Bella Knitting

A Stone Cold Killer

Sarah

Yup, that's me -- I'm a stone cold killer. A serial assassin. (Three victims counts as serial, right?) And you know what? I feel pretty good about it. After all, each of my victims was felled by a nice pair of handknit socks! I haven't blogged about it much, but things went pretty well for me in Death by Socks III, which started way back in the middle of January. Now seems like a good time to recap, though, since the game is officially over -- and since there's new sock yarn to drool over! (Laura, I will be coming over soon to fondle the yarn. It looks awesome.)

I cranked out the first pair for my DBS victim in just a few days, which was really exciting -- my goal was just to get in at least one "kill" before being knocked out myself. As time went on, I was able to finish off two more victims. Most of the people in the game were active participants and posted regularly on the board, which made it a lot of fun, and the sock pattern by Jeanie Townsend was a pleasure to knit (link goes to the Ravelry page for the pattern). The construction of the ruffle on these socks was really cool, and I like that the pattern offers several options -- for example, with or without the ruffle, and with the lace pattern just on the cuff, or extending down the foot.

In the end, almost every participant had a pair of socks -- except for me and one other knitter, Darlene (sorry, no link, I'm not sure if Darlene has a blog). Messages were sent out to try to determine what happened to our socks in progress, to no avail. Unfortunately, a couple of participants seemed to have flaked out. It looked like it might come down to a "shootout" between the two remaining knitters -- the two of us, on opposite sides of the country, engaging in a "High Noon" style standoff with yarn and needles -- when a much better solution was proposed: to split up the prize and declare two winners! It's a very happy ending to a fun game. Lots of thanks to the organizers, who did a great job, and to all of the knitters who participated. I won't be able to participate in DBS IV  because of school and other commitments (I joined DBS III thinking it would probably be over, at least for me, in the beginning of the semester!) but I'm definitely going to keep my eye out for future games!

The K.I.S.S. Principle

Sarah

No, not KISS -- K.I.S.S. As in, "Keep It Simple, Stupid." It's a principle I try to live by, especially when buying electronics. The more bits it has, the more likely it is that something's gonna break. The same holds true for life. It's more enjoyable, and it'll probably last longer, if you try not to overcomplicate things. Toe-up, plain-Jane stockinette socks in a lovely shade of Koigu, may be the most elegant expression of the K.I.S.S. principle I've ever had a hand in creating.

And hey, look, they go with my pants!

Also, in one of life's funny little coincidences, I happened to notice this post of Ashley's just as I was working on my second sock and wishing I still had my ball bands so I could look up more of this color. Luckily, Ashley is a far more clever knitter than myself and had actually retained that information. So, for the curious, this is most likely color number 323 in Koigu KPPM.

Twins

Sarah

First, a quick reminder: enter the Bella Blogiversary Contest! Details are here, and you can check out the cute entry from Carol of Knitting Knot here. (That cat looks so stoked, it cracks me up.)

So, last time I posted, I had just finished knitting one of my Death by Socks socks. It was hard on my fingers (and hands, and shoulders) but I completed the pair and got them sent off to my victim on Thursday, so I'm quite happy about that. For all I know, I'll receive the socks of my doom on Tuesday (in case you forgot, Monday is M.L.K. Day, a postal holiday) but I'm just happy I managed to complete a pair before being knocked out of the game. Any accomplishments beyond that will be icing on the cake, really.

After finishing those socks, my knitting suddenly felt so...free. All of my other needles seemed ridiculously large after handling size 1's exclusively for so many hours over the course of two-and-a-half days. I even finished my Minimalist Cardigan, and am working on the seaming! Bet you thought I'd forgotten that one, huh? I've been pretty good with my yarn diet (buying a new skein for the Death by Socks competition doesn't count, right?) of only buying one new skein after knitting three from my stash. In anticipation of a visit to one of my favorite LYS next Friday (yeah, avoiding the LYSes definitely has helped the diet), I've been happily knitting away at hats for Jason and Measure. I love how hats provide such near-instant knitterly gratification.

Since the Death by Socks socks were my first "real" (fine-gauge) socks in a while, I've been feeling the urge to cast on for another pair. Maybe do a little sock designing. Who knows? So of course I was excited to see my Seasons Yarn Club shipment from Sundara on my porch this afternoon. I opened it up, wondering what fabulous color the little box contained. Funnily enough, "Burnt Cranberry" was almost an exact match for another Sundara sock yarn in my stash, "Heirloom Tomato." The former is in the foreground of the photo, the latter is the one wound into a cake. In person, there's slightly more difference; the "Burnt Cranberry" has an ever-so-slightly orange-ish cast to it, but still, really close. They're definitely fraternal twins.

Speaking of which, I found out recently that a friend of mine is pregnant with fraternal twins. Any suggestions on what I should knit for them? She doesn't know the gender(s?) yet, but I can at least have some pattern ideas queued up and ready for when she finds out.

One Down...

Sarah

I knitted like a demon yesterday, and this morning I finished up the first of my Death by Socks socks! Well, the ends aren't woven in, but I'll do that on both socks at once if/when I finish the second. (See, if I get sent a pair of socks, I'll be dead, and I'll have to send these to my assassin, who will have to finish them and send them to my victim...) I've made a little progress on the second sock, so I'm hoping to have them finished and in the mail tomorrow. If I'm lucky.

Also, Measure got another new tooth yesterday -- little dude has four front teeth now, in addition to the two bottom ones! Teething days are not the happiest of days, but it's so neat watching him develop. A little scary sometimes (in an "oh my gosh, someday he's going to be DRIVING" kind of way), but neat.

Happy Feet

Sarah

Once in a very great while, it occurs to me that planning ahead for the holidays is a good idea. Such was the case with these socks, which were a joint gift to my mom from my sister and I (the link is to her new animal-training blog). I spun the yarn -- if you want to take a trip in the way-back machine, you can see that I blogged about it in July -- and Emily knit the socks. She chose a great stitch pattern, adding textural interest to the self-striping yarn.

The gansey I'm knitting for my dad was not as much of an unqualified success, however -- I had all but three-quarters of a sleeve finished by Christmas morning, but I had him try it on and the first sleeve just didn't fit right. So, I've finished knitting the second sleeve (correctly) and now I just have to rip and reknit the other one. How did everyone else's holiday knitting go? I've heard rumors that someone is going to be starting a project-a-month holiday gift knitalong -- I think I may need to join so that I can be better prepared next year!

Under Construction

Sarah

One of my favorite things about knitting is the infinite variety of ways in which garments can be constructed. Socks are especially fun to experiment with, because if a particular method of construction turns out to be less than fun or doesn't fit well, it's not a huge investment of time and energy.

For my brother's Christmas socks, I decided to try something new: a resoleable sock, specifically, the Two-Yarn Resoleable Socks from the Interweave "Favorite Socks" book. Happily, the pattern was written for worsted-weight yarn, which I wanted to use anyway -- my brother lives in San Francisco and likes to go snowboarding in Tahoe in the winter, so he can put thick warm house socks to good use.

So far, I've almost completed the top of the first sock. When that's done, I'll be using the contrast-color yarn to pick up a looooot of stitches to knit the heel, sole, and toe. I just hope the leg of the sock will be big enough to fit my brother (who has what are affectionately known as "cankles" -- ankles not much smaller than his calves) I also hope that he will wear these enough that they will actually, at some point, need to be re-soled!

Provisional Cast-On Tutorial

Sarah

As promised, here's a tutorial on the crochet provisional cast-on method. This is a really useful technique, applicable to any number of project types: making a bottom-up sweater, but you don't know what type of edging you want? Use a provisional cast-on and you can easily pick up your stitches and work the bottom edge when you've finished the rest of the knitting. Want to knit toe-up socks? Use this method and work a short-row toe. Interested in knitting a shawl? Many, like the Flower Basket, ask you to start with this cast-on to create a tidy top edge. I could go on, if I didn't have a nasty cold making my brain not work good. Anyway, I hope you find this useful!

Steps 1 & 2: Make a crochet chain using waste yarn -- preferably, something smooth and in color which is readily visible against your working yarn, in approximatley the same weight. To make your chain, just grab the strand of yarn with your hook...

...and bring it through the loop. Always make the chain several chains longer than the number of stitches you need to pick up, so you have some room for error.

Step 3: When you're done making the chain as long as you need it to be (plus a few extra) cut the yarn, bring it through the last loop, tug gently to close (gently! You're going to have to undo that later) and tie a knot in that end, to remind yourself that this is the end you'll be "unzipping" from later on. Now flip your chain over and take a gander at the bumps -- they kinda look like purl bumps, right? -- on the back side (assuming the front side is the "v's" you see as you are working the chain.) You are going to pick up stitches through these bumps.

Step 4: Start picking up stitches through the bumps. I "pick" at stitches to pick them up, wrapping each one around the needle...

Step 5: ...and bringing it through. (Leave a long tail so you can weave that end in later.)

Step 6: Hooray! You have picked up your stitches. Now you can do whatever the heck you want to do -- work a short row toe, knit your sweater front, whatever.

Step 7: I was boring and just knit a few rows of stockinette and bound off.

Step 8: Remember how I mentioned in Step 3 that you should make a little knot so you will know from which end to unzip your cast on? Don't you feel smart for doing that? Pat yourself on the back, and maybe go pour yourself a glass of wine to prepare yourself for the next steps, which involve stitches being all naked and loosey-goosey.

Step 9: Take the end with the knot in it and bring it back out through the loop you drew it through to close your chain -- thus re-opening your chain. Now give that end a tug (a gentle tug, just in case there was some snaggage when you picked up your stitches.)

Step 10: I told you there would be naked stitches.

Step 11: You might want to put them on a needle, for decency's sake.

Step 12:  Yay! All done. You now have a whole whack of live stitches, ready to do your bidding!

I've Been Saved!

Sarah

I've been saved! When I got home yesterday afternoon, I was pleased as punch to see a package waiting for me -- Sockapalooza socks from my sock savior! Aren't they lovely? Thank you so much, Petra!

The pattern is "Merino Lace" from the Interweave "Favorite Socks" book, and they are beautifully knit out of Trekking Pro Natura. These are so, so gorgeous it's breathtaking, and I am so flabbergasted at how nice it is to have a sock savior -- Petra, like others, signed up to knit socks for those whose Sockapalooza pals failed to come through, and I think that is such an incredibly generous thing to do. Petra rocks! The color, the fit, everything -- these are great socks, and I love them to bits!

That's not all, either -- Petra also sent me a lovely gift (I love tote bags, and this one is especially appropriate considering what I've been up to all week -- it says "shopping queen." My mother-in-law and I did not get a lot of knitting done this week while I was visiting, but we had fun adding to our respective stashes. We also did some clothes shopping. I may have lightly abused the credit card. More on that later!) She also knit an adorable -- seriously, utterly freaking adorable -- pair of wee socks for Measure! (Click on the little photo to see more shots of the socks on my Flickr photostream.) Thanks again, Petra -- this made my day. You're a great sock savior!

Synesthesia Socks

Sarah

Ever wish you had a rare irregularity of the brain? I have. Synesthesia is a condition which causes the synesthetic person to "translate" one sense into another (for example, a sound-to-taste synesthetic might "taste" strawberries when they hear the trumpet) and it's also a poetry craft term for using one sense to represent another. I named this sock pattern "Synesthesia" because the simple curved shape of the pattern stitch brought to mind so many things which weren't visual or textural -- instead, I look at it and I see the sound of lapping water, or soft echoes. (For another photo, see yesterday's post.) Synesthesia is just one of those odd quirks nature throws into people now and then, and to me it seems that synesthetics are incredibly lucky -- their experience of the world is just that much richer.

Below: Synesthesia chart. This would also look good in a toe-up sock. And don't you think a picot cuff would be cute? And what about that star toe -- that might be cool. Go to town -- you don't have to stick with the pattern I wrote! Speaking of which, I checked through it and didn't see any glaring errors (I wrote it as I knit the first sock, then test-knit from it for the second) but there may be some lurking (like the lack of a key to the chart symbols -- thanks Ruth!). Please let me know if you find any!

Synesthesia Socks
by Sarah Fama

You will need: about 400 yards fingering-weight sock yarn (I used Cherry Tree Hill in the blues/greens colorway, but these would also look great in a solid yarn such as Louet Gems.)
1 set of 5 size 2 US DPNs, or size needed to get gauge

Gauge: 7st/1"

Size: This sock is designed to fit a women’s US shoe size of approximately 7/8. Slightly larger shoe sizes have the option of adding one more repeat of chart pattern on foot for a longer sock; the pattern is stretchy enough to accommodate a slightly wider or smaller foot.

Notes: If you are worried about gaps where the first and last stitches are picked up along the gusset, pick up one extra at the beginning of the picked-up stitches and knit it together with the previous stitch, then pick up one extra at the end and knit it together with the following stitch – this way you can start the gusset decreases with the correct number of stitches.
When you knit across the gusset stitches you picked up in the previous round, I recommend you knit through the back of the loops to tighten them, as picked up stitches tend to be loose. On all subsequent rounds knit these stitches normally.

Twisted rib: p1, k1tbl, repeat to end of round.

Cuff
CO 68 stitches, distributing evenly among 4 needles so that each needle has 17 stitches. Join to work in the round, taking care not to twist stitches, and work in twisted rib for 12 rounds. Piece should measure approximately 1".
Begin working Synesthesia pattern from chart. Repeat rows 1-8 four times, ending on round 8 of pattern.

Heel
K 17 stitches, turn work, purl across 34 stitches. Begin working heel as follows:
Row 1 (RS): sl1, k to end.
Row 2: sl1, p to end.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 17 times for a total of 34 rows. There should be 17 selvedge stitches on each side.
Turn heel as follows:
Row 1 (RS): k 19, ssk, k1, turn work.
Row 2: Sl 1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 3: Sl 1, k to 1 st before gap, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 4: Sl 1, p to 1 st before gap, p2tog, p1.
Repeat these last 2 rows until all heel stitches have been worked, ending p2tog. 20 stitches remain.

Gusset
Knit back (RS) across all heel stitches, then pick up 17 stitches evenly along heel selvedge. Work across held instep stitches in charted pattern (you should be beginning with row 1 again), then pick up 17 stitches down other side of heel, and knit across 10 heel stitches.
The round now begins at the center back of the heel.
    Round 1: Knit from center back of heel (with needle 1 [N1]) to last 2 picked-up gusset stitches, k2tog.  Work with needle 2 across first half of instep stitches (worked in patt) and with needle 3 across second half of instep stitches. At beginning of needle 4, ssk, knit to end of round.
Round 2: knit
Repeat these 2 rounds until 68 stitches remain (17 on each needle) continuing always to work instep stitches in charted pattern. Continue to work as established (instep stitches in pattern, sole stitches in st st) until chart has been worked a total of 13 times.

Toe
Round 1: On needle 1, k to last 3 st, k2tog, k1. On needle 2, k1, ssk, k to end. On needle 3, k to last 3 st, k2tog, k1. On needle 4, k1, ssk, k to end.
Round 2: knit
Repeat these 2 rounds until 36 stitches remain, then repeat round 1 until 8 stitches are left on needle. Cut yarn leaving a long tail, and Kitchener the remaining stitches together.

Make sock #2.

Finishing
Weave in ends and block lightly to fully bring out lace patt. Or just wear them, because that works too.

Abbreviations
CO: cast on
k: knit
p: purl
tbl: through back loop(s)
k2tog: knit two together
ssk: slip, slip, knit (slip two stitches as if to knit, then knit them together from this new orientation)
yo: yarn over
RS: right side (the "public" side of your knitting)
WS: wrong side

The Legal Stuff
Please feel free to print out a copy of this pattern for your personal use! If you want to share it with a friend, though, please send them a link so they can print it themselves. Work for a yarn shop and you want to share this pattern with your customers? By all means, knit up a sample and write down the URL for anyone who is interested. Printing it out for customers, however, is a no-no, and selling this pattern is a definite no-no. Side effects may include startitis, second sock syndrome, and mild euphoria. If you experience a knitting session lasting longer than four hours, there is no need to see a doctor.

Sock Season

Sarah

Yesterday morning I woke up and prompty burrowed back down under the covers with Measure. A distinct fall chill has begun to seep into the air, and I've noticed the leaves on the trees around the house being blown around in a distinctly autumnal way. It's sock season.

One of my peculiarities (one of many, I'm sure) is that I generally avoid wearing "regular" shoes at all costs. I'm usually barefoot in the house, and wear flip-flops everywhere else. I have even worn flip-flops on a skiing vacation before, at least for the bit where we hauled our stuff indoors. Then I stayed indoors where it was nice and warm and flip-flop friendly, since I prefer spending my snow experiences looking out the window at vistas frosted with white, sipping cocoa, instead of risking my neck sliding down said snowy vistas with a board strapped to my feet. My feet prefer to be naked and free, or perhaps robed in handknit socks if the weather is chilly -- hence, sock season.

This was the first pair of socks I ever designed myself, and of course now I can't remember when that was. A couple of years ago, at least. I still have the pattern and the chart written in my notes somewhere, and I'll be happy to share once I find them, if anyone is interested.