just in time for father’s day!
My mom’s been getting all the knitting love lately—last year I made her a ribbon x-back, and in the last few months I’ve knit her two Sunrise Circle Jackets. Dad hasn’t said anything (though he did get a lovely hat right after New Year’s), but I can only imagine that he’s feeling a little left out. But knitting a man-sized sweater takes waay too long. So, since I’ve been in a sock place lately, I went with socks.
Here they are, completed, but not yet tried on by the recipient. Conveniently, my parents are coming up to Philly for a brief visit on Sunday, and we will all go out to brunch to celebrate Mother’s and Father’s Day. (Which means I have to treat! So much for the best perk of going out to eat with one’s parents!) I’m going to have mom put on the second iteration of the Sunrise and we will decide where to place the buttons. Then I’ll sew them on. Hopefully, dad will try on the socks and say “Done! They fit,” but I’m a little nervous that they will be too big, in which case I will finish them up and mail them to him this week.
I remember that dad wears size 10 shoes, and a brief query to mom “confirmed” this with a “yeah, I think so” (she was out shopping at the time). The boy wears size 9, so I’ve been having him try them on. They’re about half an inch long on the boy, which may be just right, or still a little big. I considered taking them out and shortening by 1/4 inch, but I figured leaving them at this length is as good as shortening them and finding out they’re too snug.
Pattern: Garter Rib Socks from Sensational Knitted Socks. It’s a two-row pattern: Row 1 k2p2; Row 2 knit. Super-easy. A little mind-numbing by the end of the loooong foot.
Yarn: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in Mineshaft. I tried to compare the skeins very closely at the store, but they are far from identical; one has a lot of blue in it. At least they striped similarly.
Skeins: 2, with a little leftover from each skein. Wishing I’d done toe-up so that I’d have used up all the rest.
Sock details: Cuff-down, 64 stitches, with k2p2 rib, heel flap with 3 garter stitch stitches on either side; simple decreased toe with 16-stitch kitchener.
Needles: US Size 1
Method: Magic Loop
Started: Sunday, June 11. Taken out late that night and restarted (they were too big).
Finished: Saturday, June 17 (just to do the finishing; knitting was finished yesterday.) I took the day off on Thursday and on Friday, which helped get this finished.
Notes: I can’t get over how abnormally long the foot looks on the socks. I’m looking forward to making more socks for women :)
In all, the knitting went smoothly until I noticed this:
In a rib row SIXTY rows back, I’d accidentally knit when I needed to purl. Or maybe I forgot that I was on a rib row for the duration of one stitch and then remembered. Either way, I had a knit where I needed a purl. I dropped that one stitch column all the way down and, using a crochet hook, fixed it. It was merely time consuming, but I must say that fixing garter stitch is annoyingly slow. Fixing stockinette goes by in a flash, but for garter, you have to reorient the crochet hook every other time!
Uh, when did I become a sock knitter??
9 Responses to just in time for father’s day!
Perfect socks for a dad. They look great and I hope they fit him comfortably!
Those are totally cute and dad-appropriate. I personally like to go with the whole ‘if I were Islamic I’d intentionally create things with imperfections to avoid hubris’ attitude and ignore the little mistakes 60 rows in. But you are much more patient than I.
oh good thing that you fixed that stitch. It stuck out like sore thumb. It hurt my eyes when I looked at it. I could see it even without the big red circle.
;-)
just kidding.
Lovely socks! You dad will be thrilled.
They look great. Your dad will be thrilled.
Amy
Very nice socks there! WTG on fixing that knit stitch!
So…you’ve caught the sock bug huh! :)
I’m laughing at Laura’s note — I think I may have left it if it were 60 rows back. :)
Great socks! Finished quick. I hope your dad enjoys them.
A dropped stitch I would have fixed but…a p where I should have k? Nah… I have quite a few FO’s with little slip ups, they are imperfect like the rest of my world.
wow. i never have the patience to fix mistakes in socks.
just found your blog… it makes me homesick for philly a little (i moved to the mountains to do research in november. i love philly)… but in a good way.
You are SO hard core (and extreme!).