Lucky Number 7 (and Thanksgiving)

From overeating to family visiting, studying to baby wrangling, it's been hard to blog about knitting. It's been hard to knit. But the Lucky Number 7 Law School Socks are finally in my sock rotation.

I say rotation: These are the only handknit socks I've made for myself. I rotate them with my truly lovely handknit Socks of Doom. But these will not be my last handknit sock presents to myself.

This is the 7th pair of socks I've made since I took the sock class from Karida at Stitch DC in mid-March. There is something about handknit socks that I didn't realize before getting these and the Socks of Doom on my feet. I adore them. I feel like I'm walking on air, and that never hurts a waddling pregnant lady with a grouchy toddler.

The Specs:

Pattern: Chevron from Sensational Knitted Socks
Yarn: Lana Grossa Meilenweit, colorway 5060
Amount: I'd guess 3/4 of a 420m skein. Maybe enough left over to make baby socks?
Needles: Addi Natura US2 (3.0mm) set of 5 DPNs
Circumference: 66 stitches
Time: um....

These socks started their life in secret, as a focus for my job search much earlier this fall. Then when I made the decision to go for law school this year and study for the LSAT (this Saturday....AAAIIEIEEE!!!), they became my Law School Socks. I finished them last week and wore them Monday to my last practice test before the big one this weekend. Maybe they'll bring me luck!

Some notes on the socks: This is the second of the chevron-type patterns I've made from SKS. I gave the Welt Fantastic socks to my MawMaw. I only made those on 64 stitches, and they were smaller than my feet. These fit wonderfully, though I am worried about how they will wear. I got gauge for the yarn (7 sts per inch), but I'm worried that the socks aren't knit tightly enough to wear well. Does anyone out there have any experience with this? On the positive side: If my feet swell with this pregnancy as bad as they did last time, then I think these will still fit.

Thanks to Alison, the awesome hostest with the mostest of the Sensational Knitted Socks KAL, the forethought heels turned out great on this pair, compared to the Welt Fantastic pair. Instead of decreasing down every other row on the heel, I followed her advice to go halfway decreasing every other row, then start decreasing every row. Bingo! No nipply heels.

You'll notice the unmatched stripes on the Lana Grossa. It may be possible to create identical socks from this yarn, but I think that would be crazy-making, and we all know that there's enough of that to go around in this house already. Cap'n thinks these are ugly, and says that he wouldn't wear them, but we've already established that he will only get very, very boring socks knit by me. Or Norwegian stockings, his other choice.

So now I'm back on track with my Sock-a-Month commitment, and have just extended the Socktoberfest fun for another month. I just counted up, and I've made 7 socks in the 9 months since I learned. Not too shabby. Better than I thought I was doing. I'm still hoping to get a pair done for December as well. Maybe the Magic! Loop! still OTN??

Oh, and you wanted to hear about the 4 Kitchener stitches (two heels and two toes) on this pair of socks? Smooches! I (HEART) Kitchener stitch. Nevermind any aspersions that may have been cast before when knitting the Welt Fantastic socks. Forget any loud grousing, foot-stomping or other tantrum-throwing made in the past. I LOVE KITCHENER STITCH. I may just start using it on every project, called for or not. It makes such a beautiful line of stitches, and I love the little "knit, purl, purl, knit" mantra I can chant. MWAH!

And in other socky news, my so-far-blogless yet newly knitting sister just finished her first sock: a Fuzzyfoot on dpns. YAY! Felting updates to come...

So in non-knitting news, my non-knitting (maybe soon-to-be crocheting?) sister got to play with Slim McCool this Thanksgiving weekend, and we had multiple opportunities to gorge ourselves. A fun time was had by all.

Some are just born having more fun than others.

P.S. You know, I really do stay warmer with just the addition of a scarf. I've been chilled this evening, and My So-Called Scarf is just the ticket.

P.P.S. Another F.O. to come after some I-cord and Slim modeling pics.

P.P.P.S. There's still time to weigh in on suggestions for the next pair of socks I should knit. Suggestions?