Confetti Jaywalkers
Believe it or not, it wasn't all about spinning wheels here over the weekend. I actually hunkered down a bit and finished the second of my Jaywalker socks. And, because I work hard to get the best color rendering possible, I actually sat outside on our upstairs balcony in 35 degree weather to get a natural light photo.
I won't go into too many details about these socks. Lord knows, most of you have probably made a pair yourselves if the popularity of the Jaywalker KAL (hosted by Cara at January One is any indication. I will say that I am happy with the way my socks came out and that I found the pattern easy enough and close enough to my "standard" sock pattern that I will probably consider making these socks again someday. Not only that, but I had a goodly amount of yarn left over, as evidenced by the photo below:
That's actually about 3/4 of an ounce if my scale is to be believed! I'm not sure if that is enough to have made the larger size, but I found that I was good to go with the smaller size for my feet. For, indeed, these socks are a present to me -- probably the last pair of socks I am going to make for myself for a while as I embark on the great "Let Them Wear Handknit Socks!" campaign for my family for the coming year.
And you'll all be proud! As soon as I finished with these socks, I went and found my husband's lonely Trekking XXL sock and the yarn and cast on for the second one of that pair. I gave him a choice on our way home from the Fold. I could either finish up the pair I had started or I could get started right away on a new pair for him out of the Beryl Socks that Rock. Practical guy that he is, he requested that I finish the pair in progress. So back I go to the Trekking socks. After all, a guy who buys me a spinning wheel for my birthday really deserves to have me finish another pair of socks for him.
P.S. I am fascinated by the results of the poll from yesterday. If you haven't checked it out yet, please do! I am also jealous of whomever out there has one of those Golding spinning wheels. I'm hoping to try one of those out while at MS&W this year. And for those of you who checked the "other" box, I'd love to know what other wheels are out there that I missed! Other than that, I'll try to sum up the resuls on Friday!
Beautiful! I love the yarn with the pattern!
You beat me.
The socks look great! The pattern is addicting; I'm on my third pair......
Gorgeous Jaywalkers! Your husband is practical... but doesn't he understand how much more fun it would be to cast on new socks in STR??
Oh lord, I would love a Golding spinning wheel. Not only do I hear they spin amazingly well, but when not spinning? It's like having a work of art in your living room . . . sigh . . . Next time I have a spare $5000 or so . . . And, oh yeah, your socks look great, of course!
Oh -- and now that I've decided to start learning to weave, I've been tempted by the Golding LOOM!!! (I just saw in in Handwoven and I actually *swooned* when I saw it.)
I read your comment on Polly's blog about thicker machine-washable sock yarn for husband socks...both Regia and Opal make a 6-ply sock yarn, which is (I think) DK weight...it's considerably thicker than their usual sock yarn, anyway, AND part nylon and machine washable / dryable. Big fan of the machine washability here, LOL -- my children do the laundry sometimes!
CONGRATULATIONS on the WHEEL! A little bird told me you have a *new friend* - it is so BEAUTIFUL!
SO are your socks...
I love the way they crested and waved in this pattern. Wishing you well as you embark on your family sock adventure!
As for the spinning wheel I have, it's 150 years old. It's also huge, and needing to be restored before I can spin much more than I do. When people ask me what brand I have, I just laugh and say "old."
Chances are it was built by my great-great-great grandfather or the town's carpenter. :P
I love your socks. Go Jaywalker!
You lucky lady, what a beautiful wheel.
I have a Columbine (love love love), a handcrafted Norwegian handcrafted by someone in Oregon, though I don't know the maker, and a Bosworth Book Charkha. I figured that counted as a wheel. :D I had an Ashford Kiwi, but sold it to someone who wanted to learn to spin. I kept my Traveller to, well, travel with. I would love to have a Lendrum someday, but for now, I need to use what I have. I still am not sure how I ended up with four, except that they were all used and total steals.
Among my "other" wheels are 4 original Rick Reeves (pre Schacht involvement) and a Rio Grande.
One of the Reeves wheels is a 19 inch frame wheel which was the "prototype" for the original Schacht "Matchless" wheel that Reeves helped design.
I also have a Pirtle wheel, which as I understand it was made by a hippie commune in the late 60s or early 70s. All Pirtle wheels were of the same design, but were made of whatever wood the commune residents could locate so each is different. Mine is cherry, walnut and maple.
And while it's a "name brand" it's still an unusual wheel... my Louet is the old, no longer made, "hatbox" wheel.
I have a Babe (actually it's my husband's, i can't make it work), a Hitchhiker (Merlin Tree) a Bosworth book charka, a Majacraft and a Louet S-90--which is probably my favorite.