WIP Wednesday: September Socks

This week's work in progress is my 'September Socks' - my first attempt at participation in the Sock Knitters Anonymous ongoing SOCKDOWN challenge.



This is the Make-Up Socks pattern from The Joy of Sox and it's the project I was getting excited about last week, I just had to wait for the book to arrive :). This is one of a number of patterns I'm gagging to knit from this book - I love it!

The yarn used in this project is Fyberspates Sheila's Sock in Russet, the colour is really rich and I like it a lot, I also like the way the yarn knits up, depending on how it wears this could be a strong contender for a go-to sock yarn (in the event that my stash was some how lacking sock yarn in a particular colour).

Also on the go this week is last week's WIP Helix (also on Ravelry) which went from this:



To this:

(riding the ocean wave)

To this and this:



Yes, that's right - the snail (an incarnation of the Garden Snail pattern from Amigurumi Knits) is starting to get a body - this has been a slow process, mostly because I couldn't face picking up a bunch of stitches when the instructions weren't as clear as I would like about which stitches in which order which way. Eventually I had to bite the bullet and just get on with it (and then redo it so it was right :)). I've been working on the body with 3mm DPNs (at one point, all six of the ones I own in this size!), in the hope that the unfortunately-oversized-body problem some folks have had with this pattern will pass me by. This may or may not work, because I have no real idea how the yarn I'm using for the body (Patons Linen Touch, left over from the Infolab Baby Sweater) compares with the three mystery yarns I put together for the shell (and no, I didn't check gauge).

Still, there were a couple of things I was unhappy with on the shell:

1. I forgot to pick up the wraps from the wrap and turns when doing the short rows (I've just realised I forgot this on the short rows I just finished on the mantle too - Doh!)


2. I was doing something weird with my grafting which I couldn't work out until half way around the shell and then I worked it out but I couldn't face redoing the massive chunk I'd already done.
   

Now, overall these things have little impact and perhaps might not be noticed... especially as I'm thinking about hiding the grafting with a bit of crochet slip stitch along the top, but I'm giving this to another knitter and, it just seems wrong to leave two reasonably basic mistakes visible.

So now there is also this:


Helix II! Well, my Dad is always asking me knit him something so I figured he could have the non-knitters snail and I'll assemble another. That said, time is pressing, so it might be that I have to compromise with the new shell and the old mantle :)

This shell is slightly different to the last. I've kept the two mystery fingering yarns (the very dark blue and the greenier blue) and again held them double, but I'd run out of the mystery DK yarn that had been the top of the last shell so I found some slightly variegated pale blue that matches the dark blue (but not the greeny blue :s). I've also inserted a single row of white between each colour change - I'm not sure whether this will look good or bad until it's made up (also :s). And, of course, I remembered to pick up the wraps :o).