Category Archives: sock

Double Moss toe up socks

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I was having some issues with my wrist and couldn’t knit for several days. Whatever it was went away.

The overdyed green yarn was calling to me so I decided to cast on a toe-up sock. I’ve knit two pairs of toe-up socks and once I get through the first 4-5 rounds of the toe, I’m good to go. No picking up stitches at the gusset and no Kitchener stitch at the toe (though I don’t really mind that part).

First sock progress came to an abrupt halt when I had to untangle a huge knot. This picture was taken after fiddling with it for 40 minutes.

Another 15 minutes and it was all untangled and I could get back to knitting the leg.

I know some people who would have 1.) cut the knot out of the yarn or 2.) chucked the entire mess into the wastebasket. My grandmother was thrifty/frugal and salvaged many a ball of yarn in her lifetime so I channeled some of the Emma-untangling superpowers and managed to extricate the yarn from its prison.

This sock is now waiting for its mate and I am having a heck of a time starting the toe.* I’m using Judy’s Magic Cast-on and double-point needles as I don’t have any US#1.5 circulars longer than 24-inches. Any tips, tricks, or techniques that will get me through this part are most welcome.

* I figured out what I was doing wrong so the toe is coming along just fine now. 😉

Patti

Blueberry smoothie and red tonal

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I’m going to show you two of the other skeins of yarn I dyed last year.

This one is called Blueberry Smoothie. I used food coloring and Paas Easter Egg dyes. Kid (and adult) friendly and as far as I know, colorfast.

I love the blues and touch of purple.

There are a lot of light blues and undyed yarn. Nothing planned for this skein…yet.

The second dyed yarn is a red tonal, also using food coloring and Paas Easter Egg dyes.

I already knit a pair of socks and didn’t get any pictures of the skein beforehand. This is what I have left over.

The sock pattern is from Helen Stewart’s Handmade Sock Society: Scribbly Gum Socks. Once knitted up, the yarn appears as a tonal stripe that is only noticeable on the plain stockinette stitch on the back.

I dipped a plastic fork into some black liquid food coloring and touched various areas of the yarn to give add that speckled look. It’s not as pronounced as I wanted.

I’m still experimenting with dyeing my own yarns and once the weather warms up (again), I’ll try some other dyeing techniques.

Patti

Sporty-shortie trial and error

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I wanted a short sport-type sock with support around the arch. Not finding any patterns available, I decided to try to develop one myself. Over the weekend I finished the first shortie sock and learned a few things about pattern making. It’s not as easy as one might think! There are lots of trials, successes, and errors. This sock pattern is no exception.

First of all the cuff needs to be tighter. It’s the twisted rib: knit one through the back loop, purl one, repeat. (k1tbl, p1, repeat to end of row) It’s not too loose but it’s not very snug either. Perhaps a smaller needle… I also see a huge gap where the heel begins. Oops!

The arch ribbing is also not firm/tight enough around my foot and could begin right after the gusset stitches, if not sooner. I used a US #0 for that part which is the smallest needle I have. I ordered three more of the nine-inch circular needles last week: US #0, US #00, and a US #000. Hopefully one of those will work better. Plus I might switch to the twisted rib the way the cuff is knitted to tighten up that section.

I tried a new-to-me toe that fits really well. It’s a basic round toe in which the toe stitches are decreased every few stitches all around the toe instead of just at the sides. Maybe my sister (Yes, Jude, I’m referring to you!) will like the looks of it better than the usual wedge toe in most patterns.

So I’m not giving up. I will be making some modifications in the next attempt.

Patti

May update

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May marked my 11th year of blogging. It just seems like yesterday when I published my first post. I need to do some housekeeping and clean up some of the headings and pictures.

Well, the Bamboo socks are finished. I l-o-v-e them.

These are my first ever toe-up socks. I started to knit a different pattern and after the first several rows, I realized that I didn’t like it so chucked that pattern and found this bamboo sock that was also a toe-up sock.

There are pros and cons to toe-up vs. top-down socks.

Toe-up Pros: No picking up stitches at the gusset.

Toe-up Cons: Starting the toe. Loosely binding off. Plus it is new to me.

Top-down Pros: Easy to cast on. Familiar to me

Top-down Cons: Picking up stitches for the gusset. Kitchener stitch for the toes.

I’m not sold on the toe-up construction but I’m willing to give it another try. The cast-on for the toe was a killer so if you have any suggestions or techniques to help, please feel free to leave them in the comments.

Details: Needle size US #1. Used 68 grams of hand-dyed yarn. Bamboo Sock pattern.

Since my sock needles were empty, I decided to knit a pair of shorties with some ribbing around the arch. I have a pair of commercial socks with ribbing around the foot. They really support the arch and make my feet feel good.

I’m making this up as I go so once finished, I’ll decide whether or not to knit the second one or rip out this one.I’m carrying the pink up the ribbing section so I can rejoin that color for the rest of the sock.

The last update for May (and I don’t remember if I did this in May or April) is a sewing project. Our front porch furniture needed new cushion covers. I made these covers in 2014 and the fabric faded and just would’t get clean. The print was large and busy.

I tried to order some new fabric in June of 2020 but with all the craziness happening in the world, my order was cancelled in August and wasn’t available anymore. Mr. Aitch suggested a solid red. I like the color but the fabric is slippery and was very difficult to sew. However, I think it will hold the color and clean up well. And the hummingbirds like the color, too.

Oh, one more thing… Brood X cicadas arrived about 10 days ago. We’ll be listening to their lovely (?) mating song for about another month. Then we won’t see nor hear them again for 17 years. This one is sitting on my giant-leaf hosta and is about 1.5 inches long with red eyes.

More next week…

Patti