FO: Longhorn Socks

Success!

If you recall, when we last saw these socks, I had run out of yarn just a few rounds away from finishing the toe of the second sock.

Well, Plan A worked.

I showed up to The Knitting Nest Monday night, and asked Stacy if she had gotten my Ravelry message. I went to put my stuff down, and before I could pull out the socks, she had checked her messages and gotten out a ball of yarn.



I was saved.

I sat down right there and finished knitting the toe. This ball was from another dyelot, however. But at this point, I called it close enough.











I had a debate over how to join the yarn. I tend to do knots, despite the fact that you're not "supposed" to join with knots. I'm always paranoid about it coming undone. However, I didn't want the knot to be in the toe.

Someone suggested Spit Splicing. The only time I had done it before when I was felting, and I wasn't very confident it would hold. Stacy said to rub really hard against my pant leg. I rubbed it until I could feel the heat from the friction.

Although it's superwash wool (and the link I posted said it won't work with superwash) it turned out well. I think I'll spit splice more often. Of, course, I should have cut off the orange end of the yarn and spliced it where it was all white to avoid the barber poll effect. But I called it close enough.

If you look very closely, you can tell that the toe is darker than the rest of the sock, and you can see the spit splice barber pole if you look even closer. But the variations in the hand dyed yarn make it difficult to see unless you look for it.

Finally, here are the vital stats:

These are the Slipped Stitch Rib socks from Sensational Knitted Socks. These are knit for a men's US Size 8 1/2 in a gauge of six stitches per inch (if you are not familiar with the book, all the patterns are in a large range of sizes and gauges.) I used US Size 2 bamboo needles and Hill Country Yarns Instant Gratification Sock Yarn in the "Hook 'Em" colorway. One skein is supposed to make an average size pair of socks. These took a little more than one skein.

This is some lucky person's Christmas gift.

Musings on Rowan Calmer

So I got No Sheep For You in April and even took Amy Singer's No Sheep class at HCW. I fell in love with several patterns, and while I was initially drawn to the colorwork in Bacardi and Intoxicating, I find myself going back to the tiny, intense cables in Morrigan. (I found a picture on Flickr.)

At the class, Amy said the only non-sheep yarn they could get to work with the pattern was Rowan Calmer.

Rowan Calmer is awesome. And expensive. And for my size it will take 20 balls. At least. (Amy said some people may want to make it a bit longer.)

So I've been trolling e-bay for cheap bags of Rowan. And the closest I've found is 5 balls in a deep purple.

My question is, if I buy a ball or two here and there, on sale, in different dye lots, will anyone really be able to tell the difference? I know when you have different dye lots, you're supposed to alternate them every row two so it's hard to tell. But I really don't want to do that. I can rarely tell the difference between dye lots in commercial yarns, but some claim they can. And for something that will take this much work, I'd hate to ruin it with obvious dye lot differences.

I could also try a sheepish yarn. Something cheaper. If I'm going to buy a lot of calmer, I could use it for one of the designs floating in my head. (And it'd be great for a summer top.) But it would be awesome to make this sweater in Calmer. It's so soft, easy to work with and not itchy.

I'm looking for advice and alternate yarn suggestions and yarn sources. Something with the same "spronginess." Please comment.