Sock Tutorial

It was rather weird teaching again. I do love it, especially when you see the 'lightbulb moment' when the person gets the idea.

We've been talking about having a regular 'Improvers' Knitting Class' at work, and that sounds like a great deal of fun.

Rainbows for a Refugee

Yarn: Absolutely no idea! It's a sock yarn though.

Pattern: Socks for a Youth

Size: Youth
Needles: 2.5mm

Amount used:  34g

Started:  17th October 2017

Finished: 1st November 2017

These socks started out life as a pair of long wrist warmers. However, they were too baggy around the wrists and were not worn. I frogged them back to a suitable place for heels and re-knitted them as socks.

Then there was a slight problem. One sock was 5 rounds longer than the other. This has now been rectified! And they are finished at last!

Socks for a Youth

Company:  Regia

Yarn: Design Line "Garden Effects" 4ply

Composition: 75% wool, 25% nylon

Colour:  Lupine

Company:  Filcolana

Yarn: Arwetta Classic
Composition: 80% wool, 20% nylon

Colour:  Grape Royal
Pattern: Socks for a Youth

Size: Child
Needles: 2.5mm

Amount used:  34g

Started:  10th October 2017

Finished: 17th October 2017

Cast on 56sts. Join. Work 20 rounds of 2x2 rib (K2, P2, repeat). Then switch to stocking stitch and knit until the sock is 14cm long.

Heel flap: Knit 14sts, turn, and purl back 28sts, slipping the first stitch. Work 26 rows. (The remaining 28sts will be brought back into play when the gusset is knitted.)

Turn heel: 
1. S1, k17,ssk, k1, turn. 
2. S1, p3, p2tog, p1, turn. 
3. S1, k4, ssk, k1, turn. 
4. S1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn.

Continue in the pattern until all of the stitches have been incorporated, and 20sts are left on the needle.

Gusset: Pick up 14sts from the side of the heel flap. Place marker. Knit across the 28sts of the front of the sock. Place marker. Pick up 14sts from the heel flap.

1. Knit to 3sts before the marker, k2tog, k1, move marker from left needle to right. Knit to next marker. k1 ssk, knit.
2. Knit.
Repeat these two rounds until 48sts are on needles.

Knit until the foot measures 16.5cm. The first stitch marker now marks the new beginning of the round.

Toe shaping: 
1. K1, ssk, k to 3sts before marker k2tog, k1, move marker, k1, ssk, k to 2sts before marker, k1, k2tog.
2. Knit
Repeat these two rounds until there are 20sts remaining. Graft the toe closed.

Socks for a Child

Company:  Regia

Yarn: Design Line "Garden Effects" 4ply

Composition: 75% wool, 25% nylon

Colour:  Lupine

Pattern: Socks for a Child

Size: Child
Needles: 2.5mm

Amount used:  34g

Started:  7th October 2017

Finished: 9th October 2017

Cast on 48sts. Join. Work 20 rounds of 2x2 rib (K2, P2, repeat). Then switch to stocking stitch and knit until the sock is 10cm long.

Heel flap: Knit 12 sts, turn, and purl back 24sts, slipping the first stitch. Work 22 rows. (The remaining 24sts will be brought back into play when the gusset is knitted.)

Turn heel: 
1. S1, k16,ssk, k1, turn. 
2. S1, p3, p2tog, p1, turn. 
3. S1, k4, ssk, k1, turn. 
4. S1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn.

Continue in the pattern until all of the stitches have been incorporated, and 18sts are left on the needle.

Gusset: Pick up 12sts from the side of the heel flap. Place marker. Knit across the 24st of the front of the sock. Place marker. Pick up 12sts from the heel flap.

1. Knit to 3sts before the marker, k2tog, k1, move marker from left needle to right. Knit to next marker. k1 ssk, knit.
2. Knit.
Repeat these two rounds until 48sts are on needles.

Knit until the foot measures 14cm. The first stitch marker now marks the new beginning of the round.

Toe shaping: 
1. K1, ssk, k to 3sts before marker k2tog, k1, move marker, k1, ssk, k to 2sts before marker, k1, k2tog.
2. Knit
Repeat these two rounds until there are 16sts remaining. Graft the toe closed.

Socks for Me

Company: Regia

Yarn: Black and Blue Color

Composition: 75% wool, 25% polyamide

Colour:  8841

Dyelot: 20369

Pattern: my standard sock pattern

Needles: 2.5mm

Amount used: ~55g

Cast on 60 sts, join. Work 20 rounds in 2x2 rib, then switch to stocking stitch for 30 rounds.

Knit 15 sts, then turn the work. Slip the first stitch and purl the next 29. Turn. Work another 28 rows in stocking stitch, slipping the first stitch of each row. These 30 stitches form the heel flap.

To turn the heel, slip 1, k16, ssk, k1, turn. S1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn. (S1, k to 1st before gap, ssk, k1, turn. S1, p to 1st before gap, p2tog, p1.) Repeat the section in brackets until there are 18 sts. Turn, s1, k17.

Pick up 15sts from the side of the heel flap. Place stitch marker. Knit 30 stitches. Place stitch marker. Pick up 15sts from the other side of the heel flap. 

Shaping the gusset: Knit to 3sts before stitch marker, work k2tog, k1, move stitch marker from left needle to right, knit 30st, move stitch marker, k1, ssk, knit to end of round. The next round is knit. Repeat these two rounds until there are 60sts on the needles again.

Knit until the sock reaches the crease at the base of the big toe. The start shaping the toe of the sock. Knit to 3sts before stitch marker, work ssk, k1, k1, ssk, knit to 3st before stitch marker, ssk, k1, k1, k2tog, knit to end of round. The next round is knit. Repeat these two rounds until there are 28 stitches left. Graft toe. Weave in ends.

The socks were finished on the 13th of August.

Socks!

I had forgotten how much I like knitting socks!

When we were visiting with the Elder Offsping I inspected the socks I knitted for her about 4 years ago.  She wears them with her Doc Marten's. They have held up incredibly well, and so far need no daring! However, a woolly sock wearer needs more than 4 pairs of socks. And so, a new pair of socks was started, in dark grey.  

EO is happy to wear any hand knitted socks, as long as they are a single colour, in stocking stitch, and aren't red, orange, yellow or brown.  I have free reign in all other matters.  Although, there was one time I managed to sneak in a pair that were stripes of teal and blue!  I felt so subversive. 

A few stats for this new pair of socks. 56 stitches, 20 rounds of rib, 50 rounds of stocking stitch, heel flap worked over 28 rows and stitches.  I think I will need a foot to complete them though, so they will be knitted to fit a larger footed sibling, and then the toes re-worked to give the right size.

Rainbow Socks

If you are paying close attention, you might be able to recognise some of the colours in these socks with the colours of the mitred squares.

Mitred Squares in Sock Yarn

After knitting a few pairs (cough) of socks, I seem to have a few (cough) little balls of sock yarn left over.  This is what happened when I started trying to use up some of the yarn.

I haven't quite decided what I am going to do with this fabric as yet.  It might become a cushion cover, but it might be a baby blanket.  Who knows?

Candy Stripe Socks

After the bright, bright pink socks, here's a toned down version - Candy Stripe Socks.

Sock it to April!

February had the hat-a-thon, and April has been designated 'sock month'.  April is also my elder daughter's birthday, and she has a love of hand knitted socks in bright colours, but with no pattern.

The leader of my choir always has cold feet, and last week I asked if she might like some woollen socks.  There was a resounding 'Yes'.  It just so happens that pink is her favourite colour, which is rather handy as it means I can use up the remains of the sock yarn from my daughter's socks.  One sock has been made, but I don't want to start the other one just yet.  S needs to try on the first sock to ensure it fits well before I start the second sock. I'm fine about ripping back one sock, but not two. :o)  

Leftover socks

"Leftover socks" are socks made from leftover yarns.  These socks were made from the leftovers from turquoise and teal socks I made for my DM-wearing daughter.  Two balls of yarn is just enough to make three pairs of socks for her.

The joyous news is that my next two balls of yarn are pink and red.  This will great a gloriously awful combination. But, as I happen to love the daughter-child, I will not inflict this combination upon her.

Project 38

More Socks for a DM Wearer

 

My daughter is an art student, and works in various different materials. Safety equipment is import. Doc Marten boots form part of her safety wear. She asked for a pair of woollen socks to wear with her boots, and then a second request came for socks. 

A request to 'Keep 'em coming' has now arrived. The socks are comfortable and warm. Her friends (fellow art students) think it's rather cool to have hand made socks.

A couple of socks

I have just finished knitting the Bee Socks.  The ends need to be woven in, the socks blocked, and then a bit of embroidery to finish them off.

Also finished is the first sock of Twisted Dozen.

Knitting ever onward

A little while ago I finished a single adult bee sock.  This didn't fit the intended recipient correctly.  Making the adaptations required, I have made another adult bee sock which has a much better fit.  Its pair will be made soon.

23.  an adult bee sock

Normally I would start the second sock immediately after the first one was finished, but a deadline was looming.  A friend asked me if I would make a prayer shawl for a friend of hers.  Normally, I wouldn't do this sort of thing, but because of the person who asked, I agreed.  

Knitting, crochet and many crafts consume a lot of hours of work.  This work can be done whilst on the bus, watching television, listening to an audio book and in the times when people are hanging around waiting.  But, it still takes a lot of hours.  For this reason, I only make things for people I like, and only things I know they will love

24. rainbow prayer shawl

A pattern for this shawl will appear shortly.

More socks

A second pair of socks to add to the 2013 total.

These are plain 'vanilla' socks.  I had meant them to be worn with the purl bumps on the outside, but whilst weaving in the ends I did it on the wrong side!  

The socks are actually teal through to cream, but the photograph was taken in poor light levels and so the colours are not as they should be.

But, this is the fourth completed project of 2013.  (4 in 2013)

Hereford Helices

Last week, my daughter and I flew to England to enable her to attend two interviews for art college.  On the first day, we were going to be travelling at least six hours by train, as well as the flight over to England.  I anticipated that there  would have rather a lot of time to read and knit.

Reading didn't really happen, but a sock was designed and knitted during those couple of English days.  'Hereford Helix' was my first thought of a name for the design as we were travelling through Hereford, and the socks have a helical pattern.  My inclination when it comes to socks is an identical pair, but in this case, it made sense for the socks to be mirror images.  Therefore, instead of Hereford Helix, the pattern is now Hereford Helices.  

This is the third completed project in 2012: 3 in 52.  There's  pair of vanilla socks just waiting to have the toes grafted.  

This is the first time since starting the "52 in 52" that I have counted socks as one project, but it is also the first time I have included non-knitted and non-crocheted projects in the count.  

Rainbow Socks

5th and 6th in 52 in 52

These socks were knitted from leftover yarn.  The teal is a lovely merino sock yarn from Jawoll.  The rainbow yarn is perhaps unsurprisingly called 'Rainbow', and is from Lorna's Laces.

Mirage Slipper Socks

2nd and 3rd of 52 in 52

Cold feet dictated that I make some warm slipper socks for myself.  These were made using King Cole Mirage, held double, and using a fairly standard sock pattern.  The soles I knitted in garter stitch instead of stocking stitch, to make them thicker.