Monday, December 31, 2007

Happy Feet

John's feet are now comfy and cozy in his new socks.

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New Socks and Zeke

Started on November 1 (John's birthday) and finished on December 22. Call them a belated birthday gift or an early Christmas gift.

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Basic Stockinette Socks
Short-row Heels and Toes
Worked on 68 Stitches
US 1 1/2 (2.5 mm) DPNs
Mountain Colors Bearfoot
Red Tail Hawk
60% Superwash Wool, 25% Mohair, 15% Nylon

I was able to get a man-size pair of socks from one 350 yard skein. I had a little yarn left over, but not much. Stockinette stitch was a wise choice as it uses less yarn. I might have had enough for a ribbed pattern on the leg, but I'm glad I didn't risk it. I would have been sweating out those last few inches and most likely would have run short.

The only complaint I have with this particular skein of yarn is that the color bleeds a lot when washed. Even after the first wearing and second wash there was an unusual amount of dye in the water. I thought I had fixed that with a vinegar rinse the first time. Anyone know of something else I can do to set the dye? The color is so rich, I don't want it to fade away.

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This pair brings my lifetime total of hand knit socks to 20. This is the third pair I've made for John.

9 comments:

  1. They are great - lucky John!

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  2. I didn't realize Bearfoot bled so easily. Vinegar doesn't really work the way they tell us it will. The socks look great and color is rich. Nice work!

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  3. Beautiful socks! I just bought the Book of Yarn and the projects are wonderful. Happy new year!

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  4. I'll bet you were glad to get those off the needles. Congrats on your 20th pair!

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  5. They're beautiful! In a manly way, of course. Too bad about the bleeding, I thought vinegar would help, too.

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  6. I'm knitting with Bearfoot now for the first time, and I love it!

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  7. Great socks!
    When the boys have gotten colored trim sewn on their karate uniforms, there's always a note attached saying to wash it for the first time either with vinegar OR salt.
    Not sure how well it really works.

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  8. I know vinegar will help set the dye when dyeing yarn, but I don't know how well it works after that. If you find a solution that works, please let me know, too. I have the same problem with Interlacements Toasty Toes yarn, and I have a couple of skeins of Mountain Colors Bearfoot waiting to be knitted into socks.

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  9. I love the colors and I hope you are able to find a solution to the bleeding problem.

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Thank you for commenting!
~Tracy

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