Happy New Year!

January 1, 2012

Happy new year!  I hope this one is better than the last.

Here is a little update on my socks.  For some reason I don't seem to be able to concentrate on any one project of late.  These have been on the needles for a while, but I find that some projects bother my shoulder more than others and by spacing out several different mediums I have less pain.

Sock number one is done to just past the heel...I still have to do the second heel, but I thought you might like to see it anyway.  I am using the Lucy Neatby "Cool Socks Warm Feet" book.  This heel is the short row garter stitch with wraps.  I absolutely love this heel as it is very cusiony. (sp).  My heels bother me when I have to stand for long so this is a good thing.  Also with the purl bumps on the outside the stitches aren't as noticeable on the bottom of the foot.  I have at times even made the entire foot with the purl bumps on the outside of the foot.

I strictly use double pointed needle's, 5, 4 per sock and one working needle.  This means two sets of needles, and no second sock syndrome.  LOL

I am very pleased that I still remember how to knit socks!  These will be mine all mine, and they FIT!

Finally finished!  Today is January 3, 2012.  They have been done for a week or so, turned out a little too long for my foot and will be gifted to my friend Dana for house socks/slipper.s

Maybe a little 'Sock Knitting'

December 2, 2011

I decided to see if maybe I could pick up my sock knitting again.

Unfortunately this has never come easily for me, and it also hurts my hands.  Not to mention I have mostly weaving yarns, not knitting yarns.

However, recently, a Ravelry buddy sent me some cotton and merino wool blend very fine yarn and I thought I would give it a shot again.

I decided to do my usual toe up socks on double pointed needles.  I am using a traditional toe and will use some sort of short row heel.  I am making my socks opposites of each other.  The toe, heel, and upper trim o the cuff on each sock will the opposite color of the other.

I am using size 2 (American) needles on 56 stitches.  I double stranded the yarns as I don't like teeny tiny forever knitting.  This also means if I miss a thread the other one keeps the socks integrity  and I am less likely to find out I dropped a stitch later on...again knitting doesn't come easily to me.  

This pair will probably be just plain old stockinette till I get back into the groove of it.  

Here is what I have so far.  The proverbial knitting basket.  Notice the little weaving in the bottom, this was done years ago on my tapestry loom.  It is my own hand scoured, hand dyed with kool aide, hand spun and hand woven piece!  One of my very favorites that I kept for myself.

See how the colors are opposites!

Already lots of frogging and re-knitting, but since I can rest my arm on the recliner arm rest, it doesn't hurt me as bad as the weaving.  So far so good.  Let's just hope they fit!

I may have to do some pine needle basket weaving also.

I've been doing a little bit of knitting.

October 11, 2011

I've been working on a pair of all cotton socks.  Un-mercerized at that. I wanted to try a tube sock for the first time, and of course in my small living area do not have immediate access to all of my yarns.

So I decided to make the two toes opposites, the bodies the same, and the cuff's will be opposites also.  They are called bed socks in one of my sock books.  So that is what I have intended them for, sleeping in or just padding around the house in.  They are not intended to wear inside of a shoe.

Since they are of cotton, they will of course shrink considerably so they are made larger than needed.  Actually much too large for me in all probability.  Luckily I know several ladies with largish feet, so they can easily be gifted out for the holiday's.  I also know several who absolutely love purple. 

I have read that because they spiral, they wear well.  They form fit the foot, and as the heel never rests in the same spot, they are less likely to get holes in them.  Knitting hurts my hands at times, especially doing the heels and toes.  Probably grip the needles waaaayyyyy too tight.  But between that, and the fact that getting socks to fit well is problematic at times, I don't knit often. 

I was on a mission when I decided to take up knitting.  I wanted something more portable than weaving and it worked well for that.  Unfortunately, not a soul in Florida could teach me how to knit a sock and so I had to learn it all on my own.  It took me over a year, but I did master it.  Started out with Christmas stockings and then onto human fitted socks.  I probably made about 30 or so pairs.  Then it was back to weaving, my first love!

So here are a few pics, they have been on the needles for quite some time and I am trying very hard to get them finished.

First the proverbial knitting basket.

And a close up of the spiraling. 

I am husbanding my sock yarn.  As you can see I had a little left over from 2 previous pairs of socks.  I will make the cuffs out of the same yarns, but opposite of each other.  I think they will be cute, and I happen to know an 11 yr. old who will adore them.

I came to my senses!

O. K. The Yarn Harlot just about lured me into the knitting vortex.  I have a weakness and it is almost like she knows it...damn her!  LOL! 

Admittedly I am not as much of a yarn harlot as she is, but I would be if I had the resources.  But ahhhhh, what is the weakness you may ask?  I love hand knitted socks.  There I said it, think ADMITTED it.  I actually went on a sock knitting binge of almost 2 years a while back.  Yup I sure did, and I learned a multitude of things. 

I learned people in Florida don't have a clue about hand knit socks.

I learned that finding sock yarn in the south sucks!

I learned that you never get the money out of them that you deserve.

I learned that the books lie, at least for me, SOCK KNITTING IS NOT EASY!

I learned that there are, who even knows how many different types of toes and heels.

I learned that knitting is an emotional subjective art (as are many art forms).  Everyone has a different  method.

Finally I learned the most important less of all...I love hand knitted socks, I HATE knitting them.  I LOVE hand knitted socks, the end result.  I HATE the process.  Tooooooo much math, and I wanted to take out an oozie and go postal when I would complete a pair and they won't fit me...sometimes not even anyone else I could gift them too.

But when someone asked my daughter where she got those cool yellow and pink socks, and she said "MY MOM MADE THEM FOR ME!"   I thought I would wet my pants.

Weaving is rarely frustrating to me, at least tapestry anyway.  I am good at it, enjoy the creativity of it, think freedom!

But mostly you don't WEAR my kind of weaving :-(. 

So I got out the knitting basket...again...then I took out the last pair I knit and took a good look.  I have several beautiful, artsy, knit myself for myself socks.  But that last pair...I dropped a stitch....even wore them, often and never noticed.  Until the last time I took out the sock knitting basket.  Then all of the frustration came/comes rushing back at me...and I put that silly basket away again.

I did stitch the loop of the dropped stitch down with a needle and thread.  It is on the bottom of the foot where no one else will ever see it.  BUT I KNOW IT IS THERE...and it bugs me that it is in a simple plain stockinette stitch...how the heck did I do that?

I am including some pictures of my socks...lots of them were gifted of course...some are on display at the Art Center.  I even thought about a workshop for sock knitting.  SILLY ME!

I think I will warp up my rigid heddle, maybe make myself some sort of wrap....

 

These are the ones with the dropped stitch.  The brown ones I handspun the yarn.  I made my deceased father a pair that were exact opposites.  Dark where mine were light and light where mine were dark. 

 

I especially love the pink/red opposites.