I would like to say the lumpiness in the calf area is entirely caused by wearing leggings under the sock, but it is also caused by the lumpiness in my calves. None of the lumpiness is the sock! I did two rounds of increasing by 6 sts as I knit the leg to prevent stretching of the sock up the calf. This the longest sock leg I've knitted, and it certainly is an improvement, over shorter socks, for comfort and keeping the ankle warm. I think the ribbing at the top should have been a bit longer though, maybe 2" rather than 1 1/2", but I must match the other sock.
I wasn't sure about how the shape of the toe would feel, once the sock was finished. It is actually very comfortable and doesn't rub anywhere. The shape of the heel is almost exactly the same, but with more rows between the increase rounds. The shape of the heel is the best I've ever knitted.
The sock heel really cups the foot closely and doesn't bag at the back of the ankle or under the instep. The whole foot is snugly surrounded by the sock.
The front of the foot is smooth and has no interruptions where the leg joins. This will make it so easy to continue a pattern from the top of the foot up the leg. As always, the Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off, works an absolute treat in ensuring my blood continues to flow to my toes!
I can't wait to get the other sock finished so that I can wear these fabulous items on my feet. But I also can't wait to start knitting some of the lovely patterns from Cat Bordhi's book. The next pair I knit in this fashion, will be done two at a time on two needles, as I think this technique will work brilliantly with this type of sock. I think the first patterned sock I try will be Seeking Sunlight. This pattern really appeals to me with its balance and elegance. If you don't have Ravelry membership then you can see this sock on The Textured Knitter's Blog.
Now on to my "whole bunch" of finished objects - my stitch markers. I made myself some stitch markers last year with some really lovely beads I found at Mary Clare's. I made the mistake of using split rings. The split rings look like the one on this marker.
Can you see how the ring ends don't quite sit together properly. This happens with split rings quite often. The ends move around and either cross over, like the one above, or gape open. When the ends of the ring cross over, the marker won't fall off the needle, but it is likely to catch on your yarn. If there is a gap in the split ring then the marker can move to a different place or fall off the needle, especially if you use circular needles like I do. After losing a fair amount of places, while knitting, I decided that I could change my stitch markers. I was inspired by this:
If you have been reading my blog for a long time you may recognise this stitch marker. It was given to me in March 2009 by Cliodhna from Ravelry, who sent them just because I said I liked them. She has an ETSY store where you can buy pretty things, go and have a look, they are lovely. I got four of these markers and they are my most used markers. Because these markers have thin wires there is no stretching between stitches, and the ring is solid so there is no risk of falling off or catching yarn.
After studying the design of the above marker, I created my own version, which isn't as pretty, but I hope will be just as practical.
I've got eight of these glamorous looking stitch markers and I wrapped the ring part around an 8mm needle to get a good size ring. It should be ok for most of my knitting at that size.
I used seed beads to anchor the main bead and also to cover up the ends of the wire, that I didn't want catching on my knitted projects.
If you look carefully at the above photograph you can see my camera reflected in the bead! My stitch markers may not be as pretty as the ones I received from America, but I have tried using them and they work just as well. I'm pretty pleased with "whole bunch" of stitch markers!
As usual I am hooking up to Tami's Amis for FO Friday, Fiber Arts Friday at Wisdom Begins in Wonder and Fibers on Friday at Visions of Sugar Plums. All three linky parties can be reached by clicking on the buttons below. They are well worth visiting to see what yarny goodness is going on in the world, I am constantly inspired whenever I check them out.
