Panda Cotton Socks...ehh

I know these pictures aren't the greatest but I'm really tired and rushing to get ready to leave soon for my knitting meeting. I wish I had more to blog about to keep people around, lately not a lot has been going on with me (like there ever is! LOL!). But these socks gave me a little something to talk about....

The culprit: Panda Cotton Yarn in Strawberry-Lime

I used my size 1 Harmony circ.

My rating: From 1-5 probably a 2.

I had the hardest time getting these worked up . Lately I've been trying to use "different" yarns from the stash just for fun. I'm so used to grabbing my Lorna's Laces and just going to town with my regular cast on etc. It always WORKS and I'm always happy happy with the results. But this beautiful yarn tested my usual ways.

I tried a free pattern online with a 68 st cast on. It's a cute pattern but after a bit it was easy to deduce that they were going to be HUGE around the ankle. So I went down to 64.... then 60. I finally ended up going with a 56 stitch cast on. On the flip side, this is a really soft yarn (that's why I gave it a 2), I liked knitting it with my harmony circular needle (smoooooth), and it has some elastic in it as well so I figured I'd be okay with the give from the elastic and my smaller c/o.

This is a fingering to sport weight yarn and needle size varies. The ball band says 6-7 sts for guage and mine worked up at about 8-9. I had read somewhere on Ravelry that someone's finished socks stretched out a LOT so I didn't want to already start out with a huge baggy sock. (Like I said, with that 68 st cast on, they were already HUGE). Pondering this, I decided to use a simple baby cable rib pattern hoping that would give some ease and they'd stretch for wear.

The Verdict: I'm not sure if they'll be too small for me yet as I washed them yestersday and they're still wet. Maybe I should've put them in the dryer for a bit. It makes me wonder how they'd feel if you have warm feet already? Do they retain that much moisture for so long? hmmmm. I'm still concerned about the leg/ankle part stretching out too much once I put them on...I'll have to post later on any changes and they may go to one of my daughters after all (who are the best and brightest kids ever cause they want everything I knit!)

My conclusion is I'll use the other colorway I have of this (Roses) for something else, maybe a little scarflette or something but not for socks. I liked the baby cable rib pattern stitch though. It's a nice simple pattern for socks that doesn't look too funky.

We're not doing much for spring break this year, we've stayed home mostly just puttering around the house. Monday we cleaned and vegged. Tuesday I had a massive headache all day (must've been the cleaning! LOL!) Wednesday the girls and I dashed out to a walking trail in between the thunderstorms and had a nice walk. It was so pretty outside (I wish I had had my camera with me!!) but a bit on the humid side because of all the storms. We still haven't adjusted to living here in the south I guess, we're in light jackets and had to tie them around our waists and other people were out there in shorts. One day it's literally freezing here and the next day you need a shower as soon as you step outside. Crazy. Tonight is knit nite. Hope the others can make it, if not we're going for a walk at another park. The girls love playing outside but the back yard can get kind of boring after a bit.

Tomorrow the gang is off to the Smokey Mountains. I'm going to get some rest (seeing more deer isn't as exciting to me and I really need the sleep). I just realized why I didn't sleep last night, it was the real Pepsi I drank yesterday. It's so good but that caffeine had me WIRED! No wonder why I was up until 9 am this morning. I'm a sleeping institutes worst nightmare. They'd be exasperated with me.