socking it to London

So my lovely brother and his wife have birthdays on consecutive days and are currently living in London so these socks were completed some time ago. They did however arrive safely and were unwrapped over the weekend.

For my SIL I revisited one of my favourite patterns which I've also made for my mum, see here. This however is the alternative version with the lace pattern continuing all the way down the foot (straight laced). The cables are mirror images of each other which adds a little interest.

The pattern: Haleakala by Cookie A

Yarn: Caper Sock by String Theory

Colour way: Charcoal

And can I say this yarn is really fabulous. As well as a sensible nylon component for durability it also has 10% cashmere for sheer delightfulness.

For my brother, I knitted my new favourite sock pattern for blokes. I think I might be knitting this one again. It's a kind of faux argyle sock pattern using travelling cable stitches which really 'pop'.

I also think the eye of partridge heel looks really good with a variegated yarn.

The pattern: Business Casual by Tanis Lavallee

Yarn: Caper Sock by String Theory

Colourway: Peacock

And can I just say that I was a little disappointed that the colours weren't a bit more lurid - I think my brother can really pull off a cheeky business sock :-)

sock knitting success: my tips and tricks

Here is my real first ever sock which never got completed in to a pair but which I've kept just to remind myself. Sorry it's not even a good photo. And I haven't located our camera in the move yet.

Anyway the major issues with this sock were that it was too loose and the place where I changed between needles was very loose - you can see the ladder on the very left of the sock. Also, I think a heel flap is a bit neater for me than this short row heel.

The things that I think help the most are:

1) using a long-tail cast-on cast on the number of stitches directed in your pattern onto one needle.

Check out the video here. 

It's a very neat cast-on. It's stretchy which is good for socks. Also you end up with a cast-on plus your first row done which helps you to figure out which is the right and wrong side and keep it untwisted when you come to join your work in the round.

2) using a bigger needle to cast-on then you'll be using to knit with. I use a 3.5mm need.

3) distribute your stitches evenly onto 3 or 4 double pointed needles. It usually depends for me how many needles I have available in the correct size and also if there's a pattern whether it works better over 3 or 4 needles.

4) join your knitting in the round making sure you don't twist the stitches. So, if you've used the long-tail cast-on make sure all the purl ridges are oriented to the middle. And then use this neat trick to make sure you have a tight join between the beginning and end of the row.

Slip the first stitch of the row onto the needle holding the last stitch of the row. Then slip the last stitch of the row over the first stitch and onto the needle that had been holding the first stitch. Knit that last stitch which has the yarn attached first and go clockwise.  

Clear as mud? Check here for another explanation.

5) make sure you keep the knitting pretty tight when you're moving between needles.

6) if you start getting holes at the top of the gusset (the area where you join between the heel flap and the top of the foot try this nifty trick.

7) you usually need to graft the stitches at the tip of the toe using the kitchener stitch. See this tutorial for instructions.

8) if you like a more rounded toe see this pattern for instructions.


9) you can follow this tutorial and make a small sock with thick yarn, a quick way to try out all the techniques...


I hope this helps. I'm happy to answer specific questions or another good option is to find your local stitch n bitch group (you can locate these through ravelry.com) there's bound to be some avid sock knitters among the group.


Here's a sneak peak of my latest project.

Happy sock knitting!

my 'so you're thinking about knitting socks' advice...

I haven't quite reached my one year sock anniversary but am currently working on my 19th pair so I think I've well and truly smitten with the whole process.

my first successful sock September 2011

The whole idea of sock knitting was quite intimidating to me so it took a while to get up the nerve to give it a go. So for those who have some experience knitting but have been reluctant to give socks a go here are the things I've learnt that really made it an enjoyable experience.


1) choose your yarn. You probably want to do this in conjunction with all the other steps below (and the pattern will give you the guidelines you need) but if you're ordering your yarn from overseas you want to do this first :-)

If possible get some yarn with some nylon in it. This means the wool will wear better and hopefully last longer after all your hard work. You'll need around 100-120g of 4ply also called fingering weight yarn to make one pair. It really depends on what size you're making but even making a pair of large men's socks if you have 360m you should be fine.

A cost effective choice is cascade heritage yarn which you can get shipped in and purchase on line. I haven't used it myself I only recently found out about it but it gets good reviews.
The colours can be seen here. One on line retailer who seems to have quite a wide variety is  http://www.jimmybeanswool.com.

Some of my favourite more luxury yarns are:
* hazel knits artisan sock
* string theory yarn caper sock
these ones have more colour differentiation even within the solids and are visually interesting without being too busy.

You can also go in to your local yarn store and see what they have. Unfortunately in Australian stores there usually isn't that much variety to choose from.


2) check your foot size. If you have a standard medium ladies foot there are heaps of free patterns to choose from. It depends on the designer but roughly: measure the circumference of the ball of your foot and the circumference of your ankle and if it's around 9 inches then you're a medium. The length of your foot can be more variable the pattern will usually specify that you knit to a certain length usually 2 inches less than the length of your foot before shaping the toe.

Also be careful because usually the designers specify the size of the sock rather than the size of your foot. So a good sock size is about an inch smaller in circumference than your foot. So for a medium this would be an 8 inch sock. If you have a different circumference foot you might want to buy a pattern, the designer usually provides multiple sizes. Otherwise you can play around with yarn thickness and needle sizes but this gets a little complicated.


3) choose your pattern. There is of course a huge variety. If you have a 9 inch foot you have heaps to choose from. You just need to decide on
- the method: cuff down or toe up
- the texture: vanilla (plain stockinette), ribbed, lace, cables and combinations thereof
- there are also heaps of different options regarding types of heel and toe, and whether you use double pointed needles, 2 circular needles, or 1 circular needle (magic loop). I suggest starting with the double pointed needles... you may need a couple of different sizes. I've used 2, 2.25, 2.5, 2.75 and 3mm needles at various times. I knit tightly so I mainly use 2.75mm. The suggested size is usually 2.25mm.

Some of my favourite free patterns are:
* monkey socks by Cookie A: my all time favourite sock designer and an easy lace pattern
* hedgerow socks by Jane Cochran: love the texture and the toe
* on-your-toes socks by Ann Budd: try the toe-up method and also has a knee-hi option
* business casual by Tanis Lavallee: my favourite male sock pattern at the moment (also comes in 2 sizes: sock circumference size 8 or 10 inches)
* blackrose socks by Suzi Anvin: cute lace pattern, different left and right foot socks, and 4 sizes!

These aren't free or particularly easy but see what you could work towards :-) Check out Cookie A.


4) check the gauge... boring I know. But unless you're knitting socks with dk or some other thicker wool, when you're working with smaller size needles whether you knit loosely or tightly is going to have a significant impact. Most sock patterns have a recommended gauge of 8 stitches per inch, but check your pattern.

This post was longer than I expected so part 2 will include the tips and tricks which can really help you get good results once you're getting started.

delightful do-over

Here's a trap for young players. When reading a sock pattern for sizes you need to distinguish whether the measurements are for your foot or the finished sock. Because of the delightful stretchiness of wool on most socks the finished product is about an inch smaller than your foot - unless you like your socks slouchy.

Anyway, earlier this year it was one of my very good friend's birthdays and I thought I'd make her some socks too - even though she's not a relation. I loved the look of clandestine by Cookie A. It's available here. They came out great. See here for more info.

But they were too big. Aaaarrrggghhh. The socks were 8 inches not for a foot of circumference 8 inches, so for my friend's petite foot they were no good. On a side note they fit me perfectly and I'm not that disappointed to have them back.

Because the lace repeat is so large I didn't think I could size them down. So I went looking for another pattern. I settled on Blackrose Socks by Suzi Anvin available here. Part of the appeal of these socks was that the pattern came with multiple sizes including a sufficiently small small.

So here are the do-over socks which thankfully do fit this time :-)

I love that once again there's a left and a right sock. I love the lace pattern - it wasn't too hard to memorise. I wouldn't mind making these again with a darker yarn to really show off the lace pattern.

I also love the clever construction on the gusset - how the decreases are worked into the edge of the pattern.

And a big shout out to String Theory and their Caper sock yarn: so delightful to knit with. It has nylon for durability and cashmere for squishyness. Fantastic. You can try for yourself - go here.

Love it.

a little ray of sunshine

The first thing Giggi asked me was 'is it my birthday soon?'. The reason: I was knitting him a pair of socks :-) It isn't. I was just knitting for the love of him, and because he asked me for a pair of rainbow socks. A request too cute to deny.

It was pretty tough to find some true rainbow yarn. I would have loved to knit with trifolium but it never was available while I was looking. I should have emailed them directly.

Anyway we decided on this:

It's a great yarn from Colinette Jitterbug, colourway popsicle. Slightly garish perhaps (understatement of the year???) But just like he always goes for bubblegum flavour ice cream if given half a chance, this was his choice.

Because the yarn doesn't have any nylon I knit it down a needle size - hoping for some durability. The unfortunate consequence of that was that my hands hurt so much I had to stop knitting for 2 days but it's all better now.

I used Ann Budd's vanilla sock pattern for 8 stitches an inch gauge socks. It's available as a free download from Interweave in their ebook '8 free knitting patterns for children'. It has a great formula for whatever gauge yarn your using and in 2 kid's sizes. It was great to knit from - I just don't love the super pointy toes. Although to be fair it is more noticeable because I knit them a tad on the big size for extra longevity. Anyway I ravelled them here.

The verdict: 'I should wear these every day'

and the sock gifts continue

Well it was a week or two ago now but we had the birthday of the newest addition to the family, a brother-in-law. I decided that I'd try a sock club pattern the wonderful Nanaimos. Named after a coastal town in Canada (very specific I know) - there is also a chocolate slice native to the region, but it seemed just a little too complex to do fructose free. I'm hoping that my brother-in-law who is excellent at making sweet things will give them a go.

Anyway it's a basic but effective pattern. And the yarn from misti alpaca is sooooo soft. It's a little fuzzy, what with all the guard hairs etc but I think they will make excellent house socks for this winter. I've ravelled these here. And it was an interesting exercise in making a basic modification to the sizing. I would consider these an XL size and the pattern made only up to a large. So I used a thicker yarn at a gauge of 8 stitches an inch (instead of the pattern's 9 stitches per inch) and it worked out perfectly. Too easy.

Now for the June birthdays :-)

mother-in-law makotos

This pattern is the 2nd pattern from the 1st instalment of the Cookie A sock club. I wasn't sure about the pattern at first, I really do think the slightly variegated yarn suits the pattern better than the sock club yarn.

However the pattern has really grown on me. They were fun and easy to knit. It was fascinating to see how the pattern emerged with the double yarn overs and the resulting ladders. The pattern is supposed to resemble fortune cookies and you can really see it. So clever. I've ravelled all the details here.

The recipient was thrilled. What more could you ask for? Here she is modelling her new socks. :-)

This strange shot gives you the best idea of the colour. Another beautiful yarn from hazelknits. Colourway arroyo.

sharing the plowshares

Here's the latest in the Great Sock Gift Project of 2011-2012. April is a busy month in the Pfitzner family. First off the rank is my father-in-law. I've been searching for some more good blokey sock patterns. Something that's not too boring to knit and not to fancy to be off putting. 

And this was the result:

 
They're called plowshare socks which is perfect for my father-in-law because I think his favourite place to be is on his farm just north of Adelaide. The pattern was a little risky because not that many other people had used it but I love it.

It has a slipped stitch in the middle of the rib which really makes it pop. And there's a chevron kind of pattern to make the plowshare shapes. Kept the interest going without being technically difficult. A really clever pattern.

I also love the yarn which is hazelknits artisan sock (my go-to yarn of choice at the moment). In the words of my father-in-law it's comfortable and surprisingly light. I also love the colourway which is called low tide and is a beautiful mix of blues, greens, grays and browns. Quite similar to the new Cookie A sock club yarn from Socktopus.

And the good news is that the socks fit! Although in the pictures they were kindly modelled by mum. Anyway better get back to the April birthday knitting :-)

another pair finally finished

I've blogged about these ad nauseum but they are done. The rib was pretty straight forward, the intriguing techniques revolved around knitting a sock from the toe up.

I thought the eastern cast-on was fiddly but effective (particularly being a tight knitter made it a bit more difficult). 

The short row heel worked out better than I anticipated. I like the sewn bind-off.

My mother bought me this beautiful yarn right when I first got into sock knitting. I love the colours and love the way the raspberry stripes came out. I needn't have worried about the yardage of the colinette jitterbug, they've added another 10g since many people were remarking on the low yardage. I could have added another inch or too, which is frustrating since they are toe-ups. Next time I'll have an electronic scale on hand and make an informed decision about when to bind off :-)

Holiday knitting goal #2 done and dusted.

louisa is no longer wayward

Yay... so pleased that I've finally finished these beautiful socks. They are the wayward socks from the Cookie A Sock Club. I've ravelled them here.

They certainly are the most complex socks I've ever knitted. Largely due to the twisted stitches, complex charts and the way the socks mirror each other.

The 2nd sock essentially took 5 days of hard knitting... but a lovely way to spend a long weekend. The yarn is a beautiful blend of merino, cashmere and silk. As I may have mentioned before.... Perhaps the stitch definition wasn't all it could have been but I haven't taken them off since I finished them. Smooshy...

Holiday knitting goal #1 completed.

As to whether I myself am wayward or not you may need to speak to me about that directly  ;-)

holiday knitting goodness

Well we've done a road trip of around 900km to go hang out with my mum over Easter. I finished my most pressing pair of birthday socks. And I didn't receive my delivery of yarn for the next few birthday pairs before we left.

Oh dear! I'll have to do some knitting for myself.

Here are my ambitious holiday knitting goals:
- finish my waywards  by the 11th to be in the running for a cookie a prize: so far only just passed the cuff on the second sock
- finish my raspberry toe-ups: I only have one leg to go
- knit myself a 'slouchy' hat for winter with some stash wool: I'm thinking of 'norie' by Godrun Johnston.

Any slouchy hat recommendations???

hawaiian socks for mum

I love these socks. A beautiful cookie a pattern as per usual with the most fascinating gusset, the decreases were made on the top of the foot rather than around the heel flap resulting in the travelling ribs.

The pattern is called 'haleakala' and is named after the volcano on the island of Maui. I think the lacy cables are reminiscent of lava flow. The pattern is available here. And I've ravelled them here.

These socks were particularly poignant because 3 years ago my mum and dad took all of us kids and families on a trip to Hawaii. It was 6 months or so before my dad was diagnosed with cancer. It was such a special time. We did so many great things together: the best snorkelling ever, walks, a great aquarium in Waikiki (which dad and giggi particularly liked). And regarding haleakala: a couple of the more adventurous ones cycled down it, and my parents and the AJs walked across the crater.
My favourite holiday snap:

My dad died last May, so we're still going through a lot of firsts. These socks were knitted for my mum's birthdays with lots of love and prayers for her and reminiscing over those halcyon days.

These socks are a little big on me, so can't wait to get a picture with my mum's feet in them :-) Happy birthday mum! We love you so much.

wip wednesday fail

So I was triumphantly having a completed wayward sock photographed today:

When I downloaded the photos this became evident:

I had knitted four rows with just regular knit stitches rather than twisted knit stitches. And although it's not that big a deal, they are glaringly evident to me. So I ripped out 58 rows and am pretty much where I was last week. I guess it's not expected when you're switching between patterns with twisted stitches and without.

At least my birthday knitting is going along relatively smoothly :-)

clandestine socks for a dear friend

I cannot tell you how thrilled I am with how these socks have come out. Better late than never, my friend's birthday was at the beginning of February, but it's been a busy knitting month.

Sarah H this one's for you - socks with heels :-)

They are certainly the most complex socks I've knitted so far. The main features are an intricate lace pattern (14 row repeat - tricky enough to stay interesting but also repetitive enough to become familiar. NB different chart for leg and foot obviously) and twisted stitches which I think give amazing definition - particularly noticeable on the cuff and the scallop shapes. The pattern for this size is available free here or for the whole kit and caboodle you can buy and download here. The design is by Cookie A a truly innovative sock designer and great fun to knit.

These are also left and right socks - the feet are mirror images of each other.

My mods: a shallower rounder toe than a standard wedge. Mainly because otherwise I would have had to have 3 inches of stockinette for the toe because of the large repeat. I've ravelled it here. 

Special thanks to Rene whose sock photographing skills are truly exceptional.

wip wednesday is back

Well, I was waiting for some artisan sock yarn from the amazing hazelknits as part of my great sock gift project. BTW totally not their issue, but mine in not ordering it soon enough. They get their yarn out so fast, less than a week from ordering from the US and it was at my door. But it meant that I could work on some socks for me while I was waiting. April and June are busy times in our families for birthdays....

Anyway, I got started on my Cookie A sock club socks. The pattern is called Wayward and is for the exclusive use of members until February 2013 after which you can buy it from ravelry.com

I put the socks on to circulars for photographing and to check the fit. They are so beautiful and more complex than anything I've ever knitted. Each row is different because of the way the cables travel across the sock. So you have to sit and concentrate but the result is worth it.

The wool is so soft and squooshy. Lovely to knit with. And still gives decent stitch definition because of the twisted stitches I think.

The other exciting thing is that I've learned to cable without using a cable needle. It makes the knitting a bit quicker which is nice with such a complex pattern. Watch this video to learn how. Pretty easy and not too scary after all. 

These however, are the socks I can take out with me and I don't need to keep referring to the pattern. I don't knit with variegated yarn much. This is the same pattern that I used for Deb's socks. This photo doesn't really capture the colour mainly raspberry, green and a little purple. 

Although these socks were started on the 7th of October I'm pleased that they're still chugging along. I find to counter act the so called 'second sock syndrome' you just need to cast on the 2nd sock immediately when you've finished the first one. At least then you've done the fiddly bit and it's not too daunting to pick them up down the track.

Good fun. Nice to feel like you're achieving something, as a stay at home mum so much other stuff is repetitive and is never done. This is different.

a gift that keeps on giving

WARNING SPOILER!!!

I'm so excited. For Christmas I was given an annual membership to the Cookie A Sock Club 2012. Cookie A is a really innovative sock designer. And she runs this club where every 2 months she sends out a skein of sock yarn, 2 new sock patterns for exclusive use of the sock club (for 12 months) and 2 cookie recipes. Everyone gets together on ravelry and posts as they receive their wool, comment on the patterns, and update how their sock knitting is going. Socks, cookies (I'm sure I can de-fructose the recipes) and community. It could only be beaten by a real knitting group but anyway...

The exciting thing for me is that I'm going to use the club to knit for myself. All the luscious yarn is just for me!!! This is a project that will go alongside the great sock knitting gift project of 2011-12.

Anyway I'm going to use the beautiful yarn to knit the wayward socks. And so far I've managed to work out the right gauge. Slow and steady... I've got 2 months to finish these beauties.

Isn't this yarn beautiful!?!?! It's a blend of merino, cashmere and silk. So smushy to knit with. Maybe I won't be able to go back.... It's by Alisha Goes Around. So great.

Maybe I'll be able to go back to WIP wednesdays, since these ones won't need to be kept secret :-)

deb's dazzlers

 It's been a bit of a busy time in terms of birthdays and my sock gift project. These socks are for my step mother-in-law, a bit of a mouthful but you know how these things go. Anyway it was a significant birthday and her favourite colour is purple. So I went searching for the right wool. It was a bit tricky to find a nice purple, but in the end I saw this wool that was quite variegated with aqua and a few other colours. The other nice thing was that the wool was from New Zealand, which is where she'd spent her birthday.

Given the variation in the wool I thought I'd stick with a simple rib. And I thought I'd give Ann Budd's On-Your-Toes another go. You can get the pattern in a free ebook here. It was good to practice the Eastern Cast-On again. Fun to knit a sock from the toe-up and good to practice the short-row heel again. I've ravelled it here.

Anyway, better get back to it. I've still got to finish my own version of these socks. I've made a bit of progress since I last mentioned them, finished the first sock and finished the toes of the second. The other socks I'm working on are a complicated lace pattern, so these socks are good for knitting while I'm out and about and don't have to concentrate too hard... :-)

winter hedgerows

I thought that the socks I made for my sister were actually quite gender neutral so I thought I'd try them again with a masculine feel for her husband: heavier weight wool and a more neutral colour. These are the biggest socks I've ever knitted so they took AGES. And I think they might even be a bit big :-/ Oh well... I've ravelled them here.
Here's the comparison:

his...

and hers...

I'm now in the process of trying to get pictures of each of the recipients in their socks in some zany situation. Let's see how I go.

Anyway, better get to it. 2 more pairs of socks to knit this month :-)

cute blueberry socks

The first family birthday of the year arrived. We enjoyed a beautiful meal as mentioned below. And I managed to get the socks knitted in the nick of time.
These are a cute pair of lacy cabled socks. I've ravelled these socks here.

heel view

Once again the pattern goes down the heel flap which I really think is nice. The other cool thing about this pattern is that you do the cabling without having to use a cable needle (and you can do an odd number of stitches cable). It also gives it a lacy look, as the cabling method is a bit holey. Cute.

Now to get started on the next pair. Not long til the next birthday.

finished in the nick of time

We have a birthday. We have two socks. They may be boring but they fit.

Now to make sure they don't get lost in the move.