Especially since September is coming in like a lion. A pissy, whiny, angry lion.

They're Cherry Tree Hill (my first!) and made by Miss Stricken Madchen (I think I parsed that correctly.) I've had them for a week an a half, but various events in my house have kept me from my camera. They are absolutely lovely, and I feel utterly spoiled.

close-up to show the colours

Thank you, generous wonderful sockpal! And your gifties rocked!

Labels: kal, socks, swap

I got a really delicious package from my sock pal yesterday. My socks are apparently still under construction, so she sent some goodies to keep me happy. They're certainly doing the trick!

a sheep tape measure, hand lotion, a sheepy case, and YARN! sock yarn, of course!

Blake may be the happiest guy in the place; he can't stop playing with the tape measure. Thanks, Sock Pal!

Labels: gifties, socks, swap

My sock pal got her socks yesterday. Thank heaven she forgave me for not using cotton, as was her clear preference. Now it can be revealed that my pal is Allison, who was part of NaKniSewMo, my finish-a-thon last February. Fun!

Farewell, little socks. Have a good life. I'll miss you.

socks on film: the second sock strikes a cheesecake pose in sackett's harbour - or is that, sockett's harbour?

Labels: kal, naknisewmo, socks, swap

A delicious lacy confection in mouth-wateringly juicy shades of orange. I wish I didn't have to send these socks away. The yarn is the Koigu I bought during the fall TTC Knitalong, and though I wanted to keep it, no other sock plans worked out for this round of the 'palooza. Thus I gave in, grabbed the yummy orange and the trusty pattern (I hear the designer thinks just like me) and got to work. My housewarming party derailed my progress the week before the deadline, and so these socks are more than a week late going out. I hope the recipient thinks that they're worth it.

this is why I didn't take the pictures when I submitted the pattern.

Labels: design, fo, kal, socks, swap

finished on August 27, 2006.

Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

For my 30th birthday, my mom took me out to see Hair. It was an exciting event for me: I was basically unfamiliar with the so-called storyline, but I loved some of the songs and wanted to see it all unfold. So my mom, being the theatre push-over she is, bought us some tickets and I got me an early birthday present.

In addition to the play, which was pretty awesome, we also indulged in one of our other theatre-going vices: clothes shopping (a third vice is eating, but we won’t go into that). There’s a store near the theatre called Timbuktu that’s run by an ex-hippie and filled with gorgeous exotic fabrics. Last time we were there (“Urinetown”), my mom bought a traveling suit. This time we both bought dresses. Hers was red with a flower pattern; so perfect for her that we both felt strongly that she already owned it. Mine was a blue & white layer cake of a dress, a floor-length sundress blockprinted in shades of Delft blue. Air currents want to frolic with this dress, and it’s long enough so that the world is not surprised by my nudity when the wind gets whimsical.

But as I am the type of personality that I can never be satisfied, a problem arose. To whit: I hate hate hate hate current sandal styles. So this pretty pretty dress, clearly a summer dress, would be matched with my grody flip flops, my 8-holes, or my ‘vogs. I loves my ‘vogs, but they really need socks. Therefore, I decided to knit some. All of the lacy socks I saw were way too substantial for my purpose, which was to match this confection of a dress. So I picked up a couple of skeins of my favourite Koigu PPPM, found a lace stitch on-line, and swirled in as many girly touches as I could manage.

Specs: these socks were to be super-feminine, super comfy in summer as I defied sandal fashion and stomped around in my 'vogs. I combined a picot cast-on with a simple 7-stitch, 4-row lace pattern (called Lace Wings), added an Eye of Partridge heel for the birdy implications, and then named it after my shoes. (I also watched Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy obsessively while knitting the first sock, so there's a little bit of Vogon in there too.)

I took the first one to a Drunken Knitter’s Night in July, where it was much beloved. Since drinking was involved, there came a point when I messed up the lace. I pondered tinking, but the people around me told me it didn’t matter.

”But what if I want to submit this pattern to Knitty?” I half-joked to Amy, who was sitting beside me.

”I’m sure I won’t notice,” she replied graciously.

Holy shit, I wondered, did I just pitch a design to Amy, Editrix of Knitty? Did she just say something nice instead of rejecting my lame ideas and incompetent design-work out of hand? Will I actually go through with this crazy idea? This requires much pondering.

From that point on in the summer, these were my submission socks, kept under wraps. I approached a few of my knitting friends for help with the photos, but nothing was resolved until the September Drunken Knitter’s Night, when Jacquie B. offered her sharp artistic eye and her ginchy new camera in service of the submission socks. Thrilled to be doing something before all the leaves turned, we settled on the following weekend.

The shoot itself was great fun. I’ve always wanted the glory of modelling (I am, at least technically, a Leo) but lack the traditional attributes to realize this goal (such as grace, poise, passion and beauty). Jacquie was patient with my lack of experience, and made the shoot into a big romp through Kew Gardens. If these socks look good, it’s because Jacquie made them look good.

Jacquie B's fantabulous vog on gallery

The next part of this story took place months after, as the completed socks were waiting for a seasonal submission date. Widdershins had been out there for awhile, and I found myself wondering if I had a toe-up version in me. When Michelle offered to test-knit, I knew I had to try. So I did the math, bought her some co-ordinating Koigu PPM in fire colours, and asked her if she could make my bird rise from the ashes (in this case, ashes = toes). Then we spilled tequila on the yarn. Hee!

She did a terrific job, knit them longer just for fun, and then used her mannequin feet to model. I can't help but think that her clutch-knitting is what sent us over the edge. And now, I'm a published knitwear designer! I'll try to let it go to my feet, rather than my head.

the pattern

Labels: design, drunken knitters, fo, friends, knitty, socks

I always need a pair of socks on the go. Last summer I finally started some Falling Leaves socks in the pinky variegated Patons Kroy I've been staring at since the previous winter, and these have proven to be anything but a quick fix. 8 months from CO to BO. Whoa.

They feature a Magic Toe and a sewn bind-off. I'm pretty darn proud of them.

Labels: fo, socks