6/20/2006

Trekking Along

As part of the Trek Along I am supposed to post photos of my progress while out hiking. As part of my current life I am not doing much Trekking except with the yarn. But this morning, in a rare moment of chutzpah (and because I told Leah I would get my sock posted - we are working on the same colour) I took my sock for a little walk. This lane is part of our farm. It leads to a bridge which passes over a creek and to a large meadow we have on the other side of the creek. Here is my sock hanging out. This is my first sock on two circulars (which I love - next pair; two socks on two circs!) with the yarn hanging out in one of the lovely sock bags by Jen. Her sock bags are divine (that's another post). The colour is #110 and the pattern is the Slipped Stitch Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks. I love the pattern (not too overwhelming for the variegated yarn) and I love the book. Love the book; everyone should own this modest on the cover book. It rocks. What I am not so enamoured with is the yarn. I will finish knitting this pair of socks. Please don't throw sock yarn at me but I have to say that the Trekking is rough, not too stretchy and generally, to me, not all that it is hyped up to be. It feels coarse and doesn't have that wonderful springy feel to it that I have come to love (and expect) in a good yarn. Perhaps it is because I have had the opportunity to use other more lovely yarns for socks (i.e. Lorna's Laces, Crown Mountain, Vespers, Fleece Artist, STR, Mountain Colours, Cherry Hill, RYC Cashsoft) that Trekking, Opal and Regia just aren't doing it for me anymore. The others (LL, CM, V, FA, STR,, MC, CH, RYC) are not really that much more ($5.00-$10.00 per pair) and I have to say that the small difference in money is really worth it for the huge difference in feel and quality. My Trekking was $20.00 Cdn for a skein (459 yards) and the Vespers, for example, $24.00 Cdn for a skein (440 yards). A $4.00 difference if you are looking at the cost alone. The absolutely distinct difference in the knitting pleasure while knitting is immeasurable.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

If you go into the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise. There's lots of wonderful things to do and wonderful things to see......look...... in Warkworth, they have wonderful socks hanging around. I WANT TO BE IN THE WOODS TODAY!.

Sock looks great. I concur with your comments on the "feel". I've been told that they soften up after you wash them.

Enjoy the day.

Carole

Anonymous said...

OK. Finally. Someone I can ask.

How does the socks on 2 circs thing work?

I've been curious, but didn't know where to go for instructions, etc. :)

C+SK said...

I am knitting that colourway too and I love it as well! It's looking gorgeous!!

Anonymous said...

Although I agree with your comment that you would rather knit with "better" yarn and spend the few extra pennies to do so, I wish I could do the same. Unfortunately LL CH etc are double the cost of Regia and Opal over here:-( So I only get to use them for special occasions

pacalaga said...

I hope they soften after you wash them, although for me, wearing hand-knit socks is only part of the pleasure, sof if I didn't like the yarn while I knit it, it wouldn't be half the fun. They're lovely, and I love your farm! Good job getting out and about - it was the strawberries - they gave you the strength!

Miss Scarlett said...

Your farm looks so lovely and wild. I could gladly waste time in it.
The sock looks great - can't tell feel in a picture but I hope it gets better after it is washed.
But I have to ask, how can you knit that quickly? What am I doing wrong with my sock??! I haven't knit it lately but it felt like I was knitting for days with almost no visible progress. I am amazed at how quickly your socks appear nearly fully realized.
Sigh. Me just slow.

Ramona said...

The colors are gorgeous!

Unknown said...

I haven't knit with Trekking yet. I'm glad to know what it's like, but I'd probably still give it a shot if there was a colour that called my name. I find that that is the real lure of sock yarn for me - the colours, the clorious colours.

Anonymous said...

your farm looks so peaceful, and serene. Also looks like it holds many lovely knitting spots! Your sock is looken' good : )

Teyani said...

Your sock is yummy, despite is coarse hand. Maybe it'll soften when you wash it? hope so.
I love that book too - and Charlene herself is such a nice person. I'm glad to support her work. I'm gifting several folks I know a copy of that book for this Christmas :-)

Cathy said...

What great pictures! Thank you so much for sharing :) The sock is looking great!

Anny said...

That lane looks absolutely enchanting! It's a great foil for the sock which though it may be scratchy is a very beautiful colour ;0)

Anonymous said...

Great trip you did with your sock, that lane you showed looks so lovely, I'd love to walk along there right now! Your photos rock big time by the way, you're a very talented photographer! And I love how your sock is coming along, I adore the calm, warm colors!

Jeanne said...

Beautiful pictures! Great colorway on the sock. I've made a couple pairs of socks using Trekking and it does soften considerably after you wash it. I can't say its my favorite, but I do like some of their colors.

Anonymous said...

ROUGH? COARSE?! What? I'm sure it'll be better after washing...

Helen said...

Heavenly photograph. And it was only after I'd enlarged it and put it as my computer wallpaper that I noticed the bunny looking back at me from the path. Wonderful.

Dorothy said...

Ontario is beautiful isn't it!

Money is a small price to pay for something you are actually going to want to wear. It sounds like Trekking is the kind of sock yarn that ends up in the bottom of the drawer and only gets worn the day before the laundry gets done!

Anonymous said...

I have a couple of folding chairs that I could carry to sit on and keep going to the creek and sit there and knit and knit and knit and knit ...

Dave said...

Lovely lane, and lovely colours in that sock. I'm sorry to hear that it's not a pleasurable knit. I've yet to cast on for mine -- now I'm thinking it will just be a "get 'er done" type of sock.

I agree with you on the other yarns, though. I knit for relaxation, but it's also my entertainment, and I'd rather be well entertained. Why read a boring book when there are so many good ones? Compared to the cost of a movie, or a book, for that matter, knitting even the more expensive yarns gives the best value per dollar, in my opinion.

Anonymous said...

I have to agree with you on the Trekking I just started my first ever pair using this yarn It certainly wasn't soft like I was expecting. I think it's because i've been knitting with a lot of merino sock yarns lately which are way softer. In Trekkings defense they will probably wear a little better than the softer yarns. That's a really great sock bag by the way.

Rhonda the Stitchingnut said...

Wow, I'd love to be walking down that path. My socks want to walk also ... and I'm doing 2 socks on 2 circular needles. Hope to finish tomorrow & it's GREAT to have both done at the same time! My STR socks will be done this weekend also ... I'll bet they'd love to take a walk on your farm too. Looks so relaxing ... good for you to get out & about when you can.

Knittymama said...

It looks so beautiful out there!! I miss the country...as much as I love the city sometimes (especially now) I wish I just had a quiet woods to walk into!

kelli ann & lorie said...

not knitting socks yet ;-) but i am noting your advice for reference later...

love, love the bucolic trek setting. calm is radiating off the computer screen.