As you may remember, my latest project has been the Leyburn Socks (free pattern found here).
I had been eager to use the Rio de la Plata I bought the weekend of Mother’s Day…
I thought the project was going to be easy and zoomed right through the first foot until I turned the heel and had to make increases.
Oh boy. I got confused and had to finangle my way through the rest of it as I just couldn’t figure out how to make round 5 work after the increases. And this was coming off of working a short row heel, which you know I love (the italics indicate sarcasm). And, this was on top of the provisional cast on and short row toes (more sarcasm)!
Needless to say, I was not exactly thrilled to cast on the second one, but cast on I did as I tend to be a very monogomous knitter.
I worked and worked…and thought and thought as I had to tink a few times.
I finally figured out that I was over-thinking the fifth row.
People…how many times have you heard the phrase, “Trust the pattern.”
I had already googled for errata and could not find any. I checked the comments on the pattern in Ravelry, and everyone bragged about how easy it was.
So yes, I felt kind of stupid when everything clicked two nights ago.
Ready to book my way through to the end, I encountered a small problem…
How much more stupid could I be. While trying to snip a wad of sticky stuff from Pele’s fur, he got scared, moved, and the scissors sliced two of my fingers.
As the Mr. gently applied bandages, I cried out, “Now I won’t be able to finish my socks!”
He looked at me incredulously and said, “Maybe you shouldn’t be knitting right now.”
Poosha, you unknowing man.
Not knit?! Surely you jest!
I sat myself down, bemoaned my woes to my online buddies, and then picked up the needles…determined to push on through the pain.
And that’s just what I did!
It was slow-going, but I finally managed to bind off the last sock today.
Woo Hoo!
Rooster acquiesced to my request that he play photographer. He did a fine job!
First of all, though, let me say that this was one skein of yarn that I wound into two separate balls. My original intent had been to knit them two-at-a-time. I wound up doing them separately using Magic Loop. But, when I finished, I realized that they look like they were made from different colors!! It’s very strange and not at all pleasing to me.
Oh well. I’ll still wear them. One thing’s for sure…nobody else will have a pair like them!
Quickie stats: I began this project on June 6 and completed it today, June 21. I used 80g of yarn on size 1 1/2 needles. I completed 11 pattern repeats from the heel up.
And now, more pictures to show off my hard work…
Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: Knitting, Leyburn Socks, Rio de la Plata, socks |
AuburnChick's Adventures 
Great-looking socks! Oddly, in some of the photos, they look like they match, but in others they don’t. It must be the play of light or the angle of the camera.
Take care that your cuts don’t get infected. That would definitely cut into your knitting time. :o)
Wow, those are amazing!! Great, great job. They are beautiful!!
Suzanne
I’d love to know how you dealt with that blasted row 5! I just couldn’t figure it out, so I ended up having a weird ‘seam’ between the two halves of the sock (working magic loop). After having that problem, I didn’t get the appeal of the leyburns at ALL.
The first thing I did was slip stitches onto each needle so that I had 36 on each one. It made the pattern rounds easier to work with. Row 5 instructs you to k4, slip 5 wyf, *k1, slip 5 wyf* to the end. When you get to the end, you only have two stitches to slip. This is where you have to go into Round 6 and slip those first three stitches (making the 5 that you need). Technically, you just finished Round 5 and began Round 6, which is all knits. But, this sets you up properly for Round 7, which starts with k1 from under the first slipped stitch in round 5. I think these instructions could have been written a little clearer in the pattern.
Those are very pretty…ouch on the fingers though, our husbands don’t understand we gotta knit! I plan to sit down tonight in the middle of the boxes and drag mine out : )