Socktoberfest recap

Socktoberfest is over (well, sort of; it looks like the Socktoberfest group on Flickr will be kept open throughout the year), and what do I have to show for it?

One sock. Part of another. I cast on for a third sock, inspired by the orange-and-purple Socktoberfest colorway from Scout's Swag (see the skein on the far left here). It was going to be a worsted-weight, slouchy sock with big stripes of orange, purple and black, but the pattern I was working with had some weirdness around the heel and I goofed up the jogless jog to hide my color changes. I was going to restart the sock using the formula from "Knitting Rules! The Yarn Harlot's Bag of Knitting Tricks", but then I got an actual skein of Socktoberfest and my enthusiasm kind of waned. I'm sure I'll find another use for the Halloween-y wool.

And I acquired a ton of sock yarn. That oughta keep me busy.

So what's next? A pair of Knucks for the Beloved, once I get that purple sock off my size 3 circs. (Figures I'd have to go up a size for the socks and down a size for the gloves so that they require the exact same needles at the same time.) I also want to do a Moebius cowl (scroll down) or shawl. I know someone who has Cat Bordhi's "Treasury of Magical Knitting" and can help me with the cast-on, and if I borrow the book from her, I can try before I buy.

In anticipation of doing the Moebius cast-on, I bought some loooong cables for my Denise set and some Knit Picks Options needles in appropriate sizes and lengths. (Yes, I know I could just join a bunch of Denise cables together to get the really long needle, but I didn't want to tie up all my cables in one project.) The upshot is, I can now make a needle that is about as long as I am tall (longer, if I go crazy with the Denises).

I got all my new toys yesterday and couldn't resist giving the Knit Picks needles a spin on a scarf I'm doing for a colleague. I did notice that the stitches seemed to slide a little more smoothly to the tip of the needle, and the flexibility of the cable was nice. Will I be trading in my Denises for a full set? Probably not. But I'd definitely buy more sizes/cable lengths from Knit Picks if the need arises. (I note that Knit Picks has size 4 tips available; the smallest Denise is a 5. I do have two pairs of 24" size 4 circs, but if I ever had need of a different length of cable, I'd probably get the Knit Picks needles.)

My little progress bars are hopelessly outdated. I'll have to fix them soon ...

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