Monday, June 28, 2010

Softball Socks 2010 • Now with More NCAA Championships!

This is the third straight year that I’ve knit “softball socks.” These were started while I was attending the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, although it was too damn hot to do more than a tiny bit of knitting while I was there. Basically, I cast on the first toe, got the sock into the round and put it away until I could spend some quality time with my good friend Mr. Air Conditioning.

SB10blockers.jpg
Turtle Daddy sock blockers!

These socks rekindled both my sock knitting mojo and my love for a plain stockingette sock.

SB10cuffs.jpg

I don’t need pattern stitches to keep my interest. I think there’s a beauty and serenity to just going “knit knit knit” in the round. Nothing changes while life swirls around you. Although I did change needles for the cuffs, going up one needle size to make these socks easy on/off.

SB10toes.jpg
Toe pic!

I used my very favorite toes for this pair, the garter toe. They could not possibly be easier to execute, and they fit perfectly every single time.

SB10heels.jpg
New Pathways arch increases/heel turn

I used my Zen Yarn Garden “Represent” yarn, which was Roxanne’s entry into last summer’s Dye for Glory contest. My BruWins certainly did “Represent” while I was knitting these socks. Softball won its 13th national championship and baseball has played itself into the NCAA Championship Series for the first time in program history (best-of-three begins tonight against South Carolina)

SB10jssbo.jpg
I loved watching the rainbow of colors pass over my needles, as you can see on the bind-off.

Once again, I used Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off for these socks. I love how the colors flow on variegated yarns when I use this bind-off. Plus, it does exactly what it says it will. It’s very stretchy!

All in all, I’m very pleased. And yeah, you can expect another ZYG pair of plain ‘ol stockingette socks up next on the sock needles.

SB10feet.jpg


Softball Socks 2010

Pattern: Riverbed Master from New Pathways for Sock Knitters by Cat Bordhi
Yarn: Zen Yarn Garden Superwash Sock
Colorway: Represent
Yardage: 430 yards
Needles: US 1/2.25mm for feet, US 1.5/2.5mm for cuffs. 16” Hiya Hiya with “2 circs” method
Started: 6 June 2010
Finished: 27 June 2010

3 comments:

turtlegirl76 said...

What a happy pair of socks! The bind off looks fantastic. That's my new favorite too.

The colorway really didn't need anything more to sing. I think a more complicated pattern would have been lost in it. Good choice keeping it simple!

Zonda said...

Great looking socks!! I too love that bind off, it's awesome for almost everything (ask me how I know...um 600 sts later ;)

I've yet to try that toe, I really need to!

astoriaAnn said...

Where did you find the garter toe? It looks great. Is it also from Cat Borhdi?