Another Friday, and some more socks. I think by the end of this challenge I will not need to knit any more socks, my sock drawer will overfloweth! That is a good thing though and I suspect I will always have some kind of sock on the go since they make good travelling knitting, I just won't be trying to get them done in a fortnight.
Anyway, this time it is the turn of the Q socks and some beautiful yarn I won on the Playful Day podcast giveaway.
Pattern: Quartzonite by Rose Hiver
Yarn: Knitting goddess superwash merino and nylon in Forest Green
Needles 2.5mm
The pattern gives lots of detail and the stitch pattern is complicated enough to keep you interested, but still easy enough to memorise after a few repeats. There is an interesting heel band feature which actually makes a lot of sense as it means you have a smooth stocking stitch section where your shoe sits, rather than a patterned lacy bit which would be more likely to rub and harder to darn when it wears through, I will be repeating the heel band section on other short row heel socks.
The pattern is well written and would be suitable for a sock beginner apart from needing to follow a link for the cast on, which means you need to start when you are near a computer unless you know how to do it or have another source for the information.
I may also now be a toe up, wedge toe, short row heel convert as apart from feeling these could be a little more snug around (a few less stitches, smaller needles or a pattern with a little ribbing) they are one of my best fitting pairs of socks. A big change from my top down, heel flap preference at the start of the year.
For some reason I got a little bored as I was working on the second leg (these are toe up), I don't know if it was the pattern or if I am reaching a point of being socked out and ready to work on something different, I will see how the next pair goes.
Once they were finished I was back to loving them, it was just the last little bit of knitting, so I have strong suspicions it was not the pattern's fault at all.
The yarn is lovely and smooth, knits nicely and tinks well. The smoothness give great stitch definition which combined with the semi solid colour makes it good for lace or other patterns which rely on teh stitches for interest. It is very much a sock yarn. Some 4 ply/sock/fingering weight yarns are not really sock yarns at all, they are wonderful and contain fibres possibly stolen from a unicorn on a moonlit night and are really for making shawls, scarves and other non foot based lovliness. This is not one of those, but that is good, because socks are what I wanted, and it is a super sock yarn. More important than the yarn base is the heavenly colour, which I am very much in love with, I will be putting every leftover scrap of this to use becasue it is truely lovely (I like the colour, can you tell?).
Close up to show the stitch pattern and the super stitch definition of this yarn.
I have my R socks pattern and yarn ready to go, I just need to track down a little more sock mojo, perhaps it is under the sofa.
