Finish Friday: Make Believe Socks

When I found out we were going to be visiting Pittsburgh, I had the most brilliant idea (if I do say so myself!).  I decided to order some yarns from KnitPicks.com and finally get to check some of them out!

They don’t deliver to the Netherlands (BOO!!!) so I’ve not had a chance to play with them or feel them for myself, so I was keen to get my hands on some to see what they were like.  So, before we left NL I got the home address for one of Xander’s colleagues and placed an order to be delivered to his house, then we could get it once we were there.  The only problem was that luggage space was minimal, so I had to be selective.  There was no way I was going to be able to get as many as I would have liked (meaning, ALL THE YARNS!)

Since I had planned on making more socks, I decided to order some of their sock yarn.  I had a look through their site and decided on two skeins of Stroll Hand Painted as they appealed to me most, and OHMYGOSH!  I love this yarn!  I knew I would from the minute I fondled the skeins.  I got it in Coffee Shop and Make Believe.

 

These yarns are so darn soft and the colors are gorgeous, which are the two most important things for me in any yarn.

I knew ahead of time that I was going to use one of them to do the Two at a Time Toe-up Magic Loop Socks Tutorial from Staci over at VeryPink.com.  I did her other sock tutorials and really wanted to learn to do toe up so I could make socks longer without worrying about running out of yarn.

It turns out that it wasn’t an issue, because I made really long socks and still had loads to spare.  I’m pretty sure the one skein would have given me socks to my knees if I hadn’t stopped… and the only reason I did stop was because I didn’t want to get into increasing to accommodate my ridiculously thick calves (all that weight loss and still the same problem! ARGH!).

Even with socks this long, I seriously had quite a lot of yarn left.  Granted, my feet are quite small, so I didn’t have to make them long in the foot, so I guess I gained some yarn back in that way.  I’m pretty sure if I had made these slightly shorter, I could have gotten a third sock out of it, which probably would have come in handy when I eventually lose one!

Anyway, love love love these socks!  I also love toe up socks and doing two at a time, so this tutorial was perfect for me. It allowed me to decide how long I wanted the socks to be by trying them on as I was knitting them and also getting two done at a time prevents that dreaded second sock syndrome.  When you’re done, you’re done and you have a nice pair of socks ready to wear.

Getting back to the yarn, though.  Another thing I really love about it is the stitch definition!  There’s just something great about knitting a piece with yarn that really shows off your stitches, especially if you can manage to do a halfway tidy job of it.  It’s great for admiring your own handiwork!

Gorgeous, right?!! I can hardly stand it!  I almost don’t want to wear the socks, just in case they get nobby or fuzzy but they are just too squooshy and soft to pass up!

I’ve not decided what I’m going to make with the Coffee Shop color yet. I may do socks but I’m considering trying something different, like maybe a small shawl?  I’m not sure… I’ll probably browse Ravelry for a million hours before I decide.

I also picked up some Wool of the Andes Tweed for a sweater tutorial I want to try a little later on (also from Staci, I’m such a fangirl!) , but I get the feeling it may be next winter before I get around to it!

I can definitely see the appeal of Knit Picks yarn and I’m pretty sure I’ll be a regular customer whenever we finally move.

Have you used KnitPicks yarns?  If so, what is your favorite?