Birch Leaf Socks
This evening I finished the most difficult pair of socks I have attempted to date:
Pattern: "Birch Leaf Socks" from the book A Gathering of Lace, design by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Louet Gems Pearl fingering in shade "Aqua", two skeins of 185 yards each, but I had a good golf-ball sized amount left in each. Amazingly, I got the right shade only in artificial light under a bright lamp, not in natural light. It’s closer to sage, and fits the leaf pattern perfectly, no? This yarn is soft and good to work with, it’s quite springy.
Gauge: 8 spi, on size 0 bamboos.
Although I made the second one this past week, I made the first one almost entirely on a trans-Pacific flight to Delhi via Taipei last summer; the flight was certainly long enough, as was the layover. China Airlines has this great collection of popular classic films you can choose (even in coach) and I saw Ghost and Pretty Woman and other movies that a cramped seat and long flight make watchable, all over again. Then there was the guy sitting next to me who watched me knitting for hours and finally couldn’t take it and said, "What is this, you are knitting this just for fun?" To make him happy I said no, I was actually training to be a crafts teacher and this was part of my course. He was most relieved.
There’s so much going on in the pattern that there’s very little blind knitting at any point, and the ribbing, especially, was a bit tedious. K2, yo, p1 is not funny to do on 0 dpns. But it’s an interesting ribbing to hold the sock up. They are nice and snug on my feet as I type this!
The only thing I didn’t like was the outward shape of the last leaves near the toes, which makes the feet look almost claw-like, somehow. But I wanted to stick to the pattern for once and not modify anything, so there it is.
After years of teaching on a Tuesday-Thursday 80 minute class schedule, this semester I got stuck with a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule of
teaching, which sucks! It’s only six weeks into the semester and I already feel I know my students forever, I see them so often! I feel I’ve been going into class so many times, and am still at the 1857 revolt, when I feel somehow that I should have got to atleast World war I by now. Even though each lecture is barely 50 minutes and it is time to pack up just when I’m getting warmed up. This schedule is totally messing with my sense of time.
But hey, here’s my second FO of the year right on the heels of the first one: that kind of time warp I’ll happily accept!
Vewy nice! One day I shall grow up and knit socks, too :p
Wow, those are some gorgeous socks!
Those are absolutely beautiful!
“Craft teacher”, ha! That’s hilarious. As if there is something wrong with doing ANYTHING “just for fun”. I wonder if that guy has any hobbies?
The songs look amazing! Looks like it was probably a complicated pattern. They look very lovely and comfortable on. Aren’t hand-knit socks the best! I love having socks that actually fit my feet perfectly.
Good luck with your stint as a crafts teacher.
Beautiful socks! I love what you said to that guy on the plane. Hilarious!
wow, your stuff is amazing! What intricate patterns. And those socks — I’m speechless. You should be a craft teacher… (Imagine if there were complicated courses to do so – ha!) Just coming by to say thanks for commenting on my blog – and it’s always fun to visit a new knitter and see the stuff.
They are beautiful!
Pretty pretty pretty! I love that color. I have some of that yarn in yellow, but haven’t tried it out yet.
Those socks are inspirational (and some of the most gorgeous that I have seen in a while)!!! I adore the ribbing at the top. They make the socks look so shapely.
Gasp – so beautiful.
As reading room in charge of TNSA would say ( about herself), your talent is shooting like tulsi plant through your fingers.