Socks for Mom (母の靴下) (aka Tabi Monogatari v45)

I've been wanting to make a pair of socks for my mother.  I had made her a pair of uwabaki but ... it was a tad too big (even though I tested it with my Katrinkles sock blockers and my feet). 😭  So, with some help from my brother (he graciously drew out a foot template for me. 😍🥰❤️), I was ready to tackle a pair of socks for my mom! 🥰😍🧶

So, armed with a template of my mom's feet and using remnants of my Garnstudio DROPS Fabel, my 4" & 3" Chiaogoo Interchangeable US 0 needles, here's how her sock story went: 

1. Cast on a Provisional cast on with a total of 44 sts.
2. K 1 straight row on each side, then join in the round.
3. K 15 rows in the round as part of the foot portion.
4. Then I started the toes: with 22 sts on each side, splitting it up for 10 sts for a swirl toe (16 rows).
5. Then I went back to the bottom of the provisional cast on and picked up the stitches to start the foot.
6. Row 17: pick up a st from the “front” side and put it on the “back” side; pick up a st from the “back” side, bringing it behind the st picked up from the “front” and put it on the “front” side. K these 2 sts together. Then k in the round. There should be 22 sts on each side.
7. Row 19: Pick up 1 st from below on the 1st and 2nd to the last st on each side to add 2 sts for a total of 24 sts on each side
8. Row 20-23 (4 rows): k, maintaining 24 sts
9. Row 24: Pick up 1 st from below on the 2nd to the last st on each side to add 1 st for a total of 25 sts on each side
10. Row 25-28 (4 rows):  k, maintaining 25 sts
11. Row 29: Pick up 1 st from below and the 2nd to the last st on each side for a total of 27 sts (on each side)
12. Row 30-71 (45 rows): k

Including the initial 18 rows, this came out for a total of 13 cm (5 1/4").

With the foot done, I started on the heel portion using the Fish Lips Kiss Heel method.  Since the method is copyrighted, here's the changes I did to make it work for me:

   13. Row 72-103 (22 rows):  Follow the Fish Lips Kiss Heel method until you have           9 twin stitch (ts) knits & purls sts on each side and 9 regular sts
   This came out to 3.5 cm (1 3/8”). 

This came out perfect! 🙂  *yay* 🙂Turning the heel is always magical and never gets old.

 

With the heel done, I finished off the a very short leg and cuff:
   14. Row 104-118 (15 rows): k in the round for a total of 27 sts for each side.
   15. Row 118-142 (25 rows): complete cuff using 1x1 ribbing, for a total of 27 sts             for each side.
   16. Bound off using a variation of the Estonian bind off, in which I picked up a                 stitch from the row below then used the Estonian bind off technique. 🙂

The total length of the leg and cuff was 9 cm (3 1/2").

Look a finished pair! 🎉 *Yay*! 🙂🙌 Now, to test it in the wild - I hope it fits my mom!🤞🍀

Amazing MIL

Remember my post about how I'm such a lucky girl with an amazing mother-in-law (MIL)?  Well, I asked my MIL if she could make me a "few" more needle minders and boy! 😲😱🥰 did she come through! 

She made me ten (10!) more needle minders all in various super cool Japanese prints!!  Now, I better not run out of minders because that would mean I have WAAYYYYY too many projects going! 😲😱😁🤭🥰