SMAK February - Blue Moose - done!

Under the wire, but done, nonetheless!

But first, I was asked if I had finished those poor little socks that just needed the toe grafted. Yes, indeed, I did.

These are from one of my favourite patterns, Joan Hamer's Ribbers, knit in Emu Superwash DK, Colour No. 1001. I can see now why I didn't finish them. I must have become annoyed because the sock on the left was nice and tweedy and the sock on the right flashed or pooled. Oh well, I'm wearing them anyway. They're comfy cozy. (Excuse the ratty jeans ... they're also comfy cozy!)

The February SMAK socks are also comfy cozy. Aren't they kewl?

Things I learned:

• Do not decide to do your first ever stranded sock as a project for which you'll be putting a picture up on the internet for millions ... well, thousands ... hundreds? ... a dozen people to look at. This way lies STRESS.
• My stranding skills suck big time. The first sock was very, very tight. So tight that I have to fight to get it on. I resolved to concentrate on stranding l-o-o-s-e-r. The second sock is much looser -- so much looser that it's probably an extra inch bigger LOL. I really need to work on this, because there are so many beautiful socks out there that use this skill.
• My next stranded socks will be a simple geometric pattern. Trying to carry a loose float basically halfway around the sock, all through the moose's body, was not the best idea for a first stranded project.
• One side of the pattern has the moose, the other the forest. Trees are fun to knit, moose are not. But moose are cuter.

The pattern is a kit from Folknits:

Things I changed:

• I decided to eliminate the fold-over cuff and just make the moose part of the leg, which meant that I had to knit the chart from the top down instead of the bottom up. And for the second sock, from left to right instead of right to left. Do not attempt to do this while watching tv.
• I went with a heel and toe that I know fit me and basically ignored the pattern except for the chart.
• I had to make the chart bigger to fit my leg and foot .... a whole tree's worth bigger :-) I think I threw in a few extra snowflakes too just to make the stranding easier.

Overall, I'm happy with them, and I'm relieved they're finished. The Sisu yarn was very nice to work with and I'd happily use it again. They're not perfect, but the guilt from having them sit there undone is gone. I like how the moose are on one side and the forest on the other, although I had a few stressful moments when I thought I had the moose facing backwards instead of forwards.

I really need to work on my stranding, but I think I'll give it a rest for now. My FLAK is feeling neglected. So for March, I'll take the easy way out and finish these:

One sock is done through the heel, and there they stall. They WILL be done by the end of March.