Green Scaly Goodness

I stayed up late last night and finished the first of the Green Scaly Socks (a.k.a. my magic-loop, toe-up rewrite of Pomatomus) and they are a thing of beauty.

Be sure to click on the pics to see the full-sized pictures - the tiny ones do not do them justice. Yes, I'm a wee bit excited about it.

Green Scaly Socks, Part Deux

Unfortunately, there is a Part the Third as well, but I'm waiting 'til tomorrow to write that one.

Here are the changes thus far...

• Changed the CO to 32 sts (16 loops using the Turkish or Middle Eastern Cast-On)


• After the foundation rounds, worked the increases thusly - K2, M1L ~ M1R, K2 (rep for needle 2) until there was a total of 76 sts (38 sts per needle).


• Began working Pomatomus Chart B, changing the k3togtbl in line one to k2tog for the first time I worked it. There is a 1 st border on either side of the lace chart.


• Worked Chart B once and then a second time through Row 11


• Began incorporating heel from Cookie A.'s Beaudelaire sock. Work Row 12 of chart B on needle 1, then on needle 2 K1, M1L, K36, M1R, K1. Work the gusset increases every other round until there are 12 increases (until you hit Chart B Row 12).


• Work Chart B Row 13 on needle 1, then K48, W&T; then P34, W&T. Work to one stitch before the wrapped st on each row and then W&T until you have 12 wrapped sts on either side and 12 unwrapped sts in the middle. Work one more K row - K11, W&T. P until the first wrapped st, p/u wrap and p it together with the wrapped stitch. Continue until all but one wrapped st has been worked, p/u wrap and place it and the wrapped stitch back on the left needle, p3tog, turn. Sl 1, k until first wrapped st, p/u wrap and k it together with the wrapped st until all but one wrapped st has been worked. P/U wrap and place it and the wrapped st on the left needle and k3togtbl (Cookie calls this a sssk in her pattern). Turn your work. Work one more P row and then on the next K row start working twisted single rib.


• Continue working short rows, k or p until 1 st before gap and then doing a p2tog or an ssk depending on side you are on until all the gusset sts have been worked, there will be a total of 36 sts on needle 2.


• Resume working in the round with Chart B Row 14 on needle 1 and the twisted single rib on needle 2 until you have completed Chart B Row 21. On Row 22, K1 and then slip it to needle 2, work chart B row 22, and slip the last st to needle 2. On needle 2, k2tog, follow rib, k2tog - there will be 37 sts on needle 1 and 36 sts on needle 2.


• Begin working chart A - turning the first k2togtbl to a k3togtbl. Work as many pattern repeats as you want and then change to twisted single rib for the cuff, finish with a sewn bind-off.

If I did not have the feet that I do, this alteration would be perfect for someone with a size 10 wide foot and a high instep. As it is, not only do I have wide feet with a high instep, I also have thick ankles that only get thicker with being pregnant. I can get the sock on my foot, but I'm not happy with the stretching of the lace pattern so I frogged back to the end of the gusset - thankfully I had the presence of mind to put in a life line last night. I decided that I was going to work a few more gusset round to a total of 14 increases. I'm still going to work the w&t's until there are 12-12-12, but I'm only going to work the heel flap short-rows until there are 2 sts unworked on either side - there will be a total of 40 sts on needle 2. I'll finish chart B and then start it again, this time on both needle 1 and needle 2, with twisted rib in between. I'm hoping that this will fit over my foot better and there will be less stress on the lace pattern. I still have my life-line in place, but here's hoping I don't need it and I'll have a lovely finished sock to show off in the morning!

'tis a pitty...

but I had to frog it, the green scaly sock that is.

I did a short-row heel on the way home from Chestnut Hill yesterday, tried it on and there was no way it was going to fit my foot, so I frogged the heel and prepared to do a heel flap and gusset. After much fudging, since I've never done one before, I finally turned the heel and was happily doing gusset decreases when I realized I should have read a bit further in the directions I was adapting - I was decreasing every round instead of every other round. Since so many little things had been fudged at that point, I decided it was time to make a clean break.

Here are the plans for the next attempt:

• Start with 14 or 16 sts for the toe so it's a bit more shallow
• Work increases so there are a total of 72 sts
• Rearrange stitches so there are 40 on needle 1 (top of foot) and 32 on bottom (sole) so I can avoid the gapping that happens on either side of the stitch pattern and keep things nice and tight
• I think a heel flap and gusset is still going to be my best bet with my wide feet and high instep. I plan on using at least 32 rows for the heel flap, but am not adverse to making it a bit longer. I also want to look at a few other toe-up heel flap and gusset patterns because I'm not in love with the look of the one I adapted from Sensational Knitted Socks. I'll have to look over some of Cookie A.'s other sock patterns to see if I can find one I like, or otherwise adapt the one she gives in the original pattern.

This is definitely an adventure and I'm learning a lot more about heel construction. I can think my way around a short-row and an afterthought heel with no problems, it will be nice to get some practice in working/designing hell flaps and gussets. I've been doing a little reading about them and many feel that they work best for high-instep/wide feet. Now I do like the fit of my Austermann Step sock and that just has an extra-deep short-row heel, but it's also knit in stockinette so the stretchiness stays uniform. I think the heel flap and gusset is going to work better for me with lace patterns. I frogged the Super Mecha Sock last week because the instep was just too tight and I'm thinking that the structure of a heel flap would alleviate that well.

I just cast-on for a pair of socks for Michael so I can test out my Socks by Numbers pattern for infant/toddler socks. I also have grand plans to get the Toe-up Baby Socks pattern up before the end of the weekend as well. All of this and I have to find time to go to bed earlier since I've been able to figure out that sleep deprivation is a big contributor to my sever lack of patience with my son. We'll just have to wait and see how productive (read: how much housework I can avoid) this weekend.

Lots of pics coming soon - the camera just has to make it upstairs.

As per usual

Instead of napping, I am blogging.

I thought I'd give a quick update on the socks I started (and frogged) yesterday. Since I had such a horrendous morning, I figured I deserved to be able to cast-on for a pair of cool socks rather than plugging away at the 2x2 ribbing for the cuff of my first Step Sock. I bought a hank of Araucania Multi Ranco fingering wool at Loop last week with the intent of making something for the Bean. Since I have three sweaters in various states of completion right now for the Bean, I figured the Bean has enough for now and I deserved something cool.

I was paging though some of the patterns on Ravelry and came across an adaptation of Cookie A.'s Pomatomus Socks pattern from Knitty turned fingerless gloves. How cool would a kettle-dyed green yarn look as scaly gloves? Of course, then I also got involved in Socktoberfest so I thought green scaly socks would be even better, although I still plan to get another hank to do up the gloves as well - it's that cool.

The pattern as written is for top-down socks which really annoy me, so I started looking for toe-up adaptations. I found one on The Shizzknit that looked promising and set to work. The original pattern is written for a women's size 9 using US 2 (2.75mm) needles. Since I have wide, high-instep, size 10 feet, I decided to try things out with my Addi Turbo 3mm needle. The resulting fabric was a little looser that what I usually do for socks (checked and my gauge was 7.5 sts/inch which would translate to about 7 sts/inch once it's been blocked). I plugged away using the instructions from The Shizzknit until it was time to start the lace pattern and I couldn't wrap my mind around her instructions. The potential problem with this pattern is that the lace pattern isn't rectangular, so there is a separate chart for use on the instep of the sock. It also changes stitch counts in the middle which is another potential stumbling block. Reading over Cookie's instructions, I figured if I changed the k3togtbl on line 1 of chart B to a k2togtbl only for the first time I worked it, I would be fine.

I got through almost two pattern repeats before I realized that I didn't really like the way it was working up on the 3mm needles. I tried it on my foot and it just seemed too loose, and this is my end of the day 5 month pregnant foot too. With a sigh, I frogged it. After I lay down for a bit (which I am going to force myself to do no matter how much I want to go knit right now), I'm going to cast-on again but use my 2.5mm Addis instead and see how that goes. I'm still not sure if I'm going to use a short-row heel or try out a toe-up heel flap and gusset from Sensational Knitted Socks. I'll post pics later on today.

My take on Calorimetry

When I first saw this pattern I thought it was fantastic. Panta was all the rage on one of my message boards but when I made my first one it looked awful on me. I really wanted something that would cover the top of my head but not mess with my hair being up in the back. After reading through the pattern I was afraid of how big it would be if I worked it on US size 8 (5mm) needles. The first couple I did I used a US Size 6 (4mm) needle and it seems to fit everyone's head perfectly.

In the midst of my Christmas knitting frenzy, I went to visit some yarn at one of my LYS's and splurged on a skein of Manos del Uraguay yarn that I have loved ever since I first saw it. The Manos is more on the heavy worsted size and even working it on size 6 needles as the pattern was written, I was afraid it was going to be too big, so I tried it on size 8 with a cast-on of 100 sts. It was perfect. Here's a pic of me modeling it...

Here are the changes I made to the original pattern:

CO 100 sts

When it comes to work the first short row, work it as written, this becomes the button hole. All other short rows are wrapped and double-wrapped as if you were working a short row heel/toe on a pair of socks. When you approach a short row turn, k1, yf, sl 1 purl-wise, yb, sl st back to left needle, turn work. This is just my own personal preference as I can't stand to have those holes even if they aren't noticeable in the finished product *I* would know they were there.

Work the pattern as written until there are 40 sts between the short row gaps (and 30 sts to either side), and then start the second half of the pattern. Complete the pattern as written.



For this child-sized one I CO 80 stitches using US size 8 (5mm) needles with the black (Carron Simply Soft), then changed to the novelty yarn. Working the pattern as written, I worked the pattern using the novelty yarn for about an inch, then changed back to the black (I did not break the novelty yarn). I worked the pattern until there were 36 sts between the short row gaps (and 22 sts to either side). I continued working the pattern as written until I came to novelty yarn. I worked the rest of the pattern in the novelty yarn and then bound off in the black. To make the button hole more accessible, I single-crocheted around the outside edge.

My take on Fuzzy Feet

Here is a link to the original pattern. I changed it to make it toe-up with a Turkish or Figure Eight/Magic Cast-on, an Afterthought Heel, and to fit a men's large (11-13) foot.

Gauge, recommended needle size and yarn are the same. I used almost an entire skein of black and just a bit of the red for the pair of slippers pictured above. The directions are written for 2 circular needles/magic loop. If you will be using DPN's for the toe and heel, Needle One will become Needles 1 and 2, while Needle 2 will become Needles 3 and 4.

CO 7 wraps (14 loops for figure 8/magic cast-on) in Color A

Work 2 foundation rounds, k all sts (make sure to ktbl the appropriate stitches if using figure 8 or magic cast-on).

Rnd 3: *K2, M1L, k until 2 sts rem on needle 1, M1R, K2, rep from * for needle 2
Rnd 4: K all sts

Repeat rounds 3 and 4 until you have a total of 50 sts. Work 2 rounds in stockinette stitch, change to Color B. Continue working in stockinette st until sock measures 10" from toe (about 31 rounds of color B).

Rnd 5: K25, K25 onto waste yarn
Rnd 6: K all sts with Color B

Continue working in stockinette st until measures 3 inches from waste-yarn round (about 13 rounds), BO loosely.

Heel:

PU 25 sts on both sides of waste yarn, remove waste yarn.

Rnd 1: K all sts, pu 3 stitches at the gap at the end of each needle (28 sts on each needle, 56 sts total).

Rnd 2: K all sts
Rnd 3: *K1, ssk, k until 3 sts rem on needle 1, k2tog, k1; rep from * for needle 2
Rnd 4: K all sts

Work rounds 3 and 4 until 30 sts rem (15 sts on each needle).

Work round 3 until 22 sts rem (11 sts on each needle). Graft rem sts together. Weave in ends and felt as directed.

I'll be doing up a pair for my husband in the same size later this month, so I'll be back to make any alterations necessary.

Enjoy!

My version of Panta

Here is a link to the original pattern on Drops Design.

This is what I did and your mileage may vary greatly - try out the first half see how it goes and then tweak it from there. I've included instructions for placing row markers after each section - this is purely optional and just something I like to do for myself as I am usually being interrupted often while knitting and my row counter is way too attractive to my toddler to be of any use.

Materials:
US Size 8 (5.0mm) Needles
Lion Brand Suede Yarn
Waste yarn
Tapestry Needle
Row Markers (optional)

CO 13 using a provisional cast-on

Row 1 (RS): K1,*[K2, P1], rep from * until 3 sts rem, K3
Row 2 (WS): K1,*[P2, K1], rep from * until 3 st rem, P2, K1

Rep rows 1 and 2 6 times for a total of 14 rows, place row marker (optional)

Row 3: K1, *[K1, K1fb, P1], rep from * until 3 sts rem, K3 (16 sts)
Row 4: K1, *[P2, K2], rep from * until 3 sts rem, P2, K1
Row 5: K1, *[K2, P2], rep from * until 3 sts rem, K3
Row 6: K1, *[P2, K2], rep from * until 3 sts rem, P2, K1

Rep rows 5 and 6 two times for a total of 8 rows from marker, place row marker

Row 7: K1, *[K1, K1fb, P2], rep from marker until 3 sts rem, K3 (19 sts)
Row 8: K1, *[P2, K3], rep from * until 3 sts rem, P2, K1
Row 9: K1, *[K2, P3], rep from * until 3 sts rem, K3
Row 10: K1, *[P2, K3], rep from * until 3 sts rem, P2, K1

Rep Rows 9 and 10 two times for a total of 8 rows from marker, place row marker

Row 11: K1, *[K1, K1f&b, P3], rep from * until 3 sts rem, K3 (22 sts)
Row 12: K1, *[P2, K4], rep from * until 3 sts rem, P2, K1
Row 13: K1, *[K2, P4], rep from * until 3 sts rem, K3
Row 14: K1, *[P2, K4], rep from * until 3 sts rem, P2, K1

Rep Rows 13 and 14 6 times for a total of 16 rows from marker, place row marker

Row 15: K1, *[K2, P2, P2tog], rep from * until 3 sts rem, K3 (19 sts)
Row 16: K2, *[P2, K3], rep from * until 3 sts rem, P2, K1
Row 17: K1, *[K2, P3], rep from * until 3 sts rem, K3
Row 18: K2, *[P2, K3], rep from * until 3 sts rem, P2, K1

Rep Rows 17 and 18 two times for a total of 8 rows from marker, place row marker

Row 19: K1, *[K2, P1, P2tog], rep from * until 3 sts rem, K3 (16 sts)
Row 20: K1, *[P2, K2], rep from * until 3 sts rem, P2, K1
Row 21: K1, *[K2, P2], rep from * until 3 sts rem, K3
Row 22: K1, *[P2, K2], rep from * until 3 sts rem, P2, K1

Rep Rows 21 and 22 two times for a total of 8 rows from marker, place row marker

Row 23: K1, *[K2, P2tog], rep from * until 3 sts rem, K3 (13 sts)
Row 24: K1,*[P2, K1], rep from * until 3 st rem, P2, K1
Row 25: K1,*[K2, P1], rep from * until 3 sts rem, K3
Row 26: K1,*[P2, K1], rep from * until 3 st rem, P2, K1

Rep rows 25 and 26 5 times for a total of 14 rows from marker.

Remove provisional cast-on from start and graft/kitchner stitch the sides together. Weave in yarn ends.

I don't have any actuall measurements handy right now, but I'll get some up tomorrow. Let me know what you think or if you run into any problems.

Happy Knitting!