I've been a bit lazy posting all of my knitting projects in the
last few weeks. I have two 2013 finished projects and a sock. Really,
it's the photography that holds things up. But here is the sock.
I'm following along K-line's Two Socks, One Week knit along as best I can. At this point, I should be finished with my second sock, but I'm really just a few inches into it. I'm ok with this. I'm not a fast knitter to begin with and my wrists ached for a few days after I tried to catch up by knitting for hours on New Year's Day. It also didn't help that I decided that the first sock was coming out too big and started over with smaller needles after I had already knit 3 or 4 inches of sock.
Anyway, I am undaunted. And I decided to use this KAL to write down my own master sock "recipe", which is really just the best parts of all the different socks I've knit, plagiarized and grafted into one frankenpattern. Here it is in pdf form:
Basic Socks a la Clio (appropriated from better-than-me knitters)***
A few notes on my method: Knitting from the Toe Up with magic loop
I like knitting socks bottom up. There are 3 main reasons. First, I'm never 100% happy with kitchner stitch or any of the toe closures that seem to leave a bump at the end. Knitting toe up seems to create the smoothest, least bump prone toe, at least in my hands. Second, I perpetually worry about running out of yarn. I never have, but if you knit toe up and run out, well, you just make a shorter sock at the ankle. If you knit top down, well, you end up without a toe. Third, I like to try on as I go, and toe up is pretty fool-proof in the try on and judge the fit department. So, essentially, I'm knitting the opposite way from the KAL. Really, there is no right way, only a right for you way.
As for magic loop, I just prefer it, even though I'm comfortable with DPN's thanks to all the stuffed animals I knit this year. Part of the reason is that socks are a great take along project that I do on my commute, and I like that it is impossible to drop or lose circular needles, unlike DPN's. I used a US2 (2.75mm) needle for these socks. My favorite needles in general are Addi Turbos. However, the Addi size 2 is 3mm, which proved to be too big. Since I knit a lot of socks, I actually have 4 sizes of very small needles ranging from 2 to 3mm. In all seriousness, that quarter mm actually does make a difference in the end.
And here's just a few in progress shots...
I like to add an inch or two of rib to the bottom at the arch to help the sock grip my foot.
For the heel, I like the diamond pattern of the Eye of Partridge stitch pattern. I also think it is sturdier.
And there you have it. Simple socks. I may do another pair of 'almost as simple' socks but just with a bit of colorwork incorporated into them.We'll see.
Either way, I hope to finish posting my 2013 projects this week so I can get on to 2014!
*** Wow, there is already an errata! I should have added that I start my heel gusset at 6 1/2", but you should start it about 3 inches short of your foot. I usually wear a size 9 1/2-10 shoe and have a medium foot circumference.
 |
| One Lonely Sock |
I'm following along K-line's Two Socks, One Week knit along as best I can. At this point, I should be finished with my second sock, but I'm really just a few inches into it. I'm ok with this. I'm not a fast knitter to begin with and my wrists ached for a few days after I tried to catch up by knitting for hours on New Year's Day. It also didn't help that I decided that the first sock was coming out too big and started over with smaller needles after I had already knit 3 or 4 inches of sock.
 |
| Toshsock yarn in Envy colorway. |
Anyway, I am undaunted. And I decided to use this KAL to write down my own master sock "recipe", which is really just the best parts of all the different socks I've knit, plagiarized and grafted into one frankenpattern. Here it is in pdf form:
Basic Socks a la Clio (appropriated from better-than-me knitters)***
A few notes on my method: Knitting from the Toe Up with magic loop
I like knitting socks bottom up. There are 3 main reasons. First, I'm never 100% happy with kitchner stitch or any of the toe closures that seem to leave a bump at the end. Knitting toe up seems to create the smoothest, least bump prone toe, at least in my hands. Second, I perpetually worry about running out of yarn. I never have, but if you knit toe up and run out, well, you just make a shorter sock at the ankle. If you knit top down, well, you end up without a toe. Third, I like to try on as I go, and toe up is pretty fool-proof in the try on and judge the fit department. So, essentially, I'm knitting the opposite way from the KAL. Really, there is no right way, only a right for you way.
As for magic loop, I just prefer it, even though I'm comfortable with DPN's thanks to all the stuffed animals I knit this year. Part of the reason is that socks are a great take along project that I do on my commute, and I like that it is impossible to drop or lose circular needles, unlike DPN's. I used a US2 (2.75mm) needle for these socks. My favorite needles in general are Addi Turbos. However, the Addi size 2 is 3mm, which proved to be too big. Since I knit a lot of socks, I actually have 4 sizes of very small needles ranging from 2 to 3mm. In all seriousness, that quarter mm actually does make a difference in the end.
And here's just a few in progress shots...
 |
| Under side of sock with grippy ribs |
I like to add an inch or two of rib to the bottom at the arch to help the sock grip my foot.
 |
| Eye of Partridge Heel |
For the heel, I like the diamond pattern of the Eye of Partridge stitch pattern. I also think it is sturdier.
And there you have it. Simple socks. I may do another pair of 'almost as simple' socks but just with a bit of colorwork incorporated into them.We'll see.
Either way, I hope to finish posting my 2013 projects this week so I can get on to 2014!
*** Wow, there is already an errata! I should have added that I start my heel gusset at 6 1/2", but you should start it about 3 inches short of your foot. I usually wear a size 9 1/2-10 shoe and have a medium foot circumference.
18 comments:
I can't imagine an entire pair of socks in a week! My wrists would be DYING. I'm seriously impressed that you finished one sock in a week!
Same here! After my new year's day knitting, I really had to dial it back over the next few days. It made me realize how much I normally break up my knitting over the course of a day - a little during my morning commute, a little during my evening commute and then a bit on the couch at night. I also find that it helps my wrists to work on a different project with different size needles at night. Somehow, the switching helps.
OK, I haven't even read this post yet but I need to say 2 things: Thanks for writing your sock recipe! I assume it's toe up and I need a simple pattern for that that I can feel comfortable approaching. ALso, that yarn is SPECTACULAR. Oh, what a gorgeous sock. Of course, you know I like a gimmick which is how I came upon 2 socks, 1 week. But 2 socks in 2 or 3 weeks are just as awesome.
Yep! It's toe up. I hope it makes sense since I did a bit of "and continue like this" instead of writing everything out. If you try it and get stuck because I short handed everything, holler and I'll send you the row by row for the heel.
Naturally - And it's a great idea! My next sock may actually be a top down one since I'm trying to figure out how to flipflop a colorwork pattern and I'm not sure I can do it on the heel parts.
I love the colors of the yarn. So pretty!
That's a gorgeous colour yarn. I made my first pair of socks following the KAL pattern. Toe - up is something I'll have to try next. I also need to look out for a simple pattern with a thicker sole - I love to wear socks with a slightly padded sole if I think I'll be on my feet alot during the day. Chris
What a pretty colour for a pair of socks. My DD1 crochets, and whenever we go yarn shopping, I stare for a good 20 minutes in mouth-gaping droolery at the sock yarn wall.
It's just as bad as fabric shopping. ;-)
Gorgeous socks! I love knitting socks because there is kind of a good recipe for them. They're so fun. Go easy on your wrists! :)
You could go over the sole with a duplicate stitch. It's probably more work than it's worth but it would give you more thickness.
You can try on a sock still in the needles when you knit from the top down, too, to determine when to start decreasing for the toe. At least, you can with a dpn method ... Toe-up socks do not hold a monopoly on that option! I use two sets of five needles, cast on two socks, and knit for a few inches on each one to keep them nearly identical. Have tried doing two at once on both one and on two circular needles -- which encourages the formation of new neural pathways in my ancient brain -- but I prefer dpns.
I agree with you that the toe-up start gives a nicer-looking end, but I learned to knit top-down more than 40 years ago, and it's a hard habit to break --don't have to think about what I'm doing, much, since I've done it so many times. When I'm unsure that I'll have enough yarn: I start in the middle with a provisional cast on, knit down for the foot, then pick up the provisional stitches and knit up for the leg of the sock.
Oh, and after I finish the gusset on a top-down sock, I throw in a good inch of 2 x 2 ribbing on the sole only.
"Socks-Socks-Socks: 70 Winning Patterns from the Knitter's Magazine Contest" (ed. Elaine Rowley, c. 1999) has a pattern on page 67, "The Ultimate Refootable Sock" by Dez Crawford from Baton Rouge, LA. The method involves knitting the heel in your preferred method, then doing the top of the foot only in back-and-forth knitting; THEN knitting the gussets and sole back-and-forth, picking up and knitting together stitches along each side of the already-knitted top, to join the two.
You can use a different color for the sole, you can use a thicker yarn, you can adapt the number of stitches across the sole for a denser pattern stitch, etc. When the sole has eaten up all the side stitches of the top, continue knitting in the round to finish the toe.
I'm pretty sure I have you to thank for the ribbing on the sole - it's become a standard feature for me. :-)
You are totally right - I've managed to try on socks going both ways and with DPN's, but I feel like I judge best when doing toe up. Somehow, I find it easier to figure out where to start the gusset than where to start the toe. I always seem to make top down socks too long or short on the first try and then have to do the toe over. This could be a symptom of still being relatively new (2yrs) to knitting.
Toe up or down is probably more what you are used to/comfortable with than anything else - both make great socks. I'm glad I know how to do it both ways. My next socks are going to be top down because I haven't figured out how to revers a color work pattern that is written top down...
Sounds like the pattern for me!!
Oooooooo those colors are so pretty! And thanks for sharing your tips about knitting socks. I've got a ton of sock yarn on my hands now, and I'm eager to try my hand at it :)
Thanks Sarah I'm going to look up duplicate stitch :)
Will do! I think it might be worth figuring it out if it makes longer lasting and comfier socks :)
This book is still in print, so I'd be violating copyright to scan that page and send it to you. There's a lot of good stuff in the book -- you can even try your hand at knitting socks with licorice whips.
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