Enter my Inlay socks by Hunter Hammersen.
Started: January 2, 2015
Finished: February 1, 2015
Needles: Knit Picks Size 1
It was truly a combination of things that had me almost frogging these babies and tossing the yarn in the trash. Yes. They were that frustrating. At least in the beginning.
My true issue was with the yarn. Though, not with the color.
No no, my real issue is with the base and twist of the yarn. You won't be able to tell from the photos, but this yarn is what I call "fuzzy" and "splitty". Combine these two traits with all the twisted stitches in the pattern and what do you get? One big fat ugly mess. Because of the "fuzziness" I couldn't see where my size 1 freaking needle was going into the stitch and nine times out of ten I would end up splitting the yarn, which easily splits because the twist ain't all that.
Putting my gripes aside, this yarn knits beautifully, and problem free, when you are just knitting and purling it. Which is good, because I have another skein of it in my stash.
Now the Inlay pattern is wonderfully written and I had absolutely no problem with the directions, even with all the twisted stitches.
I mean look at interest they add to the sides of the socks...
The real question is, would I knit this pattern again? Yes.
I have to say it feels real good to have two pairs of socks finished. I am hitting my goal of one pair per month. I currently have a third pair on the needles. I am almost done with the first sock. Not sure if I will have the pair finished by the end of February. I will try, but honestly, my knitting time is during my lunch hour right now, as I am slightly distracted with scrapbooking after work this week. Trying to find balance with all my hobbies!
Those socks are beautiful, but they look really, really hard! I love the yarn and color, even with the splitiness!
ReplyDeleteBalancing the various crafts is a constant issue for me. I keep telling my husband that I need to retire so I have more crafting time
Thank you! I really think they look more complicated than they actually are. It's all about the twisted stitches. Yes my love for the color of this yarn is one reason why I pushed through with them. Absolutely love the final product. Ha ha I keep telling my honey that I need early retirement so I can focus on my crafts too!
DeleteWELL DONE! I fracking HATE splitty yarn. They look great! :) I really need to give this pattern a go. : )
ReplyDeleteThank you! The yarn drove me bananas, but I was determined. This pattern had been sitting in my Ravelry queue for soooooo long. Really glad I finally knitted it up!
DeleteI totally hear you about fuzzy, splitty yarn. I would have felt exactly the same. Good on you for persevering because the socks are beautiful! Now I feel a bit nervous about the skein of Tough Love that I have in my stash...!
ReplyDeleteI am not one to quit or give up and I was determined not to let this yarn get the best of me. I really do think they came out more beautiful than I expected. Thank you! I too am nervous about my second skein of Tough Love. Like I said in the post, if you are doing basic stitches, it shouldn't be a problem. Also, maybe I just had a bad skein???
DeleteYou know I'm here to tell you you are out of control with the socks. And I'm loving it! Your sock knitting has been awesome. The fact that you are tackling such intricate and interesting patterns makes you a hero. I'm keeping it simple in sock land these days, and it's just what I need. Maybe one day, some day ...
ReplyDeleteHowever the fact you'd be willing to do a pattern again? Yeah, that says a lot.
I am knitting a shawl with that same yarn Sweet Georgia, and I had some issues when it tangled. I feel like that gigantic tangle has left me biased and I can't really think about the yarn clearly right now.