Monday, September 13, 2010

Fuzzy Feet!

If I remember correctly, I went through my inaugural Fuzzy Feet Stage prior to our last Christmas in California, which would have been 2006. Yes, I am too lazy to look it up. Why do you ask?

I was brand new to sock knitting and once I made it through the first pair, they were a cinch to churn out in quantity.

But what happens when, 3+ years later, you look across the TV room and see skin through the soles of both Fuzzy Feet being worn by the Hubster?

FFholes.jpg
HOLES!!! (the scary part? He hadn’t noticed …)

Obviously, if he’s worn them enough to walk holes in the soles, he gets a new pair!

So I spent my entire Labor Day stay at the Lake knitting furiously with some Cascade 220 and US 10.5 needles. I finished the second Monster Sock around 11 a.m. on Monday and took them upstairs to felt. Oh, and why the urgency? We have a front-load washer at home, but an old school “standard” washer at the Lake. Labor Day weekend was the last time the ginormous ski feet and felting-friendly washer were going to be in the same place at the same time in 2010.

FFprefelting.jpg
Pre-felting comparison.

Oh, he has wide feet too, so I cast on some extra stitches (for a count of 52), turned the heel over half of them and muddled through the rest of the numerical stuff without actually having to think about it. Yay, sock knitting experience! And yes, I knit the socks to 14.5” before starting the toe decreases to make sure they’d be long enough for Bigfoot post-felting.

FFoldNnew.jpg
Post-felting.

The new ones are on the left. Old on the right. It’s amazing how fuzzy and thick the new ones are. We’ll see how well they wear.

And no, my recipient was unwilling to model, so you get some stunning still shots of slippers. Exciting, no?

FFnew.jpg

Fuzzy Feet, Redux

Pattern: Fuzzy Feet by Theresa Vinson Stenersen
Source: Knitty.com, Winter 2002
Yarn: Cascade 220 Wool
Colorway: Light and Medium Gray (#9401)
Yardage: Probably about 1.75 skeins. I used a fresh skein for each foot, so it's a little hard to tell for sure.
Needles: US 10.5/6.5mm 16” KA Switch
Started: 4 September 2010
Finished: 6 September 1010
Mods: I was knitting for Bigfoot, so I used 52 sts and extrapolated the appropriate numbers from there for the heel turn, gusset pick-up, etc. Knit to 14.5” before beginning the toe decreases.

5 comments:

Jenn said...

Every time I felt, I am amazed by the transformation. They look wonderful!

Sarah said...

At least you were knitting with big needles and big (relatively speaking) yarn this time around. I still remember those black socks and how they almost did you in.

These look so nice and cozy! I hope Hubster will appreciate all you work come fall and winter.

Trillian42 said...

You know, you might be surprised at how your front-loader does with felting. Mine works just fine. From what I understand, the issues were with the older models that you absolutely couldn't open to check things. If I pause mine, it will unlock. If yours does, try it and you might save yourself crazy Lake knitting. :D

turtlegirl76 said...

Aren't fuzzy feet just plain gratifying to knit? I love how fast a pair can be knocked out.

pdxknitterati/MicheleLB said...

I love the before and after pix. Felting is magic! Much like blocking is magic.