Falling Ribbons and Constrictor

Names... I don't enjoy picking names for my patterns. Most of the time, I don't have a name until the sock is finished. Even then, I have to stare at the sock for a while before a name comes to me. I try not to associate the name with the yarn or the color of the yarn. Most of the time, I try to name it based on what it looks like. It's sort of a game. What is the first word that you think of when you see this? --type of game.

Words that came to me with this sock are bound, tied, wrapped, swirl, etc. I finally decided on Constrictor as the name. It looks like a boa constrictor is wrapped around your foot the way the cables pull across. The cables look tight in the photo, but they're not uncomfortable. I chose not to wrap the cables all the way around the leg thinking that would be too binding. That was a good decision. As knitted, these socks are snug, but not too much.

I tried doing something different with the gusset. I did my fancy count backwards type heel on these. I love how the heel looks, but it's probably not the best sock for closed shoes. These socks would be best for clog type shoes.

I have to talk about the yarn. This is Enchanted Knoll Farms yarn in the Chai color. I LOVE this yarn. It's a 4-ply and that makes it super smooth. I've been looking for a yarn that has a similar smooth base to Wollmeise, but easier to get. I've found it and bought some more. The colors aren't as saturated and rich, but I love how they're more subtle in their variegation. I can't wait to try a twisted stitch pattern with this yarn. I think it will look great.

Details:
Pair #13 for the 52 Pair Plunge II
Pair #8 for Summer of Socks 08
Yarn: Enchanted Knoll Farms in Chai
Needle: size 0 (2mm) Knit Picks Classic Circular
Method: magic loop, 2 at once, toe-up with Turkish cast-on, my fancy gusset heel
Pattern: Constrictor (my own to be written up later)
Start: July 27, 2008
Finish: July 29, 2008

This sock took me longer than expected to finish. My parents were visiting while I was working on this sock and not much knitting was accomplished that week.

This yarn is Conjoined Creations Flat Feet yarn. It's the yarn that comes knitted in a giant rectangle. You can separate them to knit two socks at once. I did take a picture of the yarn before I knitted, but the coloring was all off. :-( This flat was dyed with the colors going at a diagonal. That resulted in very subtle and thin stripes--no pooling at all. The yarn is strange to knit with because it's basically frogged yarn. I found that it didn't really affect my knitting or gauge. It did feel a little rough because of the texture, but that didn't bother me.

Details:
Pair #12 for the 52 Pair Plunge II
Pair #7 for Summer of Socks 08
Yarn: Conjoined Creations Flat Feet
Needle: size 0 (2mm) Knit Picks Classic Circular
Method: magic loop, 2 at once, toe-up with Turkish cast-on, short row heel
Pattern: Falling Ribbons (my own to be written up later)
Start: July 18, 2008
Finish: July 27, 2008

Up next... I have no idea. I've been looking at my sketches and I can't decide which one to do first.