Summer Lee Striped Shorty Sporty Socks & Wine Country Yarn Hop Recap

 Wow!  Talk about bang for your buck!  I knit not just 1, not just 2 but THREE pairs of socks from the same 2 hanks of Sock Hero yarn and I still have enough scraps leftover to be used on a pair of scrappy socks!

 

I've knit this pattern a few times before and I especially love it because unlike many other sock patterns, it does not require any modifications for my very petite feet (and ankles).

I love stripes and the contrast of these two ombre yarns is so mesmerizing!

I highly recommend Summer Lee's sock patterns.  As an ardent sock knitter, I can firmly attest to how well her patterns are written.

Generally I wear a US Boys size 3 or Womens size 4, which is rarely available but to give an American example, in the Cat & Jack childrens' shoes sold at Target, a Girls size 3 is roomy on me!  

I think my feet stopped growing when I was 14 because I still have VANS from HS that STILL fit me!

As usual, I knit these socks with size 0 needles.

 

On Friday, Sankari, Xena and I went on a little roadtrip up North for the Wine Country Yarn Hop.  

We met my very dear fiber arts friend, Nicole aka Lambstyle from Davis.

 

It was my first time ever even hearing about or attending this event.  

 

We raced to 4 different shops all in one day and I felt like a cross between a ride share driver and a contestant in The Amazing Race.  We started at Heidi's Yarn Haven in Ukiah.  They welcomed us with promotional totes and retractable measuring tapes.  

I was also presented with the prize above just for being the 25th customer (or something like that).

 

Our next stop was Purls of Joy in Healdsburg which had an amazing snack spread and very high tolerance for my over curious 4 y.o.

 

I have to admit that the shop I was most impressed by was Cast Away in Santa Rosa.  It is such a spacious and welcoming location, like 10x the size of Atelier.  The staff were super friendly and engaging. 

 

Our final stop on was Fiber Circle Studio in Petaluma which I've been to once before and totally love.  I really want to take some classes up there; it's just a matter of finding the time!  Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I don't *need* any more yarn, at all but I did buy a few things throughout the hop to support the NorCal small businesses.

Super stoked to try out these knit and crochet shawl kits featuring the Comfort & Joy Yarn Co. Enjoy base with the limited edition Summer Vibes WCYH 2022 colorway!

 

Nicole never ceases to amaze me with her talent and thoughtful generosity.  She made matching crochet water bottle totes for Xena and I in our favorite color, blue!  She also gifted us some delicious Sleeping Bear Honey Raspberry Creme, CA Shorebirds stickers and a postal theme project bag badge!

 

In a bittersweet turn of events, my friend/penpal, Angela, is moving from Napa to Vancouver, WA (to join many of our other penpals: The Wallins, Amber and Elekta!) and directly following the yarn hop, we drove over to Napa to pick up all of her old knitting supplies before her house is sold.  When she initially texted me, I assumed that I would be picking up like a half full grocery bag full of random yarn or something.  It ended up being 3 giant plastic storage tubs of yarn, UFOs and 100s of patterns/books/magazines!

I will be sorting through everything for months if not years and already this has brought me so much joy in spite of all of the BS and drama of the world around me.

This book alone, published in 1942 has been such an inspiration! 

More Fraternal Socks

 We just returned from our annual summer trip to NOLA for The Happening.  It was a very relaxing and delightful adventure.  We had a pretty set routine one this trip which means that Xena and I were in/at the rooftop pool the majority of the time.  We also had 2 of the best meals of our lives back to back at Irene's and then at Tableau in the French Quarter.

 

I managed to get quite a bit of knitting done but I am still far from finishing Xena's back to school cardi.  I feel confident that I will make a lot of progress with it this week, fingers and legs crossed.

 

My main travel knitting project was just an inverse of a pair of "Not So Crazy" socks that I knit a month or so ago.  I realized that although I posted my finished socks on IG, I never posted finished photos here.

 

I used contrasting Sock Hero ColorMix yarn that I bought at Fiber Circle Studio in Petaluma.  It is a triple ply blend of 80% SWM/20% nylon.  It was my first time using this brand of yarn and I really liked it.  

This is a photo of Diana, the organizer of our Sunday knit and crochet meet up at Schmidt's in Berkeley.  I haven't be able to make it to the meet up very much this summer but I went last Sunday and was pleasantly reminded of what a wonderful reprieve it is.

 

I love marled ombre tones.  The MC is Twinkle Toes and the CC is Golden Ticket.

 

As you will see on my next pair, the inverse of the MC/CC creates quite a significant contrast!

 

I am so stoked on both pairs!

I am also all about their fraternal, non-identical style.  Goodness knows I already spend more than enough time focused on hyper-symmetry.

When it comes to knitting socks, I've come to the conclusion that I actually prefer a little bit of nylon in my sock yarn.  

 

And when I use a blend containing nylon, I machine wash and (gasp) dry my socks!

 

It took me years to be OK with this but I finally just realized that for super basic socks, they just don't require wet blocking and/or line drying.

Knit Ripple Halter designed by Jessie Maed Designs

Initially I was planning to archive the entire month's worth of #yarnlove #yarnlove2022 #yarnlovechallenge photos and posts on my blog but I am now completely burnt out and uninterested.  Although it was great fun to participate in the challenge, I now realize that I have no desire to relive it!  So, SNS.

Moving on, I finally finished my #ripplehalter designed by Jessie Maed Designs!

 

I only just started it on June 19th but because it's form fitting and has no sleeves, it was undisputedly the quickest top I've ever knit!

  

I am unashamed to admit that I used multiple life lines to repeatedly try on my top as I progressed.  I'm too OCD and never so overconfident that I just eye shit up flat and hope for the best.

 

I know I've said this before but I would like to reiterate.  I am about 5' tall with a 40" bust. Many people probably can't even imagine WTF it is like to be so short with such big tits.  I was flat as a board, mistaken for being a boy/man/sir up until my mid-20s. OK, it didn't help that for many years I had a shaved head, but still.  Through my 20s and most of my 30s I only wore a size B cup but after childbirth at 39, my tits blew the f*ck up and never went back down.  I hate them.  I hate wearing a bra.  If I could afford to get a breast reduction I wouldn't flinch for even a second before immediately scheduling one.  So, now that I'm 44 and I can't control gravity, I'm just trying to embrace it. 

 

I knit size 3 of the pattern which is meant for a 35" full chest measurement.  The pattern is designed with 6" negative ease at the full chest so it was recommended going down 1-2 sizes below your actual bust measurement.

Because this top is knit in 2x2 ribbing, even though it has a ton of shaping, the fabric itself is incredibly stretchy.

 

I think I could even get away with knitting size 2 and/or going down a needle size for more coverage on the sides.  

 

(Obviously) I'm posing for all of these photos without a bra.  A bra would add support but I'm not a fan of clashing straps and I think it looks quite sexy as is.

 

Forgive my tan lines.  I'm hoping to even those out a bit by the pool when we head to NOLA next weekend.

 

I used about 2 hanks worth of Koigu KPM 100% Merino sock yarn in #1150-0017.  I love this top and come to think of it, considering climate change and all, it's going to be a perfect Rhinebeck "sweater", LOL!