Basic freaking socks

So... it's been awhile. Yeah. Since my last post, I've fallen in love, made a bunch of plans, gotten my heart broken, and started school. I've also learned some new knitting techniques. Having made socks and mittens, I feel as if I can conquer the world. I want to share that feeling with YOU. You need to know how to cast on, how to knit, and how to purl. The rest is a bit challenging, but it is by no means insurmountable.

I started my first pair of socks with a skein of super-fine yarn and the pattern that came with it. I felt that I needed some extra instructions, because I didn't understand the process of turning the heel or of picking up stitches along the heel flap. I found an excellent tutorial, Silver's Sock Class. Step 6 shows how to turn the heel, step 7 shows how to pick up stitches and knit the gussets, and step 10 shows Kitchener stitch in a much better manner than I could explain! This tutorial is awesome. Thanks to Silver, I [heart] sock-knitting.

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Ashleigh's Basic Freaking Socks

I hate complications. They always seem to find me, though. That’s why I’m really happy with this sock pattern that I developed. I took the best parts of two different patterns and smooshed them together to form what I believe (for now) to be the perfect basic sock, even if its origins are a bit complicated. If you are new to sock knitting, these babies will make you happy.

What you need
1 set of 4 dpns in US size 6
worsted weight yarn (I used Stitch Nation Bamboo Ewe in Snapdragon; one 177-yard skein makes a pair of socks with enough left over for, say, a coffee cup cozy.)
darning needle

Gauge
Looks like 11 sts x 15 rnds = 2" square. This pattern as I wrote and knit it fits a ladies' size 8 or 8-1/2.

Cuff
Cast on 40 sts and divide as follows: 14 sts each on needles 1 and 3, and 12 sts on needle 2. Join and be careful not to twist your cast-on round. Work in K2P2 ribbing for 7-10 rounds, depending on your preference, then knit 21 rounds of stockinette (or however many rounds will make the cuff the length that you want). End by knitting across the first 11 stitches on needle 1.

Heel flap
Redistribute stitches as follows: slip 11 stitches from needle 3 to needle 1, and rearrange remaining 18 stitches on needles 2 and 3. On needle one, you will have 22 stitches; on needle 2, you will have 9 stitches; on needle 3, you will have 9 stitches as well. You may let needles 2 and 3 hang down, or you may place the stitches on waste yarn, according to your preference. You will be working back-and-forth with the 22 stitches on needle 1 to make the heel flap.

Row 1: P2tog, P2 to end, ending with P2tog. (16 sts)
Row 2: Sl1, K1 to end
Row 3: Sl1, P to end

Work rows 2 and 3 for 10 times total. Repeat row 2 one time more.

Turn heel
Row 1: P8, P2tog, P1, leaving remaining 5 sts unworked. Turn.
Row 2: K3, K2tog, K1, leaving remaining 4 sts unworked. Turn.
Row 3: P4, P2tog, P1, leaving remaining 3 sts unworked. Turn.
Row 4: K5, K2tog, K1, leaving remaining 2 sts unworked. Turn.
Row 5: P6, P2tog, P1, leaving remaining st unworked. Turn.
Row 6: K7, K2tog, K1, turn.
Row 7: P10
Row 8: K10

(Pause and admire your lovely heel!)

Gussets
With right side facing you, and using spare needle, pick up and knit 11 sts along side of heel flap. Slip these stitches onto needle 1. With spare needle, knit across the 18 sts on needles 2 and 3. With spare needle, pick up and knit 11 sts along the other side of heel flap; with the same needle, knit 5 sts from needle 1. Needle 1 now has 16 sts, needle 2 has 18 sts, and needle 3 has 16 sts, for a total of 50 sts.

Knit one round, and make sure your stitches aren’t too loose.

Round 1: On needle 1: K to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1. On needle 2: K across. On needle 3: K1, SSK, K to end of needle. (48 sts)
Round 2: Knit.

Repeat rounds 1 and 2 for 5 times total (40 sts remain).

Instep
Knit stockinette stitch for 35 rounds, or until foot measures 2” less than the total length needed.

Toe
Redistribute stitches as follows: 10 sts on needle 1, 20 sts on needle 2, and 10 sts on needle 3.

Round 1: On needle 1: K to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1. On needle 2: K1, SSK, K to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1. On needle 3: K1, SSK, K to end of needle.
Round 2: Knit.

Repeat rounds 1 and 2 for 7 times total (12 sts remain). Knit across needle 1, arrange 6 sts onto each of 2 needles, and graft closed with Kitchener stitch.

Repeat for second sock!

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Yes, your socks will look a bit funky when you're done. I understand why people use sock blockers for aesthetic purposes. However, the fit is unbeatable!



I really love how these socks turned out. They are chunky and breathable (thank you, wool and bamboo), and I think they will be nice to wear in transitional weather. I'm sending these beauties to my sister in Georgia.

As you gain confidence in your sock-knitting abilities, you can throw in stripes and lace borders and all sorts of embellishments. Enjoy!

Tropical headgear

Well hello, Virginia summer. Nice to see you again. Might I say that while you are hot and steamy, you have nothing on a Florida spring? Mm-hmm. It's true.

Last month, I spent a week in Florida (and fell in love with Miami), a trip which included a stop in Jacksonville to visit with a friend, Jaye, who lives there. Jaye's mom is going through cancer treatment, so I made her a couple of hats. They're easy-care hats, made of acrylic. However, I realized that acrylic might not be the most comfortable material to wear in the Florida summer. I had some nice, high-end cotton yarn -- just enough for a hat, I thought -- in my stash at home. Any worsted-weight cotton yarn will do, of course, but I wanted to use something special for Jaye's mom.

What you'll need: 1 skein (really, about 90 yards) of your favorite cotton yarn, 12" or 16" circular needles in US sizes 6 and 8, a set of US size 8 double-pointed needles, one stitch marker, and a tapestry needle. Using the smaller circular needle, cast on 90 stitches. Place marker, don't twist the stitches, and knit 8 rounds. Switch to larger circular, and knit 22-25 more rounds, depending on how big you want the hat to be. Now begin your decreases. Once there are too few stitches to work on the circular needle, switch to double-pointed needles, distributing the stitches however you like.

First decrease row: *K8, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (You'll have 81 sts left.)
Next row: knit
Second dec row: *K7, K2tog, rep from *. (72 sts)
Next row: knit
Third dec row: *K6, K2tog, rep from *. (63 sts)
Next row: knit
Fourth dec row: *K5, K2tog, rep from *. (54 sts)
Next row: knit
Fifth dec row: *K4, K2tog, rep from *. (45 sts)
Next row: knit
Sixth dec row: *K3, K2tog, rep from *. (36 sts) -- This is usually when I switch to dpns.
Next row: knit
Seventh dec row: *K2, K2tog, rep from *. (27 sts)
Next row: knit
Eighth dec row: *K1, K2tog, rep from *. (18 sts)
Next row: knit
Last dec row: K2tog, rep to end of round. (9 sts)

Cut yarn and use the tapestry needle to thread the yarn tail through remaining 9 stitches. Weave in ends, and there you have it -- a lovely little cap!





I am a hat model, I suppose.



I love how the even decreases make a spiral pattern.

Tomorrow morning, this hat will be on its way to sunny Florida!

Frosted fluffiness

My mom has asked me several times to make another scarf for her. She has roughly a dozen of my scarves, but she always thinks of a new color or style that she would like. So I set aside my Etsy knitting and made another scarf for Mom.

One of her favorites is this furry beast:



Rawr!

She wanted a pink furry beast in the same style. Luckily, Michael's had Fun Fur on sale last weekend, so I picked up the necessary materials. This scarf is an excellent weekend project; I started it on Friday morning and finished it on Sunday evening during a "Whale Wars" marathon. (I would have finished it sooner, but I didn't knit a single stitch on Saturday.) Knit with me, won't you?

What you need: 2 balls of white Lion Brand Fun Fur (or another eyelash yarn), 2 balls of any color Fun Fur (the purple one is "grape" and the pink one is "soft pink"), one pair US size 11 needles, and one tapestry needle or crochet hook for weaving in ends.



I swear that the top strand is pink.



Holding one strand of white and one strand of color together, cast on 16 stitches. For every row, *K1, P1, rep from * for K1P1 ribbing. When you have knit your scarf to a desired length, bind off in patt, then weave in ends.



Tada! Using white Fun Fur with a color gives the scarf a frosted look.

Variation: cast on 12 stitches instead of 16 for a narrower (or child-size) scarf. The scarf will be about 4 inches wide with 16 stitches and about 3 inches wide with 12 stitches.

Worldwide Knit in Public Day

That's right! Get your needles and your yarn, and get out there!

My WWKIP Day is this Sunday, June 13, but you can click here to find the day your knitting community has chosen. If I remember to take my camera, I'll post pictures here of both the event and my project -- a summer chemo cap for my friend's mom.

Happy (public) knitting!

Knitters: the next generation

Am I a geek? Yes I am.

Next week, I'm going to give my ten-year-old cousin a crash course in knitting before she and her mom and her sister set off on an adventure across the country. Last night, I was putting together a "knit kit" for her as I pondered the perfect first project. Her mom thought it was pretty nifty that I make dishcloths, so hey, why not a dishcloth? I always need dishcloths, so I started one, and I'm sharing it here.

What you need: one pair of single-point needles in US size 4, 5, 6, or 7, depending upon your knitting style, and depending upon your desired results (smaller gauge needle = tighter knit, etc.); one ball cotton yarn; large-eyed blunt needle; scissors.

For dishcloths, I LOVE Lily's Sugar & Cream yarn. (Last summer, I was lucky to find an insane amount of Sugar & Cream mill ends at a North Carolina A.C. Moore, and I nearly had a conniption right there in the store.) You can use Lion Cotton, or any other yarn that is 100% cotton. Cotton cotton cotton.



(Isn't it GORGEOUS?)

Cast on 35 stitches. Here, I'm using US size 5 needles, because I like a dishcloth that can scrub my bean pot clean and live to tell the tale.





(I just love the look and feel of cotton yarn on bamboo needles.)

Now, knit every row* until the cloth is square, then bind off in knit and weave in your ends. Give your new dishcloth a quick rinse, and it's ready to go! I toss mine in the washer and dryer with my other towels. Sometimes I have to re-tuck the ends, but these dishcloths really hold up. No kidding, they will scrub your bean pot clean and live to tell the tale.

Happy knitting!

*If you want to get fancy with your garter stitch knitting, slip the first stitch of every row for a neat, smooth edge.

On being a democratic knitter...

In my previous post, I mentioned that I purchased my yarn at a craft store. I'm no knitting snob. I don't see the point of spending an obscene amount of money on tools and supplies at the LYS if I can find them at a lower price at Michaels or online. That doesn't mean I possess indiscriminate tastes when it comes to knitting; I look for a balance of value and quality. I listen to the experts, not to the snobs.

The projects I post will therefore be available to all knitters. Sometimes I may have found premium yarn at a discount price, and I encourage you to do the same. Look on eBay or Craigslist, or swap with other knitters. Use coupons. Look for sales and clearances. My advice holds for all types of crafters: you don't have to be loaded to produce quality crafts.

One of my favorite yarns is Caron Simply Soft. It comes in an impressive variety of colors, and it knits up very nicely. Michaels runs 2-for-$5 specials on Simply Soft quite often! Loops & Threads Snuggly Wuggly, the new proprietary brand at Michaels, makes fabulous baby items. And who doesn't love a dishcloth knit from super-affordable Sugar'n Cream? Occasionally, I stop by the LYS (The Knitting Corner) to check out their clearance bin. I've found some wonderful yarns there. The ladies at TKC also possess a wealth of knowledge. If you're in the area, go there!

I do not skimp on needles, however. Needles are the durable goods in your knitting bag; choose them well. I prefer wood over metal, and I don't mind paying a little extra for needles that will last and that will make things easier on me in the long run. (As I've mentioned, I have early-onset arthritis, and metal needles, with their coldness and inflexibility, tend to exacerbate the condition.) Clover (bamboo) and Brittany (birch) make up the majority of my needle stock. I have some Lantern Moon needles -- a set of single-points and one circular needle -- that were a gift from my fellow creatively minded dad, but purchasing them regularly would bankrupt me. If someone gives you an expensive knitting-related gift, cherish it!

My point here is that, while there are costs associated with the craft of knitting, one can keep expenses down by being a smart shopper and by not worrying about what the snobs think. And really, doesn't that go for everything in life?

Felted knitting needle case: the beginning

I had a revelation about wool yarn, and it has to do with cheese. Stay with me here. Wool is an animal fiber, but harvesting wool doesn't directly require the slaughter of sheep. Cheese is an animal product, but it doesn't directly require the slaughter of cows (or of goats, or of sheep, etc.). Therefore, if I find it ethically acceptable to eat cheese, I must find it ethically acceptable to wear wool.

(You can argue with me that I'm supporting the meat industry through my consumption of cheese, and that's fine. I accept your argument as valid. I simply prefer to accept the logic that by dropping out of the animal-product industry altogether, I give the industry no incentive to change its ways, and therefore I sabotage the overall goal of making life better for animals. For the record, I still refuse to wear silk or leather. I know my boundaries.)

I realized that by not using wool, I was severely limiting myself in the world of knitting. No authentic South American or Irish styles? No felting? Nonsense! So I picked up some wool -- Patons Classic Wool -- at the craft store, and I got started. Here's the beginning of my first felted project, a needle case. I've cast on 85 stitches, using US size 9 needles, and I'm working in stockinette stitch. The project should take about 3 balls of wool. The color is "Regency", a gorgeous blend of pink, red, orange, and brown.



I love how the wool feels in my hands, and I adore how it looks in this gauge. Also, wooden needles are heavenly for my prematurely arthritic hands. If you make the switch from steel to wood, you'll never look back. The needles' surfaces get even smoother with use. It's a beautiful thing.



Even my cat is getting excited about the project. Or she just wants to play.



So that's the beginning of my new project. I'll post an update when I get to the actual felting.

Happy knitting!

Knitting projects: March 2010

What am I working on? A felted knitting needle case, a third baby sweater set for Etsy, and a sweater for my niece.

The needle case is taking forever, naturally, because felting involves knitting a much bigger piece of fabric than one needs. (The fabric shrinks quite a bit during felting.) I'm trying to be patient with myself, using the needle case as "therapy knitting" between baby sweaters. I'm also taking pictures of the needle case as it progresses, so I'll be able to post a step-by-step.

The baby sweater sets are a little complicated, but still very fun to make. A set consists of a hat, a wrap sweater, and a pair of booties. I've made so many booties from this particular pattern that I can now make them without looking at the pattern. I've even thrown in some embellishment without screwing up the finished booties. I love it. This must be how my grandmother knitted: from memory, from intuition.

The sweater for my niece continues to be a pain in my butt. This item represents the first time I altered my basic wrap-sweater pattern. I altered EVERYTHING: the yarn, the gauge, the finished size, the fastenings. It's coming together, though, and I should be able to fit it on the kid later this week while I'm visiting my sister.

I've always been a more skilled editor than writer, hence the compulsive pattern alterations. I've designed several items from scratch, which is satisfying in itself, but I do relish a good alteration. Perhaps I am a knitgeek.

What's in the future for my knitting? More needle cases and other felted items (contingent upon a successful first attempt), and perhaps some summer goodies (cotton tank tops), some gift items, and definitely more baby stuff. (Note: I'll open the Etsy shop after I finish this darn baby set!)

I'll be out of town for several days, but I'm itching to post my favorite brownie recipe (and some step-by-step photos) when I get back!