Many thanks to everyone who suggested various options for my
mis-matched Spunky Pink Elephant yarn. You came up with a lot of really good ideas! Some of my favourites included the Stash Buster Spiral pattern, which has been on my to-do list for a while; going with dark leg and light heel and toe on one sock and light leg and dark heel and toe on another, which I may try some time because it sounds interesting; and mixing them up with another skein, possibly doing a stranded or mosaic pattern. Many of you suggested various forms of striping, either alternating several rounds or (gulp) alternating single rounds. I know that can be done, because
Pat has done it with some Koigu, shown in the top entry
here , and near as I can tell she's still quite sane. :-) But, it really sounds like more work than I'm prepared to do for a sock, so I took the other piece of advice that popped up quite often -- put it aside and use it for something else.
Instead, I decided to make some new black socks.
Or rather, some socks using my New Black yarn.
Spunky Eclectic fingering weight, all in one hank, and the colour is consistent throughout.
I admit, though, that I was quite surprised to see the taupey colour come out, because it wasn't at all evident in the hank. I guess it got over-powered by all that pink.
I like it! They look quite snazzy with my new runners. :-)
So, back to the Pink Elephant. I decided to knit them up a bit to see just how different they were. Turns out they were as different knit up as they were in the ball.
The pattern is Elvis the Elephant and a lot of fun. Although the pattern calls for the trunk to be knit up separately and then sewn to the head, I just made an extra increase round and carried on with the body instructions. These are each knit with one strand from each ball on 2.5 mm needles. And because they're babies, I figured they needed a mommy.
She's knit double-stranded, using one strand from each ball, on 5 mm needles. I left out the tusks on the babies and didn't bother with the mouth pieces.
I can now go make first post to the Knitted Toys KAL, which I joined eons ago but haven't knit any toys since then.
57 people had something to say:
Too cute! (the elephants aren't bad, either.)
The elephants and the socks both turned out wonderfully! Nice work!
Those elephants are so cute! I like how you used a skein of each for the mom-- that way both babies resemble her :)
I love the elephants!!!
It's good you knit a whole elephant group, I hear they don't like living alone. ;-)
The socks are beautiful as usual. I may start to take your sock creations for granted before too long. ;-) Or not.
Oh that's too cute! Lately I've been into elephants. I may need to knit some too. :)
I MUST make at least one of those elephants!
Those are fab! The socks and the elephants :D
Excellent elephants! And those socks - how very surprising!
Cute elephants! The new socks look great too.
I like your new socks, and the pink Elephants are just adorable!
Oh wow. Awesome socks, LOVE the elephants. Go Dave!
Nice legs - they show off the socks perfectly!!
I love the elephants; I may even actually find the time to make one.
Sane? who told you I was still sane? I love your swirled pink, black, (and taupe)socks with the runners - PERFECT! and as for the elephant family - I cracked up - they are adorable!
The elephant family is too cute.
Pink elephants! So cute. :-)
I really like your socks too. Are you wearing them in the summer heat?
I've been saving all the socks I've been knitting since about April and I've got quite a stack already....
Dave, you're a knitting genius. Clearly.
I love the elephants, sucha great way to use up some stash, thank you for the link to the pattern.
I love your new socks! They striped really neat. Those little elephants are just too cute!
I love the socks, and the elephants are beyond cute.
Great socks, but, really, the elephants totally take the cake! They are *wonderful*!
the socks are great, but the elephants take the cake. glad u found a way to use the mismatched yarn.
You Rock! I love the elephants and the socks are so...manly! REALLY I LOVE them! Knitters are such an awesome bunch! How Cool or what!
Love your socks!! In the picture, the way they are striped looks kinda like buzzing live electrical lines (or how I imagine they'd look!) Love your little elephant family as well :)
The pink elephants are fabulous! Simply fabulous!
The elephant family is wonderful and SO much fun. Great idea!
Those socks are tewtelly elegant, and the elephants are gorgeous!
What a perfect solution to your dilemma! The Family Elephant is adorable! Nice legs, dude :)
Love the socks! Those elephants are so cute!
Great job on the socks and the elephants are adorable! :) Thanks for the info on the Knit Toys KAL.. not that I need another, it's just nice to know about for when I actually get around to using my books/patterns for toys! LOL!
Aw, a single mom elephant. All named Elvis? That family is going to need therapy. ;)
The socks look great! The shoes look comfy.
Wow. The socks came out fabulous, and the little elephants are to die for. What great fun and what an excellent use of the mismatched yarn!
I LOVE the socks!!! They turned out great! I'm glad that you found something to make them with. I also love the elephants - they are such a cute idea. :)
These socks striped nicely, that taupe indeed is a surprise! And the elephants? So freaking cute!
The yarn says "Thank you" for not making socks with it. Those elephants are so cute!
how cute are those pachyderms? adorable! nice stripey sock too - I never would have guessed that type of striping from the hank!
Sexy socks! And those effilumps are adorable!!! Now THAT's a creative use for mis-matched yarns...
((((hugs)))
Both the socks and hephalumps are great looking!
Those are some spiffy socks! Love the elephants too !
Elvis the Elephant and his entourage rule! and the socks are cute too.
Those elephants are adorable! The socks look great too.
Those are awesome socks and totally cute elephants!
One of my knit night Sisters of the Wool is mad for Spunky Eclectic. Those socks are amazing, and the elephants are so cute!
I love your socks. And the pink elephants are wonderful!!!
Dude. Genius. Those are beyond adorable.
And that's really interesting about how the taupe emerged in the socks. I have had that happen to me before -- the color impressions I get from the skein turn out to be not quite the color impressions I get from the finished knit. Rarely so drastic as this, though. Yarn is full of surprises!
I love love love those socks!!! Very fetching with trainers too! Your elephant famille are curt too!!!
Great socks, as per usual. And the elephants were inspired - very cute!
I like the socks! I dont really see a difference between the two while you are wearing them. And those elephants.....OMG they are adorable!!!!
Muito lindos!!
Kátia/Br
Love the socks!!
The elephants are too cute - love how the mom was made of both yarns :o)
Oh! Those elephants are ridiculously cute. What a great way to use up different-yet-siblings yarn!
the socks are quite snazzy and I heart the new shoes..... I must go buy the elephant pattern.
Thanks for commenting on my socks :)
Like the colour on yours, and the elephants are adorable!
Those elephants are just too adorable and I think the socks are fantastic! Wow. Certainly not your average run-of-the-mill pair of socks are they? :o)
Nice job! Those are really too cute for words.
These elephants are really cute! I bet kids would love to play with them :-)
I *love* those elephants! LOL They're absolutely marvelous. :-)
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