knitting in the dark

I completed a long-lingering sock project in October, knit a complete pair, started a pair that will be given as a Christmas gift, and knit a hat.

This pair began way back in July; I started with the Bellatrix pattern (Ravelry link) and made it all the way through the first sock, but with this yarn it just looked warty and lumpy and the bumps occur in too regular a pattern for my tastes.

I think the pattern really needs a more varigated yarn - with more colors and short stretches of each color, because there are some beautiful versions on Ravelry… and maybe a change of needle size around the ankle to add some shaping there, cause this is not appealing:

I started the second Bellatrix but couldn’t get into it and it was quickly frogged and knit up into the first plain stockinette sock I’ve knit for myself.

I let my date do a few rounds one evening on the train (he already knew how to knit and wanted to trade his book, Look Me in the Eye, for my knitting)… but he knits extremely tightly and I always have to go down at least two needle sizes because mine is very relaxed - if our gauge isn’t compatible does that mean our future is doomed? Usually I rip out whatever few rows I let someone else do before taking my knitting back, but I thought it was sweet that he wanted to work on my project, so I left it in…

I ripped the first Bellatrix out back to the cuff ribbing and reknit the second sock in stockinette. It seems that there’s enough yarn left after knitting myself the pair to knit a third sock… I do have small feet, but the yardage in the skein seems generous compared to many other smaller dye companies.

The yarn is Lotus Yarns Buddha (superwash merino/nylon blend) and I love the dye job and the thicker cushy texture of the yarn. This color is called Bloodflowers, for a song by The Cure. I am absolutely looking forward to buying more yarn from this etsy shop, but I have to knit down some of the sock yarn already in my apartment first!

pattern: none
yarn: Lotus Yarns Buddha in Bloodflowers
needles: INOX 2mm dpns
started: 25 July 2008
completed: 13 October 2008

On a side note: my favorite part of Bellatrix was the reverse side of the stitch pattern:

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 8th, 2008 at 9:55 am and is filed under knitting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.