Merino on KoolAid

Spinner/Knitter: Peggy
Fiber: 100% Merino top, some wonderfulness that we talked our buddy Sandi into sharing. We got together with good friends back in March for a pot luck and many hours of dying. We used Mother McKenzies Miracle Dye for some wool and KoolAid for others.
Project notes: Space-dyed with KoolAid and then separated down the middle and spun. The single was chained in order to keep long color runs and BONUS: the socks match so well and it must have been totally great dying/spinning/knitting MoJo! The pattern is just basic stockinette with the picot top.

The Socks of Summer

Including the 11 pair of Monkey Socks, we two knit a whole lotta socks this summer, 27 pair so far June through September and more on the needles. The following are knit from our own basic stockinette pattern with the proper number of stitches for the needles we like, dressed up with the picot beginning and most have beads.

Socks by Peggy

Opal
Dicentra Sock Yarn
Opal

Socks That Rock
Farmhouse
Socks That Rock

Harlotty
Socks That Rock
January One
Socks That Rock
Ruby Slippers
Artful Ewe Sock Yarn
Opal
Regia
Regia
Tiny Baby Socks

Trekking XXL

Socks by Rebecca

Socks That Rock
Jewel of the Nile
finished on 06-11
Austermann Step

06-23 to 06-28
Dicentra Sock Yarn
07-11 to 07-29
I put a bead at the beginning of the gusset
Artful Ewe Sock Yarn
08-08 to 08-19
The sock blockers are from Blue Moon, purchased at Black Sheep.

A monkey on my back

This is Peggys first and only Monkey

Austermann Step Sock Yarn
06-23 to 06-28

These are my Monkeys

(I can't stop)
#1.
Socks That Rock
06-11 to 06-23

#2.
Fleece Artist
06-23 to 07-10

#3.
Socks That Rock

06-26 to 07-02

#4.
Artful Ewe Sock Yarn
07-29 to 08-04

#5.
Dicentra Sock Yarn
08-04 to 08-07

#6.
Socks That Rock

08-07 to 08-13

#7.
Koigu

08-14 to 08-18

#8.
On Line Supersocke 100
08-18 to 08-26

#9.
Regia
Designer Line by Kaffe Fassett
08-19 to 09-05
and finally, because at some point
we have to post the Monkeys to date,
and ten was as good a number as any:
#10.
Mt. Colors Bearfoot
08-26 to 09-08

Knitters: Peggy and Rebecca
Time frame: Summer, 2007
Fiber: Various. We worked from stash yarn, although we purchased some during our vacation in June. I have to say that knitting with Socks That Rock yarn was great ~ it's the perfect bouncy type of sock yarn that makes it fun to knit on small needles ~ but my favorite is the Bearfoot from Mt. Colors. That Juniper color has been in my stash for years, waiting for the perfect pattern. Found it!
Pattern: Monkey Socks, by Cookie A. It's a great pattern, easily memorized. It's almost as simple as plain stockinette socks, which is probably why I made so many. All my other patterns are packed away until I land in a permanent place so I'm sticking with Monkey Socks until then.
Needles: We use 2.5mm, mostly, and usually have two pair going at any given time, hence the overlap in dates. We always knit both socks at the same time on two circulars; this results in the two socks being exactly the same and also satisfies our compulsive/obsessive natures. We have recently switched from 24" Addi Turbos to the 32" Addi Lace, with the gold needles/red cable. While the points are excellent for socks, as well as lace, the needles bend after awhile and the cable tends to get a permanent kink if bent too severely ~ the Turbo cable didn't seem to do this so much. Also, the printing on the cable wears off pretty fast, resulting in the need for a needle gauge ~ no biggy since we're all used to that anyway. We're still searching for the perfect sock needles although Peggy discovered that 32" is WAY better than 24" for knitting two socks on the same two circulars.
Embellishments and changes: We don't do regular ribbing for tops of socks. Right now we're into the picot edge ~ provisional cast on, knit ten rows, yo k2tog around, knit ten rows and then knit the provisional cast on together with the next row. Simple. On most socks I did 4 repeats on the leg, some had 5 repeats but the Koigu had just 3 ~ it had the least amount of yardage. With every yarn I could have knit another repeat on the leg, had I known how much left over I would have had. Forewarned etc.
Beads: Pre-stranded, we started with one row just after the picot turn and then went to 3 rows of two different beads. After that came smaller beads ~ two rows, off-set ~ or a single row of larger beads in the center of the outside ten knit rows. Most of the beads came from stash. The beads do not interfere with comfort because there is the backside of the picot hem to cushion them from the leg.
Notes: We needed new socks. We checked over the ones we've been wearing for the last years and wow, some are getting pretty thin. It was time to upgrade and it's nice, since most of them are for us, to not have to wonder what size to make, although some will end up as gifts.

and....we're back!

Edited on 09/12 to say: Thank you, all of you, for your sympathy and support. You warm my heart and help me get off the couch. It amazes me how many of us have gone through this, the unexpected demolition of a long-term marriage ~ one that we fully trusted in and expected to last until 'death do us part'. I fully expect to blog about this later, when I am able. Meanwhile, thanks again. I love you, too. Rebecca

09/10
From Rebecca, a brief explanation for the absence of blog entries since June 20th:

Peggy and I returned from vacation on July 1st whereupon my life took a sudden, totally unexpected turn and not in a good way; once I was able to function at all I plowed back into knitting. As EZ said, "Knit on with confidence and hope, through all crisis."

So I am knitting socks because I can handle socks. Knitting keeps my mind from driving me crazy (a short trip) and it's something to do in the wee hours when sleep eludes me. Thankfully I have a ginormous sock yarn stash and if I run out I'll raid Peggys very respectable stash. She offers much more than yarn and is my soft place to fall. You're the best, Pe. Also a special thanks to Linda 'K' for all your help and support and to my other Friday Knitters ~ Beth, Sandi, MaryB, Pat, Natasha and Michele ~ who offered much needed sympathy, kindness and words of wisdom. I also want to send a big hug to Victoria, Deb and Ellen at Village Yarn, as well as to Naomi, Kathie and Ryan. Thanks to all of you, my Peeps, I am functioning and getting better.

The next two entries will be about socks. Monkey Socks and non-Monkey Socks. And in the meantime, heads up for the wrecking ball. Life has a way of knocking us off our foundation once in a while; the process may be painful but the resulting life can turn out to be so much better than hanging around a 210 pound pile of smelly male crap. Please disregard the January 11th entry. It turns out I didn't marry very well after all.