FO- Cotty Socks, part deux

I very rarely make the same pattern twice, but some things just deserve a second go.



I bought this yarn at Rhinebeck 3 years ago at The Fold booth. The colorway is "Pebbles". It was so delicate and pretty, I couldn't resist. From the moment I laid my eyes on that skein, I had it in my head that this would be socks for my grandma.



Grandma is a real classy lady. She's one of those unflappable sensible people who you just want around. She also is a year-round resident of the far reaches of northern Maine. The horror! A winter there would probably do me in. Therefore, she gets as much knitwear as I can possibly churn out.



Here are my second pair of Cotty socks. I loved the first pair so much that I couldn't think of anything else that would be more perfect. They are girly but not too fussy. Best of all the pattern is written for two weights of yarn: fingering and thicker sport weight. These are a bit cushy and thick (ahem. warm.) but they aren't so thick that there would be a problem to squeeze your feet into your winter boots. I don't think I could get paid to leave the house in winter that far north, so hopefully they will get a lot of use as house slippers.



The colors striped up nicely without a lot of pooling, and worked nicely with the lace pattern. No clown barf!



They could have been a tad longer in the cuff (which also means I have a good amount of leftovers). They are somewhere between anklet and real sock at this point. I churned these out in less than two weeks to make that dreaded holiday shipping deadline, so it couldn't really be helped. I made 6 pairs of gift socks this year. Six! (sometimes having a long-ass commute totally pays off).


The specs: BMFA Socks that Rock Mediumweight in "Pebbles". I used a size 3mm needle and did these two at a time. The only modification I made was the cast-on. I like to do a provisional cast on when I'm doing the picot edge to make sure I'm picking up stitches in the right places so I don't get a wonky cuff.

Unseasonal

It is always tourist season in New York. This time of year it's especially crowded. Every time I leave my office, I feel like I've been swept into a torrential river that stops every few feet to take a picture. If I play my cards right, the river will sweep me along to my destination, or perhaps leave me clambering up the side of a cement block to escape.

It's nice to get away to a place that might be a bit quiet.



We went up to Maine for a few days. It was silent. I love being there this time of year. Yes, it's effing cold, but that's when all your hand knit winter woolies step up and take the hit for you. It even snowed a bit which made things all the more cozy.





Except for the occasional dog walker, you can be the only person on the beach for miles.





It's quite refreshing and you can really easily play that game where you pretend you are the last people on earth.

I started another pair of Cotty socks while on the aeroplane.


I almost never make the same pattern twice, but I loved the way my original pair came out and the pattern has a sportweight version. I also need just one more gift on standby- ideally one that can be cranked out quickly but still looks good. The yarn is BMFA Socks that Rock in mediumweight. The color is "Pebbles". I picked this skein up at Rhinebeck three (3!) years ago with a certain person in mind, and I'm finally forcing myself to get around to making a certain something for the certain person.

Oh, and I did go to a yarn store while I was in Portland (because you can't throw a rock without hitting one in that town. It's almost scary.) Tess' Designer Yarn is one of the most gorgeous and unique shops I know. Everything is hand-dyed by the shop owner and she has a wonderful eye for color. It took all of my will power to drag myself out of there empty handed.

FO- Cotty Socks

My draconian stashdown continues.



Another skein of Socks that Rock gone. This is more of the Lightweight in the "Raven" colorway.



The pattern is called "Cotty" by IrishGirlieKnits. They have a lovely picot cuff and it was a really simple lace pattern that was addictive. I loved the colorway and had been saving this yarn for a good pattern that would be equally awesome. I'm very pleased with the result.



The specs:
I used US size 1 needles. I did these top-down, two at a time on two circs. No modifications, except that I made the cuffs a bit longer (mostly because I loved knitting them so much I didn't want to stop).

I plan on making these again- the pattern is written for both fingering weight and sport weight yarn.