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.
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.
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.
So my objective for this week is to prepare to knit socks – at least 4 pair! Just to make things interesting, I have set up a few criteria for these projects.
They will use as much of my stash yarn as possible. You can see in the photo above that I have a fair selection which includes DK as well as fingering weight. Having gathered my yarns together in this bowl certainly helps me begin to think about color pairing of partial balls.
I will choose patterns new to me so that I will have variety and new skills to learn.
The new patterns will be available on-line from free pattern sources.
So far, I’m doing pretty good! I had no trouble finding patterns that I like without spending a dime. Some of these are written for DK weight. Here are my choices of patterns so far and the swatches I worked up for them.
VERTICALLY STRIPED SOCKS by NOVITA
Making use of a very graphical but easy stranded design, this pattern is knit at 24 stitches per 4 inches. These socks look fun, sturdy and very warm. The yarn I swatched here is Knitpicks Hawthorne Bare in a dk weight and Berroco Vintage dk. Full disclosure regarding the pattern: I downloaded it a few years ago and now can no longer find it on the ‘Net. I did see similar designs offered on the Novita website.
YAMADORI
This pattern by Ema Marinescu is available through knitty.com. She says the design was born “from my finally embracing variegated yarn.” To achieve this effect, the yarn chosen should have short color changes. This skein of Wisco Sock in colorway Caterpillar by Ewetopia certainly qualifies. With a tight gauge (34 st per 4 inches) and slipped stitch pattern, the resulting socks can’t help but be warm and sturdy.
LEMON DROP with BUNNIES
I have already made this Universal Yarn sock pattern once for my granddaughter. This time around, I will change it up by replacing the Lemon Drops chart with the Bunny Got Back chart, which is a sock pattern also offered by Universal Yarn. The designer is Amy Gunderson. The main color is an unidentified skein of cream wool in my stash. I’m pretty sure it is a superwash wool from Knitpicks. The variegated yarn is also Knitpicks and the solid dark is Berroco Heritage sock weight.
FAIRLEE
I’m pretty excited to try this pattern. Designed by Amy Christoffers for Berroco, Fairlee is designed for their Vintage dk yarn. She calls them slipper socks, so they will be great for scooting around the house during winter. But I think they will also work well inside boots during the worst winter weather. I’m showing a swatch of Berroco Vintage dk, but I will need to purchase more of this yarn to make these socks. My stash is a bit lacking in this weight.
Okay, so I’m keen to get started. If any of these patterns interest you, you may want to click through the following links:
It’s been a while, but I finished a knitted garment this week. These socks were started as a travel project to fill the long drive to and from Ohio.
I picked up the yarn on sale last summer. It’s a typical superwash wool + nylon sock yarn, but one new to me: Static by Knitpicks. The colorway is Paradise.
I rarely make socks with self-striping yarn, but now I truly understand why it is so popular. It’s weird how many people that see these socks think they are Really Good!
Using a very basic sock stitch pattern, one can achieve a sock of great interest.
To me, the only skill I demonstrated was matching up the stripe pattern on each foot.
Yep. They match while I’m standing up in them too.
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.
Daily Fiber 