Knitting Kitty Socks – WIP Wednesday

This week I’ve been knitting kitty socks.

This WIP traveled with me to Prague. We had a wonderful trip, with not much time for knitting. Yes, you can knit on planes, but I was too absorbed in the book I was reading to pay much attention – I mucked up the ears and had to rip back.

This is a cute pattern, but I’m not entirely happy with my pair – see how the ears are kind of loose and puckered? – but I think that may block out.

See? It looks better on my foot (gosh it’s hard to take photos of your own feet).

Because this is a relatively simple pattern, I thought I would be clever and try some new techniques. I used a new-to-me increase, the KFSB (knit front, slip back), plus the STUART method of taming floats. Yes, the grey yarn is carried all the way around.

No, it did not work as well as I’d hoped.

Ugh. The first time I did not leave enough of a float, and had to rip back because I couldn’t get the sock on. The second time, I tensioned the yarn over my thumb, and had far too much. The technique is clever and intuitive, I just didn’t figure the right lengths of floats.  I’ve never knit a colourwork sock before!

The yarn, Lang Jawoll, held up to my messing with it perfectly. It’s quite a “sticky” yarn, and didn’t try and race away when I was dropping up and picking up stitches. Still, the result’s not quite what I’m looking for. Yet.

Oh well – it still might block out, and anyway, I have another chance of a do-over on the next sock.

And even if it doesn’t block out – who cares, they’re only socks.

• Patten: YinYang Kitty Ankle Socks (this is a free! pattern)
• Yarn: Lang Jawoll (this is a new-to-me yarn, but I’m really enjoying it – it’s soft and cushy, yet solid enough to seem like it will wear well)
• Rav project.