More sock knitting

I finished up the Bridal lace socks about a week ago ... they're in the washing machine now but I do have some pics.

close-up of lace pattern

finished Bridal socks on my feet

They fit nicely, and the lace pattern with the slip-stitch rib is open enough to make great summer socks.  I need to remember to reinforce the heels and toes before I wear them too many times, and also the easy lace socks that I still do not have pics of yet.

Rolling along, I have sideways socks on my straight needles for hubby (need pic of those as well) and on my new small circular needles I am trying the "two-at-a-time" (2aat) idea for another lace pattern in a wool/bamboo/nylon blend.

start of "openwork ladders" socks done 2aat on circs

I am about 5 inches into the legs section now, with a couple road trips and appointments to work on them.  Hubby called the 2aat concept "bad(*donkey*) knitting" when he first saw it, then paused and asked, "Can knitting be bad(*donkey*)ed?"  Yes, my dear, it certainly can be.

I realize there are folks reading who are wondering just why I am bothering to knit my own socks.  For that matter, I am sure there are folks who wonder why we'd sew our own clothes too!  (Note: I will certainly be doing more of that, and soon.)  The socks I bought last year have been falling apart at the same rate as the ones I bought in '09 and '10 ... but at least the older ones have the excuse of being older and having given me my money's worth in use.  The ones I bought last year?  JUNK!!!!  It's not only socks, either.  I'll save the rant about underwear/panties for another post, but let's just say most of the recently-purchased ones are already in worse shape than the ones they were bought to replace.  So, I am at the point where I say "(*BLEEP!*) it!  I'll just make my own."  At least if these socks wear out quickly, I will know exactly whom to blame.

Lace sock update: first one done

Plugging away at the second sock now, but here is the first one:

first lace "Bridal Socks" done

I am pleased there is hardly any gap at the top of the gusset!  The gapping is so hard to eliminate, you will even see it in machine-made commercial socks, so having one turn out so well is a big feather in my hat.

Knitted tee shirt

While I have not been sewing much lately, I have been spending time laying on my bed propped up by three or four pillows and knitting.  Here is one such effort (too approximately three weeks to do up).

knitted tee shirt

stripe pattern on knitted tee

Hubby loves the stripe pattern on it, which according to the pattern notes is based on Fibonacci numbers.  Oh, the pattern is from a book I found at one of the local flea markets for two dollars: The Ultimate Knitted Tee by Laura Militzer Bryant and Barry Klein.  I used Ornaghi Filati United yarn, which is a 55% bamboo/45% cotton blend I had bought on bag sale from elann.com last year.  The yarn is AWESOME for down here!  It breathes so well, even in our humidity, that I kept the tee on all morning until I saw the storm clouds rolling in for our afternoon soaking.  Between the simple design and the wonderful yarn, I have a nice and comfy keeper here.

Still on a sock kick

So I have spent the past several months knitting up socks ... just no pics really.  Some for me, some for hubby, and I even managed to finish a pair each for mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law for giftmas.  Everyone loves them and I am inundated with requests ... but I have also collected up quite a bunch of sock yarn skeins.

I have joined a KAL (knit-a-long) in a sock group over at Ravelry, and a big part of the KAL fun is progress pics ... something I have sorely neglected here.  So, with this KAL's theme being lace socks, I will be posting up some progress pics.  Here's my first:

start of lace "Bridal Socks" pattern