Lickety split

Lickety split is a toe sock designed to be worn with Japanese slippers. I don't have Japanese slippers, so I am resigned to wear them as a stand-alone piece (especially to be home) or with flip-flop. Regardless of the whole "socks with sandals", they are very comfy, and they allowed me to wear my flip-flops without pain while I was breaking them in. And I want to think that, because of the type of sock, they didn't look that bad. At any rate, nobody said anything, although I did wear them mostly in a country whose language I didn't speak, so they could have been talking behind my back and I wouldn't have notice. I was happy with my feet warm and dry, and that's all that matters.

These socks were the first complicated piece that I finished, and I was very proud of them. I send pictures of them to everybody! My mother could not believe that I had made them, and demanded to know who had taught me to knit. No matter how many times I say "the internet", she still doesn't believe me.

Here be pictures!:




The socks are made in cotton. I know cotton does not make great sock yarn, but I am allergic to wool, so that is all I can use. Besides, I did not know about elasticity and things like that, I just got some comfy cotton and dived in. It didn't turn out very bad, and the socks have enough sturdiness to hold up even without the stretch. I think I was very lucky here (they are modelled after cloth socks).

Techniques needed that I learn on the go:

• crochet and temporary cast on: I had to find a "How to crochet" guide for this, and then fight with the temporary cast-on. I think I started the for toe about 4 times before I managed to get it right, so I'm not entirely sure how I didn't give up.
• 3-needle bind-off: not terribly difficult, but I hadn't used until then.
• intarsia: the proper way, with the back neatly done. I had done what I will loosely describe as "intarsia" before, but this is when I learned to do it properly.

And so, these are my toe-socks. They are great. The squiggly on the side is the Japanese for rat, my Chinese horoscope. I like seeing my toes. One day, I should make socks with all toes, although I fear when I finish them I will just sit and wiggle my toes, and stare at them saying "toesis", and that would be the end of my day :)

List of completed knits to the date

List of completed patters to the date. Currently the link points to the pattern, although at some point I will make it link to pictures as well!

Ravenclaw scarf

Nautie (from knitty, link will follow)

Toe socks

Brain slug

Socks for my boyfriend's mum

Clanger (goth)

And so the knitting begins

I have been, for a while, thinking about knitting online. The grand scheme of things is to one day be able to post my own designs here, but that is probably quite a bit away. I can barely follow patterns as it is sometimes...

So, Cristina and knitting. I think I was taught the basics of knitting when I was little, but it never stuck. But my actual knitting has two origins. The thought origin goes back to maybe 2005, when my boyfriend wanted a Ravenclaw scarf but couldn't find any, and I offered to make him one. However, life and possibly a degree got in the way, and I didn't think about it for a while.
Then, I fell really ill with depression during the summer of 2006. I took up knitting related to that, I think I had heard it was good for it, althought I can't remember at the moment the exact reasoning. It all was very confusing. So I bought in the street market some really crap yarn and some needles, and the internet taught me to knit. I knitted his Ravenclaw scarf (with much nicer yarn), and felt a lot better while doing so. Knitting takes up your attention without being draining, and most other things don't really matter when you are trying not to lose stitches. And, after his scarf, I continued knitting.

I might talk one day on the benefits of knitting. Knitting has helped me overcome depression, althougth I hold no illusions about being completely well yet (I should have been meeting my knitting group at the moment, but I felt to sad and cold to go out).

So, for now, I will ramble about knitting here (so as not to inflict it in the readers of my normal blog), and one day I shall post those patterns.