I was wandering around the internet today, and found a great new resource; Heels by Number. Basically, she's created a chart where you can find (approximately) on her chart your stitch count, and she'll tell you how many you need for your heel, for various different kinds of heels.
This is really useful if you've in the process of modifying an existing sock pattern like I am right now. Isn't it great that I just stumbled across it, right when I need it? So, using myself as an example:
I'm knitting Hedgerow Socks. The initial pattern is written for about 8-8½ inches (20-22 cm) foot circumference and about 9½ inches (24 cm) in foot length, and recommends just going up or down a needle size to get the size you want. I really hate that with socks. I really think that the drape of the material is really important, and you lose that when you start messing with gauge. With socks, I would much rather just cast on more or less stitches to get the right size. This introduces problems when you get to the shaping of the heel, not so much with the toe.
Hedgerow starts with a cast on of 66 stitches. I did my gauge swatch, measured the desired foot which has a circumference of 9 inches, and did the math to learn that I needed to cast on around 78 stitches. I had to pick a cast on that worked with the stitch pattern, which is worked over 6 stitches. After making sure 78 is divisible by 6 (it is!), I cast on and made my happy way down the leg of the sock. Since all the measurements are for length up until the heel, I didn't worry that my stitch count was so much larger than the original pattern.
Well, I'm almost to the heel and realizing that I didn't have a plan for my altered stitch count. Woops. But wait! This chart may hold the key. I think I like the look of the round heel, and that may be the way to go. If this fails, I can always fall back on the flap heel that's in the 9 to 5 sock pattern which happens to have the exact stitch count I want anyway. XP Bear with me.
I just thought that this was pretty cool, and wanted to share my find. I'll keep you all informed on the socks, since I think I might be able to start the heel today or tomorrow. Cheers!
~ Elizabeth
First off, I need to send out an apology to PDXKniterai. We're in the middle of a transit strike right now, and so my ability to get things done is severely limited. I'm getting paid today, and so I'm hoping to be able to get your package out by Wednesday at the latest. I am so sorry!!!
In happier news, Josiane (winner number 2) met up with me on Friday. We hung out a knit-knackers for a bit, then walked to Aunt Olive's for food where I met her boyfriend and we talked about all sorts of stuff. I gave her yarn, which she's hoping to weave into a scarf for her boyfriend. It was great to meet her!
Saturday was a Christmas party, and Sunday was laundry day, so not much knitting has gotten done. I have been working on my fiancé's socks, and I'm still hopeful I'll have them done for Christmas. I’m at approximately 6 inches in length for the leg. I’m starting to think about how long these should go. I’m pretty sure I saw somewhere that the leg should be about 8.5”, but now I’ve read other suggestions saying it should be about the same length as the foot, or an inch longer. That would make an 11” (ish) long sock. Is that too long? Or should I stick to an 8.5" length sock. I really have no idea what boys prefer in terms of sock-fit.
I'm also torn about what to start next. Either, Bella Paquita, or the garter stitch jacket from fleece artist. Those of you reading since last year (lol) will remember this gorgeous yarn from my fiancé's parents. I finally feel 'strong' enough in my kitting abilities to work with this awesome yarn.
I made granola yesterday, and it turned out awesome! It's way better than the last batch I made. Not a sweet so it doesn't feel like I'm eating candy. It's really more of a cereal but I like it that way. Mods: I omitted raisins because I'm not a fan of them, sunflower oil instead of canola oil, Flax seed instead of sesame seed, dried apples for the fruit, and a smidge of sweetened coconut with the unsweetened stuff.
It's delicious, and you can find the recipe here: http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=390
In knitting news, I started a cowl for my fiancé last night. It's white which is a little scary for me. I'm always afraid I'm going to get it dirty before I even give to her.
Oh, and I have a question for you folks; If you ask your significant other to give you their foot for measuring, do you think they'll guess that you're making them socks?
Me: Give me your foot
Him: Why?
Me: Just give me your foot!
Him: (gives me his foot) You're making me socks aren't you?
Me: No! (In a sarcastic tone) No, I'm not making you socks! Goddammit! lol
Him: Riiiight… It's kind of obvious…
Me: Dammit! I'm not making you socks!
*sigh* I lost didn't I? Happy Saturday everyone, one more day in the contest!
At first I absolutely hated this yarn. I wasn’t very fond of the colour-way, it wasn’t all that great to work with, and none of the first three sock patterns I tried wanted to work.
It might have helped, if I had worked with the yarn, instead of against it. This yarn is not stretchy, and so it is very unforgiving. The fourth sock attempt, I chose a pattern that specifically mentions that it is stretchy, and this finished product is absolutely lovely. These socks are pretty, comfortable, and actually really nice. I’ve completely turned around on how I feel about this yarn. I actually love how it feels on my feet, and the colours are really quite nice. I now feel bad about how much I thought I didn't like it at first, and am sad I'm giving these socks away. Now I want a pair for me!
The (Not So) Hellish Socks (rav link)
Pattern: Go With the Flow Socks by Evelyn A. Clark (edesigns on ravelry)
Source: (book) Favorite Socks : 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave by Ann Budd and Anne Merrow
Recipient: My Mom
Occasion: Christmas 2008
Started: September 9, 2008
Completed: September 29, 2008
Yarn: Just under 2 skeins of Schoeller + Stahl Fortissima Socka in Brown variegated
Needles: US 1 / 2.25mm
I gave up on the Saigon scarf (rav link). Not because there was anything wrong with the pattern per se, but I do feel that the photo was a little misleading. The scarf was photographed on a child (how did I miss that?) and so it looked about twice as wide as it actually worked out to be. I guess if I had read the dimensions, I would have realized that right away, but I didn't. So, I frogged it, and started over with a new pattern from a knitting lace book I purchased.
The pattern is called Victorian Ruby (rav link) and can be found in Victorian Lace Today. It's a fantastic book, and I'm really enjoying kitting this piece. I'm almost finished the first section!
I finally finished off a piece that's been hanging around for about a month. I knit this neckwarmer on a wim for my friend Rin when I was home visiting last month, and was waiting on buttons. I ended up ordering them from Prisma on Etsy. The buttons are awesome, and I'm mailing out the scarf next week.
There's more sad news on the socks. This is the second pattern I've tried with this yarn, and I've had to frog them again. It's just so disappointing. The yarn has absolutely NO give, and so if I'm off even slightly, I can't get them over my foot. I am so frustrated. This yarn did not want to be Jaywalker *sigh* I'll finish the lace piece above, then I might try a different pattern. Ugh.
In happier news, keep watching for my blogoversary contest coming up! I've been getting a lot more comments lately, and they've been brightening my day. Thank you.
These took me just under 1 week to finish. They're my very first socks, and super comfortable. The pattern was pretty awesome too.
Selfish Footies (ravelry)
Pattern: Mom's Fast Florida Footieds by Lynn DT Hershberger
Source: ColorJoy!
Recipient: Myself
Occasion: First socks
Finished: July 12, 2008
Yarn: 0.5 skein of Lang Yarns Jawoll Cotton Aktion
Needles: US 1.5 or 2.5 mm circulars
I've decided to dive into the 365 Project. I don't know how well I'll keep up, but it will be fun to try. The weekly challenges will help, I think. Here's my Flickr page, for those interested.
In knitting land, my socks from the camping trip are hibernating. I stole their needles and used them to knit up one of these!
I have one complete anklet! I also am very proud of the toe on this sock. It's actually comfortable, which is unprecedented with me and foot-wear. Now I have to make a second one … this is much less exciting, though when I do I can wear two socks instead of one. Wearing one sock is fun on it's own special level though.
If you were interested in the pattern, it is available at lynnh.com. She's has it up for free in size 5 ladies, and all other sizes are for purchase. It was easy enough to just make the size 5 longer for my size 9.5 foot. I guess it could be worth purchasing just to support her and her patterns. Check them out! I knit this one up in about three days.
I have a question for my readers out there. Am I posting too frequently? What do you look for in your blog reading in terms of frequency? I would really like to know!
Monniblog is having a contest to celebrate 1000 posts! Head on over and celebrate with her, it's quite an accomplishment!
After talking about it with people and amassing advice, I frogged my socks. They just weren't going to fit, and if they shrank at all, I would never get them on my feet. So I'm starting over, and probably with a different pattern just to keep myself interested.
In my disappointment, I'm taking a break from that project, and have started some shortie socks. They're kind of cute ^_^
I started some slippers for my dad (Christmas knitting in July) at the end of June. I finished the first one on Sunday night. They're pretty good, I think. It's hard to know if they'll fit, though his feet are only half an inch longer than mine so I can guess based on how they fit me that they should be alright. The yarn I bought is enough to do five slippers. I've decided to do three for him (so he has a spare) and a pair for myself, but probably in a different pattern. I don't know if I can bring myself to knit five of the same pattern without going insane.
Anyway, here's the first slipper.
And completed slippers!
Toe Warmers — Footlets for Dad (pattern) (ravelry) by Patons
Source: Yarn Lover's Room (knitting-crochet.com)
Recipient: My Dad
Occasion: Christmas
Finished: July 7, 2008
Yarn: 0.5 skein of Lang Yarns Jawoll Cotton Aktion
Needles: US 2 or 2.75 mm circulars
This also marks the beginning of my Q3 Challenge knitting. It feels great to get such a good start on it. The rules were to knit an unfinished gift, start and finish a new gift, and knit something for yourself. This is probably the easiest of the three parts, and I'm probably making it more of challenge than it needs to be, but I really don't want to have any leftover yarn lol.
Now for my sock. I am trying to decide whether to keep knitting or to Frog. Go take my poll!
Applied I-Cord Bind-Off:
CO 3 sts
K2, K2togtbl, Sl3 (from right needle to left needle)
* K2, K2togtbl, Sl3 (from right needle to left needle) *
repeat from * to *
I went with poeticknits to Wool 'N Things Thursday. She was doing a yarn run and I had some yarn shopping to do as well, so it was great to both go to an awesome LYS as well as hang out with an awesome person. She's a riot.
I successfully picked up the missing yarn for Arbor, and finished off the bottom of the piece at home that evening. Picking up the stitches along the neckline is taking FOREVER but it'll be worth it. Once I finished off the bottom, the rest of it fit better, so I was much less worried about how the bodice would fit. I did do an extra decrease row since I have pretty narrow shoulders. I shouldn't have worried, the neckline ended up WAY too small. I ripped it out once and did it again, and I'm thinking I may rip it out a second time too *sigh* At least it's wearable in the mean-time, just not as open as I would like.. Learning the I-Cord bind off was a bonus though! I must have glazed over that part when I read the pattern the first time through. One complaint about the pattern (though, not bad if there's only one) is that she doesn't mention how much the i-cord bind off pulls in the neckline. It's ridiculous.
I also managed to pick up some sock yarn for christmas slippers at the yarn store, as well as some cool toys for the swap I'm participating in. All-on-all a very successful day!
Friday I had a job interview. I think it went pretty well. I don't talk about what I do much here, mostly out of respect for fellow employers/co-workers. Since moving to Ottawa I've had a lot of different jobs in my field, but recently have really enjoyed contracting out to firms, rather than full time employment. Full-time is still my end-goal, but I'm happy with how things are going right now (even if that means I'm broke). Regardless, maybe this interview will turn into something, maybe not, but I'm trying to be flexible about it. No stress!
Back to the knitting! Not much progress has been made on the sock. I did turn the heel, and though it's quite tight, I think it's wearable. I think if I do this pattern again, I'll have to adjust the numbers a bit, make the sock a little bigger. Anyway, here's a progress pic.
I'm very excited about finishing Arbor. I'll be able to start something else. I've had some projects that I've wanted to do for awhile, and I have all these possibilities going around my head. I love this hobby ^_^
This first photo demonstrates the tight neckline
Another from the front, after a day of wearing (it hasn't stretched at all, which is awesome!)
And one from the back, where there might have been some slight stretching, but I'm not overly concerned. I still think it wore very well.
I was able to wear it Saturday for the first time. It wore well. I was happy with the amount of stretch over the course of the day; not too much, but a little in all the right ways. I stand by the fact that the neckline is still too tight. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but I need to rip it out. Again. I'm very happy otherwise. I'm glad I decided to make the arm holes smaller, since they're perfect now. I'm happy I decided to lengthen the twisted rib by 2 inches, and think another inch wouldn't have been a bad thing. I think after opening up the neckline, I will have a near perfect item of clothing. What a fantastic experience!
Last month was some close friends of ours' first wedding Anniversary. To celebrate, I wanted to take them out for dinner. They suggested a movie as well, so we went to see Kung Fu Panda. It was a riot. You should all go see it if you haven't already! It was well above my expectations, and one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. On that note, if you can find a smaller theatre showing it, BenX is another fantastic movie that isn't getting nealry enough attention. It's Finnish with English subtitles and is one of the first movies I've even seen address bullying in a realistic light.
Look at this picture again
Verrry tight on the heel. Do I keep telling myself they're fine and keep going? Or do I rip them out and start again? They're wearable (most likely?), just tight. Please take this poll.
I took Arbor out of hibernation today. I had another project that needed to be completed before I would let myself get back into this one. Frogging made a huge difference. It fits now (at least the bodice, and the waist). I’m a little concerned about the neckline and worried I’ll run out of yarn before the end…
Here are some progress shots. I still have about 8 inches to add to the bottom, and finishing needs to happen on the neckline and arms. I may need to do something creative if the neckline doesn't work out the way I hope it will. Regardless, I think it's turning out pretty decently. Progress shots anyone?
I did end up running out of yarn about 1.5 inches from the bottom *le sigh* I will have to track down another ball in this colour. Maybe I'll get lucky and get something in the right dye lot. Or am I dreaming?
I made more progress on my socks over the weekend. They now cover my toes, which to me is very exciting. Chris (live-in fiancé) laughs at me, but it makes me happy. Two photos, first is knitting while camping, second is my progress shot.
As July approaches, and we near the half-way point of the year, I started thinking about new year resolutions. I didn't make any "typical" resolutions, but I did have some knitting-related ones. Let's check them out and see how I did.
- Finish this sweater this year. I don't know how ambitious this is, but I do know that I have a crappy attention span so we'll have to wait and see if I lose interest or not.
I finished the sweater in question in April. It doesn't fit quite right but I'm not losing sleep over it. It was a wonderful experience, and I was even more energized about knitting when it was finished. - Go to at least one knitting gathering a month
I've actually managed to do this. It makes me a little sad that I was right in assuming that only one a month was do-able. If I had my way it would be more of a weekly thing. - Participate in at least one swap per season
Well, I tried. I was in a swap for the Winter, but my swap partner never sent me my package. Not only that, she lied about it. *sigh* Lesson learned. I am in another swap for Summer, but I guess I missed the spring swap opportunities. There was just too much going on, what with losing my job and having no money. - blog at least once per week (to encourage knitting? Perhaps ^_^)
This is going so well. I've blogged at least 5 times a month every month this year so far. March was the best with a whopping 11 posts! I've only done 4 in June, but this post makes 5. So far, I'm doing really really well. - knit a pair of socks!
Definitely. I started my first pair of socks last weekend. These will definitely be done by the time it gets cold enough to wear them ^_^
I'm going to start over with the resolutions because these ones are pretty much covered!
- Finish Arbor before the fall, so you can actually wear the thing.
- Finish those socks by fall, so you can wear them!
- You know those endpaper mitts you knit? Well, you only knit one and need to knit the second one already!
- Knit something in lace using the Fiddlesticks yarn you bought on a whim before you start something else.
- You know that pink young touch yarn you got from that nice lady at WWKIP day? Well, figure out what to make with it already!
- You're getting married, so you'd better get moving or you won't have a venue!
Last Wednesday, the day of my last post, was full of knitting news and was mostly centered on WWKIP Day. (It was a blast, I tell you, and the next one will be too far away *sigh*).
Anyway, the weekend was fast approaching, and the "mystery project" was going nowhere fast. Now, why you ask, was the weekend such a bad thing? Well, we went camping! Now, camping is a fantastic adventure and I love it to bits, however, it was scheduled to downpour the entire weekend and the "mystery project" was not something I was willing to drag through the mud just because I have an unhealthy addiction to knitting.
I needed a camping-friendly project. I thought and I thought, and came up with an idea! Ah ha! I will knit those pair of socks that came to me through the hot cocoa swap in the fall! (Yes, it's been a long time since the yarn arrived, I just wasn't feeling it. Can we move on? lol) Anyway, I went to knitty, printed off the toe-up sock formula (rav link), packed my bags and we drove off to Bon Echo. It's about a 3 hour drive without making a pit-stop for dinner so I was able to contort myself in the front seat to get my measurements (that was fun!) and managed to get about a 2 centimeters of knitting done on the weekend. It doesn't sound like much, but I was very happy with the accomplishment. I took pictures of the lake there, and I tried to get a picture of my very first pair of socks on their very first knitting adventure. We had a wonderful time, and though I was buggy and filthy, I was sad to leave.
We came home, and I continued working on the socks, until I realized that the "mystery project" has a deadline and I should really be working on it instead. So, progress was made and completion is immanent! Well, all that hard work paid off because the mystery project is done!
If you're not mom and dad, click here for details.
