I’ve gotten a couple of comments about my sock blockers and thought I would show what one looks like without the sock.

Not too exciting except for the price, which was virtually nil. I’ve seen plastic and wooden blockers at the local knitting stores but thought the prices ($25 – $30) were too steep. The Knitting Zone has some photos of how to make them with plastic coated hangers.

Just as Mary from The Knitting Zone commented on her web site, blockers work great for drying and taking pictures otherwise there’s really no need to block socks.

Donna, the ball of yarn in the photo is what I had left after making the Crossing Cables socks for a size 7.5 US shoe. It’s probably not enough to make baby socks but big enough that I won’t donate it to my cat’s yarn ball collection.

The leg is about the same length as the foot, 9 inches from the tip of the heel. While the pattern calls for a 3mm needle for a woman’s sock and 3.5mm for the leg of a man’s sock, I used a size 2.5mm needle for the foot and 2.75mm for the leg. If I had it to do over again I would have use the 2.75mm needles for the whole sock. Just for reference, I tested my tension in stockenette while using the 2.75mm needles and found I was getting 7 stitches per inch. So, while I loved using Mountain Colors Bearfoot yarn, it might not be the right choice for this pattern unless you can make some adjustments or you don’t mind loose tension. I tried using 3mm needles but the tension was too loose for my tastes. Perhaps the MC’s Weaver’s Wool Quarters would work better, if you need larger socks.

I wanted to deliver the Crossing Cables socks to my mother this weekend so I spent most of Saturday and part of Sunday finishing the second sock. Of course, the socks were well received.

This is such an enjoyable pattern that I plan to make another pair for myself. I’ve been looking at various tweed yarns for the next pair and found some superwash red tweed called Smart by Sandnes while shopping at Sew EZ Too in Spokane this weekend. The price was right so I also picked up enough for some dark blue tweed socks.

Last week I was as far away from a computer as I could get, soaking in the mountain colors of Glacier National Park in Montana (the home state of Mountain Colors Hand-Painted Yarns). Although I spent most of my time hiking, I did haul the Crossing Cables Socks around in my pack and found a few spare moments to knit. Here’s what I managed to get done (mostly during the long car trip).

After finishing half of the first foot on size 3mm needles, I decided to start over with size 2.5mm needles. The larger sized needles were producing a loose knit fabric that just didn’t look right. The sock should still fit the recipient since the fabric is essentially ribbing that stretches well.

I’m anxious to sew Gilet Lace together. I finished all the pieces just before leaving on vacation so it’s been laying on my project table waiting for my return. Hopefully I’ll find time to work on it tomorrow evening.

I’m sure all the knitting lists are talking about the case of the exploding knitting needle. I just heard about it on the local evening news. Don’t those needles look like Addi Turbos?

Yahoo, I got the Crossing Cables Socks pattern from Danny Ouellette earlier this week.

After flipping through the pattern, it looks like it will be worth the wait. While I might have eventually done it on my own, I can now clearly see that it would have taken a while. I was on the right track but hadn’t yet figured out how to strategically place the cables between purl stitches.

The pattern is five pages long, includes several charts and has a very professional look. I don’t think Danny has spared any details.

Although I’m diligently working to finish Gilet Lace, I couldn’t resist working on a swatch of the Mountain Colors Bearfoot yarn that I’ll be using for the socks. This 3-ply yarn is a pleasure to knit. I’ve decided to follow the pattern and use 3mm needles, but I’m usually inclined to use a smaller sized needle to get tighter stitches when making socks. This time I’ll stick to the larger needles to avoid making socks that will be too small for the recipient.

I purchased this sock yarn (click picture for a closer view) for my mother on mother’s day and promised to make her a pair of socks that she could wear this fall.

Earlier this week I came across this crossing cables pattern and placed an order for the PDF file. Well the payment went through but I didn’t get the PDF and the person behind the web site hasn’t responded to my e-mail.

Hopefully I get response soon. If not, I just might have to figure out the pattern myself. After a little searching I found that the same stitch pattern was used in “Wall Street Cables” from Arans & Celtics and according to Jon’s Knitting Blog (via EarthaKnits), it’s also in Harmony Guide 220 Aran Stitches.

Here’s a better picture of the sock on RedBirdKnits.com, which was knit in Wollywasch Tweed.

My mom needs something to cheer her up, look what happened my parent’s business this week. At least everyone in my family is ok and my dad is taking it well. Despite feeling awful for my folks, this other article did put a smile on my face.