SAM3 - March done!
As I was knitting along on the first sock, I noted how the colours came in nice short bursts. It reminded me of Koigu. The colours were indeed very much like a beautiful winter sunrise.
I love it when hand-paints come out just the way you hope they will -- love it, I say.
And then ... as I wound the second skein, I noticed that the colours didn't seem to look the same as in the first skein. There were longer lighter sections, and the colours didn't seem quite so bright. Crap! What to do? I was in totally smitten with the first sock, but alarms bells were ringing in my head.
It seemed that one end of ball two was a little lighter than the other, so I re-wound it so I'd be working from the darker end. Since the part of the sock that I see the most is the toe and foot, I started with the leftovers from the first ball and went toe up. I didn't get all that far. The ends sticking out show where I had to connect the second hank.
You can see it coming, just like a train barrelling down the tracks toward you at 100 kph. I know that when working with hand-paints, you should work with both balls, alternating the strands. Frankly, for socks, that's just frustration up with which I am not prepared to put.
Lesson learned, though.
Sock 1:
Well, for a short while it was on the way to becoming one of my favourite pairs of socks.
29 people had something to say:
I found your blog from the SAM3 website.
When I saw your socks, I thought I recognized the yarn as Spunky Eclectic. I like how you showed pictures of the yarn on the skein with the pictures of the finished socks.
I'm with you--the fiddliness of alternating strands of yarn from two different skeins to knit a pair of socks is not for me. I guess I'll have to consider buying handpainted yarn on skeins big enough to complete an entire pair of socks.
Nicely done, even with the variance in the colorways.
That's sad, Dave.
The first sock is indeed beautiful. The second is, too, but suffers in comparison to the first. If I hadn't seen the first first, I'd never be the wiser that the second fell short.
Rats. What a way for you to find that out.
"up with which I am not prepared to put!"
teehee...
You sure know the way to a grammarian's heart!
(sigh) I hadn't realized that about handpaints...guess I'll figure this out as I go along, huh?
Lovely colors, tho'
(((hugs)))
I ran into that same problem with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Lullaby colorway.
I did the cuffs with one skein and the foot with the other. Since there was a pattern to the top (feather and fan) and stockinette feet you really didn't notice the difference in color that much. The conflict in pattern hid the difference.
The first sock was really nice. Too bad the second one didn't work out that way, too.
oh well! the colors are still great and who says they have to look exactly the same anyway?
What amazed me is how pinkish it looked in the skein, and how much grayer it looks knit up. It could just be my monitor...
I don't think I could bring myself to alternate skeins for socks either. Hell, I have a hard enough time considering doing it for a sweater.
Well, I really do like the little bits of orange, unexpected but lovely. :)
that sucks - the socks look great, but when you absolutely loved how the first one turned out and expected the second to be the same ... poot. It's still a lovely colourway, though.
er... it's a good way to remember which is the leftee sock? I like both... i think the dis-satisfaction with sock #2 is a good thing... keeps you knitting socks in the search for the perfect hand knit pair.
Phooey. That's too bad. I'm sorry you didn't get what you wanted Dave.
Better luck next time.
I hate it when that happens. But I have to say I really like these socks just the same. I think the colour is appropriately named. You couldn't help but be cheerful each morning as you put these on. :o)
You know? I'm a member of the Spunky sock club too! Amd as are children, both your socks are beautiful. They are simply faternal twins. Wear them with long pants or hiking boots!
Glad to see your post!
I know what you mean. Having a similiar problme right now. I think I'm getting tired of unpredictable sock yarn. Switching to solids soon! ;o)
oh too bad! i hate when that happens. but i have to say, it happens more with yarn i dye myself than with other dyer's yarn. but i don't have as much experience using all the fab yarns out there. fearless fibers and briar rose are very consistent i find . . .
They're beautiful. I love the way the colors move.
Yes, the difference is quite noticeable. I think the charm of handpaints and handknits are the unique aspects of each project. The difference in look adds character to the socks, I think.
so close! handpaints are so hard, but luckily you wear them on seperate feet, so it shouldn't be too noticable....plus, they are handpainted....I don't think they are too bad! I've seen much worse!
The unmatching nature of the brightness of the socks is unfortunate but I think they are still a great pair of socks! The colors are fantastic (both bright and somewhat faded).
I love the socks! You can tell they're supposed to be together, even though they're not "identical". Handpaints do that. But what I absolutely LOVE about them, is that you managed to get two drop dead fantastic socks made from handpainted yarn, and NO pooling! Woot! (Pooling is evil.)
Love them. Love your blog. :)
Nice socks Dave! I love the color's
So maybe Spunky is named "Eclectic" for a reason??? LOL The yarn and the socks look charming even if (or especially because) they're imperfect.
Just another reason for me to like solid colorways best!
I haven't had that happen (yet) and it definitely sucks, but since socks are typically worn with long pants (unless you're some old fart living in Florida), only you will know of the color variation problem.
It must be me, but I can't see a difference at all! They look great. Stockinette stitch looks like the best way to go with those short color stripes, the colors look so nice. Purling seems to break it up a lot.
bright for dead of winter is so great!!!
Great socks, Dave!! I didn't know about alternating with two skeins, but it really does makes sense. To me, HD's are charming because 2 skeins are not alike, and that's why I would pay more for them. I love the differences, because no one will have exactly the same pair that I do :)
I think both socks are just lovely, each one is an individual and yet they make a great team. Another well made pair. :)
~Suz~
Sorry if someone else has already given this advice above, but when you have two dissimilar balls, you can do the feet of both socks with one ball and the legs of both socks with the other. So while the feet and legs will look a little different from each other, the socks will match. I've done this with Koigu from two different dye lots and it has worked well.
I think your socks look pretty darn good anyway!
You knit some mean socks! Love them. Hey fraternal twins need love too, right?
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