Half Calf Soy Socks - Part II

I'm galloping towards the end of this first sock. Before I forget, I need to document what I've done at this point. I started doing the 1x1 rib all the way around the sock about an inch above the heel. About another inch above that, I put in six increase stitches to make the sock more comfortable around my fat little lower calf. Most socks I buy are too tight at the top, and I have to fold them over. I figure if I'm going to make my own socks, one of the main advantages is that I can make the top of the sock a little bit wider than the ankle.

I put the increases in three places - one on each side, and one in the center above the heel. To preserve the rib pattern, I put an M1 purl stitch on either side of an existing purl.

The details are: K1, *M1 purl, K1 (in purl st from previous row), M1 purl. Continue in K1, P1 rib for 8 sts.* Repeat from *. M1 purl, K1 (in purl st from previous row), M1 purl, K1.

This sock is 34 sts around, with 12 sts on the first DPN, and 11 sts on the next two DPNs. I've got a row marker between the 1st and 2nd stitches on the first needle, so that when I come to the end of the row I can put the needles down without losing the marker.

Half Calf Soy Socks

I started this sock project on Sunday, when I went to meet some of the local knitting folks at Border's. I had the most wonderful time! Chanda invited me on the Mississippi Knitters group on Ravelry. I met Brenda (harrower), Lisa (dragonmom), and Clyde (who doesn't do online groups). I also met another very great guy whose name escapes me at the moment. Brenda showed me a wonderful trick of picking up dropped stitches knit-wise and purl-wise with a small crochet hook. That has already saved my butt on this project.

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On to the sock... I made it through the Heel of Death Fire Swamp last night. I did have to jump over several frogs and re-knit my way out by a new path. Specifically, I abandoned the pattern instructions and followed the guidance of Cat Bordhi (New Pathways for Sock Knitters). I was lucky enough to find a video from her posted on saveknitting.com.

I ended up not doing it perfectly, but I was just too glad to have escaped with my life to go back this time. I somehow came out two stitches short, which I fudged back in with two M1s in the center above the heel area. I've also drawn myself a picture of the winding path of the knit-wrap-turn-purl-wrap-turn maze. It still doesn't completely make sense to me. I don't see how to come out of that going the right direction, with the right number of wrap-turns. Maybe I will become enlightened when I do this sock's mate.

Ponchette

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This is the ponchette/capelet I'm working on now. It's hard to capture the alternating lattice/eyelash rows in a photograph. I may try again to take a closer picture. The picture of the row markers is something I took to post to the knitting message group. I added it to the collection just because it has such a strange effect. I think I used a slow flash on that one.

Anyway, about the ponchette! I started with the pattern at http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/khs-ponchette.html. I reversed the pattern to knit from the top down, rather than from the bottom up. For the increases I used knit in the front & back of the stitches to increase. I knitted the neckline with both the eyelash and lattice yarns held together, on size 11 needles. I switched to size 9 needles for the body, which I'm knitting by alternating two rows of eyelash with two rows of lattice. Since the eyelash called for 11, and the lattice called for 6, that seemed like a good compromise. I do like the gauge I'm getting with the 9s, but the neckline came out much bigger than I would have wanted. I think that when I'm finished knitting the whole thing, I'll have to go back and cinch up the neck. That shouldn't be too difficult. I may weave a strand of eyelash around, or I might actually crochet an inner band.

Impatience Wins

After waiting and waiting to get enrolled in Ravelry, I finally gave up and created this blog. Besides, it occurred to me that a lot of the people I'll want to share this with will never be Ravelry users. So, welcome to my needlecraft blog!