Leaving the Nest

zombie socks - the return by sheryl giles

in angels&elephants 4-ply sock wool in maisie

They're gone!  oh WOE is my orphanage!  But thanks to the WIPs Wresting tournament on Ravelry, I have 2 orphans homed with new siblings!  The first of which was made with the Zombie Sock pattern by Sheryl Giles - my second go at the pattern.  For some reason the second sock just didn't want to be cast on...  I suspect it was the acres of knit stitches through the back loop that threw me. 

scary dropped stitches everywhere

For some reason I wasn't bothered by this in the first pair, or, indeed, in the first sock, but I'd do one pattern repeat of 6 rows and put the second sock down for, well, a month at a time...  But that says more about my SSS than anything else! 

notice cunning use of home-made cardboard sock blockers,
artfully covered by a plastic bag!  does the job, though!

Anyhoo - eet ees done, and they are re-housed in the sock drawer!  HUZZAH!  I have to say, though, that these are insanely comfy socks - the yarn is lovely, of course, but the pattern just seems to be rather comfy all on its own! 

The second little orphan to leave the nest this week has been waiting on a sibling for, oh... five months now...  And boy, can you see that time lapse in my change of gauge...

cherry blossom sock or kaibashira by chrissy gardiner
in king cole zigzag, colourway heather

Holy Pooling, Batman.  Actually, the pooling is in the older sock - I managed to get some cool stripes with the second and my slightly tighter gauge.  But I do love how they have turned out!  The yarn is lovely, too, with the mainly pink and white colouring, but with tiny spots of peach, blue and green.

 

This is basically a feather-and-fan based pattern, with a really lovely  cuff cast-on.  Slightly tricky, but totally worth it:

pretty

This darling pair will soon be winging their way to the States, as I was part of a hand-knit socks swap - one person knits the socks for someone that is sadly not conversed in the art of sock making, and the happy knitter gets some goodies in return!  HUZZAH again!

:: sobs :: they grow up so fast...

And, bound wrist notwithstanding, (slight tendonitis, possibly due to too much knitting tbl... :: grins :: ) I should have one more pair finished by the end of the month...  Which is - ACK - only 3 and a half days away. 

Wish me luck!