Folk Socks

I will admit that when I don't have much current knitting to talk about here in the Blog I'm not too proud to fall back on past projects.

Back In The Day (the last decade of the last century) I bought Nancy Bush's book FOLK SOCKS because I wanted to knit every single pattern in it. That was my goal. The year was 1995 and I bought pattern-specific yarn for a few of the patterns and had high expectations.

I started with 'Stockings With Clocks', in Brown Sheep Nature Spun 3-ply sport.

I loved them.

Then, as was my habit, I got distracted by shiney things and the rest of the yarn and Folk Socks, The Book, were put away and became lost in the sock yarn section of my stash. And no wonder.

It was a crowded place.

(Still is. eek!)

Happily, Rebecca in Colorado started the Folk Socks KAL, and I got a jump-start on The Book again and made 'Country Socks', also in the pattern-called-for Brown Sheep Nature Spun sport.

Then came 'Latvian Socks', which everyone in the KAL had knit as their first project and I was just so wanting to make with some Trekking XXL from the stash. These turned out rather well. Love the colors.


Our next pattern was a pair of knee socks, 'Norwegian Stockings'. I had it in my head that I don't wear knee-highs, silly me, so I shortened them, which saved me time and I liked them. These are made from almost the-called-for yarn. I used Dale of Norway's FALK (instead of HEILO, which isn't superwash) and I changed the pattern just a little bit by doing my usual heel and some left/right toe shaping.

The October/November sock (voting just closed) is 'Highland Scottische Kilt Hose', page 94. Nancy calls for Nature Spun sport for this pattern also. I think she was in love with that yarn in the '90's, or else Brown Sheep was supplying her, one, but I'm going to use some "original" Kilt Hose wool that a friend is giving me. She and her knitting friends have been knitting Kilt Hose for the men in the Scottish Club (or they play the Pipes, or something) and there's always a new boy in the group who needs an authentic hand-knit pair of Kilt Hose, so as long as I'm knitting them I may as well knit them for someone who will actually wear them with a kilt.

Speaking of kilts, Diana Gabaldon's next Outlander book, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, is now out in paperback. I do love a 900 page book. It's the sixth in the series. All the books in this series are available in the secondary market (ebay, half.com, etc) and I recommend paperback, if only for weight. They're all big, fat yummy reads and you seriously risk cutting into your knitting time whenever you start one, and if you start at the beginning of the series...well then, we'll see you sometime next year. Late.