the Akamai Knitter

Back in January, Hattie asked me to test knit a pattern for her. I was a little nervous at the idea since I’ve never test knit a pattern, but since she only needed one sock done and I had the whole month to do it. I figured I could handle it.

It took me a few tries to find the right yarn that complimented the pattern, but I finally settled on some yarn Shelly had given me as a Christmas gift. Once that was settled, I was able to get the first sock completed within the alloted time period, but I lost my motivation to finish the pair after that. It seems that if I don’t blog about my projects I sometimes lose the incentive to finish projects. Strange, no?

I finally got the go ahead to blog about the project and that provided me with the impetus to complete the second sock. So 3 months later I now have a pair to show off.

Pattern: Tendril Embrace(Ravelry link) by Hattie Adkins

Yarn: TOFUtsies; Color No. 791

Needles: 1.5US / 2.5mm

Started: January 2008

Finished: March 26, 2008

This is a really fun pattern. It’s simple to knit and easy to memorize. It also made for the perfect project to see me through a mild bout of the flu I had earlier this week.

I’m a little ambivalent about the yarn. While it’s very soft to the touch, it’s also very slippery which made it hard to pick up dropped stitches. Plus, it was a bit splitty as well, but that might have been exacerbated by the fact that I used very pointy needles. Still, it has a nice drape to it and I think it will make a great summer sock as the fabric is lightweight and airy.

I don’t think I’d mind making another pair of these in the same yarn with the exact same pattern since these babies are going to be heading to a friend. If you’ll all remember, pink is not my cup of tea. (Don’t worry. I’m not going to give my friend socks that I’ve tried on with my stinky feet, I’m washing these before I gift them.)

These will be the first pair of socks that I’ve ever made for someone else and I’m more then a little nervous about the fit. There’s a lot of stretch to them so I hope they’ll be very forgiving.

Now that I’ve recovered from the flu I had, I’ll be back at my spinning wheel. I’ve also cast on for another pair of socks, but I think I’ll save all that for another time. I’ve been running dangerously low on blog fodder, which is why posting has been sporadic at best.

I’ll leave you with a picture of a little friend I’ve made. I think he’s an Anole, but he doesn’t look like a Carolina Anole since he’s not green. He likes to sleep in a ficus out on the lanai. You can see he was a little wary of the camera inching towards him.