Tag: sock

A Foray into Toe-Up Socks, iv

I’ve finished the first sock of this pair, and I can only say I am not too fond of it, as far as doing it, and as far its design.  This being the first sock, and fraught with a high learning curve, it is understandable.

After turning the heel, I continued on with lace rib stitch for 6 inches, and then began the top pattern, which is a repeat of 7 stitches.  To recap, the sock is a 6-stitch repeat, done on 60 stitches.  I decided to increase 3 stitches, every 20th round.  Then I began the pattern, which I will modify, and attach to posts about the second sock, which 1) should be nicer looking, and 2) have a gusset rather than short row heel, and 3) have a decrease of stitches (maybe) for the top border.  Just so you know, the bind off is stretchy, done as k2, slip 2 stitches back to left needle, k2tog, k1, slip 2 stitches back to left needle, and continue until done.  It was a nuisance to do, but the edge worked out rather nicely.

The top of the sock, as you can see, flairs out a bit. As this was the calf area, I figured it would be better to make it the 3 stitches bigger rather than 4 stitches smaller. Maybe I’ll change my mind on that, seeing how it doesn’t have any ribbing on the top. On my leg it looks like it will slide down toward my ankle, which is fine if I want a baggy sock around my ankle, but with this design, I don’t think so.

As far as the overall design of the sock, I’m not displeased, but not happy either. The vertical lines of the ankle and foot are in a nice contrast to the horizontal quality at the top.

At this point, I admit that I am still not sold on toe-up socks. This being my first one, I know I am far from any point of making a definitive statement. There is a lot more still to learn, and certainly I am doing that! And, that was the goal in the first place.

A Request

If you have any sock patterns that you think are just the BEST toe-up sock pattern, leave me a note and a link if there is one.  Or email on Ravelry. I’d love to see other socks, and though I do have books on the subjects, the subject is far more vast than I first realized.

WIPs and Chains

Like every knitter – or nearly every knitter – I have more on the needles in progress than off. I thought it might be fun to take pictures of WIPs and WIPs-to-Be out of handspun.

Fountain Pen Shawl

I hate to say it, but I just couldn’t get into the pattern.  So, it is now ripped out and waiting for something else.  The yarn is Malabrigo, about 800 yards of lace-weight.  Unskeining it was not fun – the ties for dyeing were not well done, and on the swift I had to weave in and out of the skein to get it onto the ballwinder.  Worth the work though, as the colors are wonderful.  I expect it will become a different shawl in the future.

Handspun / Hand-Dyed

Most likely for berets.

These yarns are two and three plies, some in tweeds.  Tweed, at least the way I created it, was fun.  All the little neps in other handspun, already dyed, get pulled out as spun, set aside, and then carded into another color.  Another way to do this is to not clean the carder of the little neps, but work them into another color.

Another Meret (now finished since the photo was taken – just needing the tidying-up!)

This one is for a friend from childhood.  Her birthday was in February.  She’ll get an early b-day present I guess!  (Hi, Claudia!)

And socks, socks, socks…

This is some commercial yarn.  I think I dyed it, not sure.  

Below, is some bare KnitPicks merino/nylon sock yarn.  My mother-in-law, Judy, and I got together to do some for her birthday last year.  I don’t believe she had ever dyed before.  It was a great afternoon birthday project.  Her yarn was much prettier than mine, but for all its gaudiness, this one I rather liked.  You can see it on the ball, and how it is pooling – I like the yellow spiraling through the purples.  Sunshine through the storm clouds.

And another sock, far too long on the needles.  Great yarn!

Future Socks (of course!)

My first purchase from Sundara.  The color was not quite what I anticipated, but I still like it a lot.  Photos are not the same as real life (as I can tell you from the ones above, as well.)  This is sock yarn, and I think a girly lace would be great.  Her packaging is just wonderful, and her label makes you smile.

And in the meantime, I have some patterns I want to post, for free and for sale, and some in the design process. Once the next week is over, I think I should be able to get to them (at last). You will be able to find them on Ravelry under my moniker of Matataki. You can download this fellow from  the “Patterns” tab at the top of this page, or using the link under “Matataki Design” on the right.  Enjoy!

The Holy Gusset

Many, many moons ago, as a young and novice sock knitter, I produced my first socks.  I read my book.  I followed the directions.  I made the heel flap, turned the heel, picked up stitches, did the decreases and — and — and!

I had holes at the very top of my gusset.

I ripped it all out.  I read my book.  I followed the directions.  And there, once again, was those pesky holes.

I ripped out.  I read my book.

You get the idea.

Finally, in frustration, I just knit some extra stitches and did some strange things, and the holes magically disappeared. But, I had not followed the rules laid out in the sock pattern directions, and felt that, somehow, my inadequacy as a knitter was to blame.

Now mind you all, this was back in the days before internet, when yarn stores did not exist except far and between.  Libraries and books and relatives and friends were the only sources of information.  No one I knew knit socks.  I was on my own.

Fast forward a century or two.  Nancy Bush’s book Folk Socks debuted.  More sock books were published.  Sock knitting was In!  And The-Hole-at-the-Top-of-the-Gusset came out of the closet.

These memories tumbled out of the past as I was browsing YouTube.  This little jewel of a video shows you that nasty hole and how to conquer it.  Thank you KatAutumn!