FO Alert : Kindred Spirits

-

 


I think this is the fastest I've ever knit a pair of socks. 

Kindred Spirits by Lisa K. Ross

Farmer's Daughter Fibers Rocky Mountain Purls in Strawberry Shortcake (196 yds)

Northbound Knitting Merino/Nylon Sock in Velvet Underground (78 yds)

Cast on: 4/1/21

cast off : 4/5/21

 

I was not overwhelmed with excitement for this pattern,  but I wanted to fully participate in the KAL. I think my color choices played a large part in the enjoyment I got out of this knit after a fairly reluctant start. I realized last year after several less than impressive color selections for big projects,  that color is definitely not my strength. I've started paying more attention to what works in other people's projects and am feeling much more confident.  


I cast on separately and knit past the toe and friendship rings before I moved both socks onto the same cable. I knit TAAT past the heel and up the leg and then separated them again for the color work on the leg, before putting them back together for the cuffs. I have definitely developed a taste for TAAT, but I had very little interest in splitting my ball of the contrast color and trying to juggle four balls of yarn.  One of the best pieces of advice I've come across in the Ravelry forums is that there's no wrong way to knit.  This is a hobby that is supposed to bring us joy, and part of that joy is the freedom to figure out what works best for you individually. It was a huge relief to realize I didn't need to do things exactly the same way as anyone else as long as I was happy with the journey and the end result.  


I ended up spending way more time than I probably should have knitting this weekend and almost finished on Sunday night,  but  sleep got the best of me and I didn't finish until Monday night.

The Farmer's Daughter yarn might be my new favorite.  It's  Blue Faced Leicester and Nylon, which I'd never used before. Yes, I know I have a new favorite yarn pretty much every time I post, but trying new yarns has been a big part of my knitting since I got back into it heavily last year.  I think I'm learning and growing enough as a knitter to really develop preferences and decide what works best for me in ways I never really considered previously.  I'm not big on change and doing new things in most of my life,  but exploring the world of yarn has brought me a lot of joy lately.  I highly recommend it if you are able.

My biggest frustration with this project was getting accurate photos of the amazing speckles. I tried inside,  I tried outside,  I tried different times of day and different rooms of the house.  Most pictures make the socks look very pink. They definitely have a lot of pink, but there are also magical tiny spots of blue and orange and gold and I desperately wanted to be able to depict this in my photos.  

I think I'll be adding  "improving project photography " to my list of goals in the near future. 

Look forward to a lot more posts about socks for the next few months, while I go a little overboard.

xo uhlissa

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Year in Review

-
Image
2021 FO Pile Last night I finished my last FO of 2021. Of course I have a ton of WIPs, but none of them are close enough to finish before tomorrow night.  2021 has been another crazy year.  The world's still dealing with a pandemic and nothing is quite back to normal. As I start to reflect,  my year was filled with too much work, major challenges related to having a chronically ill partner,  and normal, every day challenges. It was also filled with love,  a few adventures,  and lots of time for knitting.  Pandemic life has turned us into almost complete home bodies.  I absolutely don't say that in a negative way.  While occasionally getting out has its advantages,  spending time at home has let me focus more on what brings me joy - my family and my crafts. 2020 brought me back to my love of knitting, and 2021 has allowed me to develop new skills,  explore further than ever before and engage with a community of people who...
Read more

2021: The Year of the Socks

-
Image
I've considered myself primarily a sock knitter for as long as I can remember.  I've branched out plenty of times,  but since I made my first pair of socks in 2007, they've been my favorite thing to make. Granted,  I have quite a pile of lonely socks,  because I've long suffered from second sock syndrome, but what sock knitter hasn't? I get excited about the next pattern and different yarns and the next new thing to try or learn.   After last year's foray into shawls and knit alongs, I decided to focus this year on socks. I have found myself getting dressed in the morning and struggling to remember to throw on a shawl or scarf, even though I love the ones I've made and want them to see the light of day.  However,  I haven't had that problem with handmade socks. The struggle there is which pair to wear or whether a specific pair can survive another day without a wash. It feels completely logical to focus my knitting energy back on socks. I have a f...
Read more

2020 Recap: The Year of Knitting all the Things

-
Image
As things started to shut down last spring due to the pandemic,  I was still going to work every day,  but I suddenly had much more time to spend at home.  I don't know if I was just looking for something to do,  or if finally starting to organize my craft room in the new house inspired me,  but I decided to knit a pair of socks.  I had barely knit anything the last few years,  and I realized I missed it. Before I got very far into that first sock, my boyfriend asked if they could be for him. I was torn. I'd been very excited about the pattern and one of the skeins of yarn had moved with me for over a decade.  It felt like a very special project,  but after some internal debate,  I realized he was absolutely deserving of a very special project.    Pattern: Losanges Socks  Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss and Dream in Color Smooshy When I finished his socks,  I made myself a (very different) pair. Then I started s...
Read more