have two new bloggers joining us! If you would like to too, please let one of us know and we’ll keep adding to the list 🙂 So, before we talk about the progress on my socks, let me introduce you (all blog links will be updated throughout the day as others post their sock post):
Kat at felinityknits has super cute shorties to talk about this month, but shhhh…one set is a secret. Seriously…they are gorgeous!
Stefanie at Stefanie Crafts with Wool Paper Fabric has a new domain and blog name (so old links from posts may no longer work soon…she was Wooly Cakes and Wooden Spoons); however she’s still with us knitting socks! She has a little progress on her Harry socks, so go check them out! And if you want some serious yarn envy, check out her post on Stitches West 2018.
Katherine at fiberandsustenance has a new look and feel to her blog; however still the same link and name. I’m sure we’ll see something beautiful soon on her blog. As soon as I hit publish, Katherine’s blog post appeared! We must have been writing at the same time 🙂 She talks about her sock progress, new sock needles and is knitting with some seriously beautiful yarn.
Our newest bloggers are:
Steph at My Making Do Adventure has joined in with gusto! Her first sock post is up and they are absolutely gorgeous! Learn more as she ventures into the fun world of sock knitting.
Liz at Knitting from the hip also has her first sock post up! She talks about her sock yarn blanket, baby booties and shortie socks. And maybe a little naughty sock yarn purchasing? Tee hee!
Also joining this month is Kathy B from CompassionKnit. I’m sure she’ll have something soon too and I’ll edit here as soon as it’s up.
Edited to add: In breaking news, we have another sock knitter joining us! Wow, this has never happened before! Please welcome Reanna at Knit, Reanna, Knit! who is bravely learning all about socks and the multitude of techniques that can be involved. She is one courageous lady! I remember trying each of those techniques…one at a time!
Ok…now on to the socks! I’ve been a busy little bee this month. I managed to complete the cuff, leg, heel and get 13 rows into the foot of the second sock. No Second Sock Syndrome (SSS) for me…Woo hoo! I really wanted to get the whole thing done and move on to a new pair; however we’ve been super busy on the home front too. I’ll tell you more about that next month. Just keep your fingers crossed for us. I know, so vague 🙂
I’m sure the rest of the sock will fly by, just like this month will and I can hopefully start a new pair or at least think about what I’m going to knit next and let you know about it. Sorry for the lighting in these pictures. It’s raining here (it’s so exciting! Seriously…I live in San Jose, CA and we received barely any rain at all this winter) and so I’ll just have to live with it.
BTW, just a reminder. These are Mina’s Vanilla Sock Recipe by Knitting Expat Designs and I am using Yarn Carnival High Wire 3 Ply in the colorway Austin Equinox. I’m knitting them with size US 1 (2.25 mm) circular needles. I wish I would have gone up a size, 72 instead of 64 stitches, or increased my needle size as these are just the tiniest bit tight. However, I know with experience that they will loosen up while wearing them.
In other news, my poinsettia has finally decided to start changing colors! I received a humongous poinsettia as a gift in 2016. In early spring of 2017, I severely chopped it back and it has grown into this gorgeousness since then. It almost makes me sad to have to chop it back again. I also should have pinched some of those leaves; however I didn’t have the heart to do it. This is the way it grows in the wild, right? Maybe I can be a little more ruthless this year. We’ll see! Anyhoo, it seems that we’ll have another sock knitter joining up as we post on April 5th next month. If you’d like to join too, just let one of know! We’ll get the word out.
Until next time, Happy Knitting!
Paula
Spin A Yarn 
Oooh look at your sock progress! You have done a tonne of work on those since you last posted – you’ll definitely have finished them soon. Congrats!
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Thank you, Kat! I couldn’t believe how much I got done last weekend! It’s amazing how much you can do once you set your mind to it 🙂
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Your socks are looking so great — finish line i definitely in site! And will be keeping fingers crossed for you!
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Thank you, Katherine! I’m super excited for both things 🙂
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Paula, I love these socks every time I see them. I think of Gryffindor red that has been sprinkled with gold that has been swirled in. How you keep your Poinsetta healthy? I totally killed mine as it’s outdoors by the roses, turned over, and dried out. I didn’t know they could be kept indoors? One of my neighbors buys the plants for several of us in the court every December.
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Thank so much Stefanie! I love the colors too and think of Harry Potter as I’m knitting them. They so remind me of those colors.
As far as the Poinsettia, I basically followed these steps. http://www.sheknows.com/home-and-gardening/articles/977967/poinsettias-how-to-keep-them-thriving-year-round It wasn’t this exact article, because it just came out at the end of the year; however I couldn’t find the original article.
The only things I didn’t do were to move it outside and also to keep pinching back the leaves. I really like it as a bushier plant. I kept it in a cool spot, directly behind some curtains and moved it into a shadier area during the hottest part of the year so it didn’t burn the leaves. Other than that, water when it starts to get dry and fertilize it when its growing! Super easy 🙂
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So actually I knit two pairs of socks when I first started knitting but did not like how long they took one at a time on DPNs. (2 pairs and a single, actually..) I then recently learned about TAAT and thought I’d try THAT out…
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Good for you! I prefer TAAT myself. I definitely want to knit my next pair toe up too. Now to decide on a pattern 😀
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Gorgeous socks AND poinsettia!!!
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Thank you!
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Hi Paula! Stefanie invited me to join your group 🙂 I really like how you posted a little summary with each of the blog links… it gives me some ideas for next month.
Your vanilla socks are at almost the same point as mine. I do mine on 2mm needles with 72sts as I figure the tighter the gauge, the more durable the sock. Although mine loosen a bit when I wear them, they tighten back up after machine washing and drying. And I also find that the tighter knit socks loosen and tighten less than the looser knit socks… if that makes any sense?
I’m also at the point of day-dreaming about what to cast on next. Isn’t it fun sorting through patterns and imagining yarn pairings?!
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Welcome to the group and thank you so much for your input on the fit of the socks. I really appreciate any advice given 🙂 It is lots of fun figuring out what to knit next. I have so many that I want to knit, I think I’m full up on patterns and yarn for a very long time.
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