Lost in Yarn

Right before my trip to Europe, stressed from moving out and moving in, I allowed myself a little bit of shopping therapy. The packages came just days before leaving:

Eight balls of Rowan Big Wool in ice blue, and my new love, ten balls of Rowan Felted Tweed in watery. I'm so completely, head over heels crazy about this color, I almost took a ball on the trip for fear of separation anxiety.
Have you ever wanted something really bad and when you got it, you realized you weren't crazy about it anymore? That's how I feel about the Big Wool. I had been gawking at this for over a year, and when I saw this, there seemed good reason to give in and purchase. But I think I'm over it now. But maybe I'm not. Why is it that one day, all I want is soft, barely there color, and then next I crave dark rich jewel tones? The jewel tone phase is now, and I will hold on to Big Wool, hoping the desire will be rekindled before spring. It's not just that I crave different colors, I want different projects as well. Last night I frogged my almost finished 'Lila' sweater. I just wasn't 'feelin' it' anymore. So here I sit surrounded by beautiful yarns and I have absolutely no idea what I want to do with them. Maybe I need to do a little more shopping, for pattern books instead.
As for the rest of the stash, here is the sock yarn I bought in Munich at Wollkorb ( I went to the one by Sendlinger Tor, though I much prefer the one close to LM university) :

All these are for bf. He loves the self-patterning yarn, the crazier the better. I had to keep that in mind while selecting the colors. On the bottom are his socks for Christmas, the only gift knitting this year chez craftoholic. I have now finished those socks and wrapped them up, so there will be pictures after Christmas.
I got a pair of socks as well, knitted for me by my cousin in Germany, who knits nothing but socks:

She makes me a pair every year. It's fabulous to get a knitted gift, even if the colors are a little bright. I love them nonetheless. I'll be back after the holidays, hopefully with some ideas for a new project. Have a very Happy Holiday everyone!
And thank you to all those who commented on my gothic knee highs who didn't have emails listed!

Gothic Knee Highs

These have been finished for over a week, waiting to be photographed which proved very difficult given availability of light and photographer, but here they are. The dark red almost black color of this yarn made me think of Sadie Frost in Frankenstein, the dark ages, Gothic architecture. After studying drawings of the cathedrals of Reims and Strasbourg, I came up with a simple yo, k2tog/ssk pattern design of gothic windows. I used three skeins of Koigu and had just an inch of yarn left over after weaving in the ends. They would look great with a black taffeta skirt.

My knitting hasn't been very exciting lately, I'm working on a pair of socks for bf, a Christmas present, which means nothing else gets in the way until they're done. I'm past the ribbing on the second sock, so just a couple of days should do it.

There and back again

I've been back just a little over a week and already it seems my vacation was just a dream. I do this every year and yet I still experience culture shock both ways. This time held surprises such as my grandma offering me leftover chocolate from Halloween. Halloween? Since when do Germans celebrate Halloween??? Apparently they have been doing so for a few years now, as well as shopping at Staples, Toy's-R-Us and Eddie Bauer, and paging through Land's End catalogs. I dread to imagine what else will be there by the time I visit again. Munich is still the beautiful glorious city I left, busy yet always ready to sit down and have a beer or coffee and cake. For five days I accompanied my mom to a conference in Warsaw, Poland, where I spent a lot of time in the many beautiful city parks, wandering along the river Wisla, warming up in lovely cafe's with hot chocolate and apple pie. Poland was very exciting, it is so rapidly changing into a western society. Amidst the grey and heavy whales of communist architecture, steel and glass highrises announce the indelible establishment of capitalism. Krakow, a two hour train ride south of Warsaw, is beautiful and busy even on a chilly winter day, but then you slip into a little coffeeshop where time turns back and you expect Kafka to stop in on his way to Prague. South of the castle, Kasimierz is Krakow's old Jewish neighborhood, a place with little alleys and dark houses and street vendors selling old books.
Back in Munich, the opening of Christkindl's Markt (Christmas Market) a day before I left meant sipping Gluehwein and hot blueberry wine, eating roasted chestnuts and enjoying the sparkly lights and sounds dissapearing in freshly fallen snow. It was lovely. A few of my pictures can be seen here
Now what about the knitting? I almost finished my knee highs, both are just waiting for the ribbing on top and are hopefully ready to be photographed this weekend. My yarn purchases were extremely modest, three skeins of sock yarn, all picked for bf's eclectic taste, was it. But a tv station had a feature on a woman who is knitting a very long scarf incorporating the flags of all soccer teams participating in the WM. She's not knitting this all herself, but knitters from all over Germany are helping and sending her the pieces to sew together. I've never been a soccer fan, but in Germany it's better to feign interest than admit that out loud ;-)
Also coming, pictures of goodies I received from Janette's on ebay right before I left. It's hard these days to photograph things when even the daylight isn't light enough.

In Poland it's a muffinka, in Germany grandma calls it a 'mooffin'.

Auf Wiedersehen!

I'll leave you with a knitted, typically Bavarian snack: White sausages, Brez'n (pretzel), white radish and beer (why didn't they knit the beer?)
This image is from a postcard I picked up at a German yarn shop last year. I'll be back in three weeks!

Out of the cardboard

Thank you all so very much for your well wishes regarding my neck and the compliments on the sweater. Your comments have been a great comfort over the past week and a half. I usually try and respond to everyone and I'm so sorry I haven't been able to this time, so instead of something written, I've been sending kind thoughts and wishes to each of you. If you had an eye tick, that might have been me ;-) While the chiropractor visit was successful and made me feel better, all of the sudden my fingers started cramping up, something that's never happened before. So there was little knitting and blogging, but lots of packing, because last weekend people, was 'The Move'. Where I crammed some more stuff into my already existing 3'x4' storage locker, and the rest of my possessions into a 5'x7'x7' plywood box, which now sits 20 feet up in a warehouse. A few choice items now reside in bf's room. Yarn and needles, of course, laptop and various i-gadgets. After running 31 stairs up and down countless times, I'm sore. Everywhere. Even my eyeballs hurt, after looking at 353 cubic feet of stuff.
But here goes the knitting: First a pair of man socks aka Thursday socks for bf, made of Lana Grossa yarn, meilenweit something, his pick. Modeled on me.

Second, a pair of man socks aka Friday socks for bf, made of Lana Grossa meilenweit something. Modeled on me, a surprise for bf, to be handed over while saying good-bye at the airport come Friday. See, bf said a while ago that he would love to have a pair of handknit socks for every work day, because they feel so good and keep his feet so toasty. While I told him sternly that no way was he getting another pair until his b-day in January, my melting heart went to the LYS right away for more Lana Grossa, his favorite. And because he wanted 'a pattern' after seeing all my socks, he got some fancy 2x2 rib down to the toe!

So my socks and Lila have been on the back burner. I'm not sure I'll finish either before Friday, what with the sausages dangling from the logs attached to my body.
But here is a question for you guys: Anyone been to Poland, specifically Warsaw or Krakow? Are there yarn shops, or anything cool aside from the obvious Lonely Planet listings that you've seen or heard of? I'll be there(Warsaw) for four days while my mom is attending a teacher conference. I'm taking the train to Krakow for a daytrip.
One of my huge Noro shawls will be with me, to shield me from the Siberian winds. Bring on the vodka!
Oops, I almost forgot! Two fabulous knitters (Angela and Winnie) have tagged me with a knitting meme:

What is your all time favorite yarn to knit with?
Oh, knit with is different than wear, right? I love knitting with Noro Silk Garden, it's exciting to see the colors melt into each other, and the sheen and touch is beautiful. I also love Debbie Bliss Cathay, because it slips so easily off the needles. Nature's Palette is such a treat, despite it's tendency to split. I happily wear Calmer, but I didn't really enjoy knitting it.

Your favorite needles?
A couple of years ago I purchased a complete set of old Phildar circs from eBay for $20. They've worked fine for me, as do the old unidentifiable plastic ones I have. My dpn's are all bamboo, whichever brand is cheapest at my LYS. I haven't tried any of the needles people rave about, so maybe I'm missing out? I did finger a pair of Lantern Moon needles at the LYS yesterday, but I've been hesitant to spend this much ($32) on needles, when I already have every size.

The worst thing you've ever knit?
I look at my projects like ex boyfriends, while some weren't great, I learned from all of them, so it's hard to pinpoint the worst. Maybe that vest from a 1920's knitting book, which is so nicely knit yet so impractical. I was in a Great Gatsby mode and the yarn went so well with a pair of Marlene style trousers I have.
But the worst I've ever knit WITH.....oh, that'd be Rowan Yorkshire Tweed DK.

Your most favorite knit pattern? (maybe you don't like wearing it...but it was the most fun to knit)
Clapotis - so simple, such stunning results. Wendy's toe-up socks - this pattern launched the sock knitting addiction.

Most valuable knitting technique?
Grafting!

Best knit book or magazine?
I like Nancy Wiseman's Finishing Techniques, which has helped me lots. I love the instructional drawings in Interweave Knits but rarely their patterns. Knitty has been helpful many times.

Your favorite knit-a-long?
I've never done one.

Your favorite knitblogs?
Well, there's the list to the right which hasn't been updated in ages, but there are so many more, all for different reasons.

Your favorite knitwear designer?
Kim Hargreaves and I'm always inspired by fashion designers such as James Coviello, Alexander McQueen, Yoshi Yamamoto and Dries van Noten.

The knit item you wear the most? (how about a picture of it!)
Debbie Bliss' Cabled Jacket from The Cashmere Collection, knit in Rowanspun Chunky cardamom. Favorite hang-out comfy cardi in squishy soft yarn.


Who's next? You guys are it.
Lori, Blossom, Tari, Annie, Jo

The Yoshi sweater

This weekend was supposed to see Lila finished, pictures taken of sweater and bf socks and more socks, but nothing happened. I've become stuck, or more precisely, my neck. I've noticed that sometimes my body tenses up while I'm knitting. Not just lightly, but my jaw will be clenched, my shoulders are rolled forward, my head is bend down. I have to constantly tell myself to relax and sit properly, straightening my back and shoulders the way I do when I'm not knitting. But unless I hold up my hands level with my eyes, the head droops. Shoulder muscles turn into steel blades, neck and head aches ensues. And sometimes, a vertebrae gets stuck. It's time to see the chiropractor. Until then, not much knitting.
But I did a little bit of packing and stumbled upon the sweater that marked the re-entry into knitting fever two plus years ago. A sweater I made up from scratch, using Peruvian wool and Rowan Kidsilk Haze stranded together, inspired by this Yoshi Yamamoto design:

It was described as a two piece, and I thought it would be very easy to copy. Knit a top, then a looong scarf seamed up at the ends to create sleeves. Here is my version:

Even though I've been knitting since I was little, it's only in the past two years that I've learned more about yarn and its properties and different knitting techniques. Had I known then what I know now, I would have used a thinner, and stiffer wool for this project, or maybe just mohair double stranded. I would have tightened my stitches to eliminate the 'ladders' you can see in the sleeves (the arms were knit in the round, as was the top). Or I might not have knit the sweater at all, as it is too warm for this here climate and requires a lot of fussing to have the wrapped shawl look good and stay put. Which it only does if you stand perfectly still.


The armscarf is about 11' long and knit in garter stitch while the top is stockinette. It was easy mindless knitting, and I made up the instructions as I went along. While I don't wear this sweater, I love it nonetheless. It was started with a "hey I can make that myself" and I did. Lesson learned: Think hard about copying another designer sweater.

New Beginnings

Thank you all so much for your encouraging words on the crochet squares. I think having been a professional bookmaker has given me the ability to become easily detached from my works, which transferred over to my other crafts. There wasn't much love left for the squares, but I view them differently now and started to mull around ideas, and suggestions from you guys. It'll be a while though before I'll get working on them, as everything is being packed up right now. I'm moving out of the flat at the end of October (bye bye messy mates), my stuff gets put into storage, I'm going to Europe for three weeks, and when I get back, I'll be homeless. Well, I'll be staying with BF until I find a place with fewer and neater roomies (with rent going around $1200 for a one bedroom, living alone in SF is unfortunately not an option), hopefully a garden, in a quieter neighborhood. Hooray!
I was more than pleasantly surprised this morning when I looked at the newest Vogue Knitting preview. I've never bought a copy before, because there ususally were only a couple of pieces, if any, I liked. Sure enough, in the upcoming issue they have some not so pretty items, but they also have these:
Something for KSH fanatics maybe

This jacket is simply gorgeous

I love the idea of translating a typically Victorian high-neck lace blouse into - my mole eyes can't quite make it out - crochet?

It's hard to see but I think it's a pretty jacket. No zipper for me though.

There are also some cute capelets/ shoulder warmers, and while I'm not sure I'd wear these out, I might make one as a "house" capelet, the perfect accessory for a hermit. I'm not really one for fussy accessories when I'm out and about, a long scarf is usually all I can deal with. But go check it out, there are also some nice projects in Highland Swing.

When Pigs Crochet!

That Anthropologie shawl? Yeah, soo pretty and what a match for the Koigu. To be honest, I posted that picture because I feel like I always have to include a picture in a post, for interest, because I'm not writing any dramas here. And it went so well with the Koigu. But there won't be any crocheting multiple pieces that need to be connected chez Craftoholic unless I finish this:

This is the oldest and biggest UFO in my life. It's supposed to be this:

Well, actually, my version is larger. A lot. I saw this pretty tablecloth maybe thirteen or so years ago in a women's magazine. Back in those days, dainty crochet was big. And boy, was I into crochet. I was also into all things lacy, dried roses, china painted with Peter Rabbit and leather hatboxes. Those days are over, though I still have the Peter Rabbit set and a couple of hat boxes. In storage, for when I have a cute Victorian in SF (insert title). So this tablecloth, started in the early 90's, originally measured five by five feet, consisting of crocheted squares (most are still unblocked)

and embroidered linen squares. But sometimes my ideas tend towards the megalomaniacal, and I wanted the ultimate, amazing crocheted-linen-ed bedcover. Or even more romantic, having something to drape above a four-poster. I got crocheting with a tiny hook and white thread, and seven years later there were 31 crochet squares, just waiting for the linen squares. I stalled, because I never quite liked the flower motif of the magazine piece and wanted to design something more art deco looking. I think the first and only drawing is still around. Part of me wants to finish this. Part of me wonders whether I'll want to use it. Maybe I should leave the linen squares plain. Then maybe the squares should just go back into the plastic bag, so that I can take them out every ten years and wonder if I should finish this.
That cute wrap? (See title)

K.O.I.G.U.

Koigu KPM, dye code: 1160, dye lot: 37.
We could do a 1160 knit-along, hehe, who's ever done a particular color knit-along??? Just joking. Pattern ideas are starting to form in my head already. Here is how it goes: It starts with the color. Gothic. This sends me thinking of Sadie Frost in Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, the cathedral in Reims, my early teens (I was more "Waver" [New Wave] though, think Gary Numan, Visage, Bladerunner). These might become knee-highs, at last. We'll see.
The BF: He's got some expensive hobbies, so he's a good enabler when it comes to yarn. But don't take him clothes-shopping. Just like a toddler with a tantrum ;-)
Here's another little wrap from Anthropologie, the crocheted Daisy Web Shawl. Would be perfect for the 1160.

A little bit of everything

I tried to hold out. Honestly. But you know how it goes: you read blogs, you see people buying gorgeous yarn, making gorgeous socks and then you find yourself running errands on a lazy Saturday and BF asking if there's anywhere else you'd like to go. All of a sudden synapses are breaking down and before you can try to be stoic and restrained your heart races faster and you blurt out "yarn store!". But it is dangerous to have BF as a partner in buying sock yarn. He loves the socks I make for him and gives me the sad puppy look so that we leave the LYS not just with two skeins of Koigu for me, but also a skein of Lana Grossa Meilenweit Magic for him (he gets to pick it). So here is this weekend's bounty:

Koigu in a color I would describe as 'gothic'. The camera lit it just a bit, so imagine this darker,almost black, with cabernet tones shining here and there.

BF's Meilenweit is being turned into socks already. My hand was shaking uncontrollably when taking this picture, could it have been due to all that stripey goodness?
And here my wip du jour, the sweater which will be known as 'Lila'. Lila (pronounced lee-lah) means purple in German and is also one letter short of spelling lilac. Terribly creative, I know. I have one sleeve (pictured) finished and half the body (it's knit in the round). The yarn doesn't knit up very evenly, it's very stretchy. But I think it'll get better after blocking. And to be honest, I'm not very concerned with stitch appearance here, as it will be a lounge-about-the-house sweater.

Inspiration

Here a few things from the Anthropologie website I found interesting. They would be so easy to duplicate, and in this case for a lot less money. Anyone else wonder whether the now extinct J. Peterman catalog writers are currently employed by A.? I get a kick out of their product descriptions.

Got PDF?

Yes I do, yes I do!!! See the sidebar, under Patterns? if you click you will get to a site where you can download the charts for my socks as pdf's. Thanks again to Winnie who spoon-fed me how to get this set up. Now it seems all so easy. I often have a hard time just finding the right resources. Thank heavens for tech savvy knitbloggers! Let me know if you have any problems with the patterns by comment or email (see right)
A lot of de-stashing has happened. I sold a bag of Rowan Yorkshire Tweed dk on ebay, which was supposed to become the Tyrolean Cardi from Vintage Style. Let me tell you, YT is the yuckiest yarn I've ever knit with. It is dry, stringy and knits up into the ugliest fabric. The color, 'cheer' would have been pretty had it not been for the tweedy bits of intense purple. I love mauves and dusty lilacs and plums, but this purple was neon-tie-dye-eyeball hurting bad. And they dropped the Rowanspun line for this?? There you go, I've never ragged on anything this bad. But, I had a skein of YT in dark brown sitting around and a skein of Crystal Palace Merino Frappe in a pretty plum, which I bought to make the SNB Spiderweb capelet. Suffice to say that I did not enjoy knitting the capelet and knew I'd never wear it. But the two yarns combined were perfect for making a pair of Eowyn handwarmers from Rowan 38:


Knit on US 7 needles in the round instead of flat as the pattern says. I knit six repeats of the lace for a perfect width. My hands are covered, yet have enough room to move comfortably. Project two is a scarf which needs to go into a dyebath before considered finished, and I have started a sweater (yes, I have overcome my Aimee post partum) with this:

Rowan Cork in Chilly. Lately I'm in love with purl. Not actually purling, no, just knitting and then turning it over to drool over those wonderful little purls. I'm making a sweater of my own design, though ideas are borrowed from this:

Beth from Rowan's Ribbon Twist collection. Because I live in a drafty old house, I often wear my comfy fleece camping jacket around the house. But I want something a little cuter, a slouchy yet shaped sweater with a tunic-style neck opening, arms and body knit in the round, for minimal irritation in regards to seaming and comfort. The cork is squishy and lovely to knit up. I hope this turns out the way I picture it!

Meet Bubby

Hi there, my name is Bubby.

My mom had a bit of Rowanspun Chunky left and after two days of knitting, I was born. She used #7 needles, and some brown yarn to give me eyes and a really big nose. I've been bugging her to make me some clothes as this place is a bit drafty. She keeps mumbling about having some sock yarn scraps. I hope I get a sweater soon!

Mom says, go to Knitty and make yourself a Bubby too.

All about Socks

Linking to a pdf. Maybe it just can't be done with Blogger?!

Believe me, for a week now I've tried to figure out how to put this picture up nice and big, but it's no use. Tried many other things. Now my eyes hurt from squinting at the screen. If you're afraid your eyes will hurt trying to decipher this chart, then please click on it; it'll lead you to a bigger one on my flickr account. Or I can email it to you. The talented Winnie of Knitting Escapism made this chart and kindly emailed it to me so I could post it. You should check out her latest post, she just finished the Springgrass knee-highs and they are fabulous. Initially mine were supposed to be knee-highs as well, but I wasn't happy with the way I worked the increases. Looking at Winnie's, she made the increases just like I did and they look fine. So, some time in the future, there will be a knee-high pair for me too. Not soon though, I'm a little socked out at the moment. This pair was finished just a few days ago, using my very own simple pattern.

It's just a yo,k2tog spaced every eight stitches, and every fourth round it moves one over, creating this simple but lovely spiral pattern. I call them my Mata Hari socks, don't ask why. Maybe it's the delicious red, and the yo's are like little bullet holes. Yes, I have an overactive imagination. My camera savvy BF also figured out a way to photograph the red in its true color (the above photo isn't) I didn't realize you could change film speed on our little digital camera, but you can, he changed the speed to 400, resulting in very true red pictures.

The color is right on, on both my iBook and the work PC.

They are knit top-down as I wanted to get better at picking up stitches without holes. These are my best top-down pair so far. But I think I prefer toe-up with short-rows for wearing comfort.

Koigu, and I just lost the band with all the info. They softened up nicely after a bath.

Knitty!!!

The new Knitty is up, and I had a good chuckle when I checked out the Falling Leaves socks by Jessica Landers. She took the same pattern from Nicky Epstein's Knitting on the Edge for her socks as I did for my Springgrass Socks, except she didn't mirror it. There are some very nice sweaters and cardis in this issue, but my favorite is Bubby, a little bear with the cutest expression. Now I know what to do with all those half skeins in my stash.

New Ideas

It didn't look like there was a whole lot of Lurex left on the ball, honestly. But I seriously underestimated the remaining yardage. I made another ornament last night and there is still a lot left. While it may not be enough for a calendar, I might follow Angela's great idea of using them for Christmas cards. Thanks Angela!
Lately I've been noticing some beautiful knits in fashion mags. Here are a few that I had to rip. This jacket is by TSE if I remember correctly:

Those cables are very pretty.It would look wonderful in that Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk dark turquoise shade. But I hear this yarn starts to pill as soon as you start knitting with it.
This Kimono sweater is by Akris:

I'm sorry it's hard to make out, but I picture this with very high moss stitch cuffs and hem, and a dainty lace pattern in between, in Elsebeth Lavold's Silk Wool, which makes a very drapey fabric. That skirt wouldn't be too hard to recreate either and a great opportunity to try some applique.
It's good to get excited again about knits that aren't socks.

Ornament

Made from Rowan Lurex Shimmer in Antique White Gold, about 3.5" high. US#2 needles.
I've been in a stash reducing frenzy. The Lurex Shimmer, bought months ago, was supposed to become a handbag in combination with some sisal strung along. The swatch looked great, however, the sisal shedded so terribly over everything, it would not be practical for a bag. Then I had the idea to use it for a shrug, again in combination with another yarn, delicious Any Blatt Mohair. But this lurex is just too scratchy, it doesn't really work for clothing in my opinion. Since it's been all about socks lately here at Craftoholic and I love ornaments it seemed like a winning combo. I think a Marie Claire Maison X-mas issue from a few years back featured a silver knitted sock. Maybe I could make 23 more for an Advent calendar, how cute would that be? But one ball makes two socks, I need eleven more balls...oh, there would be no money left to buy the surprises to go into the socks...:(

Patterns for the Springgrass & Orchid Socks

I'm sorry guys, I've been meaning to post this but due to everything that's been happening I have not been able to concentrate much. Here you go:
I won't include a tutorial on how to knit an actual sock, most of you already know how to, for those who don't, or are interested in some new techniques, here are some excellent links with pictures that can explain it much better than I could:
Socks 101, a top-down tutorial featured on www.Knitty.com
Also on Knitty, how to knit socks toe-up (I have used this tutorial to learn short-row toes and heels
And thanks to Jo, for posting a link to this great phototutorial on how to pick up stitches from the gusset without holes.
If you've ever wondered about how to do a yarn-over short-row toe-up sock, look at Purly's great photo story. Next pair I'll be trying that one for sure!
My socks are knit with 60 stitches total over four needles, so there are 15 sts on each needle. After completing the toe, I knit 4-6 rounds stockinette because I like my toes covered. Uneven rows are given, for even rows, knit sts as they appear, i.e knit the knit sts and the yo's, purl the purl sts. Pattern covers needle 1 and 2, do same for needle 3 and 4.

Springgrass Socks:

R 1: k1, p2, k2tog, yo, k5, yo, k3,skp, k2tog, k3, yo, k5, yo, skp, p2, k1
R 3: k1, p2, k2tog, k5, yo, k1, yo, k2, skp, k2tog, k2, yo, k1, yo, k5, skp, p2, k1
R 5: k1, p2, k2tog, k4, yo, k3, yo, k1, skp, k2tog, k1, yo, k3, yo, k4, skp, p2, k1
R 7: k1, p2, k2tog, k3, yo, k5, yo, skp, k2tog, yo, k5, yo, k3, skp, p2, k1
R 9: k1, p2, k2tog, k2, yo, k1, yo, k5, skp, k2tog, k5, yo, k1, yo, k2, skp, p2, k1
R11:K1, p2, k2tog, k1, yo, k3, yo, k4, skp, k2tog, k4, yo, k3, yo, k1, skp, p2, k1
Repeat rows 1 through 12 as many times as you need to achieve the wanted sock length.

Orchid Socks:

This pattern requires the shifting of sts in some rows, so don't be alarmed when you have to move them. You will only shift between needles 1&2, and 3&4.
R 1: k2, yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, k2, yo, k1, skp, k1, k2tog, k1, yo, p1, skp, k1, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, k2, k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo, k2
R 3: k2, yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, k2, yo, k1, skp, k1, k2tog, k1, p1, sl1, k2tog, psso, yo, k3, yo, k2, k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo, k2
R 5: k2, yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, k2, yo, k1, yo, skp, k1, k2tog, k2tog, yo, k5, yo, k2, k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo, k2
R 7: k2, yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, k2, yo, k3, yo, sl1, k2tog, psso, k1, yo, k1, skp, k1, k2tog, k1, yo, k2, k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo, k2
R 9: k2, yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, k2, yo, k5, yo, skp, k1, skp, k1, k2tog, k1, yo, k2, k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo, k2
Repeat rows 1 through 10.
If you encounter any problems please leave a comment and I'll try my best to help.
k2tog= knit two sts together
sl1,k2tog, psso= slip one st, knit two sts together, then pass slipped st over the the one just made
skp= slip one st, knit one st, pass slipped st over
yo= yarn over
Oh and what's the deal with the Koigu? My beautiful, sinful, blood red Koigu feels like package string compared to the Handjiveknits Nature's Palette. I washed a swatch and it hasn't gotten softer. Could it be the needle size, I'm using US#2's? What size needles are you guys using? Has anyone had a bad experience? I've read nothing but praise so far about Koigu.