Sock Design

Creating my new designs is always a work in progress and I sometimes involve the family, I like to get their options as to what they think of the design. How do you work your designs?

I sometimes start with a pattern stitch in mind and then work through the process putting the design together. Other times I will have an idea of what I want the sock to look like and then I will go and find the stitches to create this design. I also like to use a multitude of stitch patterns to create my designs.

This photo above actually has three pattern stitches, I started out with the original idea and then took it further until I got something I liked. The other thing to consider when designing is your yarn. With this multi coloured yarn I didn't want to lose the colours in the stitch pattern so I created something simple to accommodate the yarn. This is something I believe you need to consider when using multi coloured yarns.

I am not in any way experienced in this but this is just the process I use to create my sock designs. Who knows down the track it might change.

Happy knitting
Sharyn

Kitchener Stitch The Easy Way

I don't know about you but I find that I always struggle with doing Kitchener stitch. I don't know why but even when I tell the kids and hubs to not talk to me and I repeat the steps out loud to myself I still get lost.

My solution was to knit the stitches that I needed to graft together with waste yarn but I have not been happy with that solution of late. 

Then I graft them together.

But through a Facebook Group I belong to I was able to come up with a better solution. Well it didn't suit me as it was a solution for grafting when you have all garter stitch. You will find that link here. But it made me look for a solution and I found one that I think is really easy. Instead of using a needle to graft you use a knitting needle and once you have it set up you only have to repeat 4 steps. You will find the link here.
Here I am knitting the toes together for a pair of socks.

Sock Knitting Journey - Toe Up Socks

So for the first time ever I challenged myself to knit toe up socks earlier this year and this was only because I belong to a Facebook group of sock knitters. We had a KAL earlier this year and you could choose between cuff down or toe up and easy or difficult. So I decided on toe up, easy level as I had never done it before. 

You could choose from several free patterns on Ravelry and I decided on this one. It calls for magic loop cast on, so I checked that out on YouTube. I sat myself on the computer and told the kids "Do not disturb" and I sat and watched it several times. From there I got my yarn and needle and started to practice, every time I got stuck I paused and rewound, until I got it. It took a few goes but I really love this cast on. Once I got going I really loved knitting socks this way, no Kitchener stitch at the end. To get a nice stretchy bind off at the end I used Jeny's surprisingly stretchy bind off.

My first ever pair of toe up socks and it wont be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I like the fact that you don't have any Kitchener stitch at the end. I also learned a lot from this, how to do magic loop and a stretchy bind off both were new to me.

Do you like setting yourself challenges?  

Happy knitting
Sharyn

Sock Knitting Journey - Using 2 Circulars to knit socks

So like a lot of people I started knitting socks using dpn's and a regular pattern. From their I found myself spinning and that got me interested in spinning my own yarn and dyeing it to knit my own socks. That then lead me to creating my own socks using my own yarn but I am getting off track.

So my next step in the journey was knitting socks with circulars. I found a book called " Socks Soar On Two Circular Needles"by Cat Bordhi. I couldn't quite get my head around using 2 circulars but with my knitting I've always told myself to just read the pattern and follow exactly what it says. So by doing that I started my journey using circular needles to knit socks. I have to say it is the only way I have knitted socks for quite some time.

This then lead me to investigate other ways to knit socks using 2 circulars. I also started using "Simple Socks Plain and Fancy" and in this book the heel and toe are done using the short row technique. This for me was another lesson I had to learn as I'd never done it before. I like to challenge myself when it comes to my sock knitting. For a long time this was the only book I used to knit socks.

When knitting my socks on 2 circulars I would always use 24"/60 cm. What do you like to use?

Happy knitting
Sharyn

Sock Knitting Journey - Using dpn's to knit socks

I started my sock knitting journey over 20 years ago, it was a friend at the time that got me interested. Back then Australia did not have many knitting shops and their was no internet. I remember buying a Patons pattern and yarn and I used that pattern sooo much that I actually wrecked it. I remember going overseas and being able to buy the yarn I needed and so I purchased more than was required, funny about that. Of course it has now become my obsession along with buying books on sock knitting.

So I don't know about you but when I first started knitting socks, it was with double pointed needles and of course I knew no other way. Slowly over the years though my methods have changed. I started spinning so then of course I had to learn to spin fine so that I could spin my own yarn for my own socks but that will have to be another story.

Because of my spinning I first started to design my own socks, I purchase Priscilla A. Gibson-Roberts book "Simple Socks Plain and Fancy." I used this book for many years but I did not actually design my socks as such as I kept them simple by doing 2x2 Rib. This has lead me to take another sock knitting journey which I hope to share with you.

Happy knitting
Sharyn