Monday, February 18, 2008

Sock Love

I can't begin to tell you how long I have wished to post a picture of my feet in hand-knitted (hand-dyed) socks!

As you may know, knitting is another one of my virtual crafts---not an actual one. I am getting to be quite an un-knitter, but that is a subject for another post. I do subscribe to several knitting blogs, however, and constantly drool into my keyboard every time I see hand-knit socks on feet. I want them to be MY feet, MY socks!! Then I got an idea: Why not offer up "A Gamp For All Seasons" horoscope weaving kit in exchange for the socks of my dreams? So that is what I did. Astrid Bear of Moominmama's Memoirs is the first of many (I hope) "Socks for Kits". Pop on over to her blog for the details. I know she dyes yarn to sell and has an Etsy Store, Damselfly Yarns.

"The yarn is my Sturdy Sheep base yarn, that I buy from a very picky indie dyer. It’s a 4 ply superwash merino fingering weight, spun with 25% nylon for extra strength. I dyed it with Jacquard acid dyes, one end of the skein purple, the other end red, and an area in the center with a mixed purple-red. The needles were size 1, and the pattern is a cross between the Bordello sock designed by Cory Watt for Fleece Artist, and the Jaywalker sock, designed by Grumperina for Mag Knits. I’ve been knitting, off and on, since I was about 10, and weaving, off and on, since I was about 40. Currently, knitting is much more on, and weaving is pretty much off, but I have weaving projects planned for later this year. Fiber goals? To create beautiful, useful things for me, my family, and friends, and to have that financially supported by my dyed yarn business, which makes beautiful, useful yarn for other people to create things with!"
Astrid



Because Astrid doesn't live that far away, she was able to deliver the socks in person, enjoy an Indian Buffet at the restaurant next door, and create her personal color gamp using Bambu 12. Keep in mind the yarn is not a part of the trade, but since Astrid lives so close I let her wind off the amounts she needs from my personal stash and pay me for the yarn. I am happy to do that for anyone who drops by. (BYO yardage counter)

2 comments:

Valerie said...

Very nice socks, but curious minds want to know: Are you standing on the floor or are your feet up the wall?

Bonnie said...

Feet on the wall, it is. If you notice the wall behind Astrid, you will see a bit of the shawl hanging there. I admit it is hard to tell from the way my feet are positioned.