They are done! I cannot wait to see my 83 yr old Mother rocking these socks. These are the gusset heel basic socks from the book Socks From The Toe Up by Wendy D Johnson. The yarn is Patons Kroysock in the Purple Haze Colorway. I still have a few heel techniques to learn and try out before settling on a favorite. Who knew there would be so many ways to knit a heel? This years goals are to learn the sweet tomato heel by Cat Bordhi, the fish lips kiss heel and the fleegle heel. 
Tag: Toe up socks
Knit Picks Two At Once, Toe up, Magic Loop socks.
I attempted to knit two at a time socks on pair #2 of 2016. I had previously knit a skirt two at a time, and thought I could do this again, Well, the skirt was just two rectangles, it was knit flat and I had an instructor and experienced knitters on hand to help. The socks were a different story.
The toes started out fine. The increases presented no problems whatever. Once I got to the foot, as all sock knitters know, I was on easy street.
The heel is where I ran into trouble. I just could not get it to work. I wound up connecting the socks. I did not realize I needed to work one heel at a time. So, I transferred one sock to another set of circulars and finished them up one at a time. I was determined to try again. I found this pattern on the Knit Picks website.
I am giving it a go. I plan to use their Capretta yarn. It is a merino/cashmere/nylon blend.The Bittersweet yarn on my Pair #3 post is the same blend and I absolutely loved knitting with it. The socks feel wonderful. Soft and squishy. Just like I like them.
ETA: It is a cold, snowy, wet Sunday in New York. A perfect pajama and knit day.
Knit night at Starbucks
Tonight was knit night at Starbucks AND
…the beginning of beer and wine being served. Oh yeah! I tried a mermaid Pilsner (I think)
from Brooklyn. It was pretty good. It was served with a small dish of spiced pumpkin
seeds. A nice touch. Now let’s get to knitting. I learned to knit in the round on two circular
needles. I normally use the magic loop method when knitting socks or anytime I’m
knitting in the round and the circumference of the item is smaller than the needles. My
knitting buddies kept saying, ” it’s the same as magic loop”. I just wanted to try the two
circular method. They were right. It’s basically the same thing. I now have that technique
under my belt. I needed to try it for myself. We also looked through a book titled, Textured
Knits. Quick and easy step by step projects by Julia Cooper. Beautiful garments, we oohed
and ahhed. The instruction was clear and the diagram were also clear. I am
looking forward to trying a sweater from this book. Next week we will be meeting in the
local library. Starbucks was a little too crowded tonight. Our Starbucks is small to begin
with and I think the beer and wine will make it harder for us to grab a table for a couple of hours.
Pair #3 in 2016
This pair of socks is the slip stitch basic heel from the book, Socks from the toe up by Wendy D Johnson. I changed the instep and the leg of the sock to a k3p3 rib. I love them. I’m still trying out different heels to see which I like best. This heel had wraps and turns that the gusset basic sock did not have. The way it wears is 
a concern. From what I hear, the slip stitch heel can better withstand the rubbing/friction from the back of a shoe. We shall see. This yarn was glorious to knit with. It is Bittersweet glamour glams HT. Hand dyed superwash sock yarn. Content is merino/cashmere/nylon. Colorway is Avalon. I purchased it at the NYS sheep and wool festival in Rhinebeck, NY.
Mother’s purple haze socks
I just started my Mother’s socks. The pattern is gusset heel basic sock from the book, Socks from the toe up by Wendy D Johnson. The yarn is Patons kroysocks in purple haze.
Pair #2 in 2016
These cuties are made of alpaca and bamboo. The yarn is from Long Island Livestock. So soft and cushiony.
First pair in 2016
Sock pattern is Simple toe up socks. Knitting.about.com
Nyknits 