dear lisa,

...maker of my sockapaloooza socks:

here, finally are the photos i promised. somehow i managed to miss that you were hoping to show them off to your colleagues this weekend *gulp*, so i hope this isn't entirely too late...i also hope you won't be too terribly disappointed in the quality of the photos--i didn't have very good luck :-\ i can try again and send them to you privately if you like (well, if i can find an email addy for you)

per usual, click to get full sized photos



Pattern:"Maggie's Tulips", a pattern Lisa created for me, based on
Wendy Johnson's Generic Toe Up Sock Pattern and her recent use of Feather and Fan for the cuffs, modified to fit. she says the socks were inspired by the tulips on Michigan Avenue in Chicago (which are planted all over the city because Maggie Daley (the mayor's wife) loves tulips)

Yarn: Regia 4-ply, color 5439 (definitely tulip-y colors!)




this shows the photo of the tulips she printed out as the header for her letter to me, and a close up of the cuff pattern (probably the best representation of the colors in the yarn)

Lisa also included a "create your own picasso" postcard, and a set of very clever combo pin/stitch markers to make it easier to keep track of marked stitches (these are exactly what i needed for a sweater i'm working on! (the cloud cardigan for dulaan) pdf alert for those who have trouble with them)



this last photo is pretty crappy horrid not very good...i was having a hard time tonight getting a decent photo of the socks "on", and this was the best i could manage--the socks DO fit, i'm just having a bit of a problem with leg swelling at the moment *sigh*



thank you very much, Lisa, for everything :-) the socks are lovely and just the thing to cheer up the currently gloomy michigan weather!

thanks also to alison for successfully wrangling another sock exchange, and to the 'sock sisters' who helped her out!

watch this space...

...for details on the received sockapaloooza socks...it's too late tonight (hush up Rob lol) to get pics and write up a post...but i will do so soon...they're too spiffy not to share :-)

(that reminds me...i have another pair of exceedingly spiffy socks to share as well...and it's long overdue :-\ hopefully i'll be forgiven for the neglect if i finally get those posted too)

sockapaloooza wrap up

and now for something completely different the details:

per usual, click to get full sized photos



Pattern: "Timberline Toes" from Lucy Neatby's "Cool Socks, Warm Feet" (yes, again...it's a handy book, and i seem to have good luck with her patterns :-))

Yarn: Toes, Heels, Cuffs: Louet Gems Merino Opal", Navy; Body: Gems Quartz, Hummingbird. this is sportweight, superwash wool...soft, warm, and a real pleasure to knit with

Special Techniques: 2 socks simultaneously on one long circular (addi turbos, US 3/3.25mm); garter stitch short row heel; garter common wedge toe; tubular cast-on

Notes: overall i liked making these (despite my fussing)...they turned out very "cushy", and i plan (once i find a missing presumed devoured by the resident black hole temporarily misplaced second skein of Gems Opal) to make myself a pair. the directions were easily followed and i like the feel (and look) of the garter stitch toes/heels.

my "problem" with them is based mostly on self-annoyance :-\ i futzed around too long finding the 'right' yarn, then when it was decided upon, i couldn't come up with a creative "design"--the marling of the Quartz yarn, while gorgeous (imho...i love the colors) didn't really lend itself to patterning, and so i ended up with what strike me as rather plain, not terribly interesting socks. :-(

on top of that, i have the sneaking suspicion that, despite thorough swatching, these are going to be way too big for my pal *sigh* i hope she likes them and that they DO fit...but she can always rip them out and make something more suitable with the yarn...

for good or ill, they're in the mail (or should be tomorrow--i doubt they went out tonight)...special thanks go to my 'mailmen' ;-) (i should hope they know who they are lol)

this was my attempt at a "glamour" shot...the socks are draped badly across a pot of pansies...said pansies were not amused and suggested the porch would be a much more effective backdrop ;-)