I’m surrounded by knitting needles, yarn, patterns, and notes. Would be a knitter’s dream come true if only I weren’t so easily distracted!
I’ve been thinking for a couple months about an accessory to
offer with my ruffle scarves. Today I think I finally figured out how to pull
it off, so I ordered the necessary supplies and have been fiddling with the
yarn in an attempt to beat it into submission. As soon as I’m happy with the
finished product, I promise to share with you here and also on One Skein Wonder’s
Facebook page. Too bad I won’t be able to crank these things out in time for my
sales event next weekend… Such is life.
On the sock front, I think I found a toe-shaping technique
that I like. No more pointy toes!! I’m adapting the Magic Cast-On from Knitty: http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring06/FEATmagiccaston.html I get a headache just looking at the pictures
describing the cast-on techniques for two socks at once, so I’m doing just one
sock at a time on my trusty dpns. I managed to successfully cast on and knit
several inches of Kim Brody Salazar’s Pine Tree Toe-Up Socks as posted on
Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pine-tree-toe-up-socks As usual, I ripped them out after I figured
out my tension was slightly too loose to follow the pattern exactly. So, I’ve
decided to alter the pattern slightly (reduced from 72 sts in the round to 60
sts) by removing a couple knits from the pattern repeat (pattern repeats 6
times and is a 12-st repeat; new pattern still repeats 6 times but is only a
10-st repeat). I’m also incorporating the stitch pattern repeats on the top of
the foot section because the pattern looks so cool with self-striping yarn. As
satisfactory progress is made, I’ll try to capture an image or two to share. I
also get to play with graph paper (yay!) as I work out how exactly I want the
pattern to appear on the top of the foot – as it’s written, I have some funky
holes all along one side of the foot top. Kim didn’t intend the pattern to be
knit on the top or I’m sure she would’ve accounted for it in her pattern
repeats. I’ll tinker with it, knit, rip, and repeat until I get it right. This
yarn really will look great in this pattern! It’s one I’ll keep handy for myself
and gift recipients.
A benefit of knitting toe-up socks is trying on the sock as
it’s knit to get a custom fit, which is excellent if the socks are for me, my
husband, or my kids. A drawback of toe-up socks is I can’t magically transport
myself to the homes of gift-sock recipients. Even if I could, I think they’d be
a little concerned when I removed their shoes and socks to check the fit of a
partially-knit sock… Again, such is life. So if I decide this is my go-to
method for socks, I’ll have to get a good grip on the heel length (the sole
portion) and the toe-shaping length, so I can fit the socks to the specific
measurements I’ve already taken for my sisters-in-law.
No current photos today, since I only got one scarf done
after I messed with the toe shaping so much. So I’ll show you a pile of
crocheted baby blankets instead.
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