Knitting Exchanges

I just signed up for a scarf exchange on Ravelry. It looks like it's going to be a lot of fun, and you have until the end of summer to finish, so there's not even much pressure. I'm jkay on Ravelry if you want to look me up.

I've decided to frog the Birds Nest Shawl and try something else. It's knit with two strands of yarn, and I was looking for something a bit more light and airy. I'm going to try the North Sea Shawl on page 93 and see if that speaks to me.

If you haven't taken a look at the Folk Shawls book, you really should. Some of them are just breathtaking.



I'm still working on my husband's socks, and the fit is really good. I'm glad I ripped them out and made them a little smaller in diameter. It made a huge difference in the fit.

I was disappointed that I didn't get to dye yarn this weekend after all. My hubby even picked up some mason jars for me, and the koolaid packs are laid out on the microwave. I may start to wind the yarn tonight at least. I can't wait to try my hand at it.

Well, I'm off to cast on for that shawl. If I like it, I'll take some pics.

Sock Tutorial, Part 2

Well, here it is, the second half of the sock tutorial.

I ended up ripping it back out after all. After a few inches, it was apparent that it was a bit too big. So, I ripped back to the toe increases and left it at 12 stitches per needle, for 48 total. That's down from 56 from the first try.

I worked the top of the foot in knit 2/purl 1 rib, with a purl stitch beginning the top of the foot to separate it from the stockinette on the bottom. That means the top of the foot is worked on a 3+1 pattern, or 25 stitches.

I knit the sock until the top of the foot reaches the point where the foot and leg meet. (Sorry about the mess; lazy Saturday!) See what I mean? My hubbie has BIG feet.

Now, forget about the top of the foot for a while and knit the bottom. This is the same as knitting a heel flap, only upside down. Remember to slip the first stitch of each row and then just knit (or purl) across.

Knit the flap until you get almost, but not quite, to the end of the foot. I'm about half an inch from the tip of his heel, with the sock unstretched. Now, you're ready to turn the heel.

I use the directions from Yarn Harlot's book, Knitting Rules, but you can find similar instructions online of you don't have the book.

You knit to a little past the center, knit (or purl) 2 together, knit (or purl) one, turn. After the first time on this sock, I had 8 stitches left unworked. Then I turned and did the same, being sure to leave 8 stitches unworked.

Then, you'll see the "hole" your turns make, and you'll knit (or purl) the 2 stitches together on either side of that hole. Then knit (or purl) one and turn. You'll gradually use up stitches. You should progress by 2's. Here's how mine went.

Purl across, purl 2 together, purl 1, leaving 8 stitches unworked.
Turn, knit across, knit 2 together, knit 1, leaving 8 stitches unworked.
Turn, purl across, purl the 2 stitches on either side of the hole, purl 1, leaving 6 stitches unworked.
Turn, knit across, knit 2 stitches on either side of the hole, knit one, leaving 6 stitches unworked.
Turn, purl across, purl the 2 stitches on either side of the hole, purl 1, leaving 4 stitches unworked.
Turn, knit across, knit 2 stitches on either side of the hole, knit 1, leaving 4 stitches unworked.
Continue until you've worked all the stitches.... Notice that it doesn't matter how many stitches you're working. It's easier just to count the stitches you're leaving unworked.

This is what the hole looks like on the knit side.

And this is what it looks like on the purl side.

If you need some more help with this part, here are some links.

MimKnits

This one is a bit complicated, and she does wrap her stitches.

About

This one is similar to the way I do it, but she workes it over only a couple stitches.

Knitting Fiend

This is pretty much exactly how I do it, with some more pictures.

This is what the heel cup looks like when you're finished. Note that I don't bother wrapping my short rows, but I know plenty of people do. I just try to be careful and pull them tight so there are no holes. This picture is the back of the foot, bottom up.

Now, all you need to do is pick up your gusset stitches. Those are the loops you made by slipping the first stitch of each row. On this sock, I ended up picking up 10 on each side, between the heel stitches that remain and the stitches on top of the foot. The heel is at the top of this picture, the foot at the bottom.

Now, you're back to knitting in the round. I keep the top of the foot in ribbing and everything else in stockinette until I get the number of stitches back down to where I started (48). If your calves are a bit thin, you might want to go a touch smaller, if they're big, then a touch bigger. I decreased this sock to 51 stitches for my husband. Just be sure to keep your ribbing pattern in mind when deciding on the final number of stitches.

Decreases are worked every other row, in the corner where the gusset stitches meet the front of the foot.

Decreasing:

On this side of the sock, knit until you're within three stitches of the end of the gusset stitches. Knit 2 together, knit 1, and then continue knitting across the foot.

On this side, knit 1, work a slip/slip/knit decrease, and then continue knitting.

When you've decreased back to the number of stitches you want for the leg, start working the ribbing all the way around. If you need to alter the size of the leg after starting the ribbing, change needle sizes instead of number of stitches so you can preserve the ribbing pattern.

That's it! Just knit the leg as long as you want it and bind off loosely.

Knit, knit, knit

I have one more sleeve to sew in to the perfect sweater. I did it with a rolled hem, but I'm re-thinking that. I think I may add an inch or so of ribbing to give the bottom a bit more shape.

Sorry there are no pics. I've been struggling to get back to feeling like myself. I've been working mostly on the sweater, and I cast on for a cute beanie that's in the winter Interweave Crochet magazine. If you're a Dr. Who fan, it's a lot like the rose colored one Martha Jones wore in this week's episode.

I've been so looking forward to Kool-Aid dyeing, and I just haven't felt up to it. That should give you an idea how rotten I've felt. I've still got my Kool-Aid packs and sock yarn waiting. Hopefully this weekend...

Not much progress on the bird's nest shawl. I haven't felt particularly inspired. Maybe that's a sign or something?

I promise pics soon and a better update.

Back at it

I'm back and finally feeling better. I got my yarn and started the bird's nest shawl, but I haven't made it more than a few rows. I've got the socks still going, and the perfect sweater ready to assemble. I'm thinking that's a job for this weekend.

I've had this itch to start organize my stash. I've got yarn stuffed everywhere, needles, etc., and it's tough to keep track of what I have. I'm thinking I need to make better use of Ravelry.

By the way, if you're a Ravelry member, I'm jkay. Look me up.

I'll post some pics of my work this weekend.

On the Mend

Wow, I've been really sick. I've had the worst case of the flu since I was a little kid. To give you an idea... I didn't even feel like knitting. Now, that's sick.

I'm still not feeling well, but I'm better than I was. I'll get some posts up soon.

Progress...

I finished the knitting on the Perfect Sweater. I just need to sew it up, which is a bit of a daunting task. I've just worked two 11-hour days, so there hasn't been any time for the sweater since the weekend. I'll post pics as soon as it's finished.

I'm working on my husband's socks. That's working out well, and I may not have to unravel them as I thought I might. They seem a little big, but I think they'll be fine once I get a couple of inches done. When I get them up to the ankle join, I'll start posting tutorial pics again.

I'm off to bed...exhausted.

Yarn Goodies in the Mail

I got my yarn. I ordered some for dyeing, which I talked about earlier. If I get to work on that this weekend, I'll be sure to take lots of pictures. Unfortunately, I have to work a little this weekend, so that may keep me from dyeing (bleh).

If it turns out that I'm any good at it, I may offer a few skeins for sale. I'll post pics here of the results, and you all can let me know what you think of my first dyeing.

I also ordered enough laceweight to do two shawls. I'm going to do the Birds Nest shawl from Folk Shawls, which I mentioned a couple posts ago. The shawl is very pretty, and I think it's something doable for a first lace project. So far my lace has extended to dishcloths and a few swatches, so this should be fun.

I finished the back on the Perfect Sweater, and I'm almost up to the V-neck on the front. Anyone want to take any bets on whether I'll get to wear it this year?

About to dye!

We have the flu here, so I've been playing nursemaid. I was okay until today, but I'm finally coming down with it too. Maybe I can finish that sweater?

I've been thinking of dyeing my own yarn for a while now, and I just ordered 6 skeins from knitpicks to get started. For now, I'm going to experiment with Kool-Aid dyeing and see how I do with that before trying acid dyes (if I try them at all).

I've been doing some research, and I thought you all might be interested in some yarn dyeing links too, whether you plan on using Kool-Aid or something else.

• Knitpicks has a tuturial. Scroll down and click the free pattern download button.
• Knitty also has one.

Both Knitty and Knitpicks cover the basics of Kool-Aid dyeing, but they both focus mostly on solid colors. Knitty talks a little about handpainting, but it's a bit too brief for me.

• Fig and plum has some nice pictures of hand-painting.
• And here's a tutorial on using Wilton's icing dye for yarn.
• Although these are written for acid dyes, they are good instructions for doing handpaint in general.
• Pea Soup shows how to dye with regular food coloring, and the skein in the pictures is too cute!
  
• See Eunny Knit has a very good tutorial on tying off your yarn to make a self-striping yarn with regular stripe repeats.
• And here's another tutorial on making your own self-striping yarn.
  

So, go a little crazy, pick some colors, and get to dyeing! I just ordered my yarn, so when it arrives, I'll be sure to post pictures of my work, and results.

Maybe I'm too ambitious?

Good news: I've made more progress on the Perfect Sweater.

Bad news: I'm still stuck in stockinette hell. I knit, knit, knit and still, I've got lots more stockinette to go.

Good news: My husband's socks I'm doing for my tutorial look great.

Bad news: They're a little too big. I measured like I always do, and for some reason, they're still too big. I'm not sure, but I think frogging is in their future.

Good news: I picked up a cool pattern book on crocheted rugs today. We have an old house, so they'd look great. I even have some yarn I'd like to try for them.

Bad news: If I'm having trouble finishing a sweater, how in the world will I finish a rug? My knitting time is limited usually, so that's a big undertaking. I might get one finished by next spring.

I'm also planning on starting a shawl as soon as I order some yarn for one. I'm holding off though till I finish that sweater. Anyone want to bet on whether I get to wear it before it gets warm weather?

Fabulous shawl patterns

This is a fantastic book. I picked it up this weekend when we went browsing at Barnes and Noble. I was considering a new sock knitting book, something with some patterns that are more complicated than what I've done.

Instead, I ran across this book and sat down to look through it. This turned out to be a definite must-have. I'm valiantly putting off buying yarn for any of the shawls so I can finish my sweater and my husband's socks first. Maybe that'll motivate me to finish?

If you haven't checked it out, there's a nice mix of triangle, square and rectangle shapes. Also, some are quite large and complex, others look pretty doable even for a first lace project. Anyone have any experience with any of the patterns? Any pics of shawls from the book?

Sock Tutorial, part 1

As promised, here's the first part of my toe-up sock tutorial. This is easy to resize for any foot size, but I'm doing this one for my husband, who is a size 13!

Yarn: Patons 100% wool, worsted weight
Needles: 3.25 mm double pointed (5)
Gauge: doesn't matter, as long as you're getting a fabric density you like.

Step one is casting on. For most women's socks, you'll want 8 loops on each needle. For these, I'm doing 12.

You do a figure 8 cast on. Knitty has some good pics of how to do one as well. I find it easier to wrap a few extra loops. When you start knitting, just knit up the ones you need and let the rest drop off your needles.

Knit half the stitches from one needle off onto a third needle, then the other half off onto a fourth.

You should have something that looks a bit like this.

Next, you'll flip the needles over and knit off the stitches from the bottom needle (which is now the top needle.) I find it easier to knit into the BACKS of these stitches, and it tends to tighten up the stitches a bit too.

In all honesty, I had to do this a bunch of times before I could get the stitches tight enough. Make yourself some coffee (or something stronger) and resign yourself to frogging a few times. It's worth it when you get it right.

You should have something that looks like this picture (below). It can seem a bit of a mess at this point, but be patient, and after a couple rows, you'll be fine.

You'll increase every row from this point on. I do a make 1 increase at the ends of each needle. So, you'll knit one, make 1, knit to the end of the needle. Then, knit all the stitches to the last stitch, make one, knit the last stitch. Flip the sock and do the same on the other two needles. You're increasing along the edges of the sock (not the center!).

One trick I use is to concentrate on pulling the yarn especially tight when moving from the top of the sock to the bottom of the sock. This helps to make the sock start taking on a tube form.

You can see my sock below starting to take that shape. With this sock, I increased 4 stitches per row until each needle holds 10 stitches (40 total).

At that point, I start working increases only every other row. This provides the nice round toe shaping. You'll continue working that way until you get the sock as wide as you want it.

How do you know when that is? Just hold the sock against the bottom of your foot (or the recipients) and see if it's wide enough when slightly stretched. In this case, I finished with 14 stitches per needle.

Here's a picture of the toe just starting to look like a toe. Remember to pull your stitches tight where top and bottom meet or you'll get ladders, and you'll have to frog it.

By now, it should be a lot easier to work with (thank goodness, right?).





Finally, here's the sock actually looking like a sock. At this point, it's easy. Just determine your ribbing (if you want it) or just knit in stockinette until you reach the base of the ankle.

For this sock, I'm doing a 2x1 rib. The stitch count for that is something divisible by 3 plus 1. You'll need to start the ribbing with a purl (to separate it from the stockinette on the foot), work knit2/purl1 rib across the top and end with a purl.

So, make sure your stitch count across the top of the sock is right. You might have to adjust your increases a little to get the right number. Work stockinette along the foot and ribbing along the top.

When you've reached the base of the ankle (with the sock stretched as much as it will be when it's worn), stop. It's time to work the heel.

Now, I'll catch up so we can do sock tutorial 2. Have fun! Leave a comment if you have any questions, and I'll try to help.

So much for the hat

You remember the cute hat I was knitting? Well, it turned out to be not so cute after all.

Instead of a "normal" hat, I ended up with something that looked like a cross between a condom and an old-man fisherman's hat. Oh well...

Sorry, no pics of that one. I frogged it and put it out of its misery right away (and out of my misery too...)

Now I have a ball of nice handspun, and I need a good idea for it. I don't think I'm going to take the hat route again. I've already done a scarf out of the same yarn (and it turned out really cute). There's not enough for mittens or a stole. Ideas anyone?

It's still freezing here today, but not quite as bad. We got above freezing (barely), but we did get some snow and ice today anyway. I'm making good progress on the sweater, and even on the socks. Stay tuned for some sock pics.

Dang, It's Cold!

I think we've officially hit about 5 below freeze your butt off here. It is cold!

I've put off doing the sock tutorial in favor of working on a sweater I've had on the needles for about two months. It would be nice if I finished it before spring....

I've started the socks, and I have some pics, so I should be able to get the first part of the tutorial up soon. I've been lazy the last few days, hence the lack of blog posts.

Be back soon with pics and details, just as soon as we thaw out.

Upcoming Sock Tutorial

I'm still working on the top down hat, but there's not enough progress to warrant a picture.

I also just started a pair of socks for my husband, Mr. Size 13 extra wide. As with most patterns, I've not been able to find any patterns to fit him, so this one is a mix of what I know from following others' patterns.

Background

So, I thought I'd start off with a simple sock tutorial, and I plan to get the first steps up in the next day or two. These socks are toe up, worked with a heel flap and gusset. I'm doing a simple rib up the top of the foot and then up the entire cuff. I've found that ribbing carried the whole way (instead of stockinette with a couple inches of ribbing) gives him a better fit. If you'd rather have smoother socks, then you can just ignore the ribbing instructions, of course.

Toe up socks

I learned to knit by following the basic sock pattern in Knitting Rules!: The Yarn Harlot's Bag of Knitting Tricks. I really enjoy knitting socks top down, as she does, but I'm using toe-up for this tutorial (and for many of my socks now) for a couple reasons.

1. You don't need to check gauge to do toe up socks. For some mysterious reason, I always get the size wrong when I do cuff down, even if I check gauge. So, this keeps me from ripping out... and swearing... a lot.
2. Toe up lets you make the most important part of the sock first (the foot!) so that if you run short of yarn, you can just shorten the cuff a bit. That doesn't work the other way, unless you're a fan of toe-less socks. For my hubby, this is important. When you're making size 13 socks, you need to be careful about your yarn supply.
3. One problem is that doing the first row or two of toe-up socks is a huge pain. The first time I tried it, I bet I ripped it back out at least half a dozen times, and it still wasn't great. I'll give you some of my tips for getting through this first, most difficult step.
   

Gusset or no gusset

I've tried socks both with and without a gusset. Since both my husband and I have relatively thick ankles, gussets make the socks fit SO MUCH better. If you're ankles are thinner, you can probably get away with no gussets.

One problem with my approach is that it will disrupt your striping pattern, if you're using a self-striping yarn. I can live with that easier than I can tight socks.



I've already worked the toe of the first socks, and I have some pictures of what I did. I'll get that up first, along with stitch counts, yarn, gauge, etc. However, these are super easy, and the "pattern" should work for sock sizes from tiny all the way to enormous.

Top Down Hat

I'm working on a top-down hat that I found on ravelry. My project link is here, for members.

It's hard to tell from the picture, but the top has a bit of a point -- my husband says it looks a lot like a boob. I wonder if it'll look like that on my head?

If you're not a member, then you can find the pattern here too. It's super easy, but as you see, I've already moved it off to several double pointed needles. Yes, it would be easier on a circular... but I found out I didn't have any circulars in the right size AFTER I'd gotten too far to rip out and start again. Luckily, I have lots of sock needles in that size...

I'm using a cream worsted wool and some handspun I got from Christine in a secret pal exchange. I've been in a small-project mood lately, and I've managed to do a pair of socks, two pair of mittens and now the hat in the last couple weeks. I have a sweater on the needles too that's crying for attention, and I need to get back to it as well.

First Post

I've been thinking of setting up a knitting blog for a while, so here it is. If you're a Ravelry member, I'm jkay there. Look me up!

So far, I've done socks, mittens, scarves, hats, and sweaters. One of my goals is to start designing for big and tall men -- it's almost impossible to find patterns for big guys. I'll get busy posting some pics (and updating my ravelry info!!)