Black Olive Is: In The Loop

One Down, One-Half to Go!

One down...

One-half to go.

Granny's socks are almost finished. I did end up ripping back the heel because I neglected to shift the stitches -- as the pattern instructs -- in order to make that fancy cable transition. All I can figure is that the pattern is so easy, I became bloated with over-confidence and just stupidly forged ahead.

(Here's a close-up of said transition:)

But, no biggie. I caught it in enough time to avoid any foul language and sock throwing. ;-)

I have to say, I was able to get Granny to slip on the finished sock and the fit is "just right." Yay!

The thing is, it also fits well on MY narrow foot, which is about an inch smaller than Granny's. So, I think this is a great pattern to follow "as is" because you'll most likely end up with a sock that fits a wide range of foot circumferences.

You gotta LOVE that ribbing!

Now, I must apologize for being such a major flake. Right after I posted and waxed poetic about the Cable Rib Pattern, I totally neglected to give you people the stats!

My peeps did not dissappoint, however, because almost as soon as I'd finished posting, I received more than one email asking where the pattern could be found! Hehehe.

Ooops!

The pattern is "Cable Rib Socks," Interweave Knits, Spring 2005.

Unfortunately, and for reasons incomprehensible to this knitter, you can't really see how great these cables are -- especially at the gusset where the transition happens. So, I'm sure a bunch of people most likely passed this one over -- not getting how cool it really is. The only reason I chose to knit it was the idea that it would be a great fit for the Mountain Colors Bearfoot yarn Granny picked out.

So there you go.

Now, I was ALL set to show you people some pretty good Yarn Porn, but I left the pictures at work, so instead, here's a picture of Sam the Sheep to tide you over:

Isn't he cute?!

I got him a while back at A Stitch Above and had been meaning to post about Sam and some other recent notions acquisitions (although, this is really more of an "accessory" hehehe), but just didn't get around to it.

I love Sam the Sheep!

It's actually for the best that my Yarn Porn update is on hold. I have some stash plans for this weekend and I'll fold the Yarn Porn into a giant post about recent Knitting-Related Purchases. Because, you know, it's fun!

Is She MAD?

Ok, people, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking: "My god! How many socks does this chick have on the needles anyway? Is she MAD?"

I'm here to tell you that I really only have three socks on the needles -- which, for me, isn't bad. One is for submission, the other is for me (that would be the Child's Sock I premiered last week) and this one.

See, Granny's feet are getting cold people. Have you noticed the hurricane-esque conditions outside? Granny actually asked me about these socks, which means she wants them. She REALLY wants them. Granny never asks for anything and usually gets uncomfortable when people expend any amount of effort on her behalf, so when she asked, well...

She's my Granny!

Anyway, after all was said and done, Granny insisted on a dark colorway and picked this one from my Mountain Colors stash (my apologies for the dark pics...the weather didn't help matters). It's not my favorite, but she really likes it and that's all that matters. She tried it on last night for the first time and loved the fit and warmth.

I have to say, this Mountain Colors, it is GOOD. The mohair gives it this nice silky feel and incredible warmth. It's a pleasure to knit with and is slightly larger in weight than normal fingering. This, of course, means that they're knitting up fairly quickly -- for me, anyway. This baby only took about a day and-a-half. I think the gauge I got on these with a size 1 Addi was 8.5-9 spi and 10 rpi.

It may not seem big to you, but after my Lorna's on size 0's at about 10 spi...well, it's a big difference!

Here's a close up of the nifty cable shenanigans happening along the gusset:

Don't you just love the cable transitions?

It's a great pattern -- easy to memorize and modify and a nice twist on an old rib standby. And, for some reason, Mountain Colors TOTALLY responds to ribbing in the nicest way. It's almost MEANT to be ribbed, people.

I'll most likely knit this again in a solid, light colorway to really showcase the pattern, but Granny is quite pleased with these and She's The Boss. ;-)

Oh, and of course this means that Grumperina did, in fact, beat me to the finish with her Child's Sock! Was there any doubt? Hehe.