Friday, September 7, 2007

THEY'RE FINALLY DONE!!!

So, the Infinite Kilthose that I was so ardently talking about in July are finally finished!!!

Why do I call them the Infinite Kilthose? There's a few reasons.

1. If you look up the back, it looks like little infinity cables all the way up.
2. These socks took me friggin' forever. I started them in May, before we went on the anniversary vacation. These are the same socks I had to restart three times over.
3. Well, they're kilthose. For those who know what kilthose are, I don't need to explain. For anyone not in any way shape or form connected to Scotland (even by proxy through the renfaires or whatever other folk/re-enacting you do), kilthose are the socks that men wear with their kilts, they go up to the knee and fold over.

Most kilthose is quite honestly, boring. They tend to be plain old socks that happen to go to the knee and beyond. While it works with the kilt, it bored the hell out of me. When I asked the hubby if he'd like me to knit him anything, this was the answer. Hey, at least I know he'll wear them (as opposed to the dreaded "Sweater Curse" with most significant others).

So, we have, the Infinite Kilthose:

Front ViewSide ViewBack View
Foot detail
Heel detail
Back detail

Cuff detail

I haven't yet written up the pattern for them... I took some of the detailing from Knitty's Clessidra pattern, but then I went in a whole different direction with them... Instead of being a top-down pattern like Clessidra, I made these a toe-up. Instead of being a heel-flap, I did a short-row heel. Instead of doing a decreasing toe with a graft, I did a short-row toe starting with a crocheted provisional cast-on, and then just picking up the stitches on the bottom of the foot. Instead of just plain ribbing, I ribbed the cuff, but then I did inside-out cables so when you fold the top down, it looks "right". I didn't do seed stitch, I added more cables than the pattern asked for, and split one of the cable patterns in two so it became individual cables on the back instead of joined cables. I did the increases up the back instead of the decreases down the sides...

Well, to be honest with you, the only thing I took from the sock was the original cabling pattern, and then I kind of played with the whole thing. Since she was inspired to create the cabling pattern from Vogue Stitchionary Vol. 2, I don't feel like I've really copied so much as been inspired by Clessidra. But I really should ask her first before I try to publish this.

These socks took me three months to complete (with brief excursions into other projects like another pair of Fiber Trends Felted Clogs just because the cabling on these socks was driving me up a wall and I needed something easy to finish.

*whew*. I'm DONE!!!!!!!

I know I really should have posted the inbetween stages, and at some point I will. However, I had put all of the pictures on the camera in stages, and then couldn't find the firewire cable to offload them. And of course, there was a whole stage in there where I couldn't find the camera. Like when I was turning the heel, dammit. *chuckle*

So, at one point, I will give *some* detail. I plan on putting together an actual pattern at some point, I need to create some charts for the back side of the leg. But in the meantime, THE SOCKS ARE DONE!!!

Time to go wash and block when I get home so he can wear them this weekend!!! It's celtic weekend at the renfaire!