Is that a sock you are knitting or ....?

So today, there is the puzzle of the curious shaped new sock, and the sleeve grows, and another swatch, but I'm not sure, which brings me to some vest discussions.

Cat Bordhi's sock design is intriguing, Bartholomew's Tantalizing sock is just that, tantalizing. I've knit socks top down and toe up, and with a variety of heel shaping s and toe forms, but this one has me guessing where it goes next. Oh - I know it starts at the top and widens for the ankle and heel, then will continue to close around the toe, but the exact way the shaping is working is a surprise. Having said that, I can see the shapes needed for a sock to fit emerge as I knit, the sock narrows in below the calf muscle, and is widening over the instep, even the Linen stitch is shaping the sock, shortening the front and curving it around into a leg and foot shape. I am having to pay attention - but I if I knit more of these, the shaping would have meaning and be easier to track. I'm up to the heel shaping, so the next post should have a heel on show.



A sleeve grows, surprisingly fast, only an inch and a half to go, and then onto sleeve 2. I plan to use the fake seam to mark the mid under-sleeve line just to match the body section. But do I have enough yarn? I am knitting a finished size chest of 34", and bought 3 skeins of 420m each, so a total of 1260m. Marnie Kelly (the yarn designer) suggested 2 skeins would be enough for a child's sweater, but I played safe and got three. I know I like a firmer gauge than most knitters, so 3 seemed safe. Now with skein number 2 nearly finished and only a body and a sleeve already knit, I am wondering if I can get a yoke and a 2nd sleeve out of one and tad skeins. If I need to I will buy more, and if the same batch is not available, I can knit the yoke in the darker colour, a muddy brown, my contingency plan.

....and yet more swatching, the knitters study group ongoing project for the year is to knit a vest, to be finished for display in October. I'm dithering over which vest to knit, I can't see myself in a loose boxy number, a granny vest, and I don't feel like knitting a cabled or garter one, so I'm a bit undecided. I do want to knit something that some one will wear, preferably me. A vest in Vintage Knits appeals, so I've swatched a little of the red possum merino silk for it, a little 1x1 rib, a little 4x1 rib and a little moss stitch in the round with a i-cord bind off. I wouldn't knit it in red, not sure if it is my limited vision or the predominantly dark Dunedin winter wardrobe but I can't get past the dark blue grey in the photo. I think I like - but I'm still looking, so maybe I don't like enough. The swatch was way off gauge, so I'd have to do the math and resize, which could be the challenge required for the project. Btw : the red is deeper and much nicer than the photos shows, apparently my new wizzy camera is no better at capturing deep delicious reds than the old one.


As for other options, there are two, first a deep V argyle, steeked, a real treasure from Eunny Jang, or this little number which is calling me, but not because I want to wear it, because I think it would be challenge to knit. Some one, please talk me out of that, please? Or perhaps in grey and without the word Corset above it would loose its boudoir and overtly corset connotations. Small note : the AM corset is knit to a gauge of 4.5 sts per inch, which is much larger than I enjoy working, while Eunny's vest is at 6sts per inch.