Thursday, March 11, 2010
KAL Flatfeet version
This is the same Little Shell stitch pattern for the March/April EasySocks group KAL, but done in Flatfeet sock yarn instead of worsted weight yarn in the previous entry.
Monday, March 01, 2010
Easy Socks group KAL May/June
Greetings, sock fans! :)
This KAL is a variation of the previous KAL from Sept/Oct 2009. The sock is constructed in a similar way, except the cuff/leg will have a different pattern stitch. See this entry for basic sock instructions, as well as a link to good instructions for a short row heel. Not trying to be lazy, but why reinvent the wheel? :P
http://fabjacuzzi.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html
The pattern is called "Little Shell," and a good picture of the stitch itself can be found here: http://www.knittingonthenet.com/stitches/littleshell.htm However, those instructions are for a flat piece with 2 extra edge/selvage stitches. Since you'll be knitting in the round, you will eliminate those extra 2 stitches.
The pattern is worked over a multiple of 7 stitches-42, 49, 56, 63, 70-depending on the weight of the yarn you've chosen. My example is made from Jeanne cotton/nylon worsted weight. I CO 42 stitches on size 4 DPNs. You can also use two circular needles or one long circular needle for the Magic Loop method.
CO 42 stitches, divide evenly over 3 or 4 DPNs, join in round, being careful not to twist stitches. You may knit about an inch of 1x1 or 2x2 ribbing as I did in the example, or go right into your pattern as I have done on the FlatFeet pair I'm working on now.
R1) Knit
R2) Knit
R3-Pattern Round) *K2, yo, P1, P3tog, P1, yo* repeat to end of round
R4) Knit
Repeat these 4 rounds for pattern until you have the length you prefer. You may continue the pattern on the top of the foot, but sometimes a plain stockinette stitch is more comfortable in the shoe, especially with a thicker yarn like this. You'll knit plain about an inch before starting your heel. As you may remember, I prefer a short row heel. It's very easy to remember, and it fits me well. You may prefer to do a heel flap or a different type of heel. The fun part about sock knitting is that there are so many different variations and ways to construct a sock.
Once you've turned your heel, you will begin the plain knitting for the foot. If you worked a heel flap, you will need to decrease for your gusset. If you've done a short row heel, you will already be at the required number of stitches, and won't need to include a gusset. Continue until you are about 1 1/2" short of the finished length, then begin the decreases for the toe. Decrease until you have 8 total stitches left, cut yarn, and thread through the stitches, and weave in the ends.
Make another sock exactly like this one, and you'll be stylin' in no time!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Regia Lace
I finished these in June 2009, but didn't share for some odd reason. :P At least, as far as I can tell, these socks aren't on the blog. Well....hehe, they are now, right?
Speaking of disappointing sock yarn....
I've ordered a few times from Mary Maxim and Knitpiks, and have been generally pleased with the products I've ordered. However......
The last 6 skeins (2 of each color) of sock yarn I've ordered from MM have all had to be rewound. Well, one of the two has had to be rewound because they were wound opposite of each other! For those of you that don't knit, this means that if you pull from the center of the ball/skein, the stripes will come out backward. I was disappointed, to say the least. The sandstone colorway I just finished was okay. But naturally, the ones with the really long stripe repeats weren't!
I've always been pretty happy with what I've ordered from Knitpiks as well, until this last couple of skeins of sock yarn. It's the purple/pink/green colorway, and even though they are the same dye lot, they are totally different! I'm only hoping that nobody gets close enough to my feet to actually notice. It's disheartening to put in so much time in something, only to have it not quite match. If I were using this in a sweater or a larger item, I would have had to send them back. I'm very nervous about the other color I ordered.
Austermann Step.....I've made 4 or 5 pair of this yarn and it's always been great.....until this last skein I started for Ned. Those skeins are large enough so that you only need one for a pair. The stripes match up pretty well until about the 3rd repeat, then it's totally off! (I almost felt like it was Noro or something. :P) Where there should be a wide light/medium blue stripe, there is a very short dark blue stripe. The only thing I can think of is that the yarn got stuck in the roller as the dye was being sprayed on it, and it got all the blue dye in one little section that was meant for a much longer section. Dunno....
Well, that's my rant for the evening-I guess I'll go back to finishing some more socks. LOL
The last 6 skeins (2 of each color) of sock yarn I've ordered from MM have all had to be rewound. Well, one of the two has had to be rewound because they were wound opposite of each other! For those of you that don't knit, this means that if you pull from the center of the ball/skein, the stripes will come out backward. I was disappointed, to say the least. The sandstone colorway I just finished was okay. But naturally, the ones with the really long stripe repeats weren't!
I've always been pretty happy with what I've ordered from Knitpiks as well, until this last couple of skeins of sock yarn. It's the purple/pink/green colorway, and even though they are the same dye lot, they are totally different! I'm only hoping that nobody gets close enough to my feet to actually notice. It's disheartening to put in so much time in something, only to have it not quite match. If I were using this in a sweater or a larger item, I would have had to send them back. I'm very nervous about the other color I ordered.
Austermann Step.....I've made 4 or 5 pair of this yarn and it's always been great.....until this last skein I started for Ned. Those skeins are large enough so that you only need one for a pair. The stripes match up pretty well until about the 3rd repeat, then it's totally off! (I almost felt like it was Noro or something. :P) Where there should be a wide light/medium blue stripe, there is a very short dark blue stripe. The only thing I can think of is that the yarn got stuck in the roller as the dye was being sprayed on it, and it got all the blue dye in one little section that was meant for a much longer section. Dunno....
Well, that's my rant for the evening-I guess I'll go back to finishing some more socks. LOL
More socks for the DH
Seems like that's all I do is knit socks.... :P
These are Mary Maxim's "Sandstone" and they turned out quite nice! Although, as I look through my photos, I notice that there is another pair for Ned that is very similar. Thankfully he loves them all. :D
KAL finished!
I finished these socks for the EasySocks group over a week ago, but am just now getting around to uploading the photo.
The group had been pretty slow, which isn't too surprising since it was Christmas, so the owner started a "Resurgence KAL" to get everyone back in the swing of things. The rules were simple- the project had to be socks (duh), had to be started after her announcement, we had to post a photo of them in progress, and they have to be finished by the 28th of Feb.
Mine are Magic Stripes Denim colorway for ME! :D It's probably my fave sock pattern-simple 2x2 rib on cuff and st st foot.
I'm only posting the finished socks here-the others are on the yahoogroup site.
The group had been pretty slow, which isn't too surprising since it was Christmas, so the owner started a "Resurgence KAL" to get everyone back in the swing of things. The rules were simple- the project had to be socks (duh), had to be started after her announcement, we had to post a photo of them in progress, and they have to be finished by the 28th of Feb.
Mine are Magic Stripes Denim colorway for ME! :D It's probably my fave sock pattern-simple 2x2 rib on cuff and st st foot.
I'm only posting the finished socks here-the others are on the yahoogroup site.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Christmas Knitting
I finally finished all of the Christmas knitting. I finished my mom's blue socks (which aren't pictured here since I forgot to take a pic, but are exactly like the brown ones) as we were opening our presents!
The man's socks are for my brother. The worsted weight socks are quick and easy. If my SIL doesn't like them, she can give them to my Mom. I know she likes them!
Nothing worse than going to a lot of trouble to make something for someone and have them not mention if they like it or not. :P
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Monday, December 07, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
some charity knitting
Some items I've done for various organizations. Hats are for Curves and HeadHuggers, scarves are for the St Louis Child Services for the kids in foster care.
scarves for the boys
Scarves for the boys
These were done for my son and his roomie, and I think they turned out quite nice! And Nathan informed me that his was the perfect length! Nathan's is olive and black-varied stripes, and Alex's is Griffindor colors......by request. :D
They are 1x1 rib, so there's no right or wrong side, and they don't curl.
These were done for my son and his roomie, and I think they turned out quite nice! And Nathan informed me that his was the perfect length! Nathan's is olive and black-varied stripes, and Alex's is Griffindor colors......by request. :D
They are 1x1 rib, so there's no right or wrong side, and they don't curl.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
More socks!
Ned's Regia
My Regia Cotton "quill lace" which is a really easy pattern-two rows....one row is knit all the way round, and the other is just some YOs and Ktogs.
Mary Maxim bamboo 2x2 rib....which is pretty and soft, but really really splitty. Speaking of Mary Maxim yarn.....I ordered a couple of other yarns at the same time, went to start them, and realized they were wound opposite on the two balls! Yikes, talk about a PITA......I finally started one and hopefully will be able to rewind the other ball so it comes off the skein in the same order. It's really pretty yarn (I think it's called Gemstone), but I would never order from them again, knowing what I know now. The bamboo was one skein, so no worries. I don't even want to think about the other two skeins of Gemstone that I ordered in another colorway.
Hand dyed for me! Well....the socks are for me from a hand dyed yarn that was actually dyed about 45 miles from here in Wentzville, MO, especially for Hearthstone Knits. I don't remember the name of it, but it's one of the Operas. I have to laugh when I look at the label since they mispelled the shop name. :P
I started these almost two years ago and couldn't quite figure out how to finish them. I finally decreased at the heel and made a gusset for the foot. The second one went very quickly. I finished these on the way to Canada this month.
Woohoo!
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Sept/Oct KAL in sock yarn
This is the same basket weave pattern as the EasySocks KAL, but done in sock yarn. I used Colinette Jitterbug yarn with US size 1 needles. This yarn seems a bit heavier than regular sock yarn, that's why I went up a size.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Easy Socks yahoogroup KAL Sept/Oct 2009
It's my turn for the group KAL, and I've chosen the Basketweave stitch pattern for the leg. It's relatively easy, but not so easy you can't ignore which row you're on! And I admit I chose it for the name, since I sell Longaberger baskets!
I apologize if my instructions aren't the best, but I write like I think! LOL I don't usually write up the patterns I make here on my blog, but scribble notes in my "magic knitting notebook" that I record all of my projects in. Feel free to contact me if something doesn't make sense or if you find an error. (Heaven forbid!)
If you've been following the EasySocks group, you'll have learned all you need to know from Rhonda's "perfect fit" socks from the last KAL. And of course, your socks all fit perfectly because you followed her instructions, knitted a gauge swatch, and made your socks your perfect size! (or your mom's or daughter's or DH's or.....)
I've used 2 balls of Berroco Comfort DK in red, because I'm thinking red is always a great color (I live in St Louis, and the Cardinals are here, of course!) no matter what the time of year. However, red is the perfect Christmas color, as well as a great fall color. Obviously, you can choose whichever color you prefer, and whichever DK yarn you prefer. (I also picked up some Tennessee Orange yarn for my SIL, but don't tell her!)
This is a nice yarn to work with and comes in lots of colors. It's acrylic and nylon, and very soft. I prefer wool sock yarn, so was pleasantly surprised at how nicely these worked up. (and since you're not using size 0 needles, surprising quick!)
Remember your gauge is important, but since this stitch pattern is over 4 stitches, you'll need to make sure you CO a number that is divisible by 4. Also, since the 2x2 ribbing is a multiple of 4, you will see right away if your stitch count is off. It might be a good idea to have a row counter handy at the beginning.
I used size US size 3, or 3.25mm DPNs. If you prefer using two circs, or magic loop, that's up to you! But you'll need to check your gauge, because you don't want to make socks for someone else unless you intend to!
If you prefer a worsted weight yarn, you can also use this pattern by using bigger needles. I used CottonEase worsted for the anklets KAL this summer and CO 40 stitches on US 4's. It worked great because it is still a multiple of 4.
This is a cuff down pattern, so you'll CO at the cuff, and work your way down to the toe.
CO 48 stitches, join in the round, being careful not to twist your stitches, place marker at the beginning of the round. If you do twist them, you'll end up with a Moebius strip and you'll have to rip out.
Work a 2x2 ribbing for an inch, or longer if you prefer, then switch to your pattern stitch as follows:
(The pattern is repeated over 4 stitches and 4 rows. After a while, you won't need to use your row counter, because you can tell what your pattern needs to look like.)
Row 1,2 (K2, P2)* repeat to end of round
Row 3,4 (P2, K2)* repeat to end of round
Repeat rows 1-4 until desired length of cuff. I stopped at a total of 6", including my 2x2 ribbing.
Knit all round for 1" of stockinette stitch, then you'll start your heel. I prefer a short row heel, but you can use any heel you like. For a short row heel, my center stitches numbered 10 before I started increasing again.
The best short row heel instructions I've found are here at Knitting Daily in the Ambrosia Socks pattern. I won't reinvent the wheel or retype the instructions, but I will give you the link.
Ambrosia Socks - Knitting Daily
Once you've finished your heel according to either these instructions, or doing the heel you feel comfortable with, it's time to start the foot.
Because you aren't increasing or decreasing with this type of heel like you would with a gusset, you won't need to worry about decreasing for your foot. However, if you have a particularly narrow or wide foot, then you can do that here.
The foot is stockinette stitch (which is knitting all rounds) until you get to the length you need. I stop at the ball of my foot because the toe I use gives me about 1 1/2 inches additional length. As a guide, I wear a size 6 shoe, and the length of knitting between the toe "corner" and the ball is about 5 or 5 1/4" in length.
To decrease for the toe, you'll need to make sure you have equal number of stitches either distributed on the 4 DPNs or the 2 circs or the magic loop. Basically you'll need them divided in half. To begin, you'll decrease two stitches every other row until you have 16 stitches on each half (or total of 32), then you'll decrease every row until you have 8 stitches total, 4 on each needle. I've dropped two needles at this point because it's awkward to have only 2 st per needle.
To decrease for the toe, you'll treat the two needles as one:
K1, SSK, knit to last three stitches, then Ktog, K1 twice (so you're decreasing a total of 4 st on those rounds)
Next round is Knit all around
Repeat these two rounds until you have a total of 16 on each side (or 32 total).
Now you'll decrease 4 stitches on every round (using the same method above) until you have a total of 8 stitches.
I don't do a Kitchener stitch much anymore, because I think the following instructions are easier, and look just as nice. If you find this toe doesn't fit you well, then there are other options and types of toes you can use.
I cut the yarn, thread a yarn needle, and thread the end of the yarn through the last 8 stitches a couple of times, then weave in the ends. The pictures I've uploaded will show the short row heel and the toe decreases.
Voila! A finished sock! Now you do the exact same thing for the second sock, and you're good to go!
I apologize if my instructions aren't the best, but I write like I think! LOL I don't usually write up the patterns I make here on my blog, but scribble notes in my "magic knitting notebook" that I record all of my projects in. Feel free to contact me if something doesn't make sense or if you find an error. (Heaven forbid!)
If you've been following the EasySocks group, you'll have learned all you need to know from Rhonda's "perfect fit" socks from the last KAL. And of course, your socks all fit perfectly because you followed her instructions, knitted a gauge swatch, and made your socks your perfect size! (or your mom's or daughter's or DH's or.....)
I've used 2 balls of Berroco Comfort DK in red, because I'm thinking red is always a great color (I live in St Louis, and the Cardinals are here, of course!) no matter what the time of year. However, red is the perfect Christmas color, as well as a great fall color. Obviously, you can choose whichever color you prefer, and whichever DK yarn you prefer. (I also picked up some Tennessee Orange yarn for my SIL, but don't tell her!)
This is a nice yarn to work with and comes in lots of colors. It's acrylic and nylon, and very soft. I prefer wool sock yarn, so was pleasantly surprised at how nicely these worked up. (and since you're not using size 0 needles, surprising quick!)
Remember your gauge is important, but since this stitch pattern is over 4 stitches, you'll need to make sure you CO a number that is divisible by 4. Also, since the 2x2 ribbing is a multiple of 4, you will see right away if your stitch count is off. It might be a good idea to have a row counter handy at the beginning.
I used size US size 3, or 3.25mm DPNs. If you prefer using two circs, or magic loop, that's up to you! But you'll need to check your gauge, because you don't want to make socks for someone else unless you intend to!
If you prefer a worsted weight yarn, you can also use this pattern by using bigger needles. I used CottonEase worsted for the anklets KAL this summer and CO 40 stitches on US 4's. It worked great because it is still a multiple of 4.
This is a cuff down pattern, so you'll CO at the cuff, and work your way down to the toe.
CO 48 stitches, join in the round, being careful not to twist your stitches, place marker at the beginning of the round. If you do twist them, you'll end up with a Moebius strip and you'll have to rip out.
Work a 2x2 ribbing for an inch, or longer if you prefer, then switch to your pattern stitch as follows:
(The pattern is repeated over 4 stitches and 4 rows. After a while, you won't need to use your row counter, because you can tell what your pattern needs to look like.)
Row 1,2 (K2, P2)* repeat to end of round
Row 3,4 (P2, K2)* repeat to end of round
Repeat rows 1-4 until desired length of cuff. I stopped at a total of 6", including my 2x2 ribbing.
Knit all round for 1" of stockinette stitch, then you'll start your heel. I prefer a short row heel, but you can use any heel you like. For a short row heel, my center stitches numbered 10 before I started increasing again.
The best short row heel instructions I've found are here at Knitting Daily in the Ambrosia Socks pattern. I won't reinvent the wheel or retype the instructions, but I will give you the link.
Ambrosia Socks - Knitting Daily
Once you've finished your heel according to either these instructions, or doing the heel you feel comfortable with, it's time to start the foot.
Because you aren't increasing or decreasing with this type of heel like you would with a gusset, you won't need to worry about decreasing for your foot. However, if you have a particularly narrow or wide foot, then you can do that here.
The foot is stockinette stitch (which is knitting all rounds) until you get to the length you need. I stop at the ball of my foot because the toe I use gives me about 1 1/2 inches additional length. As a guide, I wear a size 6 shoe, and the length of knitting between the toe "corner" and the ball is about 5 or 5 1/4" in length.
To decrease for the toe, you'll need to make sure you have equal number of stitches either distributed on the 4 DPNs or the 2 circs or the magic loop. Basically you'll need them divided in half. To begin, you'll decrease two stitches every other row until you have 16 stitches on each half (or total of 32), then you'll decrease every row until you have 8 stitches total, 4 on each needle. I've dropped two needles at this point because it's awkward to have only 2 st per needle.
To decrease for the toe, you'll treat the two needles as one:
K1, SSK, knit to last three stitches, then Ktog, K1 twice (so you're decreasing a total of 4 st on those rounds)
Next round is Knit all around
Repeat these two rounds until you have a total of 16 on each side (or 32 total).
Now you'll decrease 4 stitches on every round (using the same method above) until you have a total of 8 stitches.
I don't do a Kitchener stitch much anymore, because I think the following instructions are easier, and look just as nice. If you find this toe doesn't fit you well, then there are other options and types of toes you can use.
I cut the yarn, thread a yarn needle, and thread the end of the yarn through the last 8 stitches a couple of times, then weave in the ends. The pictures I've uploaded will show the short row heel and the toe decreases.
Voila! A finished sock! Now you do the exact same thing for the second sock, and you're good to go!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
KAL tote
Before and after felting-the colors didn't change much at all-it's a bit fuzzy, as can be expected. It shrank about 1/3 of the original size. One of the knitters in the group was nice enough to bring her manual washing machine to do the felting for us. It's a really neat little washer, and I'm temped to buy one for myself....if I knew how/where to store it!
I need to upload a pic of the actual finished product with straps and button closure. I was very pleased at how it turned out and am making another one in a different color range-greens/pinks/purples.
Chemo Caps
My Curves is collecting Chemo Caps/Headhuggers for cancer and burn victims, and I have been making a few to donate. Hats are so easy and quick!
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