Widdershins

Noro WiddershinsWiddershins in Noro Kureyon Sock
These socks gave me carpal tunnel, I swear. I swore on Christmas Eve that I’d finish them over the holidays, and I spent pretty much every spare minute on the 25th and 26th working on them. The pattern is Widdershins, adapted to be knit on two-circulars. I used Judy’s Magic Cast-On for the toe, and it was AWESOME! I’ll definitely be starting my toe-up socks this way from now on. My biggest problem with the pattern was simply one of gauge, which is really my fault. Fifty-four stitches (with cables) is just too tight for my foot at my normal sock knitting tension. So I ended up increasing a bit more than directed throughout the foot, which meant that I had to wing it quite a bit on the heel. That’s probably why the heel doesn’t fit quite as nicely as the one in the picture. Oh well, they’re still wearable. I also reversed the cable twist on the second sock so they’re mirror images. The other fun thing I did was use a tubular cast-off for the cuffs. I’d never done it before, but the Knitter’s Book of Finishing Techniques has really great instructions. I did it too tightly the first time, but I unpicked it and did it properly. It looks really nice.

Oh, and the yarn? Yeah, that’s the new Noro Kureyon Sock yarn. It’s not available in Australia yet, but the supplier sent me a ball so I could test it out. It feels pretty rough to knit with (like any Noro, really), but the colours are just fabulous. It’s also got a really long colour repeat, so you’re going to have to unwind half the ball if you want your socks to match. I was also impressed with just how far a single 100g ball went. These are really long! I’m wearing them today and they feel a little itchy, but not too bad. I’ll report back once I’ve give them a good wash. (More details are on my Ravelry notebook, for those who are members.)

3 Comments

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  1. they are so cute! thanks for talking about the Noro sock, I ordered some just before Christmas (and I had better get my other projects out of the way before it arrives – because it is such pretty colours)I’m sure that just like silk garden it will soften on washing. Trust the Noro

  2. They look great! The colours are ravishing!

  3. Greetings from a fellow Hoosier, who continues on in Hoosierville! “. ) I was doing a Google on the word Widdershins (was the word today’s email from “YourDictionary.com”) and found your blog – among others. I’ll definitely be adding this to my newly revised blog (grand debut, Jan 1!) called Beyond The Ripples- specializing in ‘seredipitous encounters from eclectic online journeys’ (beyondtheripples.wordpress.com )

    Thought I’d leave you a note because of the Hoosier connection and I just found your blog to be interesting. I do this – Google for adventure – a lot! And it’s just like Forrest Gump’s mamma said, “Life (in the case Googling) is like a box of chocolates, you just never know what you’re going to get.” And I LOVE IT!

    Best to you in the new year and keep that knitting going. Cool looking pair of socks !!

    les

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