I finished a pair of socks just in time to wear them on Christmas Day 2009. Since the yarn is called “Christmas Cheertini” the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

They pooled like a mo-fo but I kind of like it. It reminds me of garland on the Christmas tree. Or something. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it, anyway.

And they are the perfect venue for showing you my awesome patent leather Dansko clogs – a Christmas present to me.

A girl has to take care of herself and new socks and shoes on Christmas day was my way of doing it this year.

They are my usual stockinette stitch picot edge socks and before you all moan and groan and ask about the pattern . . .

Carole’s Picot Edge Socks

That’s a pdf link right there and you can download the pattern and make your very own pair of picot edge socks.

Finally!

I vowed that I would not post another finished pair of socks until this pattern was ready to go – hence the delay in posting my Christmas socks.

The pattern is free and just my way of saying Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Happy Valentine’s Day and everything other holiday from me to all of you – my faithful readers.

Hope you like it!

And here we have the 18th pair of socks for 2009.

I call them my Carnival Socks because the yarn is called “Carnivale” by Brooklyn Handspun. And because I started them in Las Vegas, where life is just a carnival.

No surprise that they are plain stockinette with a picot edge. In fact, of the 18 pairs of socks I knit this year, only 3 of them haven’t been this pattern. I probably ought to broaden my sock knitting horizons.

Hannah spied them in my knitting basket the other day and she asked if she could have them. Of course I gave them to her.

Do you think that means they count as a Christmas present?

Hey everybody! How was your Thanksgiving? How was your weekend? All good, I hope!

I spent a lot of my time this weekend getting our house decorated for the Christmas season. In the midst of my decorating, though, I took some time out to photograph a newly finished pair of socks.

I decided to pose them against a Christmas wall hanging I made several years ago, rather than taking my usual modeled shots. I think it’s a nice back drop for these gorgeous navy blue socks.

It’s my usual pattern – picot edge, slip stitch heel – which I’m working on writing up, I promise.

The yarn is Kim’s sock yarn and it is absolutely scrumptious. These socks were a complete joy to knit because of this fabulous yarn. And I just love the deep rich blue.

This is pair #17 for the year, by the way. Just in case you’re keeping track or something.

Before I went to Vegas I finished another pair of Socktoberfest Socks. This is pair #3, the final pair in fact, the Through The Loops Mystery Socks, for those of you keeping track. They are also my favorite pair.

The pattern is fantastic. That’s no surprise since Kirsten is a wonderful designer.

And the yarn, Claudia Hand Painted in the color Cherries, is a perfect match for the pattern. But damn, red is hard to photograph.

I love the attention to detail on the toes. Just look at the way that twist is finished off!

It was really fun to have a change from my usual stockinette sock and do something with a little lace and a little cable.

And a lot of style!

On Friday I asked what you were all planning on doing with your extra hour this weekend when daylight savings time ended. I used mine to finish a pair of socks for Socktoberfest.

This yarn, which I loved in the skein, was a challenge to knit into something I loved. My first attempt was my usual plain stockinette but it was striping in a way that I didn’t like. My second attempt was a simple 2×2 rib and while that worked, it still didn’t sing to me.

Turns out the third attempt was the charm and I love the yarn knit in this Dragonfly Pattern.

The stripes aren’t as obvious and the colors combine in a pleasing way.

There’s just one problem. They don’t fit me. Oh well, I guess a knitter can’t have everything.

I have my first pair of finished Socktoberfest Socks right here.

There’s nothing like a good ole pair of stockinettte socks in Trekking.

I mismatched the stripes on purpose.  Just because I wanted to be contrary.

The colors remind me of Halloween but I’ll wear them all winter long. And Trekking wears like iron, my friends.

I’m still working on my Mystery Socks and Dragonfly Socks and I’ve started a new pair of plain socks. Think I can finish them all by the time Socktoberfest ends? I do.

On Friday I had lunch with Kathy and one of the things we discussed was the upcoming Rhinebeck trip.  I mentioned that I was hoping to finish my Flyingdales sweater and in doing so I really thought about how much I had left to go before finishing.  The back is almost done but that still leaves both fronts, both sleeves, the button bands and the collar.  The reality is that it probably can’t be done in 2 weeks time.

I was bummed for a moment but I decided to use this as an opportunity to truly embrace Socktoberfest.  I am committing myself to knitting nothing but socks for the entire month of October.  I really want to see how many pairs I can finish and I think challenging myself will be fun.

I am generally a one-sock-on-the needles knitter but I have thrown caution to the wind and have 3 different socks going and here they all are.  I think you need a closer look at each one, though.

This is Trekking in my favorite plain stockinette pattern.  This is for when I need mindless sock knitting.

And this is a Dragonfly Sock (ravelry link) reclining on one of my JessaLu box bags.  The yarn is Yarn Nerd in the color caramel stout and it’s the 3rd pattern I’ve tried with this yarn.  I first did a plain stockinette and I hated it.  So I switched to 2×2 rib and I wasn’t crazy about that either.  This Dragonfly pattern is just the ticket, though, and this will be good for when I need a little challenge.

SPOILER ALERT — Through the Loop Mystery Sock photo ahead

Finally, here are 2 cuffs of the Through the Loops Socktoberfest Mystery Sock ‘09, again reclining on a JessaLu box bag.  The yarn is Claudia’s Handpaint in the color “cherries” and I love them so far.  I’ve finished clue #1 and will work each clue on both socks so that I have a finished pair at the end of the month.

So it’s all socks all the time over here at Carole Knits.  That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.

The card reader did the trick – we have photographs again.  Yay!

At the Photography for Knitters workshop Gale talked a lot about ways to pose our handknits.  She talked about the challenges we face when we try to get 3 dimensional things like bags and sweaters and socks translate to 1 dimensional blogs.  And she gave some suggestions on better ways to photograph these things, ways to make them come alive, if you will.

So the other day I headed into my back yard with my most recent pair of socks, looking for some different ways to show them to you.

I started with the black eyed susans.  The colors blend nicely but the socks are really too heavy to photograph there without causing the plant to flop over.

Then I remembered what Gale said about wood and yarn.  She described it as having a relationship similar to velcro.  The yarn is the loopy part and the wood is the prickly part and they will stick together.

So I stuck my socks on a tree.

I was able to photograph the heel.

And the toe.

And even the pretty picot edge.  The yarn, in case you’re wondering is Cider Moon in the color June Carter.  The pattern is my usual, of course, but at least the pictures are a bit different this time.

You’ve got to mix things up where you can, you know.

This week’s Ten on Tuesday topic is 10 Things You Hate About Traveling.  I actually like traveling and I thought about writing 10 things I like about traveling.  And then I remembered that today is my last day to post for Summer of Socks.  And so, I’m scrapping Ten on Tuesday and posting my final pair of Summer of Socks 2009.

No surprises here.  I can’t even make myself tell you that they are plain stockinette with a picot edge.

I can tell you, though, that the yarn is the wonderful Sophie’s Toes Sock Yarn from Emily Parson in a fabulous color combination called “Starry Night.”  I think Vincent Van Gogh would be proud.

I can also tell you that they are my 4th pair of socks this summer and my 12th pair of socks this year.  My goal is 18 pairs for the year.  Can I make it?

Now don’t fall over or anything but I’m about to post about knitting for two days in a row.  Shocking, I know.

These are my Fannie Socks, knit while on vacation on Cape Cod, with Farmhouse Yarns Fannie’s Fingering Weight.

They are, of course, my usual plain stockinette with a picot edge and a slip stitch heel, type socks.

I think they are particularly yummy, and I’m blaming it on the yarn.  Truly yummy stuff.

But it’s hot around here and I’m not putting them on.  Really, I’m not.

Oh, alright.  If you insist.