So I'm at my LYS ages ago perusing the new Confetti sock yarn colourways. I decide on some pretty purple and gray yarn and reach in the cubby for 2 balls. I notice that one had lost its ball band and I actually decided to buy it because it was missing a ball band. I thought it would be a good karma thing...other shoppers might not buy the ball without its ball band and the LYS would be stuck with it. I was buying two anyway and the other had a ball band with all the required info. They were obviously from the same shipment. So I purposefully bought the bandless ball out of the goodness of my heart. Big mistake!
These were the socks from hell. They were meant to be a Christmas present for my sister Helene but then this happened...remember?
I was too disgusted to pick them up again in my pre-Christmas rush so I vowed to knit them as a new year's present. But I was still angry at the giant gray stripe so decided to make them a birthday present for my sis (March 31st). I ripped out the crazy ass gray stripe and got going again but the colours never seemed to be in the right sequence.
I tried knitting from the outside and from the inside of the ball and in either case, the stripes didn't match those of the first sock. In fact, the fake fair isle gray part is a much much lighter shade than on the first sock and it only had one darker shade of purple instead of the two purple shades in the first sock. So I tried to use up as much of the leftovers from the first ball but inevitably ran out in the cuff so actually ended up cutting up the yarn at almost every stripe change and fishing through the ball for the right colour. I did this 6 times! Check out all the ends that needed to be weaved in.
This is what the finished product looks like. I'm sure my sister will love them. She's a non-knitter so she probably won't even notice the differences between the two. God love her ;0)
Now I can finally move on to another pair of socks. Oh, one other thing...I don't think I'll be knitting socks on two circs for a long long time to come. I knit these on two aero aluminum circ with awful cords that kept getting tangled in the yarn. Argh! I'm defniately a DPN girl. And I've got two new sets to try out: Addi steels and Brittany birch DPNs. It's a good thing too, if I didn't have brand new needles and tempting sock yarn, I might have been turned off sock knitting for good!
Now I'd better get cracking on those Warming Grace squares, eh! I'd like to get them to Cynthia before the end of the month. I've been checking out everyone elses squares and am really impressed with how much thought and care went into them. Off I go to find neat-o stitch patterns for my contributions. And since the only 100% cotton I have in the stash is yellow, looks like I'll have something done in yellow for Project Spectrum this month too. Oh, how I love a 2 for 1 deal ;0)
Happy knitting!
The socks look great! The ends suck though - good luck weaving them all in!
ReplyDeleteWhat dedication! Personally, I embrace fraternal socks so I don't have to deal with that.
ReplyDeleteThe feet match perfectly and that's really the only part that shows so I think they look great. But all those ends to weave in! Oy!
ReplyDeleteIf you don't like 2 circs you might try Magic Loop. It's the same principle but with no dangling needle ends.
Oh dear what an ordeal you had to go thru for those socks. But they look great!! and heavens, even I didn't notice the diffence in your 1st picture. Your sis will never know ... so don't tell her, just smile & say "Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Birthday, & Easter, Sis!" She'll love you to pieces [& I'm sure she does already.] p.s. I love doing the 2 needle toe-up, but that's how I learned. Sometimes it's what we're use to, so that's what we stick too.
ReplyDeleteI sure you'll have a better experience with the next pair. I think you always seem to fuss more when they are a gift. Most of mine are a little mismatched, no matter how hard I try. I just tell myself they match my personality.
ReplyDeleteThose ARE the socks from hell. LOL They look fantastic though. Well done!! :)
ReplyDeleteI mailed my WG squares yesterday. I may do some more and mail them later, but I wanted to get the ones I already made shipped off before I forgot about it.
Have a great day! :)
The socks look wonderful and you are a real trooper for sticking with it. I think I'd have been back at the shop saying "Look at this gigantic stripe! That's not right!".
ReplyDeleteI hear ya about knitting on two circs. I hate it. Passionately. I started the sleeves of a sweater that way (they have to be knit in the round) and I think that's why the whole project is languishing in a bag in my basement. Soon time to dig out the DPNs and finish it off.
those are sooooo cute! worth the wait and effort, i'd say!
ReplyDeleteThe Brittany Birch are such a pleasure to knit with! You're a real trooper for taking the time to knit the socks so that they look the same. My friends always make fun of the fact that my self stripping socks never match...I think it just gives them personality...hehehhe!
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