Bovary Blues

I decided to knit the Bovary socks from General Hogbuffer on Ravelry with some purple sock yarn my sister picked up for $2 at a garage sale. I thought the plainness of the solid-colored yarn would be a nice contrast to the extreme lacy zigzag drama going on in the pattern.

I cast on 64 stitches on size 1 needles for the medium size listed in the pattern and didn't do any gauge swatching since that's a pretty standard stitch count/needle size for me. I knit all the way down past the gusset with only minor problems (missing a YO or a decrease here and there, etc.), only to discover the sock is very, very tight. I can just barely squeeze it onto my foot.

The socks will turn out too snug for most adults, so I'll have to frog the project. It's sad to figure this out after I've sunk so much time into this sock. It'll take a bit more time to mentally prepare myself to rip it all out.

The fancy gusset and extended chain pattern down the length of the foot are new styles I haven't seen before. Maybe I'll attempt it in the larger size, since it's an interesting and fun (albeit intense) pattern. It's been nice having a small project that I can bring to work and do a few rows on each day during my lunch break.

Fingerless Gloves for Finger Hands

This is baby hand. It's really a tiny man hand, but my sister and I call it baby hand. Check out her Tumblr to see what adventures baby hand is getting up to!

Anyways, I had a bunch of scrap sock yarn laying around and decided to make baby hand a fingerless glove (or seven). This is my first attempt at writing a pattern, so if anyone tries it, please me know if it's understandable! I'm pretty good at reading knitting patterns, but figuring out how to write this short, fairly simple pattern was way harder than I anticipated. For a downloadable version of the pattern, check out the Ravelry page.

Materials
Fingering/sock weight yarn, approximately 3 grams per glove
Set of 5 US size 1 (2.25mm) double pointed needles
Yarn needle
Optional: stitch marker, cable needle

Gauge
This project is so tiny it's not really worth making a gauge swatch. If you still feel compelled to check, 9 stitches and 12 rows = 1” in stockinette.

Abbreviations
k: knit
p: purl
kfb: increase by knitting in the front and back loop of the stitch before pulling it off the needle
c6f: (cable 6 front) a six stitch left-twisting cable. Instead of using a cable needle, I leave 3 stitches on the double pointed needle and pull the whole needle in front. Knit the next 3 stitches, slide the 3 reserved stitches onto the left needle, and knit them.
c6b: (cable 6 back) a six stitch right-twisting cable. Put the needle with the first 3 stitches behind the work, knit the next 3 stitches, slide the 3 reserved stitches onto the left needle, and knit them.
k2tog: decrease by knitting two stitches together

Right Glove
Cast on 24 stitches and distribute evenly on four needles (6 stitches per needle). I use the longtail cast on, but you can use any cast on you prefer. Join, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Row 1: K1, p1, repeat to end of row.
Row 2-8: Continue in k1, p1 rib.
Row 9: K1, kfb, k2, kfb, k1, repeat to end of row. (32)
Row 10: K12, p1, c6f, p1, k12.
Row 11-13: K12, p1, k6, p1, k12.
Row 14: K12, p1, c6f, p1, k12.
Row 15-16: K12, p1, k6, p1, k12.
Row 17: K12, p1, k6, p1, k7, slip last stitch over as if to bind off, k1, slip last stitch over as if to bind off, k1, slip stitch over as if to bind off, k3.
Row 18: K12, p1, c6f, p1, k5, cast on 3 stitches using the backwards loop cast on, k4.
Row 19-21: K12, p1, k6, p1, k12.
Row 22: K12, p1, c6f, p1, k12.
Row 23: K12, p1, k6, p1, k12.
Row 24: K1, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k1, repeat to end of row. (24)
Bind off and weave in ends.

Left Glove
Cast on 24 stitches and distribute evenly on four needles (6 stitches per needle). This pattern is the same as the right glove except the cable goes the other way and the thumb hole (rounds 17-18) is on the other side.
Row 1: K1, p1, repeat to end of row.
Row 2-8: Continue in k1, p1 rib.
Row 9: K1, kfb, k2, kfb, k1, repeat to end of row. (32)
Row 10: K12, p1, c6b, p1, k12.
Row 11-13: K12, p1, k6, p1, k12.
Row 14: K12, p1, c6b, p1, k12.
Row 15-16: K12, p1, k6, p1, k12.
Row 17: K6, slip last stitch over as if to bind off, k1, slip last stitch over as if to bind off, k1, slip last stitch over as if to bind off, k4, p1, k6, p1, k12.
Row 18: K4, cast on 3 stitches using the backwards loop cast on, k5, p1, c6b, p1, k12.
Row 19-21: K12, p1, k6, p1, k12.
Row 22: K12, p1, c6b, p1, k12.
Row 23: K12, p1, k6, p1, k12.
Row 24:K1, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k1, repeat to end of row. (24)
Bind off and weave in ends.

Broken Seed Stitch Socks

Let me just start by saying that these are the best, most wearable socks I have made yet. I actually finished the first pair quite a while ago but writing this post has been on the back burner since I've been busy with a new-ish job and lots of Christmas knitting. January's almost over and I'm still finishing up the second pair of these socks as a (very late) Christmas present for my aunt.

The broken seed stitch pattern makes these socks go a little slower than the stockinette socks I've been making recently, but it's gorgeous. It looks like little scales! For the finished pair, I used Paton's Kroy Socks in Blue Stripe Ragg and Premier Yarns Deborah Norville Serenity Sock in soft white. I picked up metal size 1 needles from Joann and used them for the first time on this project. They're longer than my bamboo size needles and I prefer the feel of them. I used my regular number of stitches (64) and the socks turned out perfectly snug.

The second pair uses the same white yarn and the same Paton's Kroy Socks yarn in another colorway- Cascade Colors. The color variation in the yarn gets super muted in this pattern due to being mixed with the white, but the socks still look pretty.

In the first pair of socks, I had issues with getting the two colors of yarn in the right place to pick up after the heel. I had to cut the yarn and reattach it when I got back around to the right spot. Because this pattern is more of a "recipe" than a pattern, it doesn't go into detail about where to change colors.

For the second pair, I tried out the method from the Rose City Rollers where you knit the heel flap and heel like normal but pick up an extra stitch on each side when starting the gusset and start the gusset decreases half a round later than usual. This means you begin your round at the start of the instep instead of the middle of the heel. It's hard to describe over text, but it worked for me and I recommend taking a look at the gusset and gusset decreases section of the Rose City Rollers pattern to help with the Broken Seed Stitch socks if you're having issues.

The only other change I would make if I knit these again is to do a stretchier cast on. I used the long tail method for both of these pairs and it makes it a little hard to pull on your foot.