"Knit on with confidence and hope, through all crises."
- Elizabeth Zimmermann
The self-striping yarn above is "Bullfinch" from the British Birds series created by West Yorkshire Spinners. The socks were made BSD (before shoulder dislocation) for a special New Years gift, then not mailed til February 22nd because I got ridiculously derailed trying to find the card (a painting from Yosemite) specifically intended to accompany the socks. After I finally put them in the mail (with a different card, an ink drawing of one of my daylilies), they were bounced up and down the eastern seaboard for a week before arriving at their destination, 50 miles east of my house.
Here are the next British Birds cast on as soon as I could start knitting again PSD (post shoulder dislocation) in mid-January:
"Wood Pigeon." They've got some pretty birds in Britain, haven't they?
And here's the waffle-stitch leg of one of the socks I'm knitting now: "Owl." If you've never seen self-striping yarn, there's a peek at the skein beneath the zipper:
This yarn series has become a favorite since I discovered the "Mallard" and "Pheasant" colors a few years ago. There are still a few more British Birds I may knit with someday, including Kingfisher and Green(!) Woodpecker.
The sock pattern (using the word loosely) I've come up with for simple distraction knitting: a ribbed cuff in either the stripes or a contrasting solid, a cushy waffle-stitch leg, a slipstitch heel (striped or contrasting), and a smooth stockinette foot. The toe design varies: a star toe (as in both pairs above) if there's a chance I'll have to rip it back to resize the sock post-gifting and/or if I want to have stripes right to the end; a grafted/kitchener toe otherwise.
Here's a close view of one of my favorite things about knitting socks:
After making the 90-degree "turn" at the bottom of the heel, three directions of stitches blend the heel and the foot together in a continuous fabric. It's so functional and elegant.
I imagine there's a lot of "through all crises" knitting going on these days. Not exclusively in the US but we're doing our share. At least I hope we are. It's a productive form of distraction. From pain, from sleeplessness, from worry.
Emphasis on "productive."
Onward.
~~~~~
I was just wondering if you were knitting these days. You must have read my thoughts. These are lovely socks.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't for a few months because of the shoulder pain, but now if I support my right arm it's fine. At least until cashmere combing begins.
DeleteYou awoke my knitting mojo and I've cast on the second glove of the pair I was knitting, this morning. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHappy to help ;)
DeleteYour socks are lovely. Glad you can knit again!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Leigh - me, too!
DeleteWhat fun! That self-patterning yarn is pretty nifty.
ReplyDeleteI'll say! I like some more than others, but the colors in the West Yorkshire Spinners birds series really appeal to me.
DeleteOh, how elegant! And such nice colors. I have never heard of self-striping yarn, but what a great idea.
ReplyDeleteIt's fun to knit when there's always something different coming up on your needles - especially if you really like the colors. Mallard is still my very favorite, but I've liked all that I've tried so far.
DeleteThose socks are fabulous - the colors, the self-striping, the patterns. I bet they're as comfy as they are beautiful. Glad your arm is able PSD to knit.
ReplyDeleteOf course you had me chasing over to the West Yorkshire Spinners website. Kingfisher - be still my heart!
Chris from Boise
Do you and/or Mike knit, Chris? Do you wear wool socks? What size are your feet? Hey, I'm just making conversation here.
DeleteLovely socks! Have you ever looked at Christine Perry’s website winwickmum.co.uk? She designs socks for West Yorkshire Spinners and has some fabulous designs. Charmaine UK
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Charmaine! Yes, I remember years ago Christine wrote about visiting WYS to see how the wool becomes yarn. What a complex process!
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