2010-02-13T15:44:00.000-08:00

Originally Posted Sunday, August 30, 2009

Society Socks at the Farmer's Market

Here's a photo of the Society Socks booth at the Farmer's Market yesterday. The weather was perfect, just a little cooler, and the market was packed with students and parents bringing kids back to college. We had a little drizzle, but fortunately a friend lent me the great umbrella. Another friend brought me the nifty foot models for the socks - aren't they great? Business was good - I think people are looking ahead to wool sock weather. My yarn inventory is way down - need to dye more.

Originally Posted Sunday, August 23, 2009

A Job Well Done

I wound these three skeins of yarn this afternoon as I was listening to Prairie Home Companion. These are my hand-dyed skeins, 462 yards. I can attest from personal experience that the yarn winds into balls pretty easily.

More Socks

Here are the latest socks. The ones on the left are called Huckleberry Hikers, and are a cotton blend from Sockotta. They are 45% cotton, 40% Superwash wool, and 15% nylon. The yarn felt a little stiff when I was knitting them, but they are comfortably soft now that they have been washed. I really like the colors. The other pair is called Italian Autumn, and, believe it or not, they are 50% acrylic, 50% nylon - no wool at all! Great for those on your list who are sensitive to wool, as one of my sons is. The yarn is made by Berocco, is called Comfort yarn, and is very soft and pleasant to knit. It comes in several really nice color combinations.

Originally Posted Sunday, August 16, 2009

Let me tell you about my great weekend

Last weekend Joel and I went to Portland, Oregon to watch our son, Michael, graduate as a professional librarian. Coincidentally, Portland was hosting the first Sock Summit that very same weekend. Daughter-in-law Sarah, who is also a sock knitter, and I wandered through the vendor section, with the guys trailing behind, looking at thousands of skeins of yarn and many gadgets that would make our knitting life easier. We didn't buy much, but had a great time. As you can see, I got the T shirt. Son Ian also came down from Tacoma for the festivities. He and a friend rode their bikes in the annual Bridge Pedal, a bike ride over all 11 of the bridges over the Willamette River in Portland. the ride was 42 miles, and 17,000 cyclists participated. The graduation ceremony was great, all pomp and circumstance, and Michael got a special award for academic excellence and professional promise. Sarah is next; she will be graduating by the end of the year with a master's degree in English as a Second Language. We are very proud of them all.

Originally Posted Monday, July 20, 2009

Recent Socks

Here are some recently knitted socks of mine. The purple and chartreuse socks are knit from Knit Picks Essential Multi fingering yarn, 75% Superwash wool, 25% nylon. This yarn is a little heavier than most fingering yarn, but is easy to knit and makes a soft, sturdy sock. I think the pattern is pretty nice - I call it Psychedelic Zebra. This is a good yarn for beginners.
The red socks are from Regia's Color series, a really nice yarn to knit. Its twist is tight enough to knit very easily without splitting, and loose enough to make a soft, comfortable sock. They are also 75% Superwash wool, 25% nylon. I have knit this color combination before; it is a favorite. These are a birthday present for a friend.
The blue striped socks are a Noro sock yarn, 70% wool, 30% nylon. The yarn is harsh feeling to knit, and the yarn varies from big slubs to very thin sections, giving the socks a nubbly texture. Knitting with this yarn is quite a bit slower than my usual pace. Once the socks were washed, they softened up quite a bit, and the texture smoothed out. Note that the socks are fraternal twins, not identical. The Noro colors are really beautiful, with long pattern repeats. These socks are called Rocky Mountain Rainbow. I think the Noro yarns should be hand washed.
I hope you are all finding time (or making time) to knit this summer.

Originally Posted Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Sock photos and praise from a new sock knitter

These photos were sent by Anne, a new sock knitter who had just finished her first sock. In her words, "I was really fearful of trying to knit socks. After returning to knitting after a 30-year absence, I felt as if I was relearning everything. Tackling the socks was my biggest challenge yet and "The Zen of Socks" DVD made it a fun and rewarding experience! I loved the way Mary Jo explained everything very slowly and clearly with close-up shots of what she was actually doing. I had the printed instructions next to me too, but it was watching Mary Jo work the pattern that made it easy to do. I did the dreaded "turning of the heel" and learned the Kitchener stitch for the toe. I now have a pair of cute socks that I made myself...with enough leftover yarn to make a matching pair for my new granddaughter!" Thanks, Anne, and congratulations on the cool socks. Best wishes for many more!

Originally Posted Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Sushi Socks

Remember the sushi yarn I dyed some time ago? The Sushi Socks just appeared! Aren't they great? It is exactly how I envisioned them when I dyed the yarn. I'll definitely try another skein. They were knit by Naomi using a toe up pattern. Good job, Naomi!.

Posted by Mary Jo at 10:29 PM 0 comments

Originally Posted Friday, June 5, 2009

Society Socks has new yarn!

I've just finished my first lot of yarn for the summer. You can see Miss T inspecting the most recent skeins. I've tried a technique that I am very excited about, using a variegated color and overdying with black. It has proved very popular. My business partner, Lida Saskova, says she does not have time to post our new products on the Society Socks website, so I have created a temporary website to get the yarn out for your inspection. Check it out at New Yarn. All yarn is 75% merino superwash wool and 25% nylon for a very soft, machine washable yarn that wears very well. You can purchase the yarn directly from me by e mailing maryjo@societysocks.com. Cost is $26/skein plus $2.95 shipping (and 6% sales tax if you live in Idaho). If you don't have our instructional DVD, The Zen of Socks, ($19.95) you can also order that directly from me via e mail, and I will send it with the yarn. I'm hoping that we can get everything back up on our regular website soon andPayPal will be available for purchases.

Originally Posted Sunday, May 17, 2009

Thank you, Bob

Mary Jo Hamilton, President of Society Socks, presented Bob Dickow with a pair of hand knit socks, along with her long-overdue thanks. Bob provided hours of help and advice to Ludmilla Saskova, a partner in Society Socks, as she struggled through the intricacies of programming and setting up our Society Socks shopping cart and producing our DVD, The Zen of Socks. "Lida is not a programmer", said Bob. "She couldn't have done it without my help." Lida recalled many late-night phone calls to Bob for help during the stressful process of getting the business up and running on line. Thanks again, Bob, for all your help in helping us to succeed.
The socks are made with our hand-dyed yarn. The pattern is a classic K4 P1 rib that was continued down the top of the foot. The variegated yarn gives the socks a feathery look.

Originally Posted Friday, March 20, 2009

Red sox, green sox, sparkly sox

Here is the latest batch of hand knit socks. None of them were from my own hand dyed yarn, but were still fun to knit. The red socks are for a repeat customer. They are knit of Brown Sheep's Wildefoote sock yarn, not my favorite because the yarn has a terrible habit of splitting so you have to watch every stitch. However, the yarn was in my stash, and the customer liked the color, so I went ahead. The socks turned out beautifully, and were very soft after washing. These socks, as well as the other socks, were knitted with 64 stitches on #1 bamboo needles. The green socks were from Berocco yarn, one of my favorite commercial yarns. The green socks were self- patterning yarn and turned out very well. Berroco is slightly heavier yarn and makes a very sturdy, long wearing sock. The turquoise striped socks are made from Berroco metallic yarn. It has a 2% polyester yarn spun in, which gives a metallic, sparkly effect. The result is very pleasing - these socks would be great to spark up your outfit when you are wearing jeans. My stock of hand dyed yarns is low right now. I'm waiting for better weather so I can dye outside. The snowbanks are receding so that is a good sign. There are still some beautiful yarns available. I'm particularly partial to the toffee-colored variegated skeins, and of course I like the variegated purple skein as well. Check them out on the website, and watch for new yarn. It is easy to knit, and makes wonderfully soft socks. Both the green patterned socks and the sparkly turquoise socks will be for sale on the Society Socks website soon - watch for them

Originally Posted Saturday, March 7, 2009

New shoes

I have new shoes. They have windows in the top so I can see my socks. Isn't that great?

We have a new cat at our house

Her name is Misty, or Miss T, I'm not sure which. She is a pre-owned cat. A friend of mine moved and could not keep the cat, so the cat came to live with us. She is used to a quiet household and being an only pet, and our busy household with a large noisy cage of birds and a big fish bowl are of great interest. Since her previous person is a knitter, she has good manners when she sits on my lap. However, she is not above making off with a ball of yarn that is just sitting quietly on the floor. She is a very pretty blue-cream dilution of a tortoiseshell coloration, and bright yellow eyes. She is now pretty accustomed to her new home, and is very affectionate. She can't really replace my dear little Gracie, but it's good to have her with us.

Originally Posted Saturday, February 21, 2009

New socks and photos

Here are a couple of pairs of recent socks. The red striped ones with the picot cuff are called celebration socks. They were delivered to their new owner at an Inaugural Ball on January 21. She's happy for all sorts of reasons. The orange striped socks are called autumn leaves and are for a friend. Both pairs are knit with my hand dyed yarn. I'm sure you can see the unusual Christmas ornaments on the tree. I sent the socks to my sister-in-law for Christmas, and she sent me the photo. She also recommended my things to her friend, who bought the DVD and some yarn! Thanks, Liz.

Originally Posted Saturday, January 31, 2009

Just in time for Valentine's Day

I saw this pattern on the newest Knitty online edition, and couldn't resist trying it. It's an anatomically correct heart, just the thing for your sweetie for Valentine's Day. I like to knit three- dimensional stuffed things like toys, and this looked like a good use for leftover sock yarn. In reality, I think it took more yarn than that, but you could perhaps combine a couple of leftovers in one heart. It was easy to make for a sock knitter, being knit in the round with DP needles, and is seamless. It took me a couple of evenings - I'll definitely make another one. If you are not familiar with Knitty, do have a look at www.knitty.com. It is loaded with creative, free patterns, and has lots of interesting articles.

Posted by Mary Jo at 9:49 PM 0 comments

Originally Posted Friday, January 23, 2009

In Memoriam: Amazing Grace

My dear old kitty friend Gracie passed away in her sleep on January 3. She was nearly 18 years old, a small cat with fine whiskers and a big purr. She had the typical strong willed calico personality and was the boss of the house. In her youth she used to visit nursing homes and move from lap to lap, purring and settling in as her admirers petted her and told stories about their own pets. She was variously known as Amazing Grace, Gracie, Gracie Poo, Poogie, or just Poo. She truly graced our home and had many friends. She kept her big purr to the end of her life. We miss you, Gracie.

Originally Posted Thursday, January 15, 2009

Martha's first socks

Martha bought our DVD, The Zen of Socks, and also some hand-dyed yarn, and this is the result - her first pair of socks, and they look perfect to me. She says they are a little too tight for her, so her lucky daughter gets them. She is already planning how to make a slightly bigger pair for herself. Way to go, Martha!

Now they can be shown!

Here are my socks for Christmas 2008. I didn't want to post them earlier because I didn't want to spoil any surprises - you never know who actually looks at these blogs, do you? The green stripey socks are for my daughter-in-law, Sarah. She is seen modeling them in Oaxaca, drinking coffee on the deck Christmas morning. They are made from a really great cotton blend from Online yarns, in their Summer color series. They are 45% cotton, 40% wool and 15% nylon, and very soft. note the picot edge on the cuff. The bright blue striped socks are for my sister-in-law Liz. She lives in snowy Wisconsin and appreciates a good warm sock. These are made with Berroco Sox yarn, 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon. Berroco is made in Romania and has really wonderful color combinations. The yarn is a bit on the thicker side of fingering so makes a warm, long wearing sock. The blue lacy socks are for my sister-in-law Meg. She lives in Oklahoma so doesn't need super warm socks. These were made with a hand-dyed Lorna's Lace yarn, 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon. The lace pattern knitted up surprisingly quickly, and the tight twist of the yarn made it a good choice for a lace pattern. Click on the image to enlarge the photo so you can see the lace pattern. The last pair, also blue, are for my friend Nancy. They are made with my hand-dyed yarn, still my favorite yarn to knit socks with. I'm very pleased with the heathery look of the finished socks. These socks are super soft. This yarn is available on the Society Socks website - check out the color combinations.

Originally Posted Monday, December 8, 2008

This just in

Are you always looking for good things to do with your extra sock yarn? Shirley made her new IPod a hoodie. Is that cute or what?

Originally Posted Sunday, December 7, 2008

Newly dyed yarn

I spent much of the Thanksgiving long weekend dyeing more yarn. Some of these are a little different from ones I have done in the past. They are variations of one color, to give a heathered look. They are great for lace patterns, but also make beautiful plain knit socks. You can see some of the variegated yarn in front of the basket. Go to the website, societysocks.com, to get a better look at these yarns. I'll bet you know someone who would like one of the instructional DVDs, The Zen of Socks, and a nice skein of yarn for Christmas.

Emily's mittens

Emily is a newly graduated geologist with a penchant for working in cold climates like the Alaskan ice fields and far northern Norway. So, when she decided to take up knitting, she picked felted mittens as her first project. She knitted two strands of wool worsted together, one red and one blue, on size 10 1/2 double pointed needles, casting on 24 stitches. We sort of played the pattern by ear, and finished off the top of the mitten with Kitchener stitch. When she was done, the felting process took only about 20 minutes. As you can see, it was a complete success! She already has plans for two more pairs of mittens for Christmas presents - I'll bet she makes it.

Originally Posted Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Bug dyeing

A friend of mine, who is a professor of Entomology, invited me to learn to dye fabrics with cochineal dye, which comes from bugs that live on cactus plants. It makes the red color you see in fine Mexican rugs. Of course, I jumped at the chance. You can get many different colors from just one dye bath, depending on the mordants you pretreat the fabric with. These are silk scarves. It was really fun. I can't wait to try it on sock yarn. Look for red yarn sometime soon.

Posted by Mary Jo at 11:21 PM 0 comments

Originally Posted Tuesday, November 25, 2008

The Zen of Socks goes to Germany

My hand dyed yarn is getting away from me before I get it photographed for the blog. However, I did get a photo of Tibor and the yarn he bought (along with a DVD) to take back to Germany to his mother. Tibor was an exchange student 13 years ago here in Moscow, and came back to see how we were all doing. He is a corporate lawyer in Berlin now, and a charming young man. I'd like to think his time in Moscow had an influence.

Originally Posted Friday, October 3, 2008

New "Knitting" notes cards

I do not post often because I am too busy running my web design business, BuffaloGirlsProductions, and/or knitting. But it is time to properly introduce myself. I am the producer and the graphic designer for The Zen of Socks. Not only that I created the fabulous Zen of Socks DVD, but I also designed the Society website, this blog, the store, photograph the products and create all the graphic and PR materials.

I am an avid knitter: hats (all hats have been sold) and socks and recently venturing into sweaters. And now for something new: I created these beautiful note cards with a knitting theme. Visit the Society socks store to view these original cards. Purchase one to send to your knitting buddy or purchase the set of 7 as a gift for your favorite knitting girlfriend.

Cheers
Lida

Originally Posted Thursday, October 2, 2008

And last weekend I also...

One of my husband's hobbies is to raise heirloom tomatoes, no mean feat in northern Idaho. We have an end-of-season tomato tasting brunch every year. After that, I get the tomatoes for my own hobby, making salsa. I have been trying for years to make a REALLY HOT salsa, and this year, I think I succeeded. The first batch, which had two cups of assorted habanero peppers, was pretty darn hot, but my son and I still ate it with pleasure. We named it Society Salsa - It'll knock your socks off. Last weekend, I made a batch that had THREE cups of habaneros - it is called Society Salsa - Pain and Suffering. I haven't tried it on my son yet, but I declare it REALLY HOT.

Guess what I did last weekend?

You're right! I spent two beautiful fall days with my yarns and dyes and now have lots of new hand painted yarn. I have tried several that are shades of one color blended to be suitable for lace patterns - I suspect they will go fast. Check out the selection on www.societysocks.com soon for best selection. Don't forget to pick up the DVD, The Zen of Socks, if you don't already have one. Happy Knitting!

New Hand Dyed Yarn

What colors! When surrounded with all these gorgeous colors use them in your creations. Ready for the coming fall evenings to cozy up and knit a pair of beautiful socks.
Mozy on over to our online store and get yourself a skein or two while they last. They do fly off our virtual shelve fast. Enjoy!
societysocks.myshopify.com/
Lida

Originally Posted Sunday, August 31, 2008

Goodbye to a friend

This is in memory of my friend, Brad Neuman. Brad died way too young in early August. He raised beautiful Suri alpacas in the little town of Troy, Idaho. Everyone who knew Brad loved him. He was the kindest and gentlest of men, and and generous with his money, attention and skills. Brad was one of the earliest people who carried our DVD, The Zen of Socks, on his website, and was generous in promoting our business and supplying us with alpaca yarn to try out our various projects. Brad moved to Troy in 2001 and immediately became an active member of this little community. He was a strong financial supporter of the public schools, and often had schoolchildren visiting on his farm. His sister, Judy LaLonde, will continue to manage the alpaca ranch, but no one can replace Brad's smiling face and big heart. Please check out their website at bigmeadowcreekalpacas.com

Originally Posted Saturday, August 16, 2008

Naomi's socks

This is Naomi's first pair of socks from our hand dyed yarn. I love the way the yarn naturally made rainbow stripes on the toes and heels (try enlarging the image). Naomi said the yarn was great to knit with. Very soft, didn't split, just the right amount of stretchiness. The yarn is 75% Superwash wool, 25% nylon. She used the DVD "The Zen of Socks"to learn to knit socks. Way to go, Naomi!

Posted by Mary Jo at 4:38 PM 0 comments

Originally Posted Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Karen's new socks

These are Karen's new socks. She has MS and Reynaud's syndrome, so frequently has cold feet, but can't stand anything tight on her feet. Soft socks from our hand dyed yarn turned out to be the best thing. These socks were knit on #1 bamboo needles on 78 stitches on our 75% superwash wool/25% nylon hand dyed yarn. They have a K5P1 flat rib repeat that is very formal looking and very attractive. Karen says they remind her of socks being knitted when she was a child in Europe.

Originally Posted Tuesday, July 29, 2008

New socks from Susan in California

Susan knit these socks from a skein of our hand dyed yarn. She says, "The colors are beautiful, and the yarn was easy to work with. There was more than enough yarn on one skein to make these socks following your basic pattern, using size 1 bamboo needles. I also referred to your DVD a number of times to refresh myself."
Something I did differently this time was to use nylon sock reinforcing yarn in the heel and toe. It wasn't too difficult to work with the two strands. Those sections are only very slightly bulkier than the rest of the sock.
I had two sets of needles and so worked on both socks alternately so they would finish about the same time. One sock was knit from the yarn coming from inside the ball, and one sock was knit from the end of the yarn on the outside. It was a little tricky with the reinforcing yarn involved too, but I managed to get through it without any major tangles. We've been cat-sitting for my son, and Daisy soon learned that the sock project was "paws off!" I think this is the best pair of socks I've made."

Originally Posted Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Wavy cable socks

This interesting stitch pattern was done on a hand painted fingering yarn on #1 bamboo needles and 64 stitches. The wavy cables were made by knitting 4 st, 2x2 cable over 4 st, repeat around sock, for the first row, K 3 rows in stockinette, then 2x2 cable over 4 st, K4, repeat around sock, K3 rows in stockinette. Repeat these 8 rows for the pattern. I carried the cable pattern down the top of the foot until the start of the toe decreases. They are very pretty socks of a nice soft washable yarn. They are made for a woman's small foot. They are for sale on the website, www.societysocks.com.

Amanda's first sock

This just in - Amanda from Wisconsin purchased our DVD, The Zen of Socks, and finished her first sock in less than a week! This from a graduate student and a mother of three! Very impressive. I see a long series of great socks from this person. Thanks for sharing your success.

Originally Posted Monday, May 26, 2008

This is not exactly related to socks or yarn, but I wanted to share with you a photo of my wonderful family. The photo was taken in Sisters, Oregon at a mushroom foray about a week ago. I was lucky to catch all three of my men in full beard plumage. Aren't they handsome? Daughter-in-law Sarah and girlfriend Veronica are very good sports. They have already learned how to knit socks, they are rapidly becoming mycophiles and mycophagophists, and they participate with good humor in family Mah Jongg games. What more could I ask for?

Originally Posted Sunday, May 25, 2008

Blue Socks

This pair of socks is slightly larger than I usually make. It will fit a woman's foot size 9-10. It is made from Opal yarn, 75% Superwash wool, 75% nylon, so can be machine washed. It was done on size 1 bamboo needles. The yarn is a sturdy fingering size, very soft and supple. They will be for sale on the Society Socks website in about a week. A nice find for someone who has a hard time finding larger handknit socks.

More hand dyed yarn

We spent the Memorial Day weekend dyeing 30 skeins of yarn. We had perfect weather for it, and had a great time. My guest dyer was my good friend Nancy Wright. Now she is totally addicted the process, along with the rest of us. She's not even a sock knitter! We got into naming the yarns. As you can see by the photo, one of my yarns is named Martha Washington after my geranium. The yarns should appear on the website, www.societysocks.com, in our yarn store by next weekend.

Posted by Mary Jo at 8:41 PM 3 comments

Originally Posted Sunday, May 25, 2008

Susan's socks

A friend's sister has bought both our DVD and hand dyed yarn from us . She sends this photo from southern California. Susan is a skillful and careful knitter, and it is great to see her progress.She has made several pairs of socks, but this is the first pair with our yarn.

Originally Posted Monday, May 19, 2008

Tina's socks

Tina is a satisfied customer who bought our DVD, The Zen of Socks, and has just finished her first sock, and in pretty good time, too. She used the Regia silk blend yarn, 64 stitches and size 2 needles. She says her mother is already after her to knit her some socks.

Originally Posted Tuesday, May 13, 2008

A happy yarn customer

Shirley bought hand painted yarn from me a few weeks ago (see the blog entry below with her photo). She recently brought in her socks to show me and they are fabulous! She cast on 64 st and knit on #2 bamboo needles. She says she made no attempt to make the socks match, but they are clearly a pair. She really loves her socks, and I do, too. I am planning to do a lot of dyeing over the Memorial Day weekend, so look for new yarn early June.

Originally Posted Monday, April 14, 2008

My first knee socks

I got a commission for a pair of knee socks, and took it on as a challenge. I made several false starts using various cuff down patterns, and finally settled on a toe up pattern for the foot. I chose a short row heel, which was very successful. There was a lot of trying on and readjusting of the number of rows between increases in the calf area. I used a Regia 75% superwash wool/25% nylon yarn, 210 m/ball, and used most of 3 balls. I knit on #1 bamboo needles. Along the way, I learned a very cool invisible increase stitch. I was very pleased with the final product, as was my customer, and I'll probably make a pair for myself sometime soon. If you are interested in the pattern that I developed, e mail me at maryjo@societysocks.com and I will send you the pattern.

Originally Posted Sunday, April 13, 2008

Cotton Blend

Work in progress!

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Alpaca socks

I've just finished my first pair of socks made from 100% alpaca fingering weight yarn. Since the yarn had no reinforcing fiber, I knit it with a strand of fuzzy nylon serging thread. I thought this might be difficult, but it was surprisingly easy. I kept the yarn and thread in a ziplock bag together, and they fed out together very nicely. I was fortunate to find nylon in the same color as the yarn, and it is essentially invisible in the final knitted product. I got this yarn from my friend Brad Neuman, owner of Big Meadow Creek Alpacas (www.bigmeadowcreekalpacas.com), who wanted to see how it would work for socks. I am happy to report that it was easy to knit, is wonderfully soft, and washed well. I washed the socks on the gentle cycle of my washing machine in cold water, and laid them flat to dry. They came out just fine.
This is a 64 stitch sock done on #1 bamboo DP needles. The pattern is a lace rib, a very easy 4 row repeat. I continued the pattern down the front of the foot.

Rows 1-3: K2 P2 ribbing
Row 4: K2,YO, Slip 2, P2 together through the back of the two slipped stitches. Repeat these 4 stitches to end of row

If you are interested in knitting very soft, slightly fuzzy, very warm socks, I recommend you contact Brad through his website listed above, and see what he has available. You won't be sorry.

Yarn Feeding Frenzy!

A friend asked if I could bring the yarn that I had hand painted to work one day. Suddenly my little office was filled with women with yarn lust in their eyes! They bought 8 skeins - what fun. They all promised to send me photos of their finished projects.

Posted by Mary Jo at 10:45 AM 0 comments

Originally Posted Saturday, March 1, 2008

Socks and cats

This weekend we had a visit from my son Ian and his girlfriend Veronica. After a week at Christmas breathing the sock knitting infused air here, and helping me dye yarn, Veronica decided to take up sock knitting. She is doing very well, and is nearly ready to make her first heel. This is a photo of her two cats, Tully and Toby, and her first sock in progress.

Originally Posted Tuesday, February 19, 2008

New yarn

I want to introduce you to a new-to-me sock yarn, Berroco Sox. It is fingering weight, 75% superwash wool/25% nylon, and is dyed to make a Fair Isle pattern as you knit. The colors are very intense, and the interval between repeats is long. The owner of our local yarn shop says that Berroco is known for its color saturation in their yarns. The yarn was considerably lower in cost than most comparable sock yarns, $12.60 for a 440 yard ball. The yarn was a little stiff to knit, but softened up nicely when washed. It is made in Romania. I'll certainly try another ball. The socks pictured are my standard slouch pattern, 64 stitches on #1 needles.

Originally Posted Wednesday, February 6, 2008

New socks

I have been fortunate to get some commissions to knit socks from our hand dyed yarn, my favorite yarn to work with. The brown socks with the blue zigzag are winging their way to Minnesota even as I write this, to a young lady who is probably standing in the snow with cold feet, waiting for a bus. You notice that the socks are photographed in the snow, with a few snowflakes for accent. The pink and green socks are for my friend Pam. She has a personality as bubbly as the socks' color scheme. She loves them. The teal and raspberry socks are mine. They go with everything I wear.

Originally Posted Monday, January 28, 2008

Zitron Life Style

I got four balls of Zitron Life Style as a present from a dear friend of mine.
Here is the first sock and some of the second sock. I did not make the sock cuffs as long as usual because there are only 155 m in each ball. I knitted on size #2 needles, cast on 64 stitches. These socks are a bit heavier, which is great. I am rushing to get the second sock done; we are having one snow storm after another.

Originally Posted Sunday, January 13, 2008

New socks

I love taking pictures of our hand dyed yarns and then a picture of the resulting socks.
Aren't they lovely?

Originally Posted Monday, December 31, 2007

Strikk 2 m sammen, sticka ihop 2 rm, strik 2 m sm - do you know what these terms mean?
It is "knit 2 together" in Norwegian, Swedish and Danish. You will find a handy knitting terms translator on our website.

Originally Posted Saturday, December 29, 2007

New hand painted yarns

Newly dyed yarns are ready! They should be on the website late today. Shop early for best selection. They go fast.

Posted by Mary Jo at 12:33 PM 0 comments

Originally Posted Friday, December 7, 2007

Tiny sox

I have been using my leftover sock yarn to knit tiny socks as Christmas tree ornaments or package decorations. They also sell well at bazaars and craft shows. The pattern is quick and easy.

Cast on 20 st, leaving a long tail to crochet into a loop later. Divide 6,6,8 on three size 0 DP bamboo needles. Do K1, P1 ribbing for 4 rows, or just knit all stitches for a rolled cuff. When the cuff is 1.5 inches, divide for heel, 5, 5, 10 st on 3 needles. On the 10 stitches, knit a heel flap 10 rows long (5 long stitches). Turn heel as follows: on inside, slip 1 st, P4, P2 tog, P1. Turn. Sl 1, K2, K 2 tog, K1. Turn. Sl 1, P to last 2 st, P2 tog. Turn. Sl 1, K to last 2 st, K1 tog. Pick up and knit 6 st along heel flap. K across instep, combining the two needles with 5 st each onto one needle. Pick up and knit 6 st along the other side of the heel flap and K3 st from the heel needle. This will leave you in the middle of the heel on the bottom of the foot. Knit one row around. Decrease 1 stitch at the top of each heel needle every other row until there are 5 st left on each heel needle. Knit every row until the foot is the right length, usually 4-5 rows. Decrease for the toe, 4 st every other row, until 8 st are left. Finish the toe with the Kitchener stitch. The finished socks fit great on my cat Gracie, but she won't stand still long enough to let me take a photo.
Happy Holidays to all!

Thanksgiving and family

I was fortunate to have my whole family together at one of our favorite places, Oceanside, Oregon, for Thanksgiving. My son Mike took Knitty-like photos of his wife, Sarah, in her beautiful socks that she made from our hand-dyed yarn. He posed with Sarah's latest knitting project, socks from Trekking XXL yarn. Everyone had lots of time on the beach, and we shared a big Thanksgiving dinner cooked in our tiny but quite adequate motel kitchen. What a great time!

Originally Posted Sunday, December 2, 2007

Knitting in Japan

I recently went on a professional trip to Japan and Korea. However, I wasn't goofing off. Here are a few photos of me knitting in exotic places. My husband and boss are in the temple photo. I didn't find much evidence of interest in knitting or yarn stores in either Japan or Korea.

New Socks

A new pair of socks to show you. The socks are for a woman who wanted purple, not purple striped, not purple patterned, not purple heather, but purple. I found this color in Brown Sheep's Wildfoote sock yarn. It is 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon, and a little heavier than most sock yarns. I have not used Wildfoote recently due to pilling problems I had with it years ago, but the new yarn seems much better. I knit it on #1 bamboo needles and 64 stitches. Since it was a solid color, I decided to add a simple lace pattern to make the socks more interesting. After an inch or so of K2P2 ribbing, I used the following pattern: K2P2 for 3 rows. (Yarn over, K2 tog, P2), repeat to the end of the 4th round. Repeat these 4 rows for pattern. I continued the pattern down the instep. When I divided the stitches for the heel flap, I started and ended the instep with a purl stitch so the sock would be symmetric. The socks turned out well and were received with much enthusiasm.

Originally Posted Monday, November 26, 2007

More great socks from our own hand dyed yarn. Also- notice the beautiful pico edge.

Originally Posted Tuesday, November 20, 2007

New hand painted yarns

We have new hand painted yarns, and they are selling before we can get them on our website! As usual, we are in love with them, but we do intend to have them up by the end of the week, if possible. We talked ourselves into each getting to keep two skeins. Watch our website, www.societysocks.com, for the new selection. It 's certainly my favorite yarn to knit with now.

Originally Posted Monday, November 19, 2007

Mango, a sock loving cat

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Mango, the cat who made a cameo appearance on our DVD, The Zen of Socks. Mango was a small cat with a big heart. He loved a party, and had a vivid fantasy life. He was 16 1/2 years old, and in failing health. He lived a good and happy life, and will be missed by all, except perhaps by Gracie, our other cat.

Posted by Mary Jo at 6:46 PM 3 comments

Originally Posted Thursday, October 25, 2007

Very large stash

Last weekend was the first of the fall craft shows. My friend Nancy, who tends to be a little impulsive sometimes, came on a booth that was selling out the inventory of a yarn shop that had closed. Of course, she bought it all. The photo is a very small part of her new superstash. She plans to send a great deal of it to Mexico, where her daughter has a hacienda in the mountains. They will give the yarn to the women in the area to make things for themselves and their famiilies. I donated a large bundle of needles that had come to me over the years. I think it's actually a pretty cool project.

Photos taken on a rainy afternoon

Fall is here, a good time for knitting socks. I just finished two pairs. The purple and green ones are from our hand knitted yarn, and they are sooo soft. It is the nicest yarn I have knit with, and it makes it hard to go back to the rest of my yarn. However, I have this stash... The socks are knitted on #1 bamboo needles, 64 stitches, and are 75% merino superwash wool, 25% nylon fingering weight yarn.
The second pair of socks is for a friend's birthday. She is 95 and her feet are cold at night, so these are super thick bed socks. They are 100% merino superwash worsted weight hand dyed yarn from Cherry Tree Hill. I knit a strand of wooly nylon serger thread with the yarn. I cast on 44 stitches and used #5 bamboo needles. The socks are quite soft. Next time, I might use #6 needles so the socks are a little drapier. They are very pretty - Cherry Tree Hill has some wonderful color combinations.

Originally Posted Sunday, October 7, 2007

Back from vacation

We just got back from a wonderful trip to Italy. I should have photos of me knitting on the steps of the cathedral, in the Sistine Chapel, at Cinque Terre, in the Coliseum, but I don't. I do have photos of the socks I made, however. They both are from Trekking XXL yarn knit on size 1 needles. The burgundy pair are for a person with MS whose feet are always cold, but she can't stand any pressure on her feet. We spend quite a lot of time making sure the socks would fit properly, and she is very pleased. The heather green socks are for my husband. Knitting while you travel always is a conversation starter.

Originally Posted Tuesday, September 11, 2007

New and much 'improved' Society Socks store.

We added new items to our Society Socks Store: besides The Zen of Socks DVD you will find hand knitted socks, hand dyed yarn, gift items. As Mary Jo commented in the previous post we have a hard time departing with the yarns we dyed. The colors are out of this world. I knitted one pair of socks and sold them even before they were done. People just love the soft yarn, the beautiful colors and the fact, that this is one and only pair.

Originally Posted Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Another Dyeing Session

On our latest yarn dyeing session, we did 12 skeins of yarn. They all turned out so beautiful that we are having a hard time parting with them. However, we do intend to put them on the website for sale soon, so watch the website www.societysocks.com for new developments.

Sock yarns used on the DVD

I had a request to identify the yarns used in the various socks used to demonstrate various techniques on the DVD "The Zen of Socks". Here is the list. Refer to the DVD for images of the socks. Or, if you don't have the DVD, don't you think you ought to have it? Go to the website www. societysocks.com

Yarns used on the DVD “The Zen of Socks”

Yarn and Needles:

Purple and black yarn: Sockotta
Gray, black, blue and pink stripes: Opal
Red with color slubs: Regia
Purple, blue, white and black striped: Regia

Getting Started:

Easter colors - pink, purple, yellow: Trampoline
Orange, green, blue, white striped slouch sock: Opal
Blue and purple patterned crew sock: Regia

Heel: Red with color slubs: Regia
Pink and white with black specks: Opal
Orange, green, blue, white striped: Opal
Pink, gray, blue, white striped with gray heel: Main body is Opal, gray is Socka

Gusset:

Purple, white, green, brown stripes: Opal

Toe Shaping:

Orange, green, blue, white stripe: Opal
Pink and white: Opal

Enjoy your socks:

Red with yellow and blue slubs: Fortissima
Men’s socks in dark heather tones: Trekking XXL
Blue and green strip with blue and white stripe: Regia
Pink, blue and green heather: Cleckheaton 100% wool sport weight
Green tweedy socks: Ragg wool 100% cotton worsted weight

All of the yarns except the last two are fingering weight. Opal, Regia, Socka and Fortissima are all 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon. Trekking XXL is also 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon. Trekking makes beautiful heathered yarns with no particular pattern that are good for men’s socks. These are all good, reliable brands of yarns. Sockotta is 45% cotton, 40% superwash wool, 15% nylon. It is nicer to knit than many other cotton blend yarns, and gets softer the more often it is laundered.
Trampoline is 70% wool, 23% nylon, and 7% Polyester. Cleckheaton is an Australian sport weight yarn, 100% wool. To use this yarn for a sock, cast on 48 stitches. Use a reinforcing yarn (Wooly nylon serging thread works well) in the heel and toe to keep them from wearing out too fast. Ragg wool is worsted weight, and to make socks from it, cast on 40 stitches. These socks go very fast. Use reinforcing thread in the heels and toes.

Originally Posted Sunday, August 19, 2007

Wisconsin Reunions

It has been a while since I have had time to make an entry. We went back to Wisconsin to family reunions and met about 160 of my husband's relatives. I was very pleased that my two sons and my daughter-in-law joined us there. My handsome son Ian (see previous blog entry) has recently purchased a Nikon D80 digital camera and is learning to take artsy shots. The one here combines two of my interests, knitting socks and drinking wine. I also spent time with my sister, who is still working on her first sock, but is doing very well. The photo is of her and my daughter-in-law, Sarah, working on a sock made from the hand-dyed yarn.

The sock pictured is a commission for a cotton blend sock. It is knit of Sockotta, a nice blend that is easy to knit and very soft when washed. There is also a photo of Gracie helping me with my photography.

Posted by Mary Jo at 10:21 PM 0 comments

Originally Posted Sunday, July 22, 2007

Socks for Barb

This is my latest pair of socks. They were made for my sister Barb, who is working on her own first set of socks (see photo from Florida below) However, she claims she is too busy to knit in the summer. I made them as a hostess gift for her when I go stay with her later this month. The yarn is Regia 4 fadig mini Ringer Color, 75% superwash wool, 75% nylon, knit on size 1 needles. The yarn is a titch larger than standard fingering weight, tightly plied and spun so it is easy to knit. It was a little stiff to knit but the socks are nice and soft now that they have been washed. If I knit Barb socks instead of her learning to do them on her own, am I being an enabler?

Originally Posted Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Tofutsies yarn

I just finished my first pair of socks from Tofutsies yarn. This yarn is 50% superwash wool, 25% soysilk fibers, 22.5 % cotton and 2.5% chitin. It is a soft ply with a lightly dyed yarn and a more intensly dyed yarn, resulting in a pleasing tweedlike look. The product is very soft, probably because the ply is very loose. However, this makes the yarn somewhat hard to knit with, the yarn being very easy to split. It is also not as elastic as a yarn with a higher wool content, meaning that the pick-up-and-knit stitches along the heel flap are not as tight as I would have liked. Overall, it is a beautiful sock and should wear very well. I made these socks with #1 needles. I hope their eventual owner likes them.

Originally Posted Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Rafting on the Salmon River

We just returned from our annual rafting and kayaking trip on the Salmon River with friends and family. This year we went 60 miles on the river, camping two nights. Of course, my daughter-in-law and I brought our knitting. Sarah started knitting one of my hand dyed yarns while we were camped. She knits a beautifully even stitch on size 1 needles. The guy in the photo with her is my son, Ian. She loves the yarn, and says they are her favorite colors.

Originally Posted Monday, June 11, 2007

My first pair of socks with my hand painted yarn!

I just finished the first pair of socks with the yarn that I painted, and I like them very much. The yarn and the socks are very soft, due in large part to the soft plying of the yarn. It is slightly more prone to split as I knit, but not enough to be annoying. There was 462 yards on the skein, so I have enough for a pair of child's mittens or socks. The yarn is 75% Superwash wool, 25% nylon, fingering weight, knit on #1 DP bamboo needles.

Originally Posted Monday, June 4, 2007

Dyeing again

We had a second session of yarn dyeing last weekend. My DVD partner, Lida, joined Louise and me to be initiated in the deep secrets of hand painted yarn. It was very hot, but fortunately we had a large cherry tree to keep us in the shade. The yarns shown here are my own. I'm planning to have hand painted yarns available on our website, societysocks.com, soon. I also wound one of the skeins we did in our first session into a ball using the ball winder given to me by my thoughtful and generous mother-in-law, Florence. It is a real time saver. I have started to knit with the yarn. It is a real pleasure - very soft, very even ply. I sense a new addiction.

Originally Posted Friday, May 25, 2007

One skein - four socks

I made these four socks from one skein of Opal. Gave the baby socks away as a present to a friend who bought few of my other pairs. One day I will have time to add all our socks on the web site.
In the meantime enjoy our creations as posted here.

Originally Posted Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Pippi Socks

I just finished a pair of socks for my friend Lois. They were made with Regia 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon on size 1 needles. The leg part is longer than usual because Lois wanted it to go under her leg brace. I go to a lot of public hearings, city council meetings, planning and zoning commission meetings, and other public involvement events, and of course, I knit all through them. Lois says my socks are power socks because they have lots of liberal social activism knit into their very beings - a nice thought. I call them Pippi socks because they are very stripey and energetic.

Posted by Mary Jo at 9:02 PM 0 comments

Originally Posted Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Dyeing yarn

Last weekend my friend Louise and I tried something new - creating our own hand painted sock yarn. We started with ready-to-dye fingering weight 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon yarn from Knitpicks and used Country Classic wool dyes. It was a lot of fun, and we learned a lot. Our first efforts were not too bad, and the next time we do it, we will have much more control over the process. We can't wait to try knitting our new yarn!

Originally Posted Sunday, May 13, 2007

fly fishing socks

These socks are knitted for a friend of mine who will be a fly fishing guide in Alaska this summer. Yarn is from a friend who raised the sheep, and did the whole process of creating the yarn herself. Yarn has no dye. I added wooly nylon from heel all the way to the toe. These socks are as natural and local as possible.

I hope he will enjoy them and I hope the socks will pass Alaska wilderness test.

Originally Posted Saturday, May 12, 2007

I just finished a pair of socks from Regia Silk Color yarn, which is 20% silk, 55% superwash wool and 25% nylon. It is marginally more difficult to knit with, because it is not as elastic as the standard 75% wool yarn, but has a very soft hand. The socks are for my son Ian's girlfriend on the occasion of her graduation from University of Washington. Since I finished these, I started a pair on Opel yarn, 75% superwash wool. They seem very stiff and harsh compared with the Regia silk. I hope I haven't become addicted. What would I do with my Opel stash?

Originally Posted Tuesday, April 17, 2007

DVD Signing at Book People

Our local independent book store hosted a DVD signing and sock fashion show to introduce our DVD, The Zen of Socks. We had a great time, and sold quite a few DVDs. We also sold sock kits that included yarn, needles and the DVD. People bought the kits, pulled up a chair, and started knitting! Note the brownies.

My sister Barb decided to buy our Zen of Socks DVD and take up knitting socks. She has knitted before, but is not a basically crafty person. She took her needles and yarn with her on a vacation to Florida. It has entailed several cross-country phone calls, but she has persevered. Last I heard, she was past the heel and heading fast toward the toe. I suspect I might get another call when she hits the kitchener stitch.

Originally Posted Saturday, April 7, 2007

I was reading Lida's post about her first pair of socks, and it got me thinking about the first pair of socks I made on fingering yarn. It was just when Opal came out with the computer dyed fair isle type yarn. I bought a beautiful skein and knit socks that I am still wearing today. However, I made several errors that I regret, mainly from ignorance. First, I made the leg portion all ribbed, like a crew sock. This does not show off the pattern the yarn makes to the best advantage. Second, I didn't think about making the socks identical so didn't pay attention to where in the pattern I started the second sock, so my socks are fraternal rather than identical twins. Third, I used #2 needles, and I have since discovered that for myself, socks made on #1 needles fit better. Last, I didn't do a good job of Kitchenering the toes.
So, imagine my pleasure when I found another ball of the exact same yarn that I had used all those years ago. Now I get a chance to knit that yarn again, correcting all my mistakes. How many times do we get a second chance like that?

I am working on a pair of socks for one of my students who will be graduating this spring with a DVM. In her chosen field, large animal medicine, her usual garb is a T shirt and jeans. Consequently, she likes to wear unusual socks to make thing a little more interesting. She has lots of unique socks, but no hand knit ones. I think she will enjoy these. The yarn is Opal, in their Rodeo series. They have several nice color variations in this series. I used # 1 needles and cast on 64 stitches.

Posted by Mary Jo at 9:56 PM 0 comments

Originally Posted Sunday, March 25, 2007

I finished some very springlike socks today, just in time for Easter. They are made from Trampoline, a yarn made from 70% wool, 23% nylon and 7% polyester. It is a little stretchier than regular 75% wool, 25% nylon, and just a titch heavier, so makes a sturdy sock that still does not feel stiff.

Originally Posted Saturday, March 24, 2007

My first pair of socks.

Here is my very first pair of socks I knitted. Sitting next to Mary Jo at community meetings I could not help being fascinated by her sock knitting skills. I have been knitting on and off for many years, lately mostly hats on circular needles. But I have never knitted on a 4 double pointed needles. Creation of heel and toes was a complete mystery to me. Well, no more. Mary Jo turned me into a sock fanatic and I have been turning one pair after another. This striped pair was made from self-pattering Opal yarn, using 4 double pointed needles size #1.
The picture of these socks made it on the cover of Mary Jo's DVD, The Zen of Socks. They also made a trip to Europe and back. What can I say, my most precious socks .......

The purple/grey wool socks I made for my son who loves to snow board. They keep his feet nice and toasty. The yarn is worsted wool, I used #5 needles, cast on 40 stitches.

Originally Posted Friday, March 16, 2007

from Mary Jo

I just finished the first sock from some Luna Park 100% Merino wool fingering yarn given to me by my lovely and talented daughter-in-law. Since the yarn is 100% wool, I wanted to reinforce the heel and toe with nylon for added strength. I used Wooly Nylon serger thread which I just knit in along with the yarn. I used white, and it disappeared nearly completely into the yarn, even the brightly colored stripes. The serger thread was recommended to me by a fellow knitter, who didn't like the looks of the reinforcing yarns available in yarn shops. We'll see how it works.

I got the laddered rib pattern on the leg part and along the top of the foot by doing a knit 2, purl 2 rib and inserting a purl row when the color changed. I think it gives the sock a very festive look.

I did the knitting mostly in the car as we drove to McCall, Idaho for a few days of cross country skiing and snowshoeing. The snow was great, the weather sunny, company good - what more could you ask for?

Originally Posted Sunday, March 11, 2007

Yesterday I finished my socks with the Regia bamboo blend yarn. I like it very much - it gives a very soft body to the sock. I got the ridged effect by putting in three purl rows about every two inches.

I also paid a visit to a new yarn shop, Sunset Creations, in the tiny town of Palouse, Washington. She had a big basket of Opel yarn at $12 per ball! Needless to say, I got a number of balls. She also had some very nice silk sock yarn, $16 for 425 yards. I got one of those, too. Here is Mango checking out my purchases. The purple yarn is soy based.

Originally Posted Friday, March 9, 2007

Welcome to our Zen of Socks blog!

Posted by Mary Jo at 2:22 PM 0 comments

Society Socks

Sock Summit 2011

Under The Sea socks

Interesting new things

Society Socks is back!

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