The Voyage cardigan is coming along nicely. Sleeve #1 is done and sleeve #2 is just a couple of episodes of One Day away from done.
But birthday socks and Thank You socks got in the way of progress. The birthday socks were an unexpected, but much appreciated, present. (I made them from the many colour choices presented in the Voyage Cardigan.)
The Thank You socks are for the son-in-law who put in the kitchen light fixtures and a dimmer, but refuses to take money. Luckily he loves socks. Here's the rub! He has size 13 1/2 feet!! And as I finished his first sock, after working on sleeve #2, I realized they are the same size as the sleeve in Voyage.
I have heard many times that knitting a pair of socks (regardless of size) has as many stitches as a regular cardigan. It's just that the stitches are much smaller - but I think the number is something like 35,000 stitches in a pair of socks. These ones must be closer to 5,000.
Socks have not only been on my needles these past few weeks, but also front and centre in my social media feed. I ordered a new book by Summer Lee https://www.amazon.ca/Sock-Project-Colorful-Cool-Socks/dp/1419768115 I thought it would be ok to have on my Kindle, since it was out of stock. I have since realized that knitting patterns and Kindle are not a match made in heaven, but I will figure that out later.
I also came across a sock pattern called Larch Peds https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/larch-peds by designer Laura Nelkin. Why do I need another sock pattern, since I already have two memorized? Well, these ones are special. They appear to be the perfect socks for walking, which I do most days. They have a short-row, folded cuff that prevents socks from sliding into your walking shoes. And they don't have "leg" yardage, so are very quick to knit. (I have knit a few pairs without the folded edge and they don't stay put inside my shoes, so this will be incredible if it works.)
This pattern for the Larch Peds has a link to an incredible video tutorial, where Laura shows you all the "tricky bits". She has a very dry sense of humour, which I love, and has in-progress socks on needles to show you everything - including a new replacement for the Kitchener Stitch. Also a graft method, but one that doesn't require a key-fob in my knitting bag to remind me every time I do it.
I can't believe I am this excited to make these socks! Poor Voyage cardigan. I will do my best to finish you first.
So, before I go, here are two more sock tips I picked up this week.
How to reinforce heels and other places that can wear out quickly. Roxanne Richardson is the queen of tutorials and this one is great. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9nNkqLxdhE I ended up using her purl bump method on the heel of the giant socks.
I also learned that if you don't have wool that has nylon in it, you can just use a polyester sewing thread with the wool yarn. Just hold it with the yarn while you knit the heel and toe, and you have a reinforced fabric. (I will report back on that theory in a few weeks/wears.)
Here's the video from Very Pink where I learned this wonderful trick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJPZVswnVxQ
