…Flame Wave, Fetching, and my favorite four letter word.
I’m working on the Flame Wave socks from Interweave’s 25 Favorite Socks. I really love this pattern and the way the socks are coming along. It doesn’t hurt that I’m using US 5 and US 4 needles.
The first sock is finished, and I’m 2 and a quarter inches into the leg of the second sock. It’s worth mentioning, even though you can’t tell from the picture, I Kitchenered the toe! I normally do a 3 needle bind off for my sock toes, but I tried grafting and it worked and looks halfway decent. I’m so proud.
The yarn is Cascade Fixation. One word of warning here: the pattern says you’ll need 2 balls for both socks. I have tiny feet, and I was extremely worried I was going to run out of yarn from the first ball before I finished the first sock.
I didn’t knit the foot as long as I normally do, and that’s all I have left. So if you want to knit this pattern, be aware that you may need 3 balls to do both pairs.
I finished the Fetching mitts about 2 weeks ago.
I used some Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran that I picked up when we were in Rochester, NY, a few years ago. Yummy yarn. I used one full ball and a little bit of a second to finish the pair.
I’m not big on cabling, but I loved how these turned out. It’s definitely taken away my extreme dislike for cables.
Overall, though, I’m not too fond of the mitts. First, the pattern calls for a picot bind off. Maybe I’m totally lacking in picot skills (I don’t think so, see my Shoalwater Shawl), but it looks terrible.
Also, they’re WAY. TOO. BIG. for me to wear.
This is somewhat maybe mostly my fault. I never knit a gauge swatch. Had I done so I would’ve seen that US 6’s would be too big and I should use US 5 needles.
I’m going to rip these out and redo them. I’m going to use the 5’s and not do a picot bind off. Hopefully, that’ll cure my problems. It’s a perfectly lovely pattern otherwise.
marianne says
I made some Fetchings last year, holiday knitting… but all the hands they were for were larger than mine and worked well… your cables are lovely!
I’m glad to read what you had to say about the Fixation… I have some in my stash and I can remember wondering about it at the time and got 3 balls… but haven’t used it yet, obviously.
Heh, F is for my favourite four letter word also!
nancy says
Congratulations on Kitchenering the toe! The sock is lovely. Sorry about Fetching. They look nice and will be better when you redo them with your adjustments.
Melissa says
Yay for using the kitchener stitch- the socks look fantastic.
I am usually bad about doing a swatch – in fact it’s one of my knitting resolutions this year. I’m sure they will look great when you are able to re-do them.
Tonia says
I can’t see those only using 2 balls of fixations for my foot. I would be one of those that would need that extra one for sure.
I think that the mitts need just a plain bind off. They are cute though and your cableing is lovely.
Natalie says
I think 2 balls of Fixation is just fine for a pair of socks…there is a LOT more yarn in that little ball than you think there is! I knit 2 gloves using 2 balls of Fixation, and had quite a lot of yarn left!
Natalie says
Oh, and I didn’t quite get the picot bind off on those mitts either. Mine looks OK (I fiddled it so that the last picot was attached to the stitch next to it), but it’s still kind of weird.
suec says
hi- so congrats on the socks and as for Fetching, that picot bindoff is the thing that keeps it from being a perfect pattern- i never do it and use a tip for binding off cables (knit the middle two stitches tog. as you bind off)so the top looks nice and is not too loose.