If you are a knitter who knits socks, then you probably have a "go to" pattern - a pattern that you have knit more than once, is easy to remember and gives a really cool finished pair of socks.
My "go to" pattern is Jaywalker. Apparently I am not the only one: Ravelry stats show almost 6,300 pairs of Jaywalkers either in progress or finished (at the time of this writing).
I have a lot of variegated yarns that do not translate well into lacy, cabled or intricate sock patterns (such as those from Cookie A). Jaywalker, due to its increases and decreases, is the perfect pattern for such yarns because it avoids pooling and displays a yarn to its best potential whether long or short color repeats are present.
When I say I have a lot of variegated yarns, I am not kidding. I have 43 hanks of variegated sock yarn. This does not include the 3 or 4 pairs on the needles right now.
I knit may 6 or 7 pairs of socks a year. I buy maybe 10 or 12 hanks of sock yarn a year. I may be really bad at math but I know this is not an equal ratio of input and output. That said, I am also OK with this discrepancy. One podcaster pointed out that if knitting has various phases of popularity (such as fun fur, lace, Zimmermann-mania, sock knitting and spinning, for example), then it is important to "stock up" on sock yarns. All the wonderful indy sock dyers may become a thing of the past. 6 years ago, the variety and availability of interesting, colorful, and inspiring sock yarns were just simply not there. This lends merit to the idea that we should stock up while the getting is good.
Currently on the needles are my Betty Bangs Jaywalkers. Sugarbee Studios (who else?) came up with a gorgeous sock yarn inspired by Betty Page. I immediately cast on a pair of Jaywalkers with it. I am currently on the second sock (almost down to the heel).
The tag is realllly cool. I am a huge fan of Betty Page for a variety of reasons but, of course, that is for another post.
My "go to" pattern is Jaywalker. Apparently I am not the only one: Ravelry stats show almost 6,300 pairs of Jaywalkers either in progress or finished (at the time of this writing).
I have a lot of variegated yarns that do not translate well into lacy, cabled or intricate sock patterns (such as those from Cookie A). Jaywalker, due to its increases and decreases, is the perfect pattern for such yarns because it avoids pooling and displays a yarn to its best potential whether long or short color repeats are present.
When I say I have a lot of variegated yarns, I am not kidding. I have 43 hanks of variegated sock yarn. This does not include the 3 or 4 pairs on the needles right now.
I knit may 6 or 7 pairs of socks a year. I buy maybe 10 or 12 hanks of sock yarn a year. I may be really bad at math but I know this is not an equal ratio of input and output. That said, I am also OK with this discrepancy. One podcaster pointed out that if knitting has various phases of popularity (such as fun fur, lace, Zimmermann-mania, sock knitting and spinning, for example), then it is important to "stock up" on sock yarns. All the wonderful indy sock dyers may become a thing of the past. 6 years ago, the variety and availability of interesting, colorful, and inspiring sock yarns were just simply not there. This lends merit to the idea that we should stock up while the getting is good.
Currently on the needles are my Betty Bangs Jaywalkers. Sugarbee Studios (who else?) came up with a gorgeous sock yarn inspired by Betty Page. I immediately cast on a pair of Jaywalkers with it. I am currently on the second sock (almost down to the heel).
The tag is realllly cool. I am a huge fan of Betty Page for a variety of reasons but, of course, that is for another post.
The yarn is a fantastic mix of shades of purple, grays, and black.
The resulting Jaywalker is a great fabric to show off the colors without pooling. I really dislike pooling but can live with it if necessary.
I will be keeping this pair of socks for myself.ON THE NEEDLES: Betty Bangs and Hanami
ON THE BOOKSHELF: The Graveyard Book by Gaiman
ON THE iPOD: Deconstructing Dinner (a food ethics podcast out of Canada)
ON THE TABLE: Chicken salad leftove from crockpot Maui Chicken
I don't knit socks (it's not like I can't they just don't hold my interest) but I have a vast array of sock yarn stock piled. Although I doubt sock yarn is going to disappear any time soon - there is still plenty of fun fur if you're in need. Jaywalkers have always seems like a smart choice for yarn that might pool, plus is doesn't end up being a competition between the yarn and pattern.
ReplyDeleteVery pretty. I've stopped stocking up on anything. I figure if I run out and no one is selling it anymore maybe I should just search out undyed and dye it myself. Either that or pick something else to knit. I'm already approaching the point of having more socks then I can reasonably wear in a month...of course some are also about to wear out...
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love your rationale for stocking up on sock yarns now -- who knew that I actually had a good reason for doing so? And I think that yarn is absolutely stunning, what a great colorway, and you're right, the jaywalkers are perfect for it :)
ReplyDelete