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Attention All Sockknitters….

by 7 Comments

OK. I need some encouragement here. Sock knitting is all the rage, has been for quite awhile. Not one to be left behind, I went to the LYS and found some really cool sock yarn ( I won’t divulge the brand name – it’s a pretty sure bet that this failure didn’t have anything to do with them). I already am in possession of at least 17 of each size needle in any length and configuration available so I didn’t need those, and I signed up (or verbally agreed to) the Knit A Pair Of Socks A Month program that a friend and I thought up. How hard could it be?
You know the routine, went home, hunted up the needles, and cast on.
Aprox 6 years later I had a pair of socks. They did not fit but I wore them anyway, after all they were handmade and all, not to mention the most expensive pair of socks I’ve ever owned.
And then I washed them.
And then I wore them (repeat no more than 6 times). And then the holes appeared. They were wearing thin in the heels. After 6 wearings. What did I do wrong?. Anyone? Why did they wear thin? I used sizes 1 and 0, why was the fabric all stretched out and not tight? (I do actually get the concept of “gauge”).

So, I’d like to try again. I’m nothing if not persistent and banging my head against the wall is one my favoite things to do.
And also because I found Flat Feet Yarn that looks good enough to eat! Seriously, have you seen it? Its by Conjoined Creations although You can also get it at Knittingzone.com and Paradise Fibers.net too. Bet it would even make an awesome bag! Have you seen this stuff? Go to Ravelry to see some of the outrageous designs!

 

So, your turn. Steer me toward the perfect pattern, perfect technique and perfect yarn. Give me hints, tips, techniques.. Anything. Talk me into trying again because I don’t have enough projects going yet.

I’m waitin…..

Terrye
Knitting Editor
http://knitting.craftgossip.com/

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Comments

  2. After 40 years since I last knitted a pair of socks, I have just finished a pair for my hubby. This time I made them without a heel, I guess you would call them tubesocks. But these are with a twist literally, they are spiral socks as the pattern spirals around the sock and so makes the sock fit perfectly. With the leftover from the ball I made a pair of baby spiral socks for my future grandchild. I will post that pattern tomorrow, but for now you can find the picture and pattern at my blog: http://dappledair.blogspot.com/2008/08/spiral-socks.html
    It is fun knitting socks, especially when watching TV.

  3. Thanks for letting people know about Flat Feet! We just got in the new Flat Feet Sock of the Month. We aren’t allowed to post pictures of it on our website. You can see pictures of it on Ravelry though. If you’re interested in the sock of the month give us a call 888-320-7746.

    Sara

    PS love your website 🙂

  4. Could be the yarn. I’ve had two pairs of socks that wore out within a few months and one pair that’s lasted for years. I also think some of us are harder on socks than others. Mine wore out while the ones I made my husband and son are still going strong.

    You can try reinforcing the heel with sewing thread while you knit it. I’ve heard it helps. You can also buy reinforcing thread.

  5. I absolutely love the Monkey Socks designed by Cookie A. from Winter 2006 Knitty, you can find the pattern here: http://www.knitty.com/issuewinter06/PATTmonkey.html
    It’s knit on 5 needles which I don’t normally like but this pattern is so well designed and written that even with what appears to be an intricate pattern they are a very easy sock. I am enjoying them very much. And I will make the pattern again.
    If you consider yourself an beginner/intermediate knitter then you can most definitely make these socks and love them all the way!
    Also I hear the “RPM Sock” from Knitty is also a very good pattern, but I have not yet tried it – it’s on the list!
    PS – flat feet are AWESOME too, great for knitting on the go because you don’t have to wrestle with a ball that can get all tangled in your bag.

  6. I will definitely try the monkey socks, they look like it would be an easy pattern to master, yet not boring.

    Thanks for sending the link!

    Terrye
    knitting.craftgossip.com

  7. I knit at bulletproof gauge (9st/in on US1 needles) and haven’t had any wear through problems, could be your yarn. MimKnits Boudica socks are a great pattern, so are Hedgerow socks

Have you read?

Knit Some Pretty Flowers for Spring

Whether because of Mother’s Day coming up or wishing spring flowers would arrive a little faster, now is a great time to knit yourself some flowers that won’t wilt. I’ve shared some flower knitting patterns before but I think these are all new ones that you can add to your collection!

These pretty little flowers from Fitting in Knitting on Etsy are great because you can customize them in lots of different ways. Change up the color, of course, but you can also make them with or without stems and leaves depending on how you want to use the. You can also make the center of the flower a contrasting color or not as you like. They use DK weight yarn and the flower itself is 6.5 cm/2.5 inches across.

Tina Vejlø Andersen’s lotus flowers (available on Ravelry) are so pretty and delicate. I love them in the purples shown in the sample but think they’d be lovely in any pastel colors. The petals are knit separately and sewn together, and knit stamens are also added. You can work the petals in three different shades or make it a single color. There are instructions for knitting a stem as well. The pattern uses fingering weight yarn and is available in Danish and English.

For a very different look, try the Puffy Petal flowers, free on Ravelry from designer Hanxiao Zhou. These are cute as purse accessories or backpack charms, and though the pattern calls for worsted/aran weight yarn you can use different weights to make flowers of different sizes.

Or you can make a cute floral bookmark from this design by JaNae Yagi. The flower is knit separately from the stem, which is made out of I-cord and includes a leaf at the end. The pattern notes on Ravelry say the yarn choice depends on your gauge, but finer yarns would be best for using as a bookmark.

If you want to try your hand at translating Norwegian, the Strikkeroser flower from Helene Rønquist Knutsen is really pretty collection of three roses the designer describes as having three different levels of difficulty, though they are all pretty easy. The pattern calls for fingering weight yarn and is free (though, again, only in Norwegian, but Google Translate did a good job with the pattern page) on Ravelry.

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