another dose of east and west

it has been quite a while since i wrote about it, but i am still slowly by surely knitting my way through Knitted Socks East and West, this lovely book:

my most recent pair, samurai, are quite lovely in every way and invoke very awesome imagery, if you ask me!  :)

the yarn is a cotton nylon blend (kollage yarns luscious), which is a change from my usual wool or wool/nylon socks, but they turned out comfy and lovely.  

(and no, those are not my hairy legs, they are the legs of my only-slightly-unwilling model/b-friend).  

knitting socks east and west - pair # 2

last weekend i finished my second pair of socks from my current favorite knitting book, knitting socks east and west. these are the geisha lounge socks.

i once again have to recommend knitting a pair of socks with heavier yarn and larger needles. not too big - these were knit on addi lace size 2 needles, with debbie bliss baby cashmerino, which is kind of a heavy sport weight / light dk weight. Because the cuff is so short, and the heel turn comes up after only a couple inches, i knit the cuffs and heels 1 at a time on 2 circulars, and then finished off the gussets, feet, and toes 2 at a time on 2 circulars.

the cashmere in this blend is absolutely lovely. i really could put these socks on and not get off the couch all day (okay, so, that's not really a challenge for me on any day, but adding the cashmere socks to the mix makes it really, especially relaxing).

new project(s): knitting socks east and west

i don't think i've ever met a knitting book i didn't like.  most books contain at least one pattern i'd like to knit.  even without that single purchase-worthy pattern, some books are so inspiring to look at that i can't pass them up, even when it is unlikely that i'll actually ever knit any of the patterns.  and then there is that rare, but joyous occasion when i find a book that is filled to the brim with patterns i want to knit.  

this is one of those books: Knitted Socks East and West: 30 Designs Inspired by Japanese Stitch Patterns

i recently finished knitting my first pair of socks from this book, the pattern is called inro.

the other thing that makes this project a rare knitting phenomenon for me is that i knitted it with precisely the yarn called for by the pattern.  even the same colorway.  

i highly recommend taking a break from knitting socks with fingering or sport weight yarn and giving worsted weight yarn a try.  of course, the practical use for the socks is limited (sitting around in all your free time, in front of a fire in a log-cabin-type scenario?)  BUT BUT but, they go SO FAST!  It is quite amazing and gratifying, and aren't they lovely?

which leads me, at long last, to my point!  i am undertaking the project of knitting all (not really all, the majority) of the socks in this book.  at this point, the ones i know i am excluding are the anti-socks.  ("anti-socks" def. = socks without toes; socks without heels; socks with some weird toe configuration, e.g., a split down the middle to encourage wearing socks with flip flops, which i am, fundamentally and morally against.)