What a Nice Christmas Present!

For Christmas, I got a great gift. My pattern for the Sunshine Socks was featured in the Craftzine Blog! Thank you to Monique for suggesting my pattern to them, and thank you to Craftzine for posting it.

Happy Holidays

This post will be short. I just wanted to wish all of you a happy holiday season.
That's it!

Inspiration is Like the Wind...

Inspiration is like the wind, at times it blows softly, but then sometimes it almost throws you off your feet. That's what happened to me this week. This time the wind of inspiration came from the land of the Rising Sun. My husband and I rented Memoirs of a Geisha. I had never seen the movie, and I was mesmerized. I watched the movie twice. The first time I could only see colors, the second time I listened to the story.

Each night, this week, I fell asleep dreaming of colors. Flowers, settings, and even characters saw a new expression in this week's colorways .
Sunday, for ourSockPixie shop update, you will see new merino colors like Cherry Blossoms.






You will also see a brand new collection of yarns made of Bamboo/wool, which I call Bambino. Bambino has such a lovely sheen to it, almost remiscent of the beautiful silk kimonos. I created a whole set of colors just for it. Ceramic captures the rich colors and shine of Japanese ceramic dishes.




I hope thet you will enjoy this week's collection.

Sunshine Socks (free)

These are the Sunshine Socks. Why Sunshine? I don't know. Maybe because they almost seem to glow, with their bright colors, and their cheerful mock cable and chevron pattern. They were knit using SockPixie's Merino Sock Yarn.
So, ready...Here we go!

Sunshine Socks

Materials: SockPixie 100% Machine Washable Merino, 425 yards
Needles: US 1 DPTS or Circulars.
Gauge:7sts/inch

Stitch Pattern:

R1:*P1, SL1, K2, PSSO, P1, K2TOG, K2, [K1, YO, K1] into same stitch, K2, SSK* Repeat from *
R2: *P1, K1, YO, K1, P1, K9* Repeat from * (You will have to transfer one stitch from one needle to the next to complete pattern.)
R3: *P1, K3, P1, K2TOG, K2, [K1, YO, K1]into same stitch, K2, SSK* Repeat from *
R4: *P1, SL1, K2, PSSO, P1, K9* Repeat from *
R5: *P1, K1, YO, K1, P1, K2TOG, K2, [K1, YO, K1] into same stitch, K2, SSK* repeat from *
R6: *P1, K3, P1, K9* Repeat from *
R1 to R6 form the pattern.

Cuff:

Cast on 70 stitches. Divide stitches 35 on each needle. Join round.
Knit 6 rows in garter stitch.
Continue following the stitch pattern for the desired length repeating rows 1 through 6.
You should end with a complete pattern repeat before starting the heel, but do not knit the last stitch, transfer it to the other needle.

Heel flap:

Knit the heel flap on the side of the sock with the chevron at the center. (The front will have a cable at the center.)You should have 36 stitches for the heel, and will be working back and forth on these 36 stitches.
Follow these 2 rows for the heel:

R1(WS):SL1, P to end
R2: SL1, *K1, SL1 * Repeat from*

Repeat these 2 rows 19 times(total 38 rows)

Heel Turn:

R1: SL1, K until 13 stitches are left, SSK, K1, turn
R2: P until 13 stitches are left, P2TOG, P1, turn
Continue as follows:
R1: Knit till 1 stitch before the gap, SSK, K1, turn
R2: Purl till 1 stitch before the gap, P2TOG, P1, turn

Continue until all stitches are consumed and the heel is turned.

Knit 1 row.

Pick up stitches along the side of the heel flap. Pick up one stitch at the intersection of the heel flap and the instep, P2tog, knit in pattern on top of the foot until you finish the first chevron. Put this needle to rest, and switch to needle 2. Continue the rest of the instep in pattern. From now on the instep will be knit in pattern always ending in P1. Pick up one stitch at the intersection of the instep and the heel flap. Pick up stitches along the heel flap, knit half the heel stitches.

Gusset :

You do not need to place a marker for the gusset. The purl stitches that separate the instep pattern from the sole of the sock will be your markers. To shape the gusset follow these 2 rounds:

R1: Knit until 3 stitches on the Purl stitch, K2TOG, K1, pattern on instep, P1, K1, SSK, knit to end.
R2: Knit, keeping the pattern going on the instep.
Repeat these 2 rows until 66 stitshes are left. Because the sole is knit in stockinette, the sizing needs to be adjusted by reducing the total number of stitches. (As your stitches are not distributed evenly on the needles, make sure that you have the same number of stockinette stitches on each needle.)

Foot:

Continue knitting, with the sole in stockinette, and the instep in pattern until the foot is the desired length.

Toe:


Redistribute the stitches on the needles evenly, 33 on each.
The toe will be knit in stockinette stitch.
R1: *K14, K2TOG, K1, SSK, K14* repeat on Needle 2
R2: Knit

Repeat R1 and R2 for 1 inch, knitting 1 less stitch before and after the decrease stitches. Then Repeat R1 still knitting 1 less stitch before abd after the decreases, until 7 stitches are left on each needle.
Rearrange the stitches so that they are not in profile any more.
Close the toe using the kitchener stitch.

Copyright 2007, Caroline Dlugy-Hegwer. This pattern is for personal use only.

Yet Another Storm

We have had 3 snow storms in 7 days! I have gotten plenty of indoor time, in between shoveling sessions. But look at the beauty Mother Nature creates for us when some melted snow finds a new expression when meeting Mysterious Night.



All this indoor time means that the new sock pattern is finished, at last, and that there will be lots of wonderful new colorways this Sunday! This is a little preview of a new colorway called Water Lily. But more later on what inspired me this week...

I still need to take pictures of the socks on my favorite foot model. I expect to post the pattern tomorrow, and as always the new colorways will be posted on the SockPixie site on Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern Time.

Christmas Spirit

Tonight was a really special night. My youngest daughter and I decorated our Christmas Tree. That tree is very special. It is an old artificial tree, which we bought 13 years ago, in San Francisco. It was our first Christmas ever in the US. This tree is part of our life. It has seen the birth of three of our children. It has been with us through our joys, and struggles.
Once more, we will share Christmas with it, and for the occasion, we have decorated it with its most beautiful jewels.

The New Colorways are up!

Yeah! The new colorways are up, as well the new cashmere sock yarns. I am really excited about this week's creations as I felt such inspiration. The snowy weather contibuted quite a bit. Look at this yarn! No wonder I called it White Christmas.

And then there were of course, the desire for sunny summer fruits like a Nectarine, with vibrant juicy colors.

There was also the sheer luxury of cashmere. Its beauty so natural, that even the purest semi-solid like Running in the Fields got my mind dancing.

This was a great week, and I can't wait to see what inspirations the coming one brings...