end of summer socks

Hooray for the first day of autumn!  Hooray for warm, knitted clothing!  Hooray for hearty stews and changing leaves and cool, crisp, sunny weather!  Hooray for my last pair of socks for Summer of Socks 2007, which ended yesterday, and another pair done for Project Spectrum and Manly Gift-Along!:

These are Wendy Knits' Fingering Weight Toe-Up Socks with Gusset Heels done on US #2 needles using 2 skeins of Claudia's Hand Painted Yarn in Black Walnut.  I'm impressed with how much sock I was able to knit with this yarn.  It seemed to go on and on before I finally decided to knit the cuffs and be done with the socks:

I really like the way the heel is done with this pattern - M1 increases and SSK and K2Tog decreases instead of making a heel flap with stitches to be picked up.  I like the way the heel gussets end up looking too:

These will bring my total to 18 pair of socks finished this summer.  I'm ready for a small break in sock knitting until next month's Socktoberfest!:

Since it was a new-to-me pattern, I actually made these a bit too big for my Matt's feet so I think I will gift them to my father-in-law instead.  I hope he likes them.  I really liked the pattern and will definitely try it again:

A little while ago, I was tagged by Sue for the middle name meme. You describe yourself using the letters from your middle name but seeing how I have 3 strange unique middles names and I'd rather not claim them publicly as my own, I'll just go by the first initial of each - H.P.N.:

H: Happy - I do feel that I am a happy person most of the time (obviously not all the time!)  I really try to remind myself all the time how lucky and blessed I am when I'm feeling stressed.  I have a lot to be thankful for and don't want to forget it (even when a whole bottle of bleach fell off the washing machine today and splashed all over the laundry causing spots of discoloration on the dark clothing - I am a happy person, I am a happy person, I am a happy person!)

P: Persistent - I have this weird habit of finishing things I start whether it be knitting/quilting projects, books, movies, tv series, etc.  No matter how badly and ugly things may go, I stick with it 'til the bitter end - even if it may take awhile!  I will conquer you cabled sweater from hell!

N: Nice - I think I'm a nice person - or at least try to be (don't tell me if you think I'm wrong.)  It's always better to interact with a nice person, right?

So there you go - my answers to the meme.  A bit boring but it's hard to describe yourself without sounding conceited.  If you'd like to share your middle name, consider yourself tagged! 

Comments

[Lin]

Lovely socks, is it that soctoberfest time of year already? Time flies!

[Jeanne]

Very cute socks - I think I have some of this yarn in the stash so I was happy to read you liked it!

[Dave]

I love those socks -- what a great colour! Too bad they came out too big; so glad you have someone else who can wear them! I haven't done Wendy's pattern yet, but it's on my list of things to do. Along with about 100 other things.

[Kelley]

The colorway in those socks is great. And I always love trying out a new sock pattern!

[hpny knits]

18 pair this summer (!) and 3 middle names! I give up!
:-)

[Sue J.]

Another lovely pair of socks. Nice job.

[whitney]

I love the colors on those socks! I'm going to have to give that pattern a try...I've never knit toe-up socks yet, but I keep seeing people knitting up Wendy's pattern and it seems to turn out really well.

[Diana]

WOW! 18 socks in just the summer....you could easily take the 52 sock plunge!! Or win Sock Madness!! All those socks plus you knit some scarves and sweaters too! I am not worthy!!

[kim]

I love those socks. They are simple yet neat and tidy with just enough pattern to warrant love. I'm sure your father-in-law will be very happy.

As for your being happy, persistent, and nice, that definitely comes through in your posts and in your comments!

[Lolly]

Very nice colors in these socks. I have some plans for another pair for my husband soon - he liked the ones I made him earlier this year. And you are definitely a nice person :)

[Julie]

Love your latest socks!

[Bea]

I love those socks! Great colors for a manly knit :) And, I think you're a very nice person! And persistent, who else could knit two cobblestones in a month!

[P-la]

Great socks! I'm impressed by how many you were able to knit this summer! You are my hero!

[keri]

Very nice socks, I just love the color! I can't believe how many you knit this summer, almost as many as Wendy!

And of course you are a very nice person! We <3 tiennie! =)

[Kristy]

Very nice socks! I love that colorway.

[brooke]

Great socks!

[nuttnbunny]

Lovely sockness.

Funny - I feel like my middle name isn't really mine. Like it's out there living somewhere btw first and last but doesn't really apply to me. I bet nuttnhubby would be hard pressed to even recall what it is! :-)

[Heather]

Ok, 18??? That is twice the amount I did and I have exactly half the amount of kids that you have, Tiennie!! You are a wonder.

[Sacha]

Those colors looks so warm and perfect for fall. I can't believe summer is over already. 0_o

[Nanda]

oooooo, i love those socks and that colorway so much, i just ordered a couple skeins from kpixie! you enabler, you! i'm making some of the retro rib socks from Favorite Socks, and the lorna's laces pewter colorway is pooling and just yucko. luckily, the hubby doesn't seem to mind, since he'll be wearing them. i'm just excited to find a nice colorway that i know won't pool! thanks!

[ami]

Love the look of that heel gusset- it's one I haven't tried before, I'll have to put it on the list of things I want to do.

[Dr. B.]

Gorgeous socks. You've knit more socks this summer than I have in all the time I've been knitting. And you've also knit two sweaters, a bunch of scarves, and who knows what else?

Persistent, indeed! (And super nice!)

[Ella]

Very very nice. This yarn might have to make it into my stash enhancement list, though I've just outdone myself a bit. :O I am knitting up Thuja's like crazy... I just like em cause they're so dang fast!

I love the chevron too... I just told a friend to knit with... I think I might have to buckle and make myself one.... I keep seeing you guys make these beautiful chevrons... *sigh*

[gilraen]

Tiennie you knit socks faster than I buy yarn!!! And that's saying a lot! They are lovely.

Is that Matt wiggling his toes at us? ;) :D

I'd be no good for the middle names Tag. My parents gave me a first name only, though what else they may have called me depended on how I behaved, angel might have been once used, only once mind you :D

[Nicole]

Those look great! And I am super-impressed by the 18 pairs. I haven't knit that many socks in my whole life, much less over the course of a summer.

[cactusneedles]

Holy Cow! 18 pairs of socks in the summer! You rock!

[becka]

I SO LOVE your socks! I like short row heels, too, but I still prefer doing them from the cuff down!
Can you believe...I've not posted in the manly kal in a few months! No knitting, bad hand...but it's better!
LOL, yes, I am a tease.........

[Sway Knits]

I was looking at the Black Walnut colorway a few weeks ago and now wish I'd bought it. Not that I need more sock yarn. Considering how quickly (and beautifully) you knit socks, YOU need more sock yarn!

[Lara]

These look Great, were these the ones you were working on this weekend? I hope there is no zombie blood on them :-0 I promise I won't make you go to anymore slasher movies - for at least a year.

[Nora]

Well, you could always join the Southern Hemisphere Summer of Socks - it's Spring here and we'd love to have you. :)

[anna]

lovely socks! definitely perfect for a manly gift! :-D

how many pairs of socks did you end up cranking out for summer of socks anyway? i know it's a large number!!!

i can't believe socktoberfest is right around the corner!

[Kim]

Very nice socks! I can't wait until I have some free time to do some "me" knitting :-)

[Cindy]

Eighteen pair! You are making my fingers ache! I'm glad you are taking an entire WEEK off to rest up for Socktoberfest.

[pamela wynne]

Great socks! Love that heel.
But now I'm just really, really curious about your middle names... :)

[Sue]

I really like the yarn you used for your FIL's socks. They look great. Thanks for joining in the tag too, I always forget that some people have quite a few "middle" names. I hope the bleach didnt make too much of a mess on the dark clothes either.

[Irishgirlieknits]

So pretty!! I'm a bit sad that your summer of socks is ending! I've loved all 18 socks....fortunately socktoberfest is right around the corner!

[Peggy]

Love the socks. That heel looks really interesting, I'll have to try it.

[~Kristie]

18 pairs of FABULOUS socks! WOW! You are amazing. What do you have planned for Socktoberfest? You are doing that aren't you?

I don't have a middle name (sigh)

[Ann]

Wow - 18 pairs of socks - that's a lot! I have just join a Summer of Socks KAL for knitters downunder, so hoping to knit up more socks. The socks are really nice & Wendy's pattern is great - I having been using that for my last few pairs & love it.

[Arleta]

Wow! You are a sock knitting machine! And every pair looks so great. I need to get back to sock knitting, especially since I know it's going to get cold here this winter.

[Pat]

Very nice manly socks - Ahhh, 1 week to knit hats and mittens!

[Lisa]

Ok, now you have us all wondering what those middle names are. You sure you won't tell?

[olga]

Yes yes, confess the names now, you can't tease us so cruelly. And what if your middle name is X, just X ? Like Malcom X. Now that poses abit of a conundrum. Also, after knitting all those socks just doing one pair for Oct. will be , well...piece of pumpkin pie.

[nova]

See, you can't going around talking about middle names you don't want to share and then toss out a tease like the first letters. That is not very "nice" at all! heh. I love that sock pattern and I love those socks of yours....18 pairs? You have knit more socks in one summer than I will knit in the next two years.

[Robin]

Those are some goodlooking man socks!

[Kathryn]

Lovely socks! That heel looks very interesting - thanks for the link. I might just have a go at that instead of my usual short-row heels and the yarn is perfect for man socks.

[Annie]

I love these. Perfect jeans socks!

[leslie]

Love your socks.....your father in law will LOVE them!
Loved your meme.....everything i already knew you were! :) Yes, it all shows......:)

[Rebecca]

I really wanted to take the Sock Anonymous challenge this month and try my hand at knitting a pair of Toe-Ups. Thanks for posting the link to Wendy's pattern, I might give it a try!

[Liz]

Wow, you are a sockmachine!!!!!!! Those ones are cool, I love toe ups as there's no messing around after they're knitted.