Almondine Snafu

I've run into a little problem with my Almondine socks--the problem being that I have too little yarn.
Anne Hanson used Cascade Heritage Paints; I used Kollage Sock-a-Licious. I didn't bother to look at the yardage of each and now I'm paying for my oversight. Heritage Paints comes in 437-yard skeins; Sock-a-Licious comes in 350-yard skeins. That's a difference of nearly 90 yards. It wouldn't have been a problem if I had knitted one of the two smaller sizes, but I knitted the third size for a 9" foot circumference (which, it turns out, is too big for me).
When I finished the first sock last week, I knew I was in trouble because I had less than half a skein left.
I decided to knit the leg of the second sock on the same number of stitches I used for the first, then decrease the gussets until 60 stitches remained (instead of 70 as called for in Sock Knitting Master Class), and knit the foot according to the second size. I figured that the smaller foot would conserve yarn and I'd have a chance of ending up with enough.
When I ran out of ball yarn, I undid the Kitchener stitch in the toe of the first sock, and knitted the second as I raveled the first. My oldest son was kind enough to point out that I'd still end up with only one sock.

In case I still came out short on yarn, I knitted the second sock to the beginning of the toe and set it aside. I then ripped out the rest of the foot on first sock to the gussets, then added more gusset decreases, then worked the foot as far as the yarn lasted. I got to about 6 rounds short of the beginning of the toe. (I would have had enough yarn if I had chosen to reknit the legs smaller, too.)
So, now I have to decide whether to buy another skein of yarn or finish off the toes with something else. I spent a while in the basement going through my stash and I have found a good color match in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock.

But the yarn is considerably thinner than what I was using. I haven't decided yet whether to use the thinner yarn, use a yarn of matching weight but contrasting color, or break down and buy another skein of Sock-a-Licious.
I'll let you know when I've made a decision. I think I can be fairly certain that I'll keep this pair.

Almondine Socks--Making Progress

Even though my sister and her husband were visiting for the last week, I've made respectable progress on Anne Hanson's Almondine sock from Sock Knitting Master Class. The sharp points on my Signature needles make easy work of k2tog and ssk decreases, plus they coordinate so well with the yarn (Kollage Sock-a-Liscous) that I just love to knit with them.

For me, this pattern is very straightforward and easy. I'm making the third size (9" foot circumference), but I plan to only work 4 repeats of the lace pattern (as for the second size) before I start the heel. Otherwise, I think the sock will be too long for my liking. I may also need to make the foot a bit shorter since my foot actually measures 8 1/2" in circumference). We'll see.
So far, the only adjustments I've made are to use the Old Norwegian cast-on (p.39) and I used one size larger needles (size U.S. 3) for the cast-on, ribbing, and the first 2 repeats of the lace pattern.
I haven't found anything tricky so I don't have any tips yet. Stay tuned.

Almondine

I've decided to knit Anne Hanson's Almondine socks out of Kollage Sock-a-Licious (70% superwash merino, 10% silk, 20% nylon) in the color called Purple Heart. After the French Market Socks, I think this pair will be a breeze.

I get the correct gauge of 8 sts/inch in stocinette on Signature size 2 needles. Don't you just love the way the needles coordinate with the yarn?

French Market Socks--A Complete Pair

At last!
I finished both French Market Socks and, as usual, the second was easier than the first. My tension improved too. The first sock is on the right, the second is on the left. Even the heel looks more normal.
You can see other knitter's progress at Budd's Buds group on Ravelry.com or on the Sock Knitting Master Class forum at KnittingDaily.

Next up: Anne Hanson's Almondine. I look forward to the simple lace pattern.

French Market Socks--Correction!

Thanks to some alert knitters, an error has been discovered in the French Market Socks in Sock Knitting Master Class.

On page 61, first column, Right Sock, Joining Rnd, 3rd line of paragraph, there is a typo. The first square bracket has the color letters reversed. It should be [k5 with A, k1 with B], not [k5 with B, k1 with A].

Keep in mind that after joining, the pattern will encircle the foot correctly, but in order to flow properly into the established instep patterns, the round will no longer start with Stitch 1 of the chart for either sock. For the right sock it will begin with Stitch 4 and end with Stitch 3 of the original 6-st chart; and for the left sock it will begin with Stitch 3 and end with Stitch 2.

Now, I don't know why I didn't notice this myself when I knitted the right sock. I remember stumbling a bit on the joining round but I must have thought that I misread the instructions and didn't pause to look at it carefully. It takes a village.

Sock Summit 2011

It took a few days, but I have finally recovered from Sock Summit 2011. For those of you who don't knit socks or who live in complete isolation, Sock Summit is the premier sock-knitting conference that has taken place in Portland, Oregon, in 2009 and again in 2011. I attended as a student in 2009 and returned as a teacher this year. Rumor has it that there were more than 1,900 registered students and about 6,000 attendees total. That's a lot of sock knitters.

You'll find a fairly complete report by Clara Parkes at Knitter's Review. Between the classes, lectures, demonstrations, shopping, shopping, and more shopping, this is quite possibly the best event ever for knitters, even those who don't knit socks!

Here's a peek of some of what I brought home! I think some of these yarns will find their way into the 15 socks I have yet to knit from Sock Knitting Master Class.

French Market Socks--A Finished Sock

Whew. I finished the first sock! If I hadn't decided to knit every sock Sock Knitting Master Class, I don't think I ever would have attempted these socks. But I'm glad I did! I can now hold two yarn and get reasonably even tension. Something I've never done before.
I'll admit that even though I love the Kitchener stitch, I was relieved to finish the toe with a simple gathered tip.
Here's the unblocked sock. Notice the odd bulge in the heel.

Here's the blocked sock. The stitches are a bit more uniform, but the heel looks just as odd. I'd let you know how it fits, but these socks are too small for my farm-stock feet. I'll have to find a friend to try them on.