So I was flipping through Knitty last december, looking for the necessary yardage for Quadrat, when I noticed these socks. Wow. The description was so cheesy, yet awesome at the same time! And I immediately knew what yarn I was going to use! A wonderful merino/tencel from Spinning Bunny I bought at Mad About Ewes last fall in Autumn Sunset, with Addi Turbos in 2.5 mm (foot on left).
Well, after three false starts last week (uuu, yeah, the background is purl, not knit) I realized it just wasn't working out. So I went to Knitter's Underground and bought this wonderful JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk Yarn, 2/18 Lace Weight, triple plied garnet/garnet/sable (foot on right). The combination is a beautiful cranberry color that I instantly fell in love with.
Here's to me actually finishing a pair of socks for myself!
This is my second finished entry in the Ravelympics. It is an earmuff/headband with a hawaiian hibiscus flower duplicate stitched over it.
Pattern: Hawaii A Goth-O Yarn: Naturally Caron-Countryin black and claret Needles: US 8 / 5.0 mm Completed: February 27, 2010
Even rows are all purls. 1. CO 3 sts. Turn. 3. K1, m1, k1, m1, k1. 5 sts. 5. K1, m1, k all but last st, m1, k1. Repeat rows 5 and 6 until at least 25 sts on needles, or desired width. Knit about 70 rows in stockinette, or enough to go around head, minus length of increases. 1. Ssk, k all but last two sts, k2tog. Repeat rows 1 and 2 until 3 sts left. K3tog.
Cut 6 strands, 16" long. Insert three strands around center st, two rows from tip, and braid. Repeat on other end.
Locate center of band and duplicate stitch motif. At least 6 yards are needed for one flower. There is enough space to place three motifs, preferably rotating image.
This is a very simple hat that can be modified for slouchiness and size, and knit up in a weekend. I will try to explain the individual stitches, but I will make more emphasis on the logic behind them. Size mods and glossary are at the end.
Yarn: Rio De La Plata wool solid in Carnation
Weight: Aran / 10 ply (8 wpi)
: 140 yards (128 meters)
: 100 grams (3.53 ounces)
: US 8 / 5.0 mm
1. Cast on 80 stitches in the round on 4 DPNs, 20 sts each. (circular needles can also be used)
2. Knit an inch (10 rows) of 2x2 rib.
3. Start chart, 2 chart repeats per needle.
p2tog all around until you run out of sts and bind off. (8 sts > 4 sts > 2 sts > 1 st).
GLOSSARY: Stitches are counted as they approach the tip of the needle. -->
g
knit
/
purl
j
yo
S
D
fcP
S
G
fcK
\
ssk
|
k2tog (both from leaf)
d
k2tog (including backround purl)
3
k3tog
fcP: front cable purl. First st is held in front, while second st is purled behind it, then k first st. fcK: front cable knit. First st is held in front, while second st is knit behind it, then k first st. ssk: a one st decrease that leaves the first st on top of second st. k2tog: a one st decrease that leaves the second st on top of first st. k3tog: a two st decrease that leaves the second st on top, then the third in the middle, and the first on the bottom. p2tog: purl 2 together.
MODS:
This pattern started off with a three leaf branch from a tree in the last pattern in A Treasury of Knitting Patterns, by Barbara G. Walker. The original pattern had all the leaves the same size (3 increases), which I modified to have 4 and 5 increases on other leaves to make it baggier. If you want a more fitted beanie, skip rows 19-22 in the left leaf, and 29-33 in the center leaf. The same logic can be used to make the hat even baggier.
For smaller sizes, a 10 st repeat can be substituted with the appropriate number of purls, distributed between repeats. Purls can also be added in between repeats to make a bigger hat.
Pattern:Evergreen, by Kristin LeMoine Yarn: Debbie Bliss Pure Silk in 27009 (lavender) Needles: US 6 / 4.0 mm Completed: January 28, 2010 Notions: five wire wrapped amethyst beads, chained together, to be used as a scarf pin
The main reason Fer and I met up in NYC, was because our other friend, Pili, has been working at Disneyworld this year and came up to see the snow. It's funny that the Snowpocalypse hit this same weekend, but only a few flurries actually made it that far northeast.
So, in my undying NEED to knit people gifts, I played hooky that thursday and knit her a neck scarf triangle thing in about 12 hours, with a total of 6 pattern repeats, and had a whole 6" left over after binding off! And, holy shit, I even blocked it! Which was completely pointless, because it was silk and had no memory. But I felt like a Big Girl ^_^
It was so odd, yet nice to work with the silk, and the pattern was very easy and intuitive, and can be scaled to desired dimensions. I didn't like the 3st garter border, but that can easily be changed for future iterations.
Pattern:calorimetry, minus half the rows Yarn: my handspun Merino in Mustard and Raspberry, purchased at Pennsic 2008, poorly fractal plied, about sport weight Needles: US 8 / 5.0 mm Completed: January 31, 2010 Notions: 2 1" buttons
I met up with my bestest friend from high school this weekend in NYC, and found the NEED to make her something. It was originally going to be made out of a (now I know is absolutely nasty) pink wool yarn I bought, but thought to ask what her favorite color was before making it. She said yellow. Well, I know half of what she owns is pink, and I didn't have any yellow yarn, but I did have roving in mustard and raspberry colors that I had bought a year and a half ago, that should probably get some use out of, so I spun some up.
My original idea was to fractal ply it (your first ply is half of your color A roving, and then half of your color B, and your second ply is the first 1/4 A, then 1/4 B, then 1/8 A, 1/8 B, 1/16 A, 1/16 B... etc. until you are sick of splitting your leftover roving in half), but DEX was my throwaway stat, and must have botched my skill: craft roll, that my two plies were different lengths and the thickness got progressively more consistent (but very much not at first).
I ended up with about 50 yards of yarn, that knit up nice and quick into a Calorimetry. I only did the first 12 rows before turning back, managing to make it about 3" wide. It also works as a neck warmer. And I think that what Fer liked the most was the button I used >.<
I also need to learn how to better instruct my roommate in taking pictures of my FO's, not me.
These gloves were such a brain sore! I mean, the pattern is technically written correctly, but I want to stab the editor IN THE EYE! I hate printing things out, so I tried following it on my computer at first. Yeah, not gonna happen. No part of the process can be done with only one screen/page. The pattern starts off with four pages of charts, both drawn and written out, which are useful... but... Then you go into three pages of directions, which are divided for the cuff and the hand (makes sense) and contain a hodgepodge of individual lines for each of the three sizes. And instead of telling you (k1, p1, k16, p1, k1), it tells you (k1, p1, k to last 2 sts, p1, k1) which, yes, can be interpreted, but is unnecessary, since you work 20 sts no matter what size.
My main peeve was reaching the hand, which is done on three sock needles, one for the pattern, one for the thumb, and one for the palm. You are given ten lines on how to work the first part of the hand, that alternate Work in Pattern As Set, and Work As In Round 4. They are mostly just stockinette and a couple of increases, and a direction to go to pg 3 and follow the Hand Pattern for only one of the needles.
Yes, the pattern isn't written in with the instructions, and you constantly have to flip back to it. This gets a lot more complicated once you start creating the thumb gusset and have to keep straight which non-commital line in the paragraph you are currently on. There are a couple of numbers wrong in the final counts towards the end, but they are noted in the errata. As far as binding off, I need to find something that doesn't leave a one row step at the end.
You can't quite tell in the pictures, but in the first picture, the top cuff was done on sz#3 as per pattern, and the lower one on #5, like the rest of the mitt. The cuff was very uncomfortable and tight, even in the L. I was on the first row of the final ribbing when I frogged them. You can't tell in the pictures either, but on the leaf motif I switched ssks and k2togs and the leafs look cleaner and pop out more.
The pattern doesn't really specify where to pick up stitches on the cuff for the hand, other than "along upper edge", so I took this picture to show people I picked them up between the p1 and k1 rows along the edge.
The thumb was really what made me redo them. I couldn't stand how the M1L, M1R on the same stitch made it gape like an ass hole, so I changed it for a KFB on the two stitches that are kept between the markers.
The vagina of the thumb also was stretched and deformed, so instead of BO20, I only BO the 18 stitches in the middle of the thumb, and when I was asked to M2 on the next round, I took the two stitches that were left on the sides of the thumb, used them as one stitch (k2tog), and KFB on them (k2togFB?). This doesn't change the count of the stitches, and it allows for a heartier foundation stitch that won't pull to the sides.
I'm guessing it was my mistake in my binding off that I didn't know how to blend in the last row, but by this time, I was just so happy to get rid of the needles that I didn't care. I managed to pull off seven or eight rows of ribbing before running out of yarn, and had less than a foot left over ^_^
And I used pretty buttons! La Mode 26269, 1/2". They had them in 5/8", but only in the silvery color, and I really needed copper for this yarn. I anchored the chain for the loops on the top corner, ch4, skipped 4 sts, did 2 half crochet sts, and repeated three more times until the hand edge, and used the tail to reinforce the joint of everything.
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Above all, I am really glad I finished these. I really like the yarn (and will never frog 100% wool again!) and its gradual color changes. I hope that next time I want to follow a pattern from Knitty, it will be written in a more intuitive manor. If not, copy/paste will be my friend!
These things are so cozy! The slippers knit up in a few hours on Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky in Oatmeal with size 11 needles, and then a few more hours to thrum them with alpaca fiber with a crochet hook. Probably 4/5 of the skein was used. And I really should have written this up a month ago when I still had everything fresh in my head :/
PATTERN This is a modified toe up sock with a figure 8 cast on. Increases are every row instead of every other row.Work is done in spirals. The leaf pattern is the same one used for my Lacey Leaf socks, taken upside down, and only once across.
1) Cast on 8 sts on two DPN needles in figure 8. Knit first row all around, splitting on to 4 DPNs.
2) K1, m1, k6, m1, k2, m1, k6, m1, k1. 20 sts around.
3) K1, m1, k8, m1, k2, m1, k8, m1, k1. 24 sts around.
4) K1, m1, k10, m1, k2, m1, k10, m1, k1. 28 sts around.
5) K1, m1, k12, m1, k2, m1, k12, m1, k1. 32 sts around. Here is where the patterning starts.For the lace pattern, you will pattern every odd row and k every even row. 6) K32
7) K5, yo, ssk, p1, k2tog, yo, k6. 16 sts.
9) K4, yo, k1, ssk, p1, k2tog, k1, yo, k5.
11) K3, yo, k2, ssk, p1, k2tog, k2, yo, k4.
13) K2, yo, k3, ssk, p1, k2tog, k3, yo, k3.
15) K2, k2tog, yo, k7, yo, ssk, k3.
17) K2, k2tog, k1, yo, k5, yo, k1, ssk, k3.
19) K2, k2tog, k2, yo, k3, yo, k2, ssk, k3.
21) K2, k2tog, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, ssk, k3.
22-29) repeat first half of pattern from row 6. Insert a short row heel on side opposite of pattern.
30-37) repeat second half of pattern (rows 14-21).
Knit in spiral to desired height (about four rows) and make an EZ super stretchy bind off.
Thrumming is inserted down center of pattern, and along footbed, moving diagonally two rows and two stitches for next point.
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My sister's house slippers, in brown, were done on size 10 needles and without thrumming or lace pattern. Five more rows were added to the footbed (35 total) to compensate for a smaller gauge.
I am so happy that I managed to finish everything for my family! I still have several gifts for friends on the needles, but meh, I'm spreading the Holiday Cheer ^_^
Just in december, I managed to make the thrummed slippers for my mom, regular house slippers for my sister, fingerless mitts for her husband and two kids, and Snoopy Pilot Scarfs for Rudy and Chris (k1, p1 in 50/50 silk/wool; quite yummy!). Individual patterns to come shortly.
For me, Jessie got me some wonderful alpaca to spin, and Erin got me some Manos, which I'm dying to make into gauntlets and a hat! Erin, and her fiance Drew, are now the proud owners of my Leaf and Steelers socks (and a howling monkey that loves Pittsburgh), and Jessie's husband Matt now owns a Funny Metal Hat. Her belly dancing gear has gotten much better tips and is currently being produced in my basement...
I made a Chunky Button-Up Cowl for my boss, and I am ALMOST FUCKING DONE with my orange headwarmer thing. I can't believe how busy I've been for the past couple of months! In store for me now, I should be making a Quadrat in a KAL with nanonukie and a bitterroot shawl just because. I bought some skeins of Debbie Bliss Pure Silk, and hope it will be enough!
Oh, and I also knit a horrible cabled scarf for my roommate's father's new wife.
I've been reprimanded for being a bad blogger. Apparently I am supposed to update more frequently, and not just when I have works completed!
So this week I've been working on a new headband, since I've been using the quant so much. I wanted something pumpkiny and autumny, so I found this pattern on Ravelry, by Kristi Holaas. It' originally for a worsted weight scarf or cowl, but I liked the pattern, and it's working up nicely in Knitpicks Pallet - Massala, on I think #2 needles.
The edges are curling in a lot, so I'm going to have to block it when I'm done. I haven't blocked anything because I'm big on the L, but meh, it's only yarn. I was also informed last week by Phiala that I do my SSK and K2Togs backwards and that I should just exchange them when I read patterns, but I was three inches in to the headband when I realized that meh, maybe it would make a difference and look better if I did. I'll keep that in mind for my next project.
Oh yeah, I was also noted that the diamonds look like snatches. Meh.
Araucania Ranco -Solids: PT484 Green Hand painted 4ply sock yarn. Each hank is unique, so there are no dye-lots. 75% wool 25% polyamide. Approx 344m (376y) per 100g skein. Gauge 24st to 10cm on 3.25mm needles. Final weight 51.9882 g, 195.5 yards on 3.25 mm needles (US 3) Made sep 12, 09 - oct 5, 09, about one week per sock.
Care instructions: Dry cleaning is recommended. Gently hand wash with cool water and mild soap. Wash similar colors separately. Dry flat, do not sun dry, soak, spin or tumble dry.
This pattern is a combination of the two found on these websites, and a leaf pattern from a book. The leaf lace uses 8 patterned rows plus 8 knit rows, for a total of 16 rows of 12 stitches per repeat, a bit bigger than an inch square. When doing the repeats for the foot and leg, the pattern can be split easily into two 8 row halves to acquire the desired lengths. For a roughly size 41 ankle sock, I did 4 1/2 repeats for the foot, and 2 repeats for the leg.
Figure-Eight Toe
My original plan was to follow these easy instructions from Knitty, but of course I messed up and ended up doing something completely different! Increases are on every row, instead of every other row.
1. Take 2 of your dpns and wrap your sock yarn around them in a figure-eight, leaving 8 loops on each needle.
2. Knit one row on each needle.
3. Begin knitting in the round by picking up next round with 4 dpns.
Round 0 - With needle 4: m1, k4. 5 sts total
Stitch counting will begin in the middle of the row, which will lead to the center of the heel.
R1 - n1: k4, m1. 5 sts total
n2: m1, k4. 5 sts total
n3: k4, m1. 5 sts total
n4: k5. 5 sts total
R2 - n1: k4, m1, k1. 6 sts total
n2: k1, m1, k4. 6 sts total
n3: k4, m1, k1. 6 sts total
n4: k1, m1, k4. 6 sts total
R3 - n1: k5, m1, k1. 7 sts total
n2: k1, m1, k5. 7 sts total
n3: k5, m1, k1. 7 sts total
n4: k1, m1, k5. 7 sts total
R4-R11: keep increasing (m1) one st away from the end, until you have 60 sts, 15 sts per needle.
Foot
It is now time to start knitting up the foot in the round. You can stick to four dpns or any other method you prefer, but since this pattern is made by repeating the leaf pattern five times, I divided the stitches among five dpns.
R12 - n1: k12
n2: k3 remaining on needle, plus k9 from next needle.
n3: k6 remaining on needle, plus k6 from next needle.
n4: k9 remaining on needle, plus k3 from next needle.
n5: k12 remaining on needle.
There should now be 12 sts per needle, 60 total. Time to start the lace pattern.
yo - yarn over
k2tog - knit 2 together
ssk - slip, slip, knit. I knit back-assed permutation of Reverse Continental or something, so this means I slip the first st through the back loop, slip the second st through the back loop, and then return both sts, coming in through the back. Now knit both together.
For the lace pattern, you will pattern every odd row and k every even row.
Repeat R13-28 until the foot is about an inch and a half shorter than the desired finished length.
note: This lace pattern can easily be done in 8 row repeats (instead of the whole 16 rows) to get a more accurate length.
Short row heel, by Wendy Johnson
It is now time to divide stitches into 30 instep sts and 30 heel sts. Both Magic Loop and dpn methods work.
R1 - k14. Move yarn as if to purl. Slip the last, unworked st from left needle to right needle. Turn.
R2 - Slip first, unworked st from left needle to right needle. Purl next stitch (it will now have been wrapped by the working yarn), purl to last st. Move yarn as if to knit. Slip last st. Turn.
R3 - s1, knit to last worked st. Wrap last worked st and turn.
R4 - s1, purl to last worked st. Wrap last worked st and turn.
Repeat R3-4 until 8 heel sts are wrapped on left side, 14 sts are "live" in the middle, and 8sts are wrapped on the right. Your heel is half done, and you should be ready to work a right side row.
Note:How many stitches you leave unworked in the middle depends on how wide you want your sock heel to be. If you want it a bit wider, do a couple fewer short rows. If you want it a bit narrower, do a couple more short rows.
For the second half of the heel:
R1 - Knit across the 14 live stitches across to the first unworked, wrapped stitch. To work this stitch, pick up the wrap and knit it together with the stitch.
Wrap the next stitch (so that it now has two wraps) and turn.
R2 - Slip the first (double-wrapped) stitch and purl across to the first unworked, wrapped stitch. Pick up the wrap and purl it together with the stitch. Wrap the next stitch and turn.
On subsequent rows you will pick up both wraps and knit or purl them together with the stitch.
Continue until you have worked all the stitches and you once again have 30 "live" stitches. When you have all stitches live again, divide the stitches as you did for the foot.
Leg
Work until the leg is the desired length to the ribbing, then work in ribbing to the desired finished length. Bind off was done with a crochet row at 4.25 mm, one at 2.5 mm, and one at 1.25 mm.
ERRATA
I hated this bind off, so I ripped it out and did 5 rows of 1x1 rib with the same amount of yarn and finished with EZ super stretchy sewn bind off. Here's the video!
So I was flipping through Knitty last december, looking for the necessary yardage for Quadrat, when I noticed these socks. Wow. The description was so cheesy, yet awesome at the same time! And I immediately knew what yarn I was going to use! A wonderful merino/tencel from Spinning Bunny I bought at Mad About Ewes last fall in Autumn Sunset, with Addi Turbos in 2.5 mm (foot on left).
