Heterosocksual?

I was at a Church of Craft get together in New York this evening.

(Great group of people, indulging in a variety of crafts -- some fibre (fiber!) related, some not. Let's just say that tarantulas are significantly less frightening when they're needle felted, with beaded legs, in hot pink.)

I wasn't the only sock knitter. Kim was working two at once on magic loop in some very nice Fiesta yarn. We compared techniques, and she idly asked if I'd ever knit socks toe-up.

Err.... No.

I have never knit socks from the toe up. I've used a variety of heel turns, tried a few different toe shapings, done all sorts of different things for the leg -- but I am absolutely 100% committed to top-down sock knitting. Heterosocksual, if you will.

Perhaps it's time.... Living in New York is all about trying new things, after all.

Jitterbug Sock

What a great sock yarn. Jitterbug is terrific to work with, both for socks and other designs. Love the "short burst" colouring.

Am just about finished a sock I started months and months ago... somehow less inspired to knit wool socks when it's 80+ degrees F/30+ degrees C and the sort of humidity that makes the newspaper slighty soggy.

I can barely imagine needing to wear such foot coverings, but I have from a reliable authority that I will, eventually.

The Chart in Action/The Pattern Stitch

See, looks simple enough!

Further on the Pattern Stitch - Sometimes, You Just Have to Chart

Mum's completed the front and back. Looks terrific. She said that she was able to get a hang of the pattern stitch without much difficulty. Once she saw what it doing, it's easy to figure out what you need to do on the next row.

That's the most elegant defense of the chart I've ever heard.

But then it was time for the sleeves.

Of course, you're increasing 1 stitch either end every 4 rows. Yeah, ok. A standard technique.

There's a 5 stitch border at either side, written out as (get this!)
Row 1: K1 (edge stitch) k4, work row 1 of pattern, k4, k1 (edge stitch).
Row 2: K1, p4, work row 2 of pattern, p4, k1.

(Which in itself could be improved.)

But then you have to start increasing stitches and fold them into the patterning. My Mum is a terrifically good knitter. But after 3 attempts she gave up trying to figure out how to fold the increases into the pattern stitch. Again, I think part of the problem is that the pattern is "moving" on the WS as well as the RS rows. Typically, if you increase on the RS, you have an even, predictable WS row that gives you a chance to smoothly incorporate the increased stitches into the pattern stitch -- allows you, in essence, to figure out where they go. Not with this one.

Could you figure it out? Yeah, absolutely. Do you want to? Probably not. Recall that ultimately, this is something we do for fun.

So I charted it. All 116 rows. All the way across. Starting at 48 stitches, increasing up to 104. It may have taken some time...

And the knitting now? Easy as pie!

A Lesson in Pattern Writing - Charts vs. Written Instructions

I've always been pretty relaxed when it comes to the charts vs. written instructions debate. I'm pretty comfortable with either, and although I like the visual preview that you get in a chart, I don't have any problems working with written instructions.

However, I finally found a pattern that stumped me, that required me to chart out a written design.

It's a design my Mum is working on, a great textured sweater for my brother. It's a bit rough and organic looking, worked in what I'd called an off-set rib. The basis of the pattern is a k4 p2 ribbing, but after 8 rows even it shifts over stitch by stitch for 8 rows and then repeats the k4 p2 rib in a different position, and then shifts back to the original position. It's 32 rows in total, on 6x+2 sts.

The pattern stitch is written out on the pattern sheet, row by row, and it's an absolute nightmare to read and interpret. Before she started working it, I helped my Mum make some size modifications, and I spent a fair bit of time looking at the pattern overall and the pattern stitch instructions. It was still a total surprise when I saw it knitted up.

Part of the problem is that the pattern writer has taken a couple of shortcuts that make it harder to read. It makes sense that for the "base" k4 p2 sections, the RS and WS rows are written out once, and then the knitter is instructed to repeat them 3 times. Yup, easy to figure out. No problem.

But then you're working the section where the rib is moved over by 1 stitch each row. My first issues is that the rib is "moved" on both the RS and WS rows. This makes it harder to predict what you need to do. It much easier for a knitter if the WS row is simply a repeat of the patterning on the RS row. Way less chance of error. And then because you're moving over a full 8 stitches over 8 rows on a 6 stitch repeat, two of the rows are repeated.

Let me write it out for you.

Rows 1-8 are 4 repeats of:
RS: p2 [k4, p2]
WS: k2 [p4, k2]

Easy! Then it gets frustrating.

Row 9: k1, *[p2, k4]; repeat from * to last st, p1.
Row 10: *[p4, k2]; repeat from * to last 2 sts, p2.
Row 11: k3, p2, *[k4, p2]; repeat from * to last 3 sts, k3.
Row 12: p2, *[k2, p4]; repeat from * to end of row.
Row 13: p1, *[k3, p2] to last st, k1
Rows 14 to 16: Repeat rows 8 to 10.
Row 17: As row 11.

Hello???

There are two ways to make this better.
1. How about Rows 14-17: Repeat rows 8 to 11? Much simpler.
2. Or spell the damn thing out. You can see how it's not easy to figure out what the pattern stitch will produce... I honestly think that in this case, the shortcut of "repeat rows x-z" makes it worse, because you can't in advance see the pattern stitch emerging.

(And that's just the first 17 rows. There's another 15 to go.)

And my other complaint? The picture on the front of the pattern is taken from a fair distance, and the sweater is worked in a tweedy yarn.

This breaks two critical rules:
1. Make sure that the pattern stitch in clear in the pictures. That is, take the picture close enough that you can see it.
2. And make sure the pattern stitch is clear in the pictures. That is, how about a single colour yarn? What insanity possessed the knitter to work the sample in a tweedy yarn anyway?

Still, it will be lovely once it's done!

Back in the Saddle

It's amazing how changing your routine (ok, changing your life) can mess with your priorities. I've barely picked up my knitting needles over the past four weeks, as I've been moving and changing jobs and settling into a new apartment and getting used to a new city and travelling on business... it's been busy.

Last night, for the first time in weeks, we watched episodes of the Daily Show and I worked on my Jitterbug sock. It felt good. Felt like home.

(Well, ok, I wasn't entirely craft-free in the last month... I did finish a cross-stitch that I'd started about five years ago. Somehow the change in my routine demanded a change in craft.)

Commute Knitting - Or Not

Here I am, in New York, adapting to a new city and a new lifestyle -- and a new commute.

Am sad to report that my commute is very knitting-unfriendly. It's short, which is nice. But I never get a seat, and have to change trains at the midpoint. These factors mean that my reading-while-standing-on-a-moving-train skills have increased, but knitting productivity has dropped.

Harumph.

Just Socks!

My contributor's copy of Just Socks arrived last week. It's a fun little book, with a variety of sock designs both fun and practical. It includes patterns for crocheted socks . This isn't the first time I've seen crocheted socks, but I must confess that I'm still getting used to the concept.

All I'll say is that some designs are more effective than others. I think I prefer crochet that's not attempting to simply reproduce knitting. Crochet is its own thing, and its differences from knitting should be taken advantage of. Crochet can take a couple of forms -- a fairly stiff, dense fabric, or very open and loose lace fabrics. The best designs -- there's a couple of pairs in the book that I think are genuinely doing something great -- use this. I really like the lacey pairs, and there's a ribby colourwork pair that takes advantage of denseness of single crochet.

All that aside, though, I'm proud to see my name and work in print amongst some well-known other designers.

Thanks to Shannon Okey, the book's editor, and congratulations to all the other designers whose work is included.

In need of new LYS

Seeking new local yarn store! My "L" -- location, that is -- has changed.

As of this morning, I'm coming to you from New York City.

It was a tough decision to leave Toronto -- I will sorely miss all my friends and knitting compatriots, my family, all the terrific restaurants and shops. And most of all, The Sheep and Lettuce.

But I heard the siren song of the Big Apple, and I went.... I'll be back, no question. But for a little while, at least, I'll be a New York-based Knit Blogger.

Anyone know a good stitch & bitch event I can attend, to start getting to know the community?

A Pair of Socks!

More to the point, a pair of socks that match.


A commenter on my earlier post suggested that I should just leave them be, that since it was the foot, no-one would see the mis-match. Or that maybe it would be nice to have a unique pair of socks... but then by the end of the comment, the commenter agreed that yeah, the oddness would eventually drive her insane, too.

A lesson in variegation....

A 10% difference in stitch count in the round caused the problem illustrated in the previous post. That's it.

Such a radical difference in the behaviour of the colours -- 60 st rounds produces beautiful stripes... 66 stitch rounds produces a rather startling pooling of the colours.

Good to know.

There Must Be Something Going Around

I know I'm not the only one suffering from Mismatched Sock Syndrome.


Here's my problem, though... I used the same yarn for both. Argh.

I know what happened, I think... the number of stitches in the foot of left sock (the one on my foot, that is), isn't right. Too many. I should have decreased back down to match the number of stitches in the leg. Just by eyeballing it, it looks like I didn't.

Naturally, because these socks were worked months and months apart, the first one has been sitting in the cupboard, unexamined, and I didn't know they didn't match. I pulled the first one out to measure and match the length of the foot last night, and discovered the mismatch.

I shall unravel the foot of the left and reknit it.

Because sometimes you gotta branch out

Do you know about the Textile Museum Yardage sale? Held every May at Toronto's Textile Museum, it's a fundraising event... a yard sale of everything fibre and craft related. It's paradise for the crafty and adventurous, all sorts of treats and magical finds available at absurdly low prices.

I've been several times, and bought all kinds of terrific stuff. I particularly enjoy digging through the heaps of half-finished, abandoned projects. I bought a cast-off cross stitch projects for 50 cents to get the embroidery hoop. I bought a half-completed sewing project, circa the mid 1960s. A mohair suit, the pieces all cut out, the pattern still in the envelope. I took it to a dress maker who cut it to fit and finished it up. I think that was $10. All sorts of great stuff.

Tons of books and pattern magazines, too... lots of 1980s horrors, but that's part of the fun.

Last time I went I decided to splurge -- $2! -- on an unopened needlepoint kit with a copyright date of 1974. What a great way to try needlepoint. It helped, of course, that the picture amused me no end.

And after months and months of sock knitting commissions, and needing a smaller project after finishing up Lizard Ridge, I opened up the package and began.

Voila! Needlepoint broccoli!


I'm just saddened that I won't be able to find the rest of the kits in the series -- the carrot, the radishes and the pumpkin.

I doubt I'll take needlepoint up seriously, but hey, it's good to branch out sometimes.

FO: Lizard Ridge

Just in time for the weather to get really, really hot.

Lizard Ridge is done. Ends all woven in. The cat was no help at all, but he really does seem to love the blanket.

Colours used: 40, 90, 92, 95, 102, 134, 138, 139, 147, 148, 150, 153, 154, 159, 164, 165, 170, 180, 182, 183, 184, 185, 188, 194.

Pattern modifications: I sewed the pieces together rather than crocheting, and I used an applied i-cord 4 stitch edging rather than the scalloped crochet. I prefer the look of the i-cord.

I think I will lightly block the top and bottom edges -- matching the tension of the applied i-cord was a challenge against the stitch gauge and it pulls in a bit along those edges. You can see the lower edge rolling up a bit at the corner.>Very pleased with it. It's a tremendous design -- an excellent use of the yarn, technically interesting but not too challenging, easy to carry around and knit in pieces, and it's a truly beautiful finished piece. The sewing up is a bit of a challenge, but that's my own fault because I made the modification.

The designer, Laura Aylor, should be proud of her work. She's brought much joy to knitters and warmth and comfort to friends and families of knitters, all over the world.

If only I could teach him to weave in ends...

LR is sewn up and edged, I just need to weave in the ends. Surely I could get the cat to do something with his claws other than wreck the carpets?

FO: Swallowtail Shawl

Although the flood itself provided lots of knitting time, the aftermath did not...

I did find time to finish up the Swallowtail Shawl...


adding another to the heap of lace shawls knitted that are unlikely to ever be worn... I should start selling them, or something.

On a different note, it is a terrific pattern, and results in a modestly sized shawl that's entirely wearable. The Seasilk rocks. Lovely sheen, great hand, excellent drape, and I love the subtle variation in the colours. See, Fleece Artist -- I do love your products!

Hours and Hours and Hours... The Wee Ones

I messed with a few different types of edgings for the Lizard Ridge, and ultimately settled on an applied i-cord. It's visually strong enough to provide a good frame for the riot of colours, and is somehow less tedious than picking up stitches.

Or so I thought... turns out that applied i-cord is slow going. It's ok, I find it very simple and soothing, it doesn't require any attention, but it's slow. I estimated about 8 hours to complete the full edge at the pace I was working.

As to the soothing bit, it's a good thing.

Ever feel the urge to stay up into the wee hours to work on a project?

We experienced a major flooding incident due to a burst pipe last night. A mystery burst pipe. That leaked at 45 minute -1 hour intervals. From above our bathroom, over the hall closet and into the basement. We sat around, quite literally all night, with a plumber, the superintendent and the building manager, waiting until the next wave of flood started. I got lots and lots and lots of the edging completed.

They soldered the hole in the pipe about 8:30am this morning. We are now waiting for the cleanup crew to arrive.

I'm making excellent progress on the edging.

Sewn Up!

The photo does not do the colours justice. It's stunning. Am now considering my edging strategy....


Not sure I love the crochet. I've seen a very successful garter stitch edging...

I'M ON UR BLANKIT

MESSIN UP UR KNITTIN

If you have no idea what this is about, see icanhascheezburger.com)

On Fleece Artist and Handmaiden

I love the Fleece Artist and Handmaiden yarns. Love them to distraction. They produce beautiful yarns in tremendous colourways with interesting and innnovative fibres. Can't recommended them highly enough.

And their designs are great -- simple and elegant shapes and ideas, executed well in their variegated and multicoloured yarns. Lovely.

But I do wish they'd hire a technical editor for their patterns. They're poorly written, and I've encountered mistakes, and I believe they are doing themselves a serious misservice.

Even this latest one I'm working on, Jane, written by someone else, isn't great. There aren't any mistakes that I have found, but it's not at all "user friendly". No gauge is given, no dimensions or details for sizing. The only reason I knew which size to make was because there was a sample in my local shop that I was able to try on.

Mistakes do happen, typos creep into printed patterns. It's happened to me, I'll cheerfully admit it. But my complaint isn't about typos, it is about patterns that are misssing key information, or are too vague or brief in their instructions. I mention Jane, but this is pretty typical for their patterns. Now, it doesn't matter so much if there isn't a gauge or schematic or sizing information for a scarf, but it matters a lot for a sweater.

And their sock and mitten patterns frustrate me to no end. They suggest using 2 short circulars to work in the round -- which is fair enough, it's a technique that I know some people love and have good success with, even if it's fairly unusual. My complaint is that they give no guidance for this technique, and the pattern is written in such a way that if you wish to convert it to use DPNs or a single 12" circular, you would have difficulty. I also found out-and-out mistakes in a sock pattern of theirs from a couple of years ago -- I don't know if it's been since caught and fixed -- but if you'd never knitted a sock before, you'd have been pretty lost. And I know other knitted have been frustrated with a mitten/sock pattern kit, which is ambigious about whether it kit produces a pair of either, or a pair of both.

Their patterns are written in a very informal, almost conversational style -- which can be good for novices. And I appreciate their attempt to keep the pattern instructions concise. I know that overly long, overly detailed instructions can be intimidating.

But as any writer will tell you, it's much harder to convey precise instructions in a casual and concise style. And like cooking, your chances of success are much higher if the instructions are precise and accurate.

It is just me? Has anyone else had difficulty?

(On the topic of Jane specifically, there are a couple of adjustments I'd make to the pattern to make it easier to work. I'd highly recommend using a provisional cast-on to start, to save having to unpick your cast-on later. And I'd work the sleeves in the round, too. Even less finishing! But there are adjustments you can easily make on the fly.)