Tag: knitting socks

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Friday Finish: Sock Challenge

Posted on by Laura Kate

The fourth and final pair of socks worked to fulfill my sock challenge posed in July is now complete. You see before you a triumphant stack of socks.

The final pair is second from the top in the photo. Made from Wisco sock yarn by Ewetopia in a colorway called Caterpillar, the pair are earmarked for my grandson. He participated in choosing color, yarn and pattern, so I will assume the gift will be welcomed by him. The question is, will they fit?

I know that his arch is slightly wider, and his foot is slightly longer than mine. At least that was true when I measured his foot last July.

These fit me nicely but have plenty of stretch left and a little more room in the toe.

I knit these socks using two 16-inch cable needles in size 1. They were made toe up, using the turkish cast-on. The bind off was Jeny’ surprisingly stretchy 1×1 rib bind off. I enjoyed using this method so much I will likely forsake my double-point sock needles for good.

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Friday Finish – More Socks

Posted on by Laura Kate

As of today, the completion rate on my sock challenge is 75%. Newly added to the sock pile is a pair I am calling Dots and Dashes.

This is the largest pair of the challenge, with a foot length of 10 1/2 inches. I used 100% natural wool in two colors and a pattern from Berroco called Fairlee. I would rate the skill level for this pattern as intermediate, which matches the rating assigned by the Berroco designer. They are described as slipper socks – I’m assuming that’s due to the fact they are written for dk weight yarn.

Modifications that I made include the two-color pattern on the foot, which came from Barbara Walker’s Treasury of Knitting Patterns. It’s in Chapter Four, Two-Stitch Check, version 1.

The second modification is the bind-off. The pattern calls for a sewn tubular bind-off. That looked like a hassle to me, so I worked Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy bind-off for one-by-one rib instead.

You can find the original Berroco pattern on Ravelry, or visit my post dated October 3rd for the embedded link.

One more to go. I had to order some needles, so I won’t be casting-on the last pair yet. Tune in on Monday to see what goes on my needles next.

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WIP Wednesday: Sock Challenge Progress

Posted on by Laura Kate

I’m slogging away at my sock challenge.

Cast-on Monday: Search and Swatch

It’s going quite well. I have finished the first Novita sock and worked my way well down the leg of the second one.

This is the first time I have worked socks on two cable needles, and I have to say that I am enjoying the process. I find that I drop stitches less frequently than when working with sock needles, which are by design quite short. Also, the knitting seems to go faster because I pause to shift the work twice per round instead of three or four times per round. The biggest disadvantage is the need to own two cable needles of the same size.

Not really much of a financial hurdle in my mind. A good cable needle can last one’s entire knitting career.

Right now I am sweating the yarn situation.

This is all that’s left of the cream ball. I’ll be truly annoyed if I end up buying another skein just to get an additional 30 or so yards.

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Cast-on Monday: Socks Project 2 of 4

Posted on by Laura Kate

Moving on – no time like the present! You see here the beginning of the next sock in my holiday gift-giving series. This time I will be making knee-highs for my daughter. The two yarns I have selected are Bare Hawthorne dk by KnitPicks and Soft Twist in bronze by Hayfield.

This project has two experimental facets to it. First is the yarn selection. I am marrying together a mostly Highland wool superwash (Hawthorne) with a mostly acrylic (Hayfield.) I have no idea what that will do to the quality of the socks in the long run. I made and washed a good-sized swatch, which appears to have survived with little impact to its look and feel. That’s a good omen.

The second experiment is the pattern. (And the fact that I haven’t knit a pair of knee-highs before.) This vertically striped pattern is European, therefore written using metric measurements. But that’s not the real problem for me. It’s the shaping. In order to fit comfortably around the calf, the circumference must be greater than typical. Using the bigger circumference suggests to me that stitches must be decreased while working down to the ankle. Otherwise, the foot will be too wide. And yet the pattern is written without the necessary decreases.

I will need a plan to make that happen.

Posted in knitting

Friday Finish: Child Socks

Posted on by Laura Kate

Hooray, I have finished the first of four pairs of socks which will be given as gifts this December. These child socks are essentially one pattern, with the 28-row bunny chart from another pattern inserted between the cuff and the heel setup. It was just enough rows to yield a good length for the sock leg.

Both patterns can be downloaded for free from the Universal Yarn website.

Lemon Drop Socks
Bunny Got Back

While a bit slow to knit, the patterned sections were fun to make. If I were in a hurry, I would not have chosen to make socks using an all-over stranded technique.

But what really messed with me was the after-thought heel. On the first sock, I put too many stitches on the waste yarn. Then after the heel was finished, I had to sew together the extra loops. It was messy, and certainly not an example of my best work.

I am willing to gift them only because they will go to someone whose feet at growing quickly. If Fate smiles kindly on me, the socks will be outgrown and discarded before any stitches pop loose!

A word about the yarn: Both were sourced from KnitPicks. The white background is un-dyed Stroll. The self-striping yarn was left-over from another project. Two partial balls meant that the color came out totally random. It’s a bit whimsical-looking. I’m pretty sure the recipient won’t mind a bit.