I have been working really hard lately with the Ravelympics. I was so busy that I totally missed out on casting on my sock the day the Olympics started. Instead I got it on the needles the next morning. So far, I feel on track to finish on time. I would really like to finish before the Portland to the Coast Walking Relay that I am participating in the next week.
I had many variables that went into my Ravelympics project. I wanted something that went with Project Spectrum 3: Water. I wanted something Malabrigo. I wanted something that challenged me, since sweaters at the most are finished in 10-14 days. I thought and thought and then realized that all of these factors fit into one project. A sock. I knit them but I am not entirely fast with the knitting. I also had a sample skein of Malabrigo sock yarn in my stash that I won in March for Malabrigo March. So I finally settled on a Malabrigo sock yarn which just happened to fit into the PS3 triad and a Cookie A pattern - Mingus.
My progress as of last night:
I love the yarn and I love pattern. I had it memorized about a quarter of the way through the first repeat. Since this yarn is not released yet, let me share my thoughts.
Just a bit on my sock knitting preferences. I adore 2.50mm needles for socks. I feel they aren’t too small or too big and I am a loose knitter so it just feels right to use a 2.50mm. I also like to have a firm gauge for several reasons. 1) It allows pure merino socks to wear for longer and 2) it does not hurt the soles of my feet (I hated the first 3 pairs of socks I made. They were easy enough to make but I hated to walk in them).
The pattern I am knitting requires a 32st to 4” gauge in Stockinette St. I started out with my 2.50mm needles and I was surprised at how thin the yarn was, but I knit on hoping to learn something. I did the 2.50mm needles are the perfect sock gauge. They produce a gauge of 36st to 4” (9st per inch) in Stockinette St. The Mmmmalsock yarn created a firm thin fabric with a super soft feel when squished and unsquished unlike any other sock yarn. It has the yarn circumference of Lorna’s Laces, which I dislike knitting with because it feels like rough string. The softness at this point is incomparable.
One problem with that swatch was that it might be my perfect sock gauge for Mmmmalsock but I needed about a stitch less per inch to do the pattern and have it fit my foot. So I went up a needle size to my 2.75mm needle, My swatch is almost perfect with a gauge of 33-34st to 4” in st st. This gauge is a bit too loose to have on the sole of my foot, it would be painful to wear but I got almost pattern gauge. I decided not to go up another needle because I felt I would really dislike the fabric produced.
So I will be knitting the sock with 2.75mm needles, except on the stockinette sole where I will be switching to 2.50mm so that socks will feel nice on my feet.
This is the review, I left on the Malabrigo Junkie Ravelry group.
Of course I can’t be forgetting CareBear’s sock. I worked on it on Sunday because I wanted something that did not require chart reading for church. I have pushed through and I am almost at the second heel.
Or at least that is my feelings on the issue. CareBear took a stab at the colors yesterday. Do any of you think she is close? Thanks goodness none of you knit with me IRL so you can’t go and tell her the real colors.
