Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Two New Starts

I started two (2!) projects last weekend.
As promised, I swatched The Wacky Windmill yarn (the colorway is Find a Penny) and decided to knit  the Seeded Rib Socks on page 88 of Getting Started Knitting Socks. The socks in the book were knitted at a gauge of 6 stitches/inch, but I want a denser fabric. I get just over 8 stitches/inch on size U.S. 2 (2.75 mm) needles. I figure that if I follow the instructions for the second-to-the-largest size (cast on 72 stitches), the socks should end up about 8 1/2" in circumference, which is the size I want, and work perfectly with the 6-stitch pattern repeat.
For this pair, I decided to work k4, p2 ribbing for the first inch instead of starting the seeded rib pattern right after the cast-on. For flexibility, I used the Old Norwegian cast-on, which is my go-to technique for top-down socks.
I also swatched the Briar Rose Glory Days yarn that I got to knit a replacement for the Unisex Zip that I knitted out of Briar Rose Legend (which is no longer available) for the The Knitter's Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters (see my blog post for Dec 3, 2012, titled Unisex Zip Revisited). The sweater never made it into the print book but is included in the electronic version.
I swatched the same simple two-row pattern:
RS rows: *k3, sl 1; rep from *.
WS rows: *p2, k1, p1; rep from *.
I like the fabric best knitted at 6 stitches/inch on size 5 (3.75 mm) needles. I loved knitting the swatch and am anxious to cast on for a saddle-shoulder zip-front cardigan. (I apologize for the blurry image!)
 Anyone want to place bets on which project I finish first?

4 comments:

Susan said...

Socks, because they're the most fun!

Judith said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Judith said...

I bet you will finish the socks first, but you decided to knit both projects in almost the same color? A pretty color, to be sure, but don't forget which project you are knitting!

The Martini Knitter said...

Hard to say ... but maybe the socks. The color and the stitch pattern are just beautiful! Your Getting Started Sock book is my all-time favorite book. But sadly, I haven't made the Seeded Rib socks. Might just have to cast on today!