Embossed Leaves socks

found that the Knittery chubby should knit without me having to upsize the pattern. CO 66 on 2.75. Nice to have a few less stitches for a change.

Diamond and Eyelet Socks

This is a drop in pattern, designed to pop straight into
your own basic socks pattern.

Adapted from Harmony Guides Lace & Eyelets.

Cast on the number closest to multiples of 6: eg 48, 54, 60, 66, 72, 78 etc.

Rib of your choice, (K2:P1 shown) for (__) rows you prefer.

Pattern repeats over 6 stitches:
Row 1: knit
Row 2: knit
*Row 3: purl
*Row 4: ssk, yo
*Row 5: purl
Row 6: knit
Row 7: knit
Row 8: k4, yo, ssk
Rows 9, 11, 13 & 15: knit
Row 10: ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k1, yo
Row 12: yo, sl1 k2tog psso, yo, k3
Row 14: k3, sl1 k2tog psso, yo
Row 16: k4, yo, ssk

Repeat pattern as many times as you like, finishing on row 1.
Divide heel and complete sock as per your preference.

*Alt pattern substitute seedstitch for eyelet: (shown on foot of sock)
Row 1: purl
Row 2: knit
Row 3: k1, P1
Row 4: knit
Row 5: purl

Diamond and Eyelet ankle socks in Panda Maizy

In white Maizy. I really do need more ankle socks and but was committed to finishing off what I had on the needles. I don't like too many WIP. I don't mind having a fiddle with the next pattern to see how it's going to work, but once that's done, it's needles down and finish the socks I'm working on.

I'd cast on for Victorian Lace socks, all well and good until I did the first row of pattern. I do love Maizy best when it's finished and on my feet, it's just a bit of a bugger getting it that way. It's a very splitty yarn, a common Bamboo trait, though it's Corn in origin. Supposedly it's for softness, which I'd agree with. With all that in mind, Victorian lace pattern is not going to work with this yarn, much better to chose one of my finer wool based ones.

So it was off to one of my Stitchionaries for inspiration. I'd poured (and pawed) over them and earmarked (or sticky noted) many for socks/top working. I really liked the girly Diamond and Eyelet, p120 in Harmony Guides lace & eyelets and decided it would adapt very well to circular knitting, more than 25% of it (as written) has been changed, so I'll claim it as my own. I really love it, looks great, wasn't too painful to knit in splitty Maizy and decided to cast on the other socks at the same time. they look sensational. When finished, I'll post the pattern.

Birthday/Christmas Stitchionaries

I got ALL of my wishlist books from Anthea and Keith as a combo present:

Vogue Stitchionary 1 knit and purl
Vogue Stitchionary 2 cables
Vogue Stitchionary 3 color knitting
the Harmony Guides lace & eyelets 250 stitches to knit
the Harmony Guides cables & arans 250 stitches to knit
the Harmony Guides Vol 2 450 Knitting Stitches
the Harmony Guides Vol 3 440 more Knitting Stitches

an embarrassment of riches, and with over a thousand different pattern, surprisingly, only a couple of duplicates (or near enough could be the same).

Thank you family, love you!

Jimmy Beans Wool Gadget Sack in the post

I got such a big surprise in the mail, a nice little sack to put my sock knitting into. Say no more, here it is with current Vinnland socks and with next project Victorian Lace Socks:

My Oblique

..is having trouble with the K3 tog in mostly cotton, can only think how annoying this will get and I've only done 6 rows. am investigating an alternative sts from one of the stitchionaries I got for Christmas. I would rather ditch the 6 rows now and go with an alternative. Lacy Stars is looking good, 8 row pattern of which only 2 are pattern making the rest are knit/purl, will do a bit of a test knit above the berry sts centre panels. The lacy stars had p5tog, no way was the cotton going to handle that! decided to revise do a reverse on it so that it's p3 tog. I did test knit and looked fine, then decided to undo the entire centre back panel back to row 1 and reknit each row, which worked out remarkably well. so will do the ends for the centre front, but anchor the 1 st edge before I start out. it didn't take long and certainly better ripping all the sts back. I will keep the Lacy Star pattern in mind for another project.

My Oblique

Cast on my Oblique, from Knitty.com I've modified the pattern for 8ply Harmony cotton from Bendi, made it single breasted, the pattern is quite loose and single will be enough. I decided to knit it in one piece, as I've never done this and thought it lends itself to this method.

Blue CPH finished

Finished off the CPH. Anth is modelling it when not quite finished.