I can't figure out this whole handpainted sock yarn thing. Is it supposed to be variegated, or striping (which we all know it does)? Or is it, as I think much more likely, just one big crapshoot? I find this to be especially true when knitting from two skeins.
I try to match my skeins. I untwist them, lay them side-by-side and try to match the color changes. I make sure they come off the swift onto the ball winder in the same direction and that I cast on from the same end of each ball. I'll cast on and knit the first sock to the heel, then cast on and knit the second sock until I can see that the striping is matching to an acceptable degree. This usually works pretty well.
Which leaves me at a loss to explain this. First sock knit to the heel. As you can see, I got a little carried away and knit the heel flap too. I love heel flaps. Just love them. I love their density and how the colors seem to intensify because of the k1, sl1 row followed by the purl across row. You know? Well, maybe it's just me. Ahem, moving on...
Second sock knit to the heel, again with the heel flap, but this time because I decided I liked the narrow stripes better. So of course I started to tear the other sock out when I realized I needed to be documenting all of this for the blog.
Now this is where things went awry. I was going to be smart, see. Prudent. Hedge my bets as it were. I cut (gasp, choke, get hold of yourselves) the yarn at the end of the flap of the second sock and cast on the third. It should work, right? It should have given me two narrow striped socks. IT MADE SENSE TO ME!!
L-R: 1st:wide stripe, 2nd:narrow stripe, 3rd:wide stripe?
These are Bloomin' Feet socks, btw. My pal is "easy to please". All I can say is, you better be, pal o'mine. I've knit you three socks, reknit one heel flap and lost innumerable irreplaceable brain cells in this process. Do you have any idea what this does to an OCD personality like mine? The yarn is Claudia's Handpainted in Blue Terra Cotta (this yarn has been marinating in my stash for well over a year. The Blue Terra Cotta I see for sale now looks nothing like this. I don't know why). It makes me think of daffodils pushing up through rich loam.
Comments (21)
Leah I have to say I absolutely love your persistence. I love variegated for their differences and never worry so much about the pooling, the changes in striping and I guess I accept the fact that they just won't be the same - I will say that I am OCD in some other ways, just not with the sock yarn (or any). Having said all that, it is so incredible that you have knit three socks! You are to be admired woman! The colour is wonderful and your sock pal is so very fortunate to have the pleasure of receiving something that you have worked at so hard.
Posted by Cynthia | March 10, 2007 12:00 PM
Posted on March 10, 2007 12:00
I think you might be overthinking it. They all look great and I, for one, would be happy with any variation of this yarn.
Posted by Carole | March 10, 2007 12:00 PM
Posted on March 10, 2007 12:00
LOL I'm glad I'm not bothered about my socks being differently striped - for me it adds to the handknitted effect of them!
Beautiful colour by the way - one lucky sock pal!
Posted by Cybele | March 10, 2007 1:03 PM
Posted on March 10, 2007 13:03
I always wonder, too . . . But the colors are nice, at any rate.
Posted by Theresa | March 10, 2007 3:16 PM
Posted on March 10, 2007 15:16
They look fine! I made the pomatomas socks a while back, from yarn in the same colourway, same dyelot, everything. They ended up looking like two completely different socks. One pooled, one striped. It drove me nearly insane!
Posted by Donna | March 10, 2007 4:27 PM
Posted on March 10, 2007 16:27
I clicked the link and you're right ... the colorway is totally different than what you've knit three socks with. Maybe you should knit a fourth and send me the spare pair. Just an idea. ;o)
Posted by amanda | March 10, 2007 6:57 PM
Posted on March 10, 2007 18:57
I umm... well... I see what you're saying. 1. Your pal won't care. 2. You know pretty much ALL commercial yarn will pool. And stripe. And yada yada yada. And... umm... you know. Mine doesn't (unless I say it will). :)
The yarn looks nice. The sock pattern looks great. Really, your pal will love you and say you're a sock knitting goddess and all that because you ARE, and the socks are GREAT! Would YOU complain if someone made those socks for you and the striping was a little different on the second sock?? Of course not. :)
Posted by Laura | March 11, 2007 12:54 AM
Posted on March 11, 2007 00:54
I think all three off them look fine. I do think it's a crapshoot with handpainted yarn though, just you like said.
Posted by Karen | March 11, 2007 8:57 AM
Posted on March 11, 2007 08:57
Well, at least you wound up with two matching socks, even if it wasn't the stripe-width you'd hoped for! I actually like the wider stripes a lot.
(I know I'm missing the point -- that it's absolutely inexplicable that the stripes from the same ball went from narrow to wide -- but I have no possible reason to offer for that insanity.)
Posted by Rachel | March 11, 2007 8:58 AM
Posted on March 11, 2007 08:58
Love all three socks. and I'm with Amanda - perhaps there will be a fourth and it'll have my name on it? Then again, maybe I'm your sock swap pal, and I'll get these little beauties anyway :-D
The whole hand dyed yarn thing is pretty amazing. doing repeats from skein to skein? well, it's an interesting challenge.. and dye doesn't always land exactly where one would like. (hah!) I think that they look fabulous - either way.
Posted by Teyani | March 11, 2007 11:26 AM
Posted on March 11, 2007 11:26
Socks baffle me. :) Yours look great and your pal will love them!
Posted by Beth | March 12, 2007 8:12 PM
Posted on March 12, 2007 20:12
See, that's why I don't care of my stripes match or not - too much of a headache :)! The socks look great - both wide and narrow stripes - and your pal is very lucky!
You are right - I just ordered that colorway and it doesn't look like yours.
Posted by Lisa | March 13, 2007 8:33 AM
Posted on March 13, 2007 08:33
You are a great swap friend - knitting THREE socks!! Girl they "all" look great - those colors are gorgeous - pooling smooling - I don't think that matters when the sock looks that great ;-)
Posted by Esther | March 13, 2007 11:41 AM
Posted on March 13, 2007 11:41
Those are gorgeous. If she (or you) doesn't like those, I'll give you my mailing adress. ;)
Posted by Kimberly | March 13, 2007 12:55 PM
Posted on March 13, 2007 12:55
Dude, your pal isn't going to care! At least, I wouldn't if I was your pal, and I doubt that I am b/c you've already gotten me once!
That's the "charm" of hand painted yarn, I guess, that it's unpredictable. Unlike painted machine dyed yarn, it's going to be somwhat inconsistent.
Posted by Allison | March 14, 2007 10:06 AM
Posted on March 14, 2007 10:06
I tried to leave a comment yesterday, but it must have happened while you were switching servers. Glad to see that you're back up and running. I love the new look, btw.
As for the socks, I think they all look just fine. But I do understand the headache regarding the pooling/striping issue. It's weird how the same skein striped a bit differently on each sock. I think this problem is the main reason I've moved away from knitting with handpainted yarns, and I'm now gravitating toward semisolids. Those handpaints look so pretty all skeined up, but all bets are off once the knitting starts. Anyhow, now that my comment has turned into a novel, I'm sure your pal will love any of those socks, whether they match or not. What's not to love about a pair of handknit socks that someone else knit especially for you?
Posted by Rachel | March 14, 2007 1:22 PM
Posted on March 14, 2007 13:22
Pretty new blog header! Thanks for your email!
Posted by Dorothee | March 14, 2007 1:35 PM
Posted on March 14, 2007 13:35
I've made it over here and found you, yeah!
Love the socks, I think your pal will really feel special that you went to so much effort!
Posted by keri | March 15, 2007 9:28 AM
Posted on March 15, 2007 09:28
Wow. Just wow. If it makes you feel any better, I just counted up and I have restarted my BF socks eight times. I'm lucky STR is so freakishly resilient and isn't any fuzzier or dog eared for all that ripping.
You ARE going with the two matching wide striped heels right?
Posted by Emily | March 18, 2007 9:08 AM
Posted on March 18, 2007 09:08
What they said? I think all the socks look fab and the colors are just beautiful!
Posted by Julie | March 20, 2007 6:48 AM
Posted on March 20, 2007 06:48
I think the beauty of the socks is in the way that the colors play out. Whomever your sock pal is (maybe me) would be crazy not to love the socks! Stunning! And dig those stitch holders...I usually use double points with point protectors to hold my stitches.
Posted by Phoebe | March 20, 2007 7:56 AM
Posted on March 20, 2007 07:56