Tag: Ewetopia

Posted in knitting

Baggy Saggy Socks

Posted on by Laura Kate
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Despite my efforts to apply my best knitting skills, I frequently end up with saggy socks. They droop around the ankles, and scrunch around the in-step. It annoys me to no end when they are on my feet.

All you knitters out there are probably thinking, she didn’t get gauge, or made the wrong size. She just needs to adjust the number of stitches cast on. Well, that might be in some cases. Most of the time, it is because I forget how much superwash wool yarns can lengthen after the finished socks are washed. Even when I make a meticulous swatch AND block it.

So, I decided to try something new. Why not use a slip stitch pattern on the areas of the sock giving me the most sag?

I turned to one of my stitch dictionaries ………

……..and selected a pattern called Woven Stitch.

In essence, it is a stockinette pattern with a bar of yarn across every other stitch, every other row. The result is a firmer fabric with a little more lateral pull. If made with sock yarn that includes a bit of nylon, the fabric is stretchy enough but returns quickly to its former position. In other words, it ‘hugs” the foot.

I like it!

Sock swatch in Ewetopia’s Wisco Sock.

After working one inch of 1 x 1 ribbing, I knitted the ankle in the Woven stitch. I kept the instep in pattern while I continued along the heel and foot. Upon reaching the toe shaping, I switched to solid stockinette stitch.

Finished socks on blocking mat.

When worked in a tonal yarn, the slipped stitches break up the color transitions slightly. This results in a sort of pebbly look.

Looks and feels like a perfect fit. I will be interested to see how well these socks perform over time.

Posted in knitting

F.O. Friday – Cowl

Posted on by Laura Kate

I finished the Show Me Your Spots cowl a few weeks ago, but was unable to get myself photographed wearing it until this week. So here we are, in all our glory.

As I mentioned in my cast-on blog post, this pattern was chosen because it is a stash-buster. Lauren Sauvage publishes it on Ravelry, but also makes it available on her blog as a free pattern.

Pattern: Show Me Your Spots Cowl

Now that it’s finished, I kinda like the way it fits and looks on me. So I reserve the right to keep it for myself, and not gift it.

Next week you get to see the stash-busting shawl that I am making. It is also a stash-buster. I’m improvising the design as I go along. It is looking great and I’m very keen to finish it up and show it off.

Posted in knitting

F.O. Friday – Hermione Socks

Posted on by Laura Kate

This project is finally off my needles.

Not sure why it took so long. I guess that I was having too much fun on my recent vacation to focus on knitting. I also had no internet access for almost two weeks.

The pattern is Hermione’s Everyday Socks (for some reason, I am unable to pronounce that name!) I made no adjustments to pattern – just knit exactly as written.

I enjoyed this pattern and would consider using it in a future project. They feel a little loose – guess I should have used a smaller needle size.

The yarn is Wisco Sock from Ewetopia in colorway Superior.

Here’s the link to the pattern. There are 34,000 projects attached to this pattern in Ravelry. Even for a free pattern, that’s a lot of endorsements. If you feel compelled to give it a try, click here:

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hermiones-everyday-socks

Posted in colorwork, knitting

Cast-on Monday, Stash-Buster Style

Posted on by Laura Kate

For some time now, I have been noticing that partially used-up sock yarn skeins have begun to accumulate in my stash. With sock yarns most commonly sold at 100 grams (about 437 yards) it’s obvious to me that my feet and the feet of those that I knit for are below average. I can use up only about 75% of a skein in my favorite sock patterns. Thus I have left-overs. Many left-overs.

It’s time to deal with the clutter. I’m searching for patterns that are written for small amounts of multiple skeins in fingering weight. Today’s project fits that bill to a T.

This sweet little cowl requires 3 light and 3 dark in fingering weight yarn – about 100 yards of each color. After pulling all of my leftovers out of the yarn closet, I managed to come up with six that could work.

The bowl contains a combination of Ewetopia Wisco, Cascade Heritage and KnitPicks Hawthorn. The colors don’t quite line up with those chosen by the designer. But I’m ready to give it a go WITHOUT MAKING A SWATCH FIRST. I know- this behavior is aberrant for me. It must be the summer heat getting to my brain.

You see my cast-on. I am three rows into the ten row repeat. I figure that I will know pretty quickly whether I’m going to like this or not. But then again, it probably doesn’t matter if I like it. I will likely give the cowl as a holiday gift to a loved one who lives in a colder climate.

Full steam ahead!

If you like the pattern, it can be found here on designer Lauren Savidge’s blog:

Pattern: Show Me Your Spots Cowl

FOLLOW UP: As I worked through this pattern, I realized that it had an error. The picture and the dimensions seem to indicate that the 10 row polka-dot pattern was knit twice in each color combination. The pattern did not say to repeat the pattern before switching colors. Now I used the pattern as it appeared in her blog, so maybe the pattern you can purchase has been corrected.

Posted in knitting

Cast-on Monday: Sock Time

Posted on by Laura Kate

With the heat of the summer beginning to settle in, it’s time to start projects that are A: not heavy in your lap. B. suitable for year-end giving and C. car trip worthy. Socks fit that description beautifully.

Today I am starting a sock pattern that has been in my library for some time. Hermione’s Everyday Socks, available on Ravelry, are simple to knit, but have a lovely texture created by working purl stitch sprinkled evenly throughout.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hermiones-everyday-socks

I have chosen to use a monochromatic colorway from Ewetopia that drifts from light to dark and back again. I’m hoping that the color doesn’t vary so much that it overwhelm the subtle stitch pattern. This yarn is called Wisco Sock, and is milled and dyed in Wisconsin.

Here is a link to the yarn producer: About — Ewetopia (ewetopiafibershop.com)

The colorway is Superior, as in, the Lake. I’m very drawn to it – not a green but not a blue, rather a cool-ish grey such as how the lake surface may appear on a cloudy day. While I started these socks as a potential gift, it could be that I will selfishly keep them for myself.