Thursday Sockalong: Hermione Sock

It’s Thursday, and I have a new sock to share!

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When I first started knitting socks two at a time, I basically decided there was no reason to ever knit a single sock again.  Why knit one sock when you could knit two? But, as you can see, there’s only one sock on that needle!  And there’s only one needle … I’m knitting it magic loop, which I never do! (It’s a wild ride over here, folks!)

I love two at a time socks, but the thing is, I find them a bit fiddly to get started, especially (when they’re cuff down, rather than toe up.  So when I found myself in Wellington airport with just a bit of time before the start of my 20+ hour journey back to the US, I decided I just didn’t have it in me to try to get two socks going.  I usually like to sit down in a quiet place, with lots of elbow room, to cast on TAAT socks, and I just didn’t have that!  I also thought I’d give magic loop, which I rarely use, a try, because it seemed like it might be a bit more compact than using two circulars.  And it’s given me no problems.  I’m knitting on ChiaoGoo needles, and I think that’s really helped.  The cables are nice and sturdy and don’t, in my experience, get wonky and crimped … it makes magic loop much less of a headache!

The pattern is Hermione’s Everday Sock.  I’m bummed that I’m not sure what the yarn is, as I am loving how it knits up!  I caked it ages ago and kept the tag with it for a long time, but it seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle.  I know it was a hand dyer, and if I had to guess, I’d say the yarn is 100% wool … they’re a bit hard to capture, but the many-colored speckles are really pretty!

Three stages of sock knitting!

I’ve been enjoying lots of things about knitting this sock.  Progress has felt super fast since there’s just one.  I knit the cuff on the short flight from Wellington to Auckland, made significant progress on the leg when I wasn’t sleeping on the flight from Auckland to LA, and then did the heel flap and most of the gusset from LA to Baltimore.  Now that we’re here, my knitting progress has been really negligible.  Between going to the storage unit to get out and put away various things, driving my stuff to my future apartment in Philadelphia yesterday, and seeing friends (+ jet lag), I’ve had little time/energy for knitting.  I’m looking forward to getting to LA next week and hopefully settling into a normal schedule (read: a schedule that includes lots of knitting time).

I’m especially eager to get this pair done as I’m seriously itching to cast on the Smooth Operator Socks.  Seeing fellow sockalongers Alex and Paula’s progress and Melinda of Knit Potion’s lovely finished pair has convinced me they need to be my next socks.  In all the moving craziness yesterday, I managed to locate this skein of Trailing Clouds sock yarn which I think will be perfect for the pattern (this was something of a miracle, given the number of receptacles we moved containing yarn!):

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The colors of this yarn represent each London tube line!

There’s a group of us who talk socks on Thursday:

Go check out what they have to say this week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19 thoughts on “Thursday Sockalong: Hermione Sock”

  1. I love the yarn! Believe it or not, I started a pair of Hermione’s Every Day Socks as my second pair ever. I only finished one of them and the other has been languishing with just 1/2 inch of the cuff complete. I wonder if I’ll ever get back to it? If you do decide to work on the Smooth Operator socks, she still has the discount on them…so snatch up the pattern while you can! That yarn would be perfect for them! Oh, and welcome back to the States!!! Do you live in multiple places? LA, Philly and Baltimore?

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    1. Did you end up not liking the pattern, or was it second sock syndrome? I’m going to try really hard to finish these … although I often take awhile to do second sock. I have the Smooth Operator pattern purchased and ready to go .. I’m really excited to make them!

      I’ve lived in Baltimore the past five years for graduate school. But this coming academic year, I have a dissertation fellowship that requires me to be in residence in Philadelphia from Sept-May, and Mr. N (who’s defending his dissertation tomorrow–part of the reason we’re back in Baltimore! Exciting!) has a one year postdoc in LA … so we’ll be living apart for the year and flying back and forth 😦 But I’m trying to think of it more as we’ll have places in two cities! So usually, my life is not so hectic … but this has been the spring/summer of never ending moving as we’ve tried to get all this sorted out! Phew, even typing it out makes me tired!

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      1. Wow! That does sound exhausting! I was wondering and knew if I didn’t ask, I would never know 🙂 It’s hard living apart because you don’t have your partner there every day with you; however when you do get to see each other, it will be like a honeymoon all over again. I’m very familiar as I was a Navy wife in my late teens to mid-twenties.

        I loved the pattern…I just messed it up because I had to put it down for awhile and then got off on my stitch counts. If you go back through my blog, I documented the entire saga. I was bound and determined to move forward and then got distracted again and they’ve never been picked up. I feel so bad taking up a whole sock knitting project bag because I just haven’t gotten them finished. Yay for purchasing the pattern and being ready to go!!! I can’t wait to see how yours turn out.

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      2. Hehe, I’m always happy to answer questions! I never know how much to share in a post, and forget what I have or haven’t said! It’s only 9 months, and all that flight time=knitting time! And you’re right, it will be that much more special when we get to be in the same place!
        I have sooo many patterns that I’ve picked up and put down just like you’re saying. I’ll have to go through your blog archvies and read all about it! It’s going to take a lot of will power to keep going on these socks and not immediately cast on Smooth Operator … temptation around every corner!!

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  2. Pingback: Thursday: It’s All About the Socks | Spin A Yarn

  4. Those are going to be so cute!! I really love that yarn. And aren’t ChiaoGoos the best needles?! I use them for almost everything. The tips have just the perfect amount of taper and pointy-ness for me.

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  5. Hermoine’s Every Day sock is on my list of sock patterns to tackle. It looked like a fairly uncomplicated sock for a beginner. This might just be the next one that I try. I love the yarn you’re using. It has a colorful tweed look about it.

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  9. Pingback: Thursday Sockalong: Minuscule Progress Edition – fiber and sustenance
  10. Pingback: Thursday Sockalong: Hermione Socks, At Last – fiber and sustenance

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