Cucumber Falls Sock Pattern

The Cucumber Falls sock pattern is now available! Thanks to my awesome test knitters who will hopefully be sending me more photos soon.

The story of these socks begins with a set of sock batts that I got from a local fiber artist. When I’d spun the yarn, I wanted something special. I started searching through my stitch dictionaries, experimenting, and this was the result. The colors in the yarn reminded me of Cucumber Falls in Ohiopyle State Park here in Pennsylvania, so I named them Cucumber Falls Socks!

A note on gauge: Your gauge will depend on what size needle you’re using. My size large on size two needles was about 7-8 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch. A size medium on size one needles will likely end up around 9-10 stitches to the inch in stockinette.

Materials Needed-

100G fingering weight yarn. Solid or semi-solid colorways will work best.
US size 2 needles for large, US size 1 for medium. I used the magic loop method. This is a long pattern repeat, so will work best with Magic Loop or the two circular needles method, though you could use 5 DPNs if you wish.
Stitch Marker if desired for marking beginning of round
Row counter
Tapestry Needle for weaving in ends

Pattern costs $5.00 US.

(When you get to the paypal site, make sure you put a note in the box with your correct email address, and I will email you the pattern within 24 hours. If for any reason you don't get the pattern, email me (link in sidebar)with your payment information and I'll resend it.)



I hope you enjoy making them!

My I don't have to run day

Here it is another Monday and again I am woefully unprepared to post anything coherent or interesting to this blog.

Work proceeds as these things do. Bills pile up and no relief in sight. I sold off a goodly chunk of my yarn and fiber stash which gave me a small cushion but I keep getting slightly panicky. This too shall pass.

I did finish the Cucumber Falls socks. They're gorgeous. I'm awaiting the results from my test knitters before I put the pattern out there, but so far so good.

Here's the prototype.






You can see how swollen my left foot gets in that photo.



I must say I really like them.

The Daisy Sock prototypes have been mailed off to my younger daughter in Tennessee. They were a tad snug on my right foot so I knew there was no hope of getting them on my left at all. She'll like them.

The latest design is called Moderne, and I'm working it in Kraemer Sterling Silk and Silver, which is a gorgeous, gorgeous yarn.


The sock incorporates three motifs that I think have an art-deco look. So far so good, and will post pictures as soon as I have one finished.

I'll chime in with the thousands of other bloggers mourning the death of George Carlin. He was one of my all-time favorite smart-asses.

And in closing, while it is certainly possible to make ham salad in the blender, it's inadvisable to get overly ambitious with the size and quantity of your chunks of ham, because then you end up with a broken blender full of half-chopped ham salad.

Until next time.

Just like the girl who married dear old dad

The past two weeks have been real turkeys.

(That's one of the fuzzy baby turkeys that live in the woods behind our house. Offspring of this monster, I have to assume.)


I've been remiss in posting of late. Most of it is coming to terms with going back to work, having less time and less energy in the time I've got.

Yesterday was Father's day, a day I regard with something less than enthusiasm. I am happy for all the people who had a terrific or even adequate father around when growing up. I am happy for all the people who even knew what their father looked like when they were growing up. I am sad for all the people who suffered abuse or abandonment at the hands of a parent as well. This weekend as every father's day weekend, I try to spend time with my mother and let her know that I appreciate that she was mother and father to me, and my girls do the same for me.

I've become fortunate later in life. My husband has become the closest thing to a father that my grown children have ever known. He loves them and they love him. We've become a "real family" (not that we weren't before), a traditional "mom and dad and two kids" which kinda makes me laugh because even in the best of times I couldn't imagine that happening to me.

On the healing front, things move on. Slowly. I stopped taking narcotic pain relievers as of Friday, which has had a profound and amazing impact on my mood. Not sure if it's a rebound effect or something but I'm a lot less depressed and a lot more involved in and aware of positive emotions without the narcotics. The pain is worse, though, which is a bummer, but the whole thing is making me re-evaluate how I want to use the pain pills from now on. I'm thinking Aleve or Tylenol unless it's REALLY REALLY bad and then only the narcotics before bed.

It's still slow going on the bending/mobility front. Hot weather is a horror for swelling. Last week, we had several days in the upper 80s and low 90s and my ankle/foot swelled beyond anything I'd seen it do before. Now that the temp is lower, it's much less swollen. I'm not sure if I'm bending better or not. I stopped PT as it was really pointless to go to therapy after work.

I found out last week that due to a clerical error, I will not be getting paid until August. Apparently I was overpaid while I was off on medical leave and nobody bothered to tell me I got several paychecks that I was not supposed to get. We're trying really hard not to panic. Bob is looking for other freelance writing and I sold off a lot of my yarn and fiber. It was heartbreaking. We're probably going to go through the books and DVDs and CDs and go to Half Price books and the Exchange with them. Once I recover from selling off the fibery goodness, that is.

My next post will be regarding knitting and fiber and all that goodness. I guess this one is more just a braindump. Much needed.

Here's an artistic cathead.


And a squishy puppy face for balance.

Lazy, Hazy, Crazy.

Well, work happened last week. It was a challenge. I'm not sure how this is going to work out for me, honestly. I can sincerely hope it will get easier as time goes along.

I've got a million things to blog about, and can't seem to settle on one. Or even two. So as usual, I'll post pictures of yarn.



I didn't spin that, it's a dyeing attempt. Seems to look okay, we shall see how it knits up. The yarn is knitpicks bare in the merino/silk blend.

Speaking of silk, I am spinning some for the first time. Silk hankies, mixed colors, purely experimental. I have to very consciously not spin this too thin as it's very easy to make it so thin it vanishes. Then it's hell to find on the bobbin after. But fun. I will definitely be looking to spin more of this in the not too distant.




I'm also spinning up some cheviot roving into sock yarn.


Apparently cheviot is a type of fleece that resists felting. I will get four skeins (enough to make a pair from each skein) out of the pound of roving that I have. Will decide on a dye scheme later. It's not extremely soft, but it's not itchy or hard either. It feels kinda tough, and very springy. Durable. We shall see.

I'm working on another sock pattern.


This one is called Cucumber Falls Socks. The "sock knitters anonymous" group on Ravelry has a monthly challenge, and June's challenge was to design your own. I wanted to do something special for this yarn anyway, and it was a good opportunity. I imagine this pattern will be available once I'm done knitting the first pair, but not sure if it'll be free. Considering it took me a week of perusing stitch dictionaries, knitting swatches, doing math, figuring out how to convert flat into round and learning how to make charts, probably not. But it'll be cheap.

The dogs are barking, I'm suffering from caffeine deprivation, and I'm probably going to take a nap. If the dogs will stop barking. They drive me insane sometimes.

Give me your answer, do.

Here's the pattern. Again, if you actually knit these, please let me know.

Daisy stitch socks

Materials Needed
US size 2 needle. Pattern is written for magic loop, but should adapt easily to DPNs or two circ methods.

Note-These socks do not allow much ease in the leg. When in doubt, make them larger, and try on periodically. I have extremely large feet (women's 11 wide) and the larger size, while it fits, is a bit snug on me.

100G sock yarn, works best in variegated/handdyed colorway

Tapestry Needle for weaving in ends

Gauge-7 stitches per inch in stockinette.

Size Medium (Large)

If you need to make these larger or smaller, increase in a multiple of eight, one multiple of four for each needle. Easy-peasy!

Cast on 64 (72) stitches and divide on needles into multiples of four. Work raised ribbing for one inch or until you think you have enough. (I always think I have enough)
Raised Rib:
K1TBL, P1. Repeat.

Begin Daisy Stitch

Row One
Knit around. When approaching daisy stitch, it is best to knit loosely so you will be able to accomplish the "three in one" on the next row.
Row Two
K3TOG, YO, K3TOG in same 3 stitches. P1. Repeat to end.
Row Three
Knit around, remembering to stay loose
Row Four
P2TOG, (K3TOG, YO, K3TOG in same three stitches. P1.) At end of needle (magic loop or circulars) K2TOG, YO, K2TOG in same two stitches.
Continue Daisy Stitch until leg of sock is desired length. End on row 2.

Work heel.

Heel row one-Slip one, knit 31(35). Turn work.
Heel row two-slip one, purl one, repeat to end.
Repeat these 2 rows 16 (18) times more, or until heel flap is desired size.

Turn Heel
Row 1 [RS]: Sl1, k18(20), ssk, k1. Turn work.

Row 2 [WS]: Sl1, p6, p2tog, p1. Turn work.

Continue in this way until all heel stitches have been worked.

Gusset

Pick up and knit 16 (18) stitches along side of heel flap.

Knit across in Row 3 of Daisy Stitch pattern.

Pick up and knit 16 (18) stitches.

Knit one row around. When you reach the instep stitches, you will continue with row 4 of daisy stitch pattern worked as follows-

Move one stitch from foot to instep. K1, (P1, K3TOG, YO, K in same 3 stitches) to end. 33 (37) stitches on needle

On subsequent row 1s of pattern, you will (K3TOG, YO, K3TOG in same 3 stitches, P1) until one stitch left on needle, K1.

(this maneuver is to prevent the foot from biasing. It doesn't really matter if the leg stitches bias.)

Knit one, SSK, knit to 3 stitches remaining before instep, K2TOG, K1.

Continue instep in Daisy Stitch pattern, reduce every other round on foot until you have 31(35) stitches remaining on foot. Work to 2 inches less than desired length.

Work Toe

K 1 round.
Decrease Round: K1, ssk, k to 3 stitches remaining on needle, K2tog, K. Repeat for foot stitches.
K 1 round.
Repeat these 2 rounds until 8 stitches remain on instep needle. Graft toe. Weave in all ends. Block if desired. Cast on the other sock right away!

It's been no bed of roses

Here's my prediction.

Pens in six. My gut says five, but I have to remember that the Wings have home ice. And I so badly want to see the Pens skate the cup here, in Mellon Arena, under the other cup banners.

I back up my prediction thusly. The western conference does not have the skill level of the east. The Pens ran roughshod though the east. Furthermore, Detroit is a very old team. Osgood and Hasek are two of the oldest active goalies in the league. Chelios is older than Gary Roberts. (and he's not playing anyway.) Pittsburgh is a young team, a fast team, and a team with a great deal of momentum.

Other than hockey, PT goes on. Knitting goes on. Spinning goes on.

In spinning, I've done the easter egg sock yarn.


The fiber was very nice, but frankly, I'm a bit disappointed in the yardage. Handspun yarn uses more fiber weight than millspun, so a four-ounce mass of fiber is going to come up slightly wanting in terms of making a full skein of sock yarn. This is also chain-plied, as promised, so is actually slightly thicker than fingering weight. At just under 300 yards, I should be able to get a pair of short socks out of it.



I also spun up some Wensleydale yesterday. Wensleydale is a lustrous fiber, long staple and very soft. It spins a lot like Cotswold, but is much, much softer. The resulting yarn is extremely drapey, too.


Its a two-ply aran weight yarn. I'm planning to dye it, so I did not wash and hang the skein yet.



In knitting, I'm still working on the Oriel Lace socks.



I'm quite happy with them. They're lovely, and the yarn I'm using, Lisa Souza Sock!, is perfect for the project. Very soft and smooshy yet with definition. They're delicate things but hopefully will hold up to wear with no problems.



I've also started a new sock design, Daisy Socks. The first one is past the heel and I'm taking copious notes and will post the pattern when I'm done with it.



Getting Daisy Stitch to work in the round is a bit challenging, but with persistence and compromise, I think I've worked it out without having to do any "borrow and lend" calisthenics over the needles.



(Obligatory "sock in a flowerbasket" shot.)



I like this pattern much more than the "no purl monkeys" I was making from this yarn before. Too stripey. This breaks up the color more and has some nice textural interest. Anyway, stay tuned for the pattern.

I think I'm going to go to the Tuesday knitting group at Knit One, since I won't have a chance to do it again for a long time. Then I must stop at the grocery store for some essentials. Between all that, I also need to put gas in my car, and it's rainy and cold out again today. I guess I must be feeling better after all, to be willing to go out and do all this in this kind of weather.

My pillow never dries up

I have a new and intensified dislike for chilly, rainy weather.

The plan at this point is to return to work on May 27. I have an appointment with the orthopedist next Wednesday. My knee continues to refuse to bend beyond 65 degrees. My ankle is bending much better now. I continue to build strength, and can do more each day though I need to remind myself of that pretty often as I am frustrated by the lack of knee bend. I can drive my own car (stickshift) for short distances now. That's the biggest thing this week.

Spinning lots lately. I did this sock yarn



from bluefaced leicester roving in a handpainted "fiber club" format that I got from a person on Ravelry who was destashing. I'm happy with it-it's 14-16 WPI and about 375 yards. Enough for a pair of socks, surely. I also did this one...



a 16 WPI nice hard, worsted-spun sock yarn. 390 yards. I'm tired of barberpoling, though, so the next one



Sock fiber from a local spinner, is going to be chain-plied. I am spinning it as thin as I can and still maintain control. It's nice fiber, so it's going well.





Finished some socks and started some others.



That's the Bellatrix socks I posted about previously. The new ones are Oriel Lace from Charlene Schurch's book, Sensational Knitted Socks.



I reminisce about the days when I was intimidated by a four-row pattern repeat. This one is 28 rows.



It's really not that hard.

Now if I could only make a living from spinning and knitting. HAH. As if. Perhaps when I'm retired, I can start a cottage-industry spinnery, or that fiber arts studio that I dream of, and devote all my spare time to creating beautiful things out of wool, but for now, it's back to the daily grind for me, and soon. I'm a little scared.

Edited to add-Figment is such a GOOD kitty. How many cats could resist temptation this way?

Just have to share this

Fabulous fat-positive video from a Romanian musician. A little heavy on the food porn, but still, they're gorgeous and they own every second of the video.

We got our george bush hush money, er, economic stimulus money today. Another buffer between me and penury. I keep dreaming about a town I used to live in, and I finally figured out why I keep dreaming about this place. See, about ten years ago, I made a really bad series of decisions about where my life was going and what I was doing with it. I ended up leaving a job that was stressful but pretty awesome and paid well (municipal bus driver) and ended up broke, evicted, and depressed for a very long time. (Some would say "still") During that time in my life, I lived in this town called Springdale.

Now, it's worth mentioning that because of those bad decisions, I ended up meeting the most awesome people I know, including my husband Bob. So obviously, the results were not all bad. But still, Springdale represents financial disaster, stress, worry, panic, and shame because of money woes. So naturally, when I'm worried about all of the above, it shows up in my dreams.

These things show up in my backyard, otherwise known as Buttercup's Animal Refuge.



We have quite a few bunnies, in varying sizes.



This one munches on fallen birdseed and whatever greens are growing under it. My yard is so full of weeds right now it's ridiculous, and I can't do a damn thing about it.

And funniest of all, this dude comes by every morning to get a snack out of the bird feeders. Hey, he's a bird, right?



Poor Figment sits in the window and watches him and just ... vibrates. It's hysterical. I tell him that the bird is five times his size and would kick his little kitty butt, but he doesn't care.





He lives a hard life.

Yesterday, I was out on the front porch with the dogs, and I heard this weird metallic drilling noise. Our pileated woodpecker was sitting on top of the transformer across the street, drilling it. He seemed very proud of himself, that he'd found this truly awesome tree that would make the most noise of all the trees. I went in to get the camera, but when I came back he was gone. I've been trying to get a picture of him for some time, because nobody believes we actually have a pileated woodpecker in our yard. They're notoriously shy.

Off to do my increasingly painful and difficult exercises for the morning.

Giving in to temptation

Well, I did some more spinning. It's getting a little easier, but it's still not as comfortable as I like. And of course, using both feet is not an option at this time.



It's just a little skein, about 218 yards. It coordinates with the last yarn I spun, the one that was half and half from spindle and wheel.



I plan to make a third skein that matches as well. I'm just having fun with the wheel and bits of my fiber stash at this point. A distraction.

My outpatient PT started yesterday. I got two exercises to do, for this I needed outpatient PT? Couldn't they just mail me something? Each visit is going to be a fifteen dollar co-payment, too, which is going to get awkward in a hurry. I just hope they can get me close enough to normal to go back to work as soon as possible, but the advice my therapist gave me after my evaluation was "don't put yourself on a timetable". This makes me very unhappy.

Ok, so here's some more pretty yarn photos to make up for the unhappy.





And dogs. Always dogs to make me less sad.





Honestly. That face is just too much.