Lotus Heart

Another sock finish!

Lotus Heart Socks, from Sleepy Eyes Knitting

The pattern is Lotus Heart Socks by Gina House of Sleepy Eyes Knitting. The pattern is available through Ravelry, and is on sale for US$3 until August 21st. The yarn is Dye-Version’s Bamboo Stretch Sock in colourway Sky. I don’t think it is the best yarn/pattern match, but I’ve been wanting to try this particular yarn for ages (I have five more skeins of it, in different colours!). Dye-Version is actually located not very far from me, and I love to support homegrown businesses.

So, my verdict on the yarn is that it is lovely, heavy, and very squishy. It stretches nicely when knitting, but not too much. The finished fabric has a lot of drape, which one would expect from bamboo, but holds it shape surprisingly well, thanks to the elastic.

As for the pattern. Well, I like the finished sock well enough. The cuff is pretty, and was interesting to knit. It is a bit bulky though, and wouldn’t fit nicely under close fitting jeans (which I don’t wear, anyway). The pattern itself is a bit confusing. I had to rewrite the lace pattern for the leg in order for it to make sense to me. Once I did, though, it was smooth sailing and I really look forward to wearing these when the weather gets cold.

To pass the time before I can cast on the next pair of Summer of Socks socks (the Ravelry knit-along I’m taking part in), I got out a pair of socks I started in February. I ran into a problem with the cuff being too tight due to the technique being used (applied i-cord for all you knitters). So, the other day I decided to rip back rather than to continue to hope that my high arch/ankle would get smaller. I increased 10 stitches evenly across the last row, and then did the applied i-cord cuff again. Success! Now I just need to knit the second sock and find two wee buttons to sew on the back.

Wimbledon Sock, from Ros Clark

The pattern is Wimbledon by Ros Clark, and it is available as a p/hop pattern here. The yarn is Berroco Comfort sock in colourways White and Dunedin. (p/hop means pennies per hour of pleasure, and is a fund raiser for Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders.)