Wyoming Breezes

Hand-knit socks summer and fall 2024 I’ve been knitting steadily, but I haven’t posted finished projects in a long time.       Patons Kroy (blue/green marl) - Faternal Twins      Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock (Zombie BBQ) - yarn a gift from Cheryl O.      Unknown manufacturer and color - one sock finished; another on needles - yarn a gift from Cheryl O.      Unknown manufacturer and color - one sock finished; another nearly finished - yarn a gift from        Cheryl O. In addition to knitting for my feet, I knit 16 “socks” for my kitchen table chairs from partial balls of Noro Silk Garden (assorted colors). I plan to knit 8 more for the two remaining chairs. The chairs slide better on the laminate when wearing “socks.”

May 2023 This month I’ve been focused on fabric scraps and stash knitting because I hope to get both under control. Since April, I’ve knit four pair of socks - all knit with Patons Kroy Socks, so that’s EIGHT balls of yarn (a pair of socks requires two 50 gram balls) out of my yarn stash.  This pair used Brown Rose Marl (#55017) and I had 28 grams remaining (13 grams for one sock and 15 grams for the other). I love the colors and of course, I love the stripes! 

Recently, I finished a pair of socks for my sister knit with Patons Kroy Socks yarn. I had 36 grams (out of 100 grams) remaining. I just finished another pair of socks knit with Patons Kroy Socks, using the same pattern, same number of stitches, same size, and the same needles. I had 9 grams (out of 100 grams) remaining. I finished another pair in April and had 28 grams remaining.  Why the difference? I’m uncertain, but the yarn for the most recent pair (the Grey Marl) does seem to have more “ body or bulk” to it.  I’ve never run out of yarn when knitting socks for my size 10 feet, but this time, one ball was pretty close.  Of all the sock yarn I’ve knit, Patons Kroy produces the more substantial product, and it wears extremely well.      Yarn :  Patons Kroy Socks (two balls — 100 grams total)              Grey Marl  #55045 Needles :  US size 2 — 64 stitches Remaining Yarn :  9 grams total   ...

Marilyn’s socks  size 8 April 2023 I worked on these socks at Marilyn’s during the evening Colorado Avalanche (hockey) playoff games and the Denver Nuggets (basketball) playoff games.  You’ll notice that they are fraternal twins since the balls of yarn were wound backwards of each other. I considered making the socks match, but it would have required “wasting” a lot of yarn to get to the correct color repeat.  Yarn : Patons Kroy Socks (two balls). 100 grams total           Grey Brown Marl #55048 Needles : US size 2 — 64 stitches Remaining Yarn :  36 grams total            19 grams from one ball            17 grams from the other ball

size 10 women’s/size 9.5 men’s March 2023 These socks seemed to fly off the needles.  Pattern : none, just a 2x2 rib cuff and a plain foot, using 64 stitches  Needles : US size 2 Yarn : Paton’s Kroy Socks            Blue Brown Marl #55101 (two 50 gram balls — 100 grams total) Remaining Yarn :  28 grams total            13 grams from one ball            15 grams from the other

March 2023 Dee ( Wool and Steel ) posted about her recent sock knitting projects: she has SEVEN pair on the needles. I commented that she was tempting me to cast on a pair of socks: she replied, "Do It! Do It!," so I did. I haven't knit on socks for months - five months to be exact, so it was time to get busy knitting. Yesterday during the FaceTime call with my sister and niece, I cast on this sock and knit nearly two inches of the cuff.  Thanks for the nudge, Dee!

October 2022 I can't believe it took me so long to finish this pair of socks! Cast on -- July 2022 First sock finished --   August 2022 Second sock finished -- October 2022 I've decided to take a long break from sock knitting. 

September 2022 The Redcliffe socks have been a slooow slog, but since I was able to turn the heel and knit the gusset yesterday, the end might be in sight.  Clearly, my desire to knit socks is waning, and once this pair is finished, I going to take a break and knit other items. 

Redcliffe City Sock August 2022 As soon as the toe was grafted on Sunday afternoon, I cast on the second sock. I hope to have this pair finished by the end of the month if life cooperates.  This ball of Perth yarn is very splitty and is not particularly enjoyable to knit. I'm ready to work with a softer and more knit-friendly yarn for my next project.

Redcliffe City sock July 2022 This sock was started in June, but finishing older projects in the knitting queue was a priority. Now, the Redcliffe City socks are my lone knitting project, so they should progress much faster.  I like the Perth yarn, but I consider it a "very light fingering" weight. I'm knitting with size 2 needles, but probably should have used size 1 for a tighter fabric.

 pair of shorty socks Women's size 5 July 2022 This pair of gift socks has been on the needles for over a year. I intended to send them to the recipient last summer, and then this spring, and now a year later, they are ready to send on their way. Since the recipient has tiny feet (size 5), the socks don't require a lot of yarn, making them are perfect for leftover sock yarn. The knitting queue has one final project in progress. I hope to finish that project before the end of August.

July 2022 Five projects are currently in my knitting queue: the Noro scarf, a pair of scrap yarn socks, the Redcliffe City socks, and two Baby Surprise Jackets (BSJ). The scarf should be finished tomorrow, the scrap socks (one finished and the mate at the heel flap), and the first Redcliffe sock is at the heel flap.  While cleaning the sewing room, I found a BSJ that needs shoulder seams and a collar added. The jacket came off the needles in 2020 . I also need to sew buttons on this BSJ as well as a purple one that was finished in 2018 .  I don’t know why I didn’t finish these BSJ years ago!  Currently, I seem to be in a mindset to get clear out lingering/stalled knitting projects, and they are out of bins and in a queue. 

May 2022 One sock finished and the other at the heel flap. 

close-up of color striping May 2022 While I would probably have not combined these colors on my own, I like how they work together once knit. I was not expecting the yarn to stripe but rather to have random blotches of color, but I do like the stripe effect. I think the gold stripe at the end of the gusset is the first stripe on the cuff. It will be fun to see how the rest of the foot looks. 

Even though I haven't posted for a couple of weeks, I haven't been idle. I volunteered to work at the reception desk at the Eppson Center (senior center) three days for an employee who was on vacation. The mornings I worked at the desk were busy with individuals coming in for tax preparation, with phone calls to schedule tax appointments and others asking to speak to various employees at the center. I had a few calls asking for general information, and even a gentleman who needed a recommendation for a plumber.  I did manage to squeeze in some knitting during my morning shifts. On Monday, I finished the sock cuff, on Tuesday, I worked on the heel flap and heel turn as well as picking up the gusset stitches. Wednesday, I finished the gusset decreases. Several people stopped by the desk to see what I was knitting and some even asked questions.  I was pleased with the progress of the sock, and once the gusset was completed, the rest of the foot was a breeze.  socks completed...

nearly finished sock March 2022 After some success with the newborn hats, I searched the bottom of my knitting bag and worked on this man sock. I will knit the toe by the end of this week and cast on the second sock. With any luck, I might have a pair by the end of the month.

Fiesta socks January 2022 Sunday evening I grafted the toe on the second sock. This pair practically knit themselves, stripe by stripe.  Pattern : Plain Jane ribbed cuff socks Yarn :  Trekking XXL (color 723) Needles : US size 2  Stitches : 64

January 2022 During the first months of the pandemic, I craved color and ordered the most colorful sock yarn that I could find online. This skein of Trekking XXL was one of the skeins I added to my stash. I didn’t know if the colors would pool or stripe, but I’m happy the brightly colored yarn is striping in such a fun sequence. 

December 2021 Since the color runs are long on this yarn, the socks will not match, which doesn’t bother me. I do like how the yarn feels: it has body and is sturdy without being stiff. It’s 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon.  The socks have been on the needles since the beginning of December , but hopefully, I’ll be able to finish the pair before the year ends.

Magic Stripes socks November 2021 During the long winter of 2019 when everyone was in isolation, I craved color and ordered colorful sock yarn. Now, I’m beginning to knit with the fun yarns, and the stripes are a bonus!  I’d like to purchase additional colors of this yarn, but the Magic Stripes yarn is no longer available. The ball weighs 100 grams, but only contains 330 yards - not quite enough for a pair of socks for myself, so the heels and toes will be knit with the blue yarn, a remnant from another pair of socks.