Thoughts on the Conwy Socks

I am quite in love with these socks and the fabulous Conwy pattern from Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road.  I must confess that I never have quite absorbed which maneuver makes the left twist and which the right, but even so it was not long before I memorized at least which one came first in the sequence!

The calf shaping allows for a beautifully long and flattering leg -- almost stockings.  I had a feeling that one skein of Jitterbug wouldn't stretch to a pair of Conwys, and so I bought two, and made the leg a half-inch or so longer than in the directions.  The larger gauge of the Jitterbug was enough to make the sock a bit bigger than the 7 in./18 cm circumference of the original, too, without that bothersome tweaking -- these are about 7 1/2 in./19 cm.

I made some minor modifications in the calf shaping, as it seemed to leave the twining cables a bit vague --

As written, the single K columns on either side of the shaping would merge into the reverse st st areas, butting up against the cables and leaving them without their background.  Instead, I worked the first three decreases as in the chart, but shifted the rest so that the 2-stitch reverse st st section stayed intact.  The last 2 decreases I worked with a sl next 2 sts tog, K1, psso -- which called for moving the last st of the rnd from needle 4 to needle 1, and omitting the last p st on the chart, but made the cables stand out nicely.

(Not easy to take a picture of the back of one's leg!)

I also used the Welsh Heel from Knitting Vintage Socks, instead of the round heel in the pattern -- it's fussier, although that might be simply because I've not done it before, and I didn't get it quite right either time, but it seemed appropriate in the circumstances.  It has four lines of decreases instead of the round heel's two, a rather sharp short-row curve at the outside edges, and a lengthier line of paired decreases in the center, on either side of the seam st.  I'm all for historical accuracy in its place, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why it is written so that the paired decreases are not symmetrical, with K2togs on both sides of the seam st -- surely the Welsh would have figured out that ssk will lean to the left and K2tog to the right?  Ssk is used in the gusset immediately following, after all (or at least its cousin sl 1, K1, psso) -- so I used both, instead of all K2tog.

It makes a generous turn, quite suitable for those with wide heels.

And the Jitterbug softens up a treat with washing -- this one is a lovely deep green, rather more on the bluish side than the yellowish green I might have expected from the name "Velvet Olive," but I bought it for looks, after all!

I listened to an audio version of Monk's Hood while working these, read by Stephen Thorne (who I can't quite place but at times sounds remarkably like John Wood).  It was a pleasant surprise to hear Cadfael say, about two-thirds through the book, "I'm from Gwynedd myself, from the far side of Conwy"!  Thorne does a nice job of characterizing the different voices, giving Cadfael a soft Welsh accent, too, which I quite missed in the television series. 

And if there was any doubt that I am addicted to sock knitting --

Charade socks, in Supersock's "Blues and Purples," cast on while the Conwys were still blocking -- these are for Laura, and I was hoping to get them done for the first day of school, but that is Thursday and I already have ripped out this in the photo, since it was too small ....

Comments

[loribird]

I love the Conwy pattern - and yours look wonderful! I like the way the supersocke is knitting up in the Charade pattern too - have to add that one to my list...

[Dave]

Your Conwys are gorgeous. I love the mods you made in the calf shaping. The heel sounds interesting -- I'll have have another look at that one. And the colour -- yummy! I love these socks.

[sarina]

great socks, jeanne. the choice of yarn is key to showing off this pattern and you chose a beautiful yarn. i like how this sock ties in with your ancestry and your current reading. gives it all some depth.

[Rachel]

You really do use the most beautiful yarns for your socks. I was just drooling over the Conwys!

[Rose Red]

Lovely socks. Thanks for the tips re modifications - and I assume you used at least part of the second skein? I might have to make mine a little shorter!

[erin]

I really like the calf shaping, got to try it one of these days. The heel looks interesting too. I wish I had bought this book when I first saw it because there are many lovely patterns in it.

[Lazuli]

Both of the socks are beautiful! I really love the Conwy pattern - but I think I've said that before! How fun to hear Cadfael mention Conwy while knitting the socks!

[Felicia]

They turned out beautiful.

[Lycra]

Ellis Peters made Cadfael's birthplace Trefriw, then in Gwynedd, in the Conwy Valley . Since re-organisation of the county councils in 1996, Trefriw is now in County Conwy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trefriw. My mother still lives near Conwy town.
Lovely socks! I like the idea of calf shaping like stockings.

[Siow Chin]

Love the Conwy socks. I'm knitting these too and love the stitch work.

[Mara]

Is Jitterbug the same weight as Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn (as called for in the pattern), or a bit heavier?

I just started -- and ripped back -- a pair in the required gauge, and am not really happy with the gauge b/c I feel that it's very loose. I prefer knitting this weight yarn around 9 sts/inch, and think this pattern would work better in a thicker yarn, so am wondering if that's what you're using.