07.19.08
And the Knitting Goes On
The more socks I make, the more left over yarns start piling up. I have been saving them thinking that I’ll use of the scrap pieces for squares for blankets and stuffed animals, etc. I even made fingerless gloves with some left over sock yarns, but really, how many fingerless gloves does one need? Two weeks ago, I found another use for my left over sock yarns. Baby socks! I have been wanting to learn how to make baby socks, so a couple weeks ago I did a net search for a pattern that I liked and took the plunge. I am very happy with the results, however, I am a bit disappointed that I can’t seem to locate the blog which gave the instructions! Yikes! I would like to give credit where credit is due, but alas, I can’t find her blog again. . . I liked her pattern because it started from the toe up and used a short row heel. The pattern is extremely simple, and I liked the look of them. All I need now is a baby to test them out on. Here’s a pic of some of the socks I make once I learned how. The tiny light green ones were my first effort, and they look like newborn size. They’re right next to a big pair of socks I was working on for Brian, who liked the look of the little baby ones in grey with the pink and orange vertical stripes on the bottom of the socks. So I told him I’d make him one for his size.
Now there should be a total of “6″ socks in the picture above, but the baby pair on the far right will get cut off underneath the listing. Also, I noticed last week that AOL browsers cut off part of the right sides of my pictures, grrrr. I never liked AOL before in the first place, and now I find another quirky thing about them, ugh. Anyway, now that I got that out of my system, here’s another couple pairs I made on Thursday and Friday while at the hospital with my mom. She was discharged today, so I was able to stay home and blog, heheh, instead of heading back out to the hospital.
Below is of Brian modeling his first pair of handmade intarsia socks. I can’t say I enjoy working intarsia much, at least not on socks because they have some quirky things about them like having to be very careful with the tension, and it’s not as stretchy as ribbed socks or other stitches. So aside from the fact that working intarsia makes the sock thicker, it also makes it less stretchy, so I decided to stop short and make them ankle socks. I also think it’s a bit harder to make a good fitting intarsia sock, so being this is my first attempt, I suppose it’s not too a bad fit. Brian is always so encouraging so he says they fit great, but I think they look a tad big. . . or maybe it’s just a bit twisted on his toe?
By the way, even though the pattern is just something I made up myself, the design was inspired by some designs I saw in a book called More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch.
And while I was at my parents’ place, I realized I never took a picture of the brown and beige felt purse I made for my mom last year. She brought it out asking me to make her another one, but this time with green and white. So that might be showing up on my blog at another time if I can finish it. It should be similar to this one per her request.
I honestly don’t remember the exact pattern for the above purse because I was eyeballing it as I knit along watching something my sister insisted I should watch called “Endless Love,” a Korean TV series that was dubbed in Tagalog. Wow, I didn’t know Koreans were as sappy as Filipinos! But yeah I was hooked, so it must have been the Filipino in me that glued me to my chair, sobbing and knitting. I was probably using size 10 circular needles, two strands at a time of Cascade 220. As far as the instructions for the baby socks above, they are started from the toe up beginning with a cast on of 8 stitches, then working around to 16 stitches. I have to admit I did it a bit different from the original instructions because the gal cast on 16 stitches using the wrap method for starting the toes. I don’t particularly like that method, so I did my own that I liked from Janet Rehfeldt’s book Toe~Up Techniques. Rehfeldt does teach a wrap cast on method, too, but the closed toe method is easier for me. Anyway, basically, the total cast on stitches is 16, then increase on either side once every other row until there are 36 stitches total. I use two circulars, but three double points would work fine, too, or the magic loop method which the gal used, but I don’t like that as much likely because I’m not used to it, ha! Once there are 36 stitches on, work straight knits 15 rows, then start short row heel. When 5 stitches are wrapped on either side, then start to pick up the wrapped stitches again until you’re back working with all 36 stitches. Make 3 rounds, then start on 1×1 ribbing for 16 rows. Bind off. I like to use the invisible bind off at that point. Gee, I wish I had that gal’s blog page to link to since her instructions were much more detailed, but I do think anyone who knows how to make basic socks from the toe up should understand the instructions I outlined above.
I have been wanting to try lace patterns or chevron patterns for socks, but I realize that the guys in my house would prefer not to wear those styles, ha! And I’m not much of a sock wearer, but I think I might try one anyway eventually just cause I think they look so cute. In the meantime, I think I will try to brush up more on baby hats again since the little socks would go nice with a matching hat. Plus winter will be upon us again, and I understand that there are a lot of babies who live in freezing climates who could use some warm woolies.
Well, this is about a good time to call my folks and see how mom’s coming along. Toodles for now.
Marlakins
