1.28.2007

Irish Nacho Socks

I’ve been in semi-hibernation for the past week. Actually, I didn’t spend the whole time sleeping. When I wasn’t in repose, I was making these.


I should first tell you that since I began knitting a little over a year ago, I’ve had absolutely no desire whatsoever to make socks. None at all. They seemed like a lot of work for something that goes on your feet and no one really sees. And you can get a halfway decent pair for just a few dollars. I’m not very picky about socks—they've interested me, well, just about not at all.

But I had two skeins of this nice 100% merino KnitPicks Sock Memories yarn that my friend Purly Brites sent me last fall in a very wacky color called “Flower Power.” I hadn’t been able to figure out what to do with it (especially in such a crazy colorway) and it just looked like it wanted to be made into socks. And I wanted to prove to myself I could make socks.


So socks I made. I used the Pippi Kneestockings pattern from S’n’B vol. 1. I figured that as a sock first-timer, I probably couldn’t go too wrong with instructions from S’n’B.

The only thing that strikes me as kind of funny about them (aside from the completely chaotic riot of colors) is the heel flap. But it works, they fit, and they’re so kooky they make me giggle.

Oh, you’re wondering about the Irish Nachos? Irish Nachos consist of an enormous pile of french fries smothered in melted cheddar and mozzarella cheese and a hearty dose of green and red peppers.

So these are my Irish Nacho Socks.

By the way, the mozzarella cheese color used for toe and heel is (brace yourself, purists and fiber snobs) 100% acrylic Dream Baby yarn. I like to force the common fibers to mingle with elites like the high-falutin’ merino. And it’s all I had that matched.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Those are your first socks? Wow. They came out beautifully! I love the colors. And you made a pair!

Chris said...

They came out fabulously, especially for first socks!

sunneshine said...

I love them!! They look great and the yarn definatly needed to be socks! Great job!!!(and now that you steered me toward that pattern, can you tell me how much yarn each sock used?)

Still working on the coat post...soon...

Obsidian Kitten said...

Thanks! I like them in all the craziness of the riot of color. They're sumthin else! HAW!

I used two skeins of Knit Picks Sock Memories 100% merino (50 g/192 yds) and it wasn't going to be *quite* enough for the pattern. (My guage worked out 28 sts + 34 rows = 4 in on size 3 needles, so it was very close to pattern)

After working the calf decreases I skipped 1 1/2 stipes (i.e. left out 22 rnds). In other words, after the calf decreases on the top of pg. 183, I did 8 more rows and then worked the heel flap. (This made a total of 50 rows worked in the calf decrease section)

Still, the socks seem plenty long to me, and although stripes are nice, FOUR skeins of yarn seems a bit of a splurge. Using a contrasting color from my scrap pile for heel and toe totally made up for the difference, and I had a little bit of the varigated yarn left over, so I probably could've made the socks and inch or so taller without running out of yarn.

I did wind up *adding* 5 rows for the foot--I wear a women's US size 7 1/2-8 (UK 38-39) shoe and seemed to need about an extra half inch there.

Hope this helps!

BEESTLYproducts said...

those are effing cute!!!! i kinda want some cheese curl now :-)