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Giveaway….Knitting Socks With Handpainted Yarn

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yarnTotally cool book! Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn by Carol J Sulcoski goes into detail about the differences between hand dyed vs machine dyed yarns, different fibers, and blends. Oooooh, the blends!

And the patterns!  Gorgeous patterns, not just for handpaints, but for any yarns.

Tips for avoiding splotching and pooling. Ideas for choosing patterns that complement the yarns and guidelines for understanding how the colors in a sock work together! – Funny story….. I’m soooooo not the person who cares if my socks pool, or splotch or even match. It just doesn’t matter to me, but this last pair of socks I knitted are I.D.E.N.T.I.C.A.L!!  Of course I’m taking credit for this, but between you and me, I knit until I was happy with how long the cuff was (toe up patterns and I are bff!), and then just started with the toe on the next one. No amount of planning could replicate this freak of nature, but they match. And I don’t care! Who’da thunk??

Anyway, tell me about your sock horror stories, I’ll send an email to everyone who comments and as usual, the first one to respond back to me with their mailing address gets this awesome book!

And if you don’t win the book, you can buy it at Interweave Press, here: http://www.interweavestore.com/store/p/2274-Knitting-Socks-with-Handpainted-Yarn.aspx

They even have a few hurt copies at a discount, but hurry!

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Comments

  1. I don’t have any pooling/flashing horror stories, but the last time I had to find a pattern for a special skein of handpainted yarn I kept swatching, then having pooling, and nearly scuzzed up the bamboo-blend yarn beyond usability before I found something that worked.

  2. My ‘horror’ sock experience was trying to knit two at a time with two needles. Way to many things hanging and dangling!

    I’m a magic loop kind of gal with a great toe up pattern! I turn the heel with no pick up stitches. yumm!

  3. Hmmm, sock horror stories…. usually my horror stories involve lace, lol, but my worst sock experience was using a REALLY expensive cashmere blend sock yarn that wanted to split at any given opportunity. I ended up finishing the socks because I was afraid the yarn would be trashed and not good for anything else. In the end they looked great, but I think I ground a quarter inch off my teeth!

  4. I don’t have any experienced ‘horror’ stories other then the fact that I am very afraid to start sock knitting with handpainted yarns. I have a few skeins of handpainted sock yarn that has been begging to be cast on but have yet to do so because of my inability to choose a pattern that would work with the yarns. Sounds like this book would help me with that conundrum.

  5. I just have an incredibly hard time knitting socks, for some reason. I always have to start them 5-10 times before I get a good beat going. Not the worst horror story, I know, but pretty difficult. Thanks!

  6. I just ripped out most of a foot (toe up is the only way I go)because of pooling. I mean, who wants to wear socks that have eyeballs looking up at them? Creepy!

  7. I’m brand new to the addiction of sock making – and in spite of having my first sock look like it could fit an elephant, I’m hooked. I have a comfortably snug cuff and a reasonably well fitting foot with a GIGANTIC ankle and body. The mate fits well but is definitely blotchy. Oh well…at least I have a pair of socks that I can stash away for the next family member who sprains an ankle – the elephant one could easily hold a package of frozen peas for cold therapy!

  8. I don’t really have a sock horror story – one thing though, I tried an unconventional way to knit socks by a very popular sock designer – I had to rip back at least 3 times to get the foot length correct – I guess I don’t know what an ankle bone is.

  9. I just had a toe up gusset go nuts on me. My yarn was striping very nicely until the 1st gusset increases. That was all it took…2 extra stitches to start the crazy z-ing. I keep knitting to the leg and ended pulling the whole thing back down to before the increase in did a short row heel!

  10. I can’t turn the heel! AH! no matter what pattern I use, what kind of yarn, I just can’t get past the heel. So I have a bunch of sock toes lying around lol.

  11. no real horror stories aside form horrid pooling, a bit uneven, still grasping toe up’s and the short foot! The last toer ups are sitting up on the needles for over a year now….yikes!

  12. I dont have a horror story with socks .. We actually used to have lots of fun with them

  13. I have the you can see them from outer space socks. The colors pooled like crazy no matter what I did. But they turned out to be perfect for my pre-teen niece. Apparently the more they scream the better they are to wear to school. And that book is fantastic too. I keep looking at it at the store but haven’t bought it yet.

  14. I have tried to knit socks once. I gave up because they looked horrid. I am still a sock virgin.

  15. I haven’t made socks yet, but I’m anxious to try. I need more colorful socks in my wardrobe!

  16. No horror stories yet – just a couple of nice pairs of socks. Perhaps I’ve just been lucky so far?!

  17. My horror story doesn’t have to do with pooling or flashing but instructions and writing down your modifications. I put a pair of socks I was working on aside to work on other projects. When I went back to them months later, I realized that I didn’t mark where I was on the chart and had modified things but hadn’t noted those changes anywhere. I ended up frogging them and starting another pair of socks with the yarn.

  18. I can’t think of any real horror stories with socks except for dropping a stitch in a lace pattern – it didn’t actually go far, but I was a new enough/confused enough lace knitter that I frogged back to the cuff.

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Coffee Cozy Knitting Patterns

During the summer (which is what it is where I am writing from) I like to share patterns for things that you can knit and use even when it’s warm out. And sometimes they are things you can use when it’s cold, too, like this collection of coffee cup cozies. Because hot coffee is a must almost any time of year. 

This simple pattern form Darling Jadore is a great one for beginners and could be a good first knitting in the round project. It uses worsted weight yarn and includes video tutorials if you need extra help. 

If you want a perfectly plain cozy that you can jazz up with your own designs, check out the Base Doodle Cup Cozy from Jamie Lomax. This free pattern on Ravelry comes in two sizes (short and long) and is meant to be used with her doodle charts to make it your own. You could also keep it plain, add stripes or design your own motifs to stitch on it. 

Most coffee cozy patterns that I see are just sleeves meant to go over travel mugs, but what if your mug has a handle? This pattern from Stacey’s Knit Wits has an I-cord loop and button so you can use it on a mug with a handle or a travel cup. It uses DK weight yarn.

Coffee cozies are a fun way to play with stitch patterns and learn new techniques. If you’ve never knit cables before, this cozy from Purple Wool Co. would be a great first cable project, as it features simple braided cables all the way around. It uses worsted weight yarn and is worked in the round. 

Try double knitting to make an extra-insulating coffee cozy with this pattern from Tracy Leming. It includes little color changes so you can get the concept of how double knitting works on a small scale. It also can include a little pocket for a tea bag if you want. This one uses worsted weight yarn and is a free pattern on Ravelry.

Or try stranded knitting with the Love in the Air cozy from Danielle Thuen. It features hearts of different sizes and is worked in sock yarn. You’ll need to make sure those floats are nice and loose so it will stretch to hug your cup. You can find this pattern on Ravelry. 

They’re also a fun way to add a bit of flair to an otherwise plain cup. KnitnKaboodle Designs has this lovely leaf-shaped cozy pattern, which you could use for hot or cold beverages by changing up the fiber you choose (that’s pretty much always true). It is made in pieces that are stitched together and can be worked in a single color or choose different colors for each leaf.