I am not yet ready to show you the shawl I’ve been working on. It is not quite off the needles, though I have just one row and a bind off to finish. It would be pointless to show you another in progress picture because it really doesn’t look any different than it did yesterday. So, instead I can show you a picture of the socks I’ve been working on for my mom. During Month O’Socks, I made the white then dyed brown pair. Since mom has grown to love her bright socks, I looked around for what might be the most garish sock yarn I possessed, so that this year I can make sure she has socks from both ends of the spectrum. To be fair, I didn’t pick this color. I lucked out on a work horse sock yarn destash, grab bags of 5 skeins for a super cheap price, and I believe I purchased 3 grab bags. Out of all 15 skeins, I only have 2 skeins left to knit. So, I think it was a pretty decent purchase. That is, IF you were to ignore my huge yarn stash. I have a soft place in my heart for stripes, another one for work horse yarns, and yet another for a good deal on yarn, so those grab bags were basically irresistible to me. This particular yarn is Opal’s Mexiko. It is bright! The pattern is my go to pattern for socks for mom, the Vintage Socks gentleman’s plain winter socks seem to fit her perfectly, and she likes the dutch heel. I’d like to get these done by the end of March, since she will be in town and I can hand them off without having to pay for postage.

Since I am in the midst of a row on my shawl, and not currently knitting on anything else, I decided to take a picture of the skew sock which I haven’t knit on in awhile.

The yarn is noro kureyon sock. I absolutely love the color. From this angle it is hard to see the skewness of it, but the other side is not nearly as long. This will be a project to complete once the shawl is done.

I’ve completed the beautiful pair of white socks for my mom. But, they aren’t truly completed, because the next step is to dye them.

In other knitting news, I’ve started a pair of skew socks in noro kureyon sock, and I must say I am really very addicted to them. I need to get a skirt finished for Julie, but I can’t seem to manage that with the skew socks on the needles!

“For what we are about to see next, we must enter quietly into the realm of genius.”

 

“LIFE! DO YOU HEAR ME? GIVE MY CREATION… LIFE! “

I am almost done, so close I can taste it!

The complicated portion wasn’t so complicated once I read directions. My first step was to graft the foot to the ace bandage.

Then I graft the leg to the ace bandage. All that is left then is to make the bermuda triangles, two of them per sock, knit into the sock incorporating stitches from the ace bandage as I go.

This is one bermuda triangle complete, it still needs the upper one.

I am hoping that these are done by tomorrow, though it seems hard to imagine ever being done with them!

 

We’ve had a big ol’ snowstorm here! Wet heavy snow that canceled all my plans today. Since I had intended to be out all day, and not get any knitting done, I was almost appreciative of the fact that I could now have a day to work on my fronkenshteek socks. I  must say, these days it takes a forced day in to get me to stay in. Sometimes I am surprised knitting gets done at all!

These socks have certainly been a lesson in patience and a labor of fascination. I wouldn’t quite call it love. Maybe obsession, intrigue, but not quite love. I won’t knit them again, but I am thrilled that I am knitting them. Or, as was the case today, unknitting, sewing, etc. I did a lot of pulling out of provisional cast on and picking up stitches, rearranging, etc. A little steeking, not much. But, I did photograph most of my journey.

 

First order of business today was to pick apart the cuffs that were knit at the same time. One long cuff becomes two.

Then on to the legs of the socks.

Both legs knit in one long tube, my job today is to steek the tube and then seam them into two tubes.

 

A few snips and I’ve got two legs.

Once seamed, I kitchener the cuffs to the tubes, giving me the leg of the sock.

This is where I left off, because the next part of the sock creation looks very complicated, and I am worn out! I did actually do one other task, which was ripping out two inches on each foot so that I am ready for the final steps of assembly. I decided that this evening I should work on something else entirely!

I put new batteries in my camera just so I could show of the latest progress with these crazy crazy socks. This is the ace bandage portion with the heels attached. The next step is for me to look through the 18 pages of pattern to figure out my next step!

I am loving the interesting and genius construction of these, so much so that I am thinking I will have to get a few more interesting kits to knit.

Or, knitting parlor tricks. Or, the most insane socks I’ve ever knit. Or, the most insane ITEM I’ve ever knit.

I’ve been making great progress on these lately. Partly due to Month O’Socks, and partly due to having finished each piece and wanting to get them assembled and completed. I did, after all, start them way back in July!

Now that I am on to the assembly portion, I am finding them to be a wonderful and interesting knit. I keep wanting to continue on them late into the evening. However, with darkness, poor lighting, and dark yarn, they are a little rough on the eyes. And they are very fiddly.

So, I did take some snap shots and have some explanations to go with them.

These are all the sock body parts complete but not steeked.

I decided to start with the toes. This bundle here is the toes and the heels. All knit as one. Two toes, two heels, one package. Amazing. So I had to cut it.

Now I actually do have toes and heels. So the first step is to attach the toes to the bottom tubes.

Which I did. I used a hot pink yarn as my stitching yarn, since it matches pretty well and why not go wild in color when making crazy socks?  Of note is the fact that my tubes are way too long. I probably should have started steeking and assembly before knitting the tubes so I had a better idea of how long the tubes should be knit. The “ace bandage” portion of the foot takes up a lot of space on the foot of the sock, and so I’ve knit the bottom tubes at least two inches too long. I’ll need to frog. Luckily, with the provisional cast on, I can do that. Now, I’d consider giving these away, but with all the sewing and steeking, I am not sure how hard wearing they will be, and better to allow myself to wear them around the house and let them develop holes than giving them away and it happening to someone else, much to their disappointment.

I’d have more pictures, but my camera ran out of battery last night. I need to get more and then I’ll have a few more pictures (and hopefully completed socks) this weekend. My progress last night included steeking the ace bandage portion of the socks, and sewing in the heels. The next step will be to pull out all my spare needles and start putting provisional cast ons back on needles in order to work the rest of the sock. I have one more steek to cut as well.

This has been more fun than I can even explain! I mean, who knits a sock JUST to do it? In fact, I find myself wanting to knit more of Tsarina’s sock designs simply for the challenge of it all!