Getting the Second Sock Done

I'm trying to follow my own advice for beating second sock syndrome by wearing the first of my May socks.  But I'm afraid I'll succumb to startitis (and second sock syndrome by proxy) thanks to plans for a fun market bag that I can't wait to design -- for this project it looks like I'll be a product knitter.  (I really want the bag.)   I also still haven't cast on yet for the Baby Surprise Jacket knit along that will probably be over before I'm ready to start!

Row after row of stockinette just isn't doing it for me right now, despite how nicely the striping is coming out and how perfectly the two striped socks are matching each other (YES!).  (For a better look at the actual yarn colors, see this week's Yarn Along post on Creating a Family Home.)

I don't know if I'll meet the May 31 deadline on the socks, and I don't think I'm making it any easier on myself to get the second sock done with the cotton yarn for the market bag staring me down from the coffee table.  Sigh.  What would you do?

In the background you can see I'm watching Dual Survival on the Discovery Channel.  I really love that show!

Tutorial: How to Wrap & Turn

Ever see the abbreviation w&t on a pattern and wonder what the h*** does that mean?  If you bought my Birds in Flight Socks pattern you may have, because I forgot to define it.  (I appreciate the patterns that define the less-common knitting techniques…But if you work short-row heels as often as I do, maybe this one doesn’t seem uncommon.)

Anyhow, w&t means wrap and turn—you’re wrapping the last unworked stitch with the working yarn and turning your work.  Here’s a tutorial with photos:

1. Knit to the last unworked stitch (or wherever your pattern calls for you to wrap and turn—it’s not just for socks, you know) and move your working yarn in front.  (If you’re purling, bring the working yarn to the back of your work.)

  
2. Now slip the next stitch (the stitch to be wrapped) from your left needle to the right needle, keeping the working yarn in front.

  
3. Now turn your work.

 

4. Slip the stitch to the wrapped from the left needle to the right needle.

 

5. And start working back across the row, in this case, purling. 

The white line highlights the wrapped stitch on the wrong side of the fabric:

Here’s what it looks like from the right side of the fabric:

See the little wrap?  So cute.  And functional!  In another tutorial I’ll explain how to pick up these wraps when turning the heel of a short-row sock.  You won’t wanna miss it!

Toddler Earflap Hat for Japan

As promised, here is my pattern for my Toddler Earflap Hat in the Round.  It's based on my original pattern, which is knitted flat.  I created it for the effort to knit for Japan -- check out my last post about it, or read the Knit for Japan post on Small Things to find out what to knit, where to send it and by when. 

Here is the pattern -- I hope you'll make this hat and send it to Japan for someone who needs it.

Toddler Earflap Hat in the Round

[download printable PDF]

Size: 9-18 months (2-3 years) to fit head circumference up to 19 ½ (21) inches

Materials:

Noro Kureyon

18-inch-long U.S. size 7 circular needle or size to get gauge

Set of U.S. size 7 double pointed needles (DPNs) or size to get gauge

Stitch markers

Gauge: 4 ½ stitches per inch

Instructions:

Brim

Cast on 80 (88) stitches on circular needle. Join in the round being careful not to twist.  Place marker at the beginning of the round.

Work in k2p2 rib for two inches.

The knit one row and purl one row to create a garter stitch ridge.

Body of Hat

Work in stockinette stitch for 4 (5) inches

Crown

Knit decrease row (RS): * k6, k2tog, PM, repeat from * to last 8 sts, k6 k2tog—70 (77)

Work three rows st st, slipping markers as you come to them.

Row 1 (decrease row, RS): * knit to 2 sts before marker, k2tog, repeat from * to last st—60 (66)

Row 2: knit

Repeat rows 1 and 2 two times—42 (44) sts

Switch to DPNs.

Repeat row 1 three times more—10 (11)

Stem

Slide remaining 10 (11) sts onto one DPN and work 7 rounds of I-cord. Cut yarn and secure.

Weave in ends.

 

Earflaps

Left earflap: With brim folded up and RS facing, count 24 sts to the left of beginning of round. 

* With RS facing, pick up 11 sts with a DPN. 

Turn and knit 11 rows garter stitch. 

Start earflap decreases as follows:

Row 1 (RS): ssk, k to last 2 sts, k2tog

Row 2 (WS): knit

Repeat these two rows until 3 sts remain.

Knit 14 inches in I-cord.  Cut yarn with a 6-inch tail and draw through remaining stitches tightly. Secure and feed tail through the I-cord stem and cut yarn.

Right ear flap: With brim folded up and RS facing, count 13 sts to the right of beginning of round.

Follow directions as for left ear flap starting at *

Now slap it on your favorite toddler’s head and tie the ties.  Blocking the hat will make the brim fold more crisply, but I’m not worried about it.

The Reinforcements are Here!

I've been remiss in posting lately, and here's why: I've been busy.  I've been busy keeping my Creating a Family Home blog current, getting ready for in-laws coming to stay the weekend, working, caring for my toddler, cleaning, cooking and that whole bit, and of course knitting and crafting. 

But there's good news!  My New Yarn arrived today!  (The reinforcements are here!)  And that's good for several reasons important to this blog: 

1) I can start Nathan's Baby Surprise Jacket and catch up to the participants of the BSJ knit along at In the Heart of My Home.

2) I will design a cool market tote for the blue cotton yarn -- the pattern will go great with my upcoming summer theme on Creating a Family Home.  I'll post the free pattern there or here or maybe both.

3) Even though May's socks aren't done yet (I only cast on sock #2 last night!), I akready have plans for August and September socks.  The hank on the left is Knit Picks Stroll Handpainted in colorway County Fair and it screams summer to me (I love summer so much); and the hank on the right is the same yarn in colorway Hayride, and those socks will be a gift for friend who adores handknitted socks.  So they probably won't show up here until they've been gifted in fall.

You may be wondering, well, what about June and July's socks?  I ordered that yarn about a month ago and it appeared in one of my first posts -- and I still have yet to come up with the designs.  Soon, my friends!  I feel like I have so much to knit and so little time, with all the other crafts I'm thinking about and all the aforementioned duties in paragraph one.  I buy so much yarn at once and think so far into the future so I can take advantage of free shipping at Knit Picks -- I never spend less than $50 at a time... and I feel like I'm getting a lot for my money!  (I sometimes top off my order with a book in order to reach the free shipping limit -- it's a great way to grow your knitting library.)

I have to say, I felt a little wierd running outside taking photos of my New Yarn today, but I know I'm not the only one who does it.

Oh, before I forget, this week I'll post my new pattern for a Toddler Earflap Hat in the round.  I knitted one for someone who needs it in Japan, and I many hope others will join in and knit their hearts out until the July 15 deadline.  Click on the button in the right column for more info on this initiative.  Here's a sneak preview:

Have a great weekend my friends, and I'll see you back here on Tuesday for the free Toddler Earflap Hat pattern.  Enjoy!

Reinforcements are Coming

So I did a crazy thing today and ordered more yarn.  When did I order yarn last?  According to this blog, I received the aforementioned yarn on April 20.  So that's dead-on, one yarn order per month.

This time, it's bulky wool in shades of fall for a Baby Surprise Jacket for Nathan.  And cotton for the market bag design I can't get out of my head, and sock yarn in two new colorways for summer and fall.  And even though I have plenty of yarn in my craft room (and living room) to knit up, I can't wait for this New Yarn to arrive.

I'll have several new things to share soon -- a completed baby sweater for a family in need (and another one cast on), and my hat for Japan is done -- free pattern coming soon (read: next week).

Until then, I'll just have to wait for the New Yarn to get here.  And I guess I can work on my May socks until then.

Good knitting,
Kelly

At the Halfway Mark

It’s May 15 and my socks are almost at the halfway mark.  Almost.  I’d feel much better if they were actually halfway done, with one sock cast-off and the next ready to cast on.  But alas, I had to rip back several rows when I realized that I’d skated along the cuff of this super-tall tall sock without adding any increases for the calf!  Silly me.  You mean, people don’t have stick-straight legs like cartoon characters?

I started out loving this yarn—the striping, the colors, the softness and the absolutely tiny gauge I was I the mood for when I started.  And though all of these still hold true (including the tiny gauge), I’m getting a glum feeling about these socks because of a comment on my Yarn Along post on my other blog, Creating a Family Home.  Someone commented that they’re so “70s-looking” and that ruined it for me.  When I looked at these stripes before, I saw fresh and “now”—and after reading that comment I just see the 70s staring back at me.  Staring me in the face, to be precise.  I wish I could get back to my original vision.  I have a staging idea for my set of final photographs that I hope will do it.

For now, here’s the size-8 almost-finished sock next to my son’s tiny one.  His socks are all over my house, as we have to take them off of him each time he wants to walk on the slippery floors of the kitchen and family room.  And we don't always find the same pair to put back on when he's done.  So they’re everywhere.  It’s a good thing I like socks.

Tighten Up Your Figure-eight Cast-on

Did you know that you can tighten up your figure-eight cast-on? I didn’t realize it the first few times I used this cast-on method for toe-up socks, and my cast on, although tight at the time I was casting on, was actually loose once I knitted away from those cast-on stitches. The row of stitches (the cast-on stitches) at the tip of the toe looked about twice as tall as the rest of the stitches on the sock, and it wasn’t pretty.

See how the line of stitches in the middle of the toe (the cast on stitches) are wonky compared to the rest of the stitches?

I was just experimenting when I tugged on the tail from my cast-on and found that I could actually take out the slack. So I set to work, working from right to left (from the beginning of the round toward the end of the round, counter-clockwise, if you will), pulling the slack out of each leg of each cast-on stitch with a DPN until they all had the same tension as and looked like normal stitches. It worked!
 

Working from right to left, pull on each leg of each cast-on stitch to take out the slack. Then pull on the cast-on yarn tail to pull out the slack on the final stitch.

See the difference?

It's looking much better already.

* I apologize for the bad color on the photos.  The lighting was worse than I thought!

Jo Sharp, Where are You?

I’m hunting for Jo Sharp’s Soho Summer DK weight cotton yarn for the Cherry Short-sleeved Cardigan in Modern Knits, Vintage Style and I can’t find it anywhere.  Rather, I can’t find enough skeins in the same color, and haven't even addressed dye lot.  I’m looking for it in a shade of red called Carmen, ironically the same shade used in the book.

Jo Sharp, where are you?

I did find the yarn on her website, but the shipping from Australia to the U.S. costs almost as much as the yarn itself.  And I just won’t knit myself short-sleeved cardigan with $80 worth of yarn/shipping charges.  Am I cheap?  Maybe.  But I prefer to think I’m practical.

Casting on for Japan

I just cast on a hat for someone affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  Ginny on Small Things is collecting handknit hats, scarves, mittens and washcloths to send to a lovely woman named Betsy, whose goal is to collect four hundred knitted or crocheted hats for people in Japan by mid August.  Betsy is going to deliver them in person when she goes to Japan to visit her son who teaches there.

I liked the sound of that, so I dug into my stash….deeeeep into my stash….and pulled out some beautiful Noro Kureyon that I had bought years ago without a pattern in mind.  Needless to say, after making a felted bag or two, most of the yarn has been sitting my craft room without a purpose.  And now it, and I, have one.  I think it’s fitting that yarn made in Japan will make its way back there to keep someone in need warm.

I hope you’ll join me, Ginny and countless others to help Betsy reach her goal and give a thoughtful, hand-made garment to a person who has most likely lost everything. For details on what knitted items are needed, where to send them and by when, visit Knit for Japan on Ginny’s blog.

The details on my hat will follow soon.  It’s based on my Toddler Earflap Hat, except it’s knit in the round instead of flat.  Stay tuned.

Two Days Late but Not a Penny Short

I finished my April socks last night.  They’re two days late, but they’re SPECTACULAR.  (It’s a Seinfeld reference—I’m not bragging about my own knitting.  I swear.)

They were a very interesting knit, but not as difficult as they may appear.  While the stitch pattern took some attention in the beginning with the chart by my side constantly, I found the rhythm of the pattern and worked the entire second sock without it.

I made one modification, and that's switching out the heel flap heel for a short row heel.  What's up with heel flaps?  (Now I feel like Seinfeld.)  I don't quite understand why so many patterns call for them.  And while I like handmade things to look somewhat handmade (although I'm not at all upset if they come out looking machine-made), I don't like the look of heel flaps. I'm anti-heel flap.

Insta-review: Highly Recommended

Yarn Shop Bust and New Book Lust

I checked out the new (to me, anyway) yarn shop on Saturday and it was a bust.  Aside from having to drag Nathan with me—and carry his stroller up a set of steep interior stairs; wasn’t expecting that—it was a nice time.  The owner was friendly and helpful, but her selection of yarns wasn’t what I’d hoped for. 

I was just looking for a plain DK weight cotton or cotton blend for my Cherry Short-sleeved Cardigan (Ravelry link) in Modern Knits, Vintage Style, and most of her yarns seemed to be variegated or textured or the colors just didn’t work for what I’m making.  (You’ll see in most of my FOs that I don’t rely on flashy yarns for interest—although I’m not against them; instead, I choose simple yarns in interesting colors that allow the pattern to speak for itself.  I guess I see the artistry in the patterns moreso than in the yarns, even though there’s a lot of great yarn out there.)

But I do want to go back to that shop for more—the yarns she had were striking, and when I saw them I knew I wanted to someday find something to make them with.  But I know from my early knitting experience that it doesn’t make sense to start with the yarn and then choose a pattern.  So we’ll see whatever comes of it.  Plus, I’m a Knit Picks girl, and walking into a yarn shop full of beautiful brand-name yarn nearly gave me sticker shock.

Maybe I’ll make the Jacqueline Bouvier Stole (Ravelry link) from one of her laceweight yarns in a deep blue colorway that caught my eye.

Now here comes the problem: I have New Book Lust.  It’s Modern Knits, Vintage Style, edited by Kari Cornell.  I guess having New Book Lust isn’t a problem, but not having enough time—or yarn—to complete all the patterns you desperately want to cast on could be a problem.  I keep picking up the book, imagining the yarns I’d use and in what colors and trying to figure out who I’ll make them for.  I can’t keep my hands off this book!  The photos are beautiful and vintage-inspired and, coming from a book person (I’d never download and read e-Books or read books through a Kindle or similar device), the layout is really pleasing to look at.  And it's in hard cover.  I'm already impressed.

As you can probably guess by the title, the book is a compilation of patterns that were inspired by classic knits of the 1930s, 40s and 50s, termed the golden age of knitting.  The patterns look like they are interesting to knit (no boring patterns here, thank you) and create beautiful and inspired finished objects that hint at the stylings of the 30s, 40s and 50s.  The book even shows the original knits that inspired the updated patterns.

My other problem is that I don’t know who I’d gift some of the FOs to.  I can’t possibly knit them all for myself.  I mean, I wouldn’t.  Even if I saved them all to give as Christmas gifts, I just don’t know for whom I’d make them.  I don’t know anyone who wears stoles, but I do have a scarf-wearing friend who’d love this, Branching Out Scarf:

This is the sweater I want to knit for myself, Cherry Short-sleeved Cardigan:

Close up: I don’t want a variegated yarn for this one, even though the yarn shop lady tried to convince me you can see cables through variegated yarn.

I don’t know who I’ll knit the Jacqueline Bouvier stole for, but I guarantee I’ll knit it, and hopefully soon:

Maybe this will be my knitting superhero cape, Evening Capelet.

It even has a pattern for a seriously old-looking, kinda grandma-y pair of socks (oddly, in DK weight yarn).  Be still my beating heart!

I’ll write a proper review of the book once I’ve knitted several of its patterns.  Until I can start them, though, I’ll just have to suffer with my New Book Lust.