tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371748708460409222024-03-12T18:56:42.439-07:00All Fiber, All the TimeA blog about sewing, knitting, spinning, weaving, dyeing, and surface design.shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-59040177680562091102011-11-23T06:35:00.000-08:002011-11-23T06:40:23.983-08:00Finished Mittens, and a New HatI finished the blue top-down mittens I've been working on for about a week. As usual, there are imponderables: why is the thumb on one mitten bigger than on the other mitten? Why did I forget to start the thumb hole until I was a couple of rows past the right point? Oh well. With mittens, fit is not crucial, and they "work" pretty much regardless.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N81ipq2m3hk/Ts0F0H6mHJI/AAAAAAAABEc/cn6ZaDYgGvo/s1600/bluemittens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N81ipq2m3hk/Ts0F0H6mHJI/AAAAAAAABEc/cn6ZaDYgGvo/s320/bluemittens.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3LtaHE0inrc/Ts0BaZocXfI/AAAAAAAABEE/UgiEU46NhrU/s1600/IMG_3290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>I am still not entirely satisfied with the way the thumbs look, though. I think for my next top-down mitten I'm going to follow the directions for a change. Anna Zilboorg does not use the after-thought thumb or "thumb trick" thumb. She stops working on the mitten when she gets to the place where the thumb should be inserted; she goes and gets other dpns and makes a thumb from the top down; and finally, she grafts it onto the palm and then continues knitting the mitten. Maybe there's a reason for this. Maybe I should follow the directions.<br />
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I did follow the directions for the hat I made yesterday. This is a pattern called "Who?" that I downloaded from the Ravelry site. I made the yarn for it while I was in TN in early fall: it is a wool/angora blend that I spun very fine and plied six strands of it together! This is the first time I've ever plied more than three ends together. I had to make a homemade lazy kate with a shoebox and a coat hanger in order to hold six bobbins in place for the plying. But it worked fine. Plying six strands together makes for a very even yarn, as it averages out all the nubs and slubs. I was going for a worsted weight yarn, and I got one. This hat knit up very quickly as a consequence, on size 4.5 mm needles, at about 4 stitches per inch.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-61KFUV6KsrM/Ts0CykfKWNI/AAAAAAAABEM/RYuVl3TNCus/s1600/IMG_3291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-61KFUV6KsrM/Ts0CykfKWNI/AAAAAAAABEM/RYuVl3TNCus/s320/IMG_3291.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>If you look closely, you can see owls. See them? I am going to sew some buttons on for eyes, so it will be more obvious that they are owls.<br />
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To make the owls, you make some traveling stitches by cabling across four stitches, four different times. I learned to cable without a cable needle last winter, and I had to review the Youtube video to do it again. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogMAdvojRlE">This great video</a> shows very clearly how to cable without a needle, and I recommend it. Using a cable needle for me slows things down and makes it so awkward that it's not any fun.<br />
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Here's a close-up of one of the owls:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DI3qHnwcLf8/Ts0D4ylaF9I/AAAAAAAABEU/7dTjAIbgipA/s1600/owlcloseup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DI3qHnwcLf8/Ts0D4ylaF9I/AAAAAAAABEU/7dTjAIbgipA/s320/owlcloseup.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>I'm glad that I plied so many strands together to make this yarn. It looks almost "buyed," as my son used to say. More importantly, the cables show up because the yarn is smooth and uniform. The other times I have tried knit/purl or cable patterns with handspun, you couldn't see the structure of the knitting very well because the yarn itself had so much texture. But here, all the plies smooth things out and make it possible to see the owls.shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-71259773530812128052011-11-16T05:36:00.000-08:002011-11-16T05:36:03.612-08:00Mittens from the Top DownI've been knitting this new series of mittens from the top down, based on the method outlined in Anna Zilboorg's book, <i>Magnificent Mittens and Socks.</i> It's a little tricky at first to understand how the tip of the mitten is constructed, so I made a little video that shows the very beginning of the mitten. The first thing you do is you knit a tiny rectangle. This rectangle has four live stitches on two of its sides, attached to two of your dpns. Once you've made it, then you use your other dpns to pick up three stitches on each of the other two sides. These three stitches grow to become the palm and back of the mitten. (Next week I'll show how you cast on and knit the little starter rectangle.)<br />
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Here is the tip of the mitten with all the increases done.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fDlUfZCkfgU/TsO7uu5sdYI/AAAAAAAABDE/n6Xb2nycnxM/s1600/mitten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fDlUfZCkfgU/TsO7uu5sdYI/AAAAAAAABDE/n6Xb2nycnxM/s320/mitten.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
You can see that as I increased the number of stitches on the palm and on the back, I started knitting the color pattern of the mitten from a chart in the book. It's a little fiddly, handling several colors in this little space, but it can be done, and it's great the way the pattern fits perfectly and symmetrically into the top of the mitten.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=onbr-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1933064161&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-76279484485971458692011-11-09T09:55:00.000-08:002011-11-09T10:02:59.868-08:00Mittens and ThumbsI've been making mittens from an inspiring book called <i>Magnificent Mittens and Socks</i> by Anna Zilboorg. She makes really colorful mittens, a lot of which have long gauntlet-like, flared cuffs. The purpose of these cuffs is to make the mittens big and colorful enough that they won't get lost as easily, and also, in my view, to keep snow from going up the sleeves of your jacket when you plunge your hands into the powder to make a snowball to throw at your friend.<br />
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But the flared cuffs, although traditional in parts of Scandinavia, look pretty girlie to me, and I'm making mittens for guys right now. So I just make a regular ribbed cuff, or sometimes I just narrow the wrist area by switching to smaller needles.<br />
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Anna Zilboorg also uses what she calls "the invisible thumb." This is a thumb that sort of blends into the pattern of the palm. It's not exactly invisible, but it does merge nicely with the palm pattern, as you can see in my mitten below:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e0QsVslyb8A/Trq3jseHBRI/AAAAAAAABBE/rkoCXo9Cxzc/s1600/sammitten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e0QsVslyb8A/Trq3jseHBRI/AAAAAAAABBE/rkoCXo9Cxzc/s320/sammitten.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Anna Zilboorg's strategy for making this thumb is to stop knitting the mitten when you get to the point where you want to insert the thumb. You put the main mitten aside, and knit a thumb from the top down, and then you graft it onto the main mitten at the thumb place by knitting the back-of-the-thumb stitches together with some of the palm stitches.<br />
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But this is not how I do it. I do it the way I learned from Elizabeth Zimmerman: <a href="http://akittenknits.blogspot.com/2006/12/thumb-trick.html">the thumb trick</a>, as she calls it. Some call it the afterthought thumb. The truly "afterthought" way to do the afterthought thumb (or afterthought pocket, or afterthought heel) is as follows: you snip a few stitches in the middle of where you want to put the thumb, pocket, or heel; you carefully unravel the stitches for as wide a section as you need to insert the afterthought thing; you pick up stitches on either side of this gap; and then you start knitting the thumb or whatever. (Darn the ravelled ends in later.)<br />
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The great thing about this method is that you can knit "blanks," that is, tubes of some length which can then become a sock or a mitten or whatever is needed at the time. You don't have to know when you're knitting the tube whom it will be for; you can decide that later, and at that point you will know how much space to allow between the end of the hand or foot and the thumb or heel. I imagine that many knitters in the past just knitted blanks, kept them in a drawer, and when somebody needed a sock or mitten, they pulled out a blank, snipped a thread, and in a few minutes a new sock or mitten was had.<br />
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Since I know who I am knitting these mittens for, though, I knit the afterthought thumb with some forethought: I insert a thread at the point where the thumb should go (the EZ thumb trick). When I come to that point, I knit the stitches off onto a different colored thread. Usually for a thumb this might be about two inches worth of stitches. Then I slip those stitches back onto the left needle and continue knitting around, as if nothing had happened. Here's how it looks:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-32k76_zsyJw/Trq6KbizNlI/AAAAAAAABBM/tdD690XPXWA/s1600/afterthoughtthumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-32k76_zsyJw/Trq6KbizNlI/AAAAAAAABBM/tdD690XPXWA/s320/afterthoughtthumb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Later, when the hand of the mitten is finished, I pull out this contrasting thread (in this case the blue thread) and pick up the stitches above and below it. Then I knit the thumb from the bottom up.<br />
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Here you can see the thumb stitches on their needles ready to be knit up:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tJLlyezY124/Trq6itmqidI/AAAAAAAABBU/Pwp47_YB1UI/s1600/jakcmitten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tJLlyezY124/Trq6itmqidI/AAAAAAAABBU/Pwp47_YB1UI/s320/jakcmitten.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I usually start on these two needles and then add two more, as it's easier to knit circularly on three or four needles. I pick up a stitch in the two gaps at either end of the mitten opening, to avoid a hole there.<br />
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Another thing that's distinctive about Anna Zilboorg's mitten method is that she knits them from the top down. To do this, you use a<a href="http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter02/FEATtiptoptoes.html"> figure-8 cast-on (scroll down).</a> I found this cast-on frustrating at first, but later I came to love it, and to see the advantage of knitting the mitten from the fingertips down, rather than beginning at the cuff. The advantage is that you can try on the mitten as you knit and make sure that it will fit. You can keep increasing at the tip until it's wide enough to fit the recipient's hand comfortably.<br />
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The other thing I like is that this cast-on allows you to have a seamless band that runs up the sides of the mitten, over the top, and down the other side, graphically separating the back of the mitten from the palm graphically. This band can be solid or striped. (You can see it on the green and red mitten at the top.) This is how stockings and socks are knitted in Eastern Europe: a similar band separates the sole from the instep and the front from the back of the sock. Anna Zilboorg <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Simply-Socks-Traditional-Turkish-Patterns/dp/1887374590/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1320861242&sr=8-4">has written extensively about socks from that part of the world,</a> and presumably their design influenced her mitten designs.<br />
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AZ dyes her own yarn for her mittens, and I did the same. I had a big cone of sport weight yarn in white, and I dyed with my new stash of <a href="http://greenershades.stillrivermill.com/">Greener Shades dyes</a>, which are acid dyes with no heavy metals in them. I used a crock pot out on the porch, and it was very easy and satisfactory. <br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=onbr-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1933064161&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-78666104254347012002011-09-24T08:37:00.000-07:002011-09-24T08:39:40.626-07:00Greener Shades DyesI've been experimenting with Greener Shades dyes. These are acid dyes for protein fibers such as wool and silk, but they are nontoxic. Most acid dyes are not extremely toxic, but some have heavy metals in them, and it's difficult to know which do and which don't. With these dyes, you know you're safe.<br />
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I dyed several 100 yd skeins of a sport weight yarn that I bought on a cone years ago from Webs. The plan is to make very colorful mittens, from a book called <i>Magnificent Mittens and Socks</i>, by Anna Zilboorg. The gauge for her fancy mittens is about 6 stitches to the inch, which is perfect for this sport weight yarn.<br />
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I did all the dyeing in a crock pot out on the porch. This is a dedicated dye crock pot, and it works very well for dyeing wool, because it just sort of simmers rather than coming to a hard boil, which is easier on the wool. The workflow is: I skein the yarn, put it in soapy water to soak, heat up the crock pot, add the dye, add the yarn, and then wait a while for the yarn to soak up some of the dye. Then I add the vinegar which activates the dye and makes it stick to the yarn. I leave the mixture to simmer for a while, and then I come back and check it. If the water is clear, the dye has set and you can remove the yarn from the pot. I cool it for a minute and then rinse it in warm water, spin out the extra water and hang to dry.<br />
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I use the dye as a 1% solution. That is, I dissolve 1 gram of the dye in 100 mls of water, in a little half pint jam jar. For a deep shade, I use a 2% dye concentration: that is, I weigh the fiber dry, and multiply by 2 to get the number of ml to use to dye with. For example, for 50 grams of yarn you would use 100 ml of dye solution.<br />
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One thing I found out is that when you try to dye wool a deep shade like that, it doesn't take up every bit of the dye even if you cook it for a while. But that's ok, because if you put a new skein in after you take the previous, deeply dyed one out, the new skein will soak up the rest of the dye and will be a nice pale shade, a tint of the previous skein. These skeins harmonize well with each other in knitting.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=onbr-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1933064161&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
</div>shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-24831300421135785582011-09-02T14:12:00.000-07:002011-09-02T14:12:02.187-07:00Skorts for an Active GirlMy niece is a gymnast and a very strong and active girl. She likes for her clothes, even her school clothes, to be comfortable and practical, and she likes to be able to do a cartwheel whenever she wants to. For all those reasons, she prefers skorts to skirts. Skorts look like skirts, but they have built-in shorts underneath. So when you turn a cartwheel, nobody says, "I see London, I see France..."<br />
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I made a skort for her using McCall's 4762. I altered the waist and hips slightly, as my niece is very slim for her height. You sew the skort by making a pair of shorts, then an A-line skirt, and then a waistband. The shorts and skirt are basted together, and then sewed to the waistband. The waistband is smooth in front and elasticized in the back:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xGeYr_rgGWk/TmFEPf8FeOI/AAAAAAAAA-s/BUSz5jgJLUI/s1600/dogpark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xGeYr_rgGWk/TmFEPf8FeOI/AAAAAAAAA-s/BUSz5jgJLUI/s320/dogpark.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
After I made this skort I realized it wouldn't be hard to design my own, using any shorts and skirt patterns. For the next one, I decided to make the skirt fuller, for more freedom of movement. I used the Kwik Sew Sewing for Children book, and I traced the shorts pattern and the full gathered skirt pattern. I added some side seam pockets to the skirt, and it was a simple matter to draft a waistband to sew both pieces to.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d5BOwdk5L3c/TmFFWOWOvaI/AAAAAAAAA-w/jc-TAl2Kx_E/s1600/fishskirtshorts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d5BOwdk5L3c/TmFFWOWOvaI/AAAAAAAAA-w/jc-TAl2Kx_E/s320/fishskirtshorts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-INcyxepeK6k/TmFFe-INgvI/AAAAAAAAA-0/w_Gtub1v4Zk/s1600/fishskirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-INcyxepeK6k/TmFFe-INgvI/AAAAAAAAA-0/w_Gtub1v4Zk/s320/fishskirt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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The KwikSew book also tells you how to take the basic shorts pattern and alter it so that it becomes flared shorts, which look like a skirt because the legs are fuller. These shorts are very comfortable, and needless to say, they are sufficiently modest for cartwheels and handsprings. I put side seam pockets on these shorts also. All you have to do to alter the basic shorts pattern is slash the pattern from waist to hem and spread the hem about 3 inches. (I also lengthened the shorts first, so that they would be long enough for school.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wN-PC7-N7OA/TmFGJ5S9QEI/AAAAAAAAA-4/rinIBBe9wf0/s1600/pinkskort.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wN-PC7-N7OA/TmFGJ5S9QEI/AAAAAAAAA-4/rinIBBe9wf0/s320/pinkskort.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Now I'm thinking about skorts for fall, in soft corduroys. The shorts could be a different, coordinating fabric. Maybe I'll make some big girl skorts for myself. I don't usually turn upside down except when I'm doing yoga, but maybe yoga skorts are the next hot thing.shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-22270638200090924652011-08-08T15:07:00.000-07:002011-08-08T15:07:31.583-07:00New Curtain Warp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wf7MJfB9GKw/TkBdRIrCT6I/AAAAAAAAA9k/oMRbL8JIgUE/s1600/curtainwarp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wf7MJfB9GKw/TkBdRIrCT6I/AAAAAAAAA9k/oMRbL8JIgUE/s320/curtainwarp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is a new warp of 10/2 cotton that I just beamed today with Tom's help. The weave structure is going to be canvas weave stripes, a lace weave. The effective sett is about 34 ends per inch, because the warp is crammed in some of the dents of the reed. I beamed on enough warp to make two curtain panels, some cup towels, and a sleeveless top. I'm trying to use up my stash of 10/2 cotton, which will also be the weft yarn, but I plan to use some handspun weft on the sleeveless top. This will be singles cotton that I started spinning during the Tour de Fleece.shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-48184531591808929062011-08-07T14:53:00.000-07:002011-08-07T16:46:12.375-07:00Slipstitch Rings socksI've been going through Cat Bordhi's sock book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/New-Pathways-Sock-Knitters-Book/dp/B003KA735M/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312753906&sr=1-1">New Pathways for Sock Knitters.</a> She has invented a bunch of new ways to knit socks; the innovation mainly lies in the way the arch expansion is created. On a "regular" sock, you knit the heel flap and turn the heel, and then you pick up stitches alongside the heel flap to make a gusset, which you then reduce as you knit around the sock. This makes the sock fit over the "fat" part of your foot when you pull it on. (If you wrap a tape measure from your heel over your ankle and back to your heel, you'll see that this part of your foot is quite a bit bigger than the circumference of your foot alone, or your ankle alone. For me, it's 150% of my foot circumference.)<br />
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Cat Bordhi has invented eight (count 'em!) new ways to deal with this sock architecture problem. I have been trying them, and I'm on number 2, Cedar Architecture. Cedar Architecture is pretty simple: you just increase gradually anywhere you want to around the sock, until you have enough stitches to reach around the instep plus heel! Then you do a short-row heel turn on the bottom of the sock. This special heel turn uses up the extra stitches that you added when you increased, so that by the time you start knitting the foot, you're back to the right number of stitches around. It's sort of mysterious to me still.<br />
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Anyway, this new form of arch expansion is liberating, design-wise, because the design of the ankle can continue all the way down to the bottom of the foot, without being interrupted by any heel flap. In this pattern, called Slipstitch Rings, the last pattern ring is right before the heel turn. Cool!<br />
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I used a multicolored sock yarn that was on sale at <a href="http://www.knitpicks.com/knitting.cfm">KnitPicks</a>, as well as some left-over yarn for the rings. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kEI5Lqlb5tA/Tj8I2gSh_rI/AAAAAAAAA9g/xycizkJSTpE/s1600/closeupsock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kEI5Lqlb5tA/Tj8I2gSh_rI/AAAAAAAAA9g/xycizkJSTpE/s320/closeupsock.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-43481126510662721012011-07-30T11:17:00.000-07:002011-08-07T16:47:45.690-07:00Making a Roman Shade with Handwoven FabricI had been wanting to make a shade for a window in my house that faces west. A lot of sun comes in every day, heating up the house, and I wanted to filter that light a little bit. The window is so narrow that it seemed silly to have curtains there, so I decided to make a Roman shade instead. That's one of those window shades made out of fabric that pulls up like a blind, sort of, when you pull on a string.<br />
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I ordered a kit from a website called <a href="http://www.make-roman-shades.com/?gclid=CKiqz9DTqaoCFQWA5QodpwTlWg">Make Roman Shades.com</a>. When you order the kit, you specify the dimensions of your shade--its width and length--and you receive directions and hardware specific to your very own shade. This makes it pretty easy to assemble the shade. The directions assume you are going to use store-bought fabric and a liner, but I had woven a piece to fit that space, and I didn't want a liner because I wanted the light to filter through the lacy weave. It wasn't hard to adapt the directions a little for one piece of handwoven fabric.<br />
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The weave is called basket weave. I'm doing a series of lace pieces for my windows, and this was the first one. Basket weave is just two weft threads crossing two warp threads, interspersed with plain weave stripes in this case, and it's a very simple lace weave. I was trying to use up my stash of 10/2 cotton, and I used some of it in this project, but I have a lot left for future lacy curtains.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wObm2Wyawuo/TjRJSamrlZI/AAAAAAAAA9I/tKndrc3DXhs/s1600/threads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wObm2Wyawuo/TjRJSamrlZI/AAAAAAAAA9I/tKndrc3DXhs/s320/threads.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The hardware for assembling the shade includes a piece of wood, to which you screw the pulleys and the cord thingamajig, which makes the shade stay up with a little braking device for the cords inside it. Also you get some plastic rods, which you slide inside these special Roman shade sleeves, which you sew to the back of the shade. These sleeves also allow the cords to pass through them vertically. It's pretty cool how it all works. You screw the piece of wood to the top of the window frame. The shade attaches to the back side of the wood piece with velcro, so it's possible, theoretically, to remove the shade from the wood piece for cleaning.<br />
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The shade works exactly as it was supposed to, which is good. And, it looks exactly like I wanted it to look: also good. But I realized after I put it together that it's going to be very hard to take it apart to clean it! You would have to unscrew the wooden mounting board from the window frame, unstring the shade, and take out all the rods. Maybe I can just vacuum it if it gets too dirty. But in the future, I think I'll make plain old curtains for the other windows. They can be easily taken down in winter to let more light in, and you can wash them, which seems like a good idea with light-colored curtains.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gJM-Uvbtspo/TjRJgJrULYI/AAAAAAAAA9M/c2Ba0N8nO3A/s1600/window+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gJM-Uvbtspo/TjRJgJrULYI/AAAAAAAAA9M/c2Ba0N8nO3A/s320/window+up.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9V9Fn5QGEoI/TjRJq3051-I/AAAAAAAAA9Q/DiVAEniDS_0/s1600/windowdown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9V9Fn5QGEoI/TjRJq3051-I/AAAAAAAAA9Q/DiVAEniDS_0/s320/windowdown.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-35589761665673357322011-04-14T12:19:00.000-07:002011-04-14T12:23:21.322-07:00Blue Lace Handspun Socks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fWm9B4O3iSM/TadIy7iuJNI/AAAAAAAAA8E/S1QG5HPIL9k/s1600/twosocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fWm9B4O3iSM/TadIy7iuJNI/AAAAAAAAA8E/S1QG5HPIL9k/s320/twosocks.jpg" width="311" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>I just finished making a pair of socks from Anna Zilboorg's great book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Socks-Sandals-Clogs-Anna-Zilboorg/dp/0976106418/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302808960&sr=8-1">Socks for Sandals and Clogs</a>. I love this book because of the clever patterning that she puts down the backs of the sock heels, which you can see in the picture below. Here, the heel is folded up over the sole so you can see it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0E2NdxZuzAw/TadJCfDQk5I/AAAAAAAAA8I/oiLuyVwbVIo/s1600/heel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0E2NdxZuzAw/TadJCfDQk5I/AAAAAAAAA8I/oiLuyVwbVIo/s320/heel.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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Most socks just have a rather generic heel flap, I suppose because when you wear regular shoes, the heel flap doesn't show. But a lot of people wear clogs and Birkenstock-type sandals nowadays, and some people wear socks with their clogs. I always wear socks with my Birki plastic clogs, because they're not very comfortable without socks. (Otherwise, the plastic pulls the little hairs on the tops of my feet and toes, which I suppose you are supposed to shave off if you're a good girl.)<br />
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I spun a wool/mohair/nylon blend for these socks, fairly tightly, and plied it balanced. It knitted up at a gauge of about six stitches per inch on 3mm needles.<br />
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There is a lace pattern that travels down the front and back of each sock:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fWu1PBv23Gw/TadGya58XhI/AAAAAAAAA78/TFzitZrIcZ4/s1600/instepdetail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fWu1PBv23Gw/TadGya58XhI/AAAAAAAAA78/TFzitZrIcZ4/s320/instepdetail.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
This pattern was sort of a challenge for me. I had to learn how to do a <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter09/FEATwin09TT.php">raised increase.</a> After I learned this, the pattern became easy. Ana Zilboorg also uses raised increases on the toe of her toe-up patterns, of which this is one.<br />
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I have ambivalent feelings about toe-up socks. On the one hand, if you're not sure you have enough yarn to make a tall sock, you can start at the toe and just knit until you run out of half your yarn. (Then make the other one.) On the other hand, I don't like the fiddly cast-on for toe-up socks. But the more times I do it, the easier it gets.<br />
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With this pair of toe-up socks, I didn't do the heel the way AZ suggests for the first sock. I knitted a tube from toe to the top of the sock; then I inserted a plain heel. For the second sock, I did it her way: I knitted up to where the heel would start, put the sock aside, made a new "toe," which would actually be the heel, and grafted it onto the sole stitches, and then joined the round and away I went up the ankle. This worked marvelously well, and I admire her innovation in the "unventing" (as Elizabeth Zimmerman used to say) of this technique. It's not traditional, but it works!<br />
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The picture below shows how the heel joins the ankle, and how it looks from the back of the sock. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jv-3IMpRxxk/TadIZKWPT_I/AAAAAAAAA8A/DWOMqmmI7Mw/s1600/heeldetail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jv-3IMpRxxk/TadIZKWPT_I/AAAAAAAAA8A/DWOMqmmI7Mw/s320/heeldetail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-85038347454519821602011-04-03T13:58:00.000-07:002011-04-03T13:58:04.359-07:00Green SocksMade of Tofutsies, a wool/cotton/bamboo/soy blend.<br />
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Feels very summery. This pattern looks cabled, but it's really a lace pattern with decreases and yarn-overs. It was the March Mystery Sock on Ravelry.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ikCk4sabElM/TZjfIKmY4cI/AAAAAAAAA70/JHlFsJ5ycGY/s1600/greensocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ikCk4sabElM/TZjfIKmY4cI/AAAAAAAAA70/JHlFsJ5ycGY/s320/greensocks.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-4925414544840731082010-12-30T08:54:00.000-08:002010-12-30T08:54:08.891-08:00Monster sockAt the Ravelry sock group, we're trying to use up our left-over sock yarn before the new year begins. Here's my second pair of left-overs sock in progress:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/TRy5IfvD9cI/AAAAAAAAA6o/vmF4Gvu1rDQ/s1600/willsocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/TRy5IfvD9cI/AAAAAAAAA6o/vmF4Gvu1rDQ/s320/willsocks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-24909920802276288922010-12-30T08:50:00.000-08:002010-12-30T08:50:23.649-08:00outfit for a little girlI made this outfit for my niece, Libby, for Christmas. The patterns were all from Ottobre magazine, the fall 2010 issue. There was a cute bubble skirt with a machine-embroidered mushroom on it, a blouse with pin tucks, and a velour jacket to go with the skirt and blouse.<br />
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It was my first attempt at machine embroidery. I put a piece of stabilizer under the fabric while I stitched the lines of the mushroom, and that helped a lot. It was pretty easy and didn't require a fancy machine, as the only stitch required was a straight stitch.<br />
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The blouse fabric is Liberty Tana lawn. I had a blouse that I made for myself out of it, but I never wore it, so I took it apart to make a smaller blouse. <br />
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Here's the jacket on Libby: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/TRy3eMixsMI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/55akIPOBSwo/s1600/girlwithjacket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/TRy3eMixsMI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/55akIPOBSwo/s320/girlwithjacket.jpg" width="240" /></a></div> And on the floor:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/TRy3iuyCKuI/AAAAAAAAA6U/AzZkLlDBX3w/s1600/jacket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/TRy3iuyCKuI/AAAAAAAAA6U/AzZkLlDBX3w/s320/jacket.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Blouse detail:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/TRy3ngUkmtI/AAAAAAAAA6Y/z1Yd-cxRYhI/s1600/blousedetail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/TRy3ngUkmtI/AAAAAAAAA6Y/z1Yd-cxRYhI/s320/blousedetail.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
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Skirt detail: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/TRy3rA3PUkI/AAAAAAAAA6c/Qnd6JxPtmG8/s1600/mushroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/TRy3rA3PUkI/AAAAAAAAA6c/Qnd6JxPtmG8/s320/mushroom.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/TRy3r6NtWBI/AAAAAAAAA6g/aYKV46DbL5E/s1600/outfit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/TRy3r6NtWBI/AAAAAAAAA6g/aYKV46DbL5E/s320/outfit.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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</a></div>shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-70519746762539310522010-12-17T09:54:00.000-08:002010-12-17T09:54:15.440-08:00stashbuster socksOn Ravelry.com, there's a group called Sock Knitters Anonymous, and this month we're all trying to use up our leftover sock yarn from other projects. I made these socks from a pattern in Anna Zilboorg's book Socks for Sandals and Clogs, called Betelgeuse. It's an easy pattern, but the accent yarns sort of pop from the background in a good way.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/TQujufIOUHI/AAAAAAAAA6I/fFqQS-o1b00/s1600/finishedbetelgeuse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/TQujufIOUHI/AAAAAAAAA6I/fFqQS-o1b00/s320/finishedbetelgeuse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-25406346690469958432010-06-17T11:34:00.000-07:002010-06-17T11:37:50.740-07:00Monkey SocksThe April sock challenge was to knit a Cookie A design. Cookie A is a celebrity sock designer. Bet you didn't know there was such a thing.<br />
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Anyway, there's a free sock pattern on Ravelry by Cookie A called Monkey. Apparently twelve thousand and sixty-seven people have made these socks. I found that so amazing that I made some too. Imagine. 12,067 pairs of Monkey socks, and that's just the ones that are documented on Ravelry: that is, there's a picture of that many pairs. There must be thousands more that have never been photographed.<br />
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Can thousands--nay, tens of thousands--of sock knitters be wrong? That was my reasoning when I set out to make my very own monkey socks. Also, a sock yarn web site had just given me a skein of their space-dyed yarn to try, and Monkey socks are sort of designed for space-dyed yarn, so it seemed like a good time to try making Monkey socks.<br />
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The pattern was really easy yet not so easy that it was boring. It is kind of lacy, and kind of stretchy. I like the socks a lot.<br />
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The yarn, not so much. It bled like crazy when I washed it, and the bright colors faded almost immediately. Not sure why the dyers have not figured out how to make their dye colorfast. It's not that hard.<br />
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Anyway here are the socks.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/TBprb8q3jGI/AAAAAAAAAz0/9CxMc5pIz3E/s1600/socksdeck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/TBprb8q3jGI/AAAAAAAAAz0/9CxMc5pIz3E/s320/socksdeck.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/TBpqjNfIZQI/AAAAAAAAAzs/BBFN2mY7kkw/s1600/monkeysfeet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/TBpqjNfIZQI/AAAAAAAAAzs/BBFN2mY7kkw/s400/monkeysfeet.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-74922420711377110132010-04-08T09:15:00.000-07:002010-04-08T09:18:00.019-07:00"Beautiful Vines" sockI finished one of the March Mystery socks: it's called Belle Vitini, or "beautiful vines" in Italian, and it was designed by Kristi Geraci. You can see how well the name fits:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/S74AQSdL9TI/AAAAAAAAAtU/1s-NzhFuIM4/s1600/sockfront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/S74AQSdL9TI/AAAAAAAAAtU/1s-NzhFuIM4/s320/sockfront.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The vines are created by an interesting combination of cabling and lace. It was my first time to try to do cables in knitting, using a cable needle. At first it was very awkward, but now I'm somewhat better at it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/S74AlypjsjI/AAAAAAAAAtc/WL8PeWQErjU/s1600/sockside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/S74AlypjsjI/AAAAAAAAAtc/WL8PeWQErjU/s320/sockside.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The yarn is Trekking Pro Natura, by Zitron, which is a blend of wool and bamboo. Most of the sock yarns I use are blends of wool and nylon; we'll see if this blend has the same durability.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/S74A_0jp7YI/AAAAAAAAAtk/rieZUWpGmUc/s1600/sockdetail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/S74A_0jp7YI/AAAAAAAAAtk/rieZUWpGmUc/s320/sockdetail.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Now for the second sock...shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-79702740902430082492010-04-04T12:46:00.000-07:002010-04-04T12:46:14.332-07:00Entrelac socks finished, finallyThe Sock Knitters Anonymous challenge for February was to make some entrelac socks. You have two months to accomplish the challenge, and it took me the full two months to make these socks.<br />
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I used hand spun for the tops and mill spun Ultra Alpaca Fine for the bottoms, and so far they seem to be wearing well.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/S7jseGJJZtI/AAAAAAAAArk/6FRItQuTLCg/s1600/entrelacsocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/S7jseGJJZtI/AAAAAAAAArk/6FRItQuTLCg/s320/entrelacsocks.jpg" /></a></div>shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-25305510586587610662010-03-07T14:23:00.000-08:002010-03-07T14:23:05.043-08:00Entrelac socks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/S5QlwtsZaCI/AAAAAAAAAnU/fxEDJVWio1I/s1600-h/sock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/S5QlwtsZaCI/AAAAAAAAAnU/fxEDJVWio1I/s320/sock.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Entrelac is a knitting technique that has fascinated me for a long time, and I finally learned to do it. The February sockdown challenge on Ravelry was entrelac. I used a pattern by Kathryn Alexander that uses handspun.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Entrelac is kind of fiddly, but really not that hard once you get past the first few rectangles. You have to turn the knitting a lot, unless you learn to purl back from the front, which I can sort of do, but it's so slow that it seems faster just to turn the knitting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The great thing about entrelac is the fun of changing colors for each row of squares. I had a lot of colorful handspun that I wanted to use up, so I used that yarn for the top. But when I got to the foot, I was afraid handspun wouldn't be durable enough, so I used some millspun sock yarn (with nylon in it) in closely matching colors. You can sort of tell it's different yarn, but the change is not too jarring I think.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Kathryn Alexander has some really cool entrelac <a href="http://www.kathrynalexander.net/hatkits.html">hat designs</a> that I'd like to try some day. </div>shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-14660839662181011902010-02-09T09:19:00.000-08:002010-02-09T09:19:31.922-08:00Hermione's Everyday socksI had time to do another pair of knit-purl decoration socks on my way home from DC. I used this pattern: <a href="http://dreamsinfiber.blogspot.com/2009/07/hermoines-everyday-socks-free-pattern.html">Hermione's Everyday Socks</a>. It was easy. I used some yarn that my sister gave me a long time ago. I like the way these turned out.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/S3GY2KcJ4yI/AAAAAAAAAmM/lsRoObRhSNA/s1600-h/socksrainbow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/S3GY2KcJ4yI/AAAAAAAAAmM/lsRoObRhSNA/s320/socksrainbow.jpg" /></a></div>shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-65580527109246996432010-01-30T06:39:00.000-08:002010-01-30T06:39:57.428-08:00Fulled handspun beaded socksFinished these socks a few days ago and fulled them for about 9 minutes in hot water in the washing machine. I had knitted them about 10% longer than my foot, so as to have some room for shrinkage. My idea was that if I fulled handspun sock yarn, it would tighten up and the socks would be more durable.<br />
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ONe of the socks has beads and the other doesn't.<br />
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We'll see if they last longer. I gave them to my sister and asked her to let me know about their durability.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/S2REsQWTCdI/AAAAAAAAAl8/EYqGh10-1xk/s1600-h/fulledsocksjansmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/S2REsQWTCdI/AAAAAAAAAl8/EYqGh10-1xk/s320/fulledsocksjansmall.jpg" /></a></div>shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-74914950535886936662010-01-06T18:42:00.000-08:002010-01-06T18:42:53.128-08:00Handspun SocksI want to use up more of my stash of handspun, so I am making the January mystery sock (on Ravelry) out of handspun. The problem, again, is durability. I fulled the yoga socks for last month so hard that they lost their elasticity and became hard to get on and off.<br />
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My new idea is that instead of fulling in the washing machine, which makes the whole sock dense and inelastic, I will just full the parts that usually wear out first: the sole and heel. That way, the sock top--the part that has to slip over your heel--will still be elastic. In theory.<br />
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To do that selective fulling, I need a washboard, so I can full by hand. Today I found out that my local Ace hardware store could order me a washboard! It will come next week. I won't be done with the socks by then--the last clue comes out the last week of January--so I might have to take the washboard with me to Houston in early February. What will the airline suitcase inspectors think?!? "That poor child: still washing her clothes on a washboard, in this day and age!"<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/S0VJ3Y_AvEI/AAAAAAAAAiU/ZoyllsbaSmk/s1600-h/jansock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/S0VJ3Y_AvEI/AAAAAAAAAiU/ZoyllsbaSmk/s320/jansock.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-24098411230384565562010-01-03T14:32:00.000-08:002010-01-03T14:32:41.414-08:00Fulled Monster Handspun Stash-busting Yoga Socks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/S0Ea_JODMII/AAAAAAAAAiE/C1ZBuUr_sxI/s1600-h/yogasocks2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/S0Ea_JODMII/AAAAAAAAAiE/C1ZBuUr_sxI/s320/yogasocks2.jpg" /></a><br />
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The December sock challenge on Ravelry was to use up your stash of yarn, and possibly also to make a sock that wasn't quite a sock. I decided to use up some of my handspun and make some yoga socks. Yoga socks don't have a heel or a toe so that you can grip the mat better with your sticky feet.<br />
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I decided also to full the socks pretty hard, to make them more durable. Fulling knitting means washing it in hot water and maybe drying it in the dryer so that it shrinks on purpose. This makes it thicker and more durable, and also warmer. Of course, it shrinks the piece too, so you have to plan ahead and knit it bigger.<br />
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The question is, how much bigger? In the process of fulling these socks, I learned a few things.<br />
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Fulling for 12 minutes in hot water in the washer makes socks shrink a lot. If you do this, you have to add 15% to your wanted circumference, and 27% to your wanted length. For example, if you want your socks to be 8" around and 9" long at the foot, then you have to knit them 9.2" around and 11.5" long! Twelve minutes of fulling makes a very stiff sock, and I didn't like the feel of it so much.<br />
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Fulling for 6 minutes in hot water in the washer doesn't change the dimensions of socks at all, though. But fulling them 6 minutes and then drying them for 20 minutes in the dryer causes a moderate amount of fulling that seems just right. In this case, you add 10% to the wanted circumference, and 20% to the wanted length for plain stockinette stitch. For Fair Isle knitting, which draws knitting in somewhat by virtue of the floats on the back, the percentage is more like 7% and 15%. It's always a good idea to make a swatch.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/S0Eayt_VxoI/AAAAAAAAAh8/BOR_kXEWGAg/s1600-h/yogasocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/S0Eayt_VxoI/AAAAAAAAAh8/BOR_kXEWGAg/s320/yogasocks.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Yoga socks are a good way to make a swatch because fit is not critical.shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-33140097265492066042009-12-21T09:07:00.000-08:002009-12-21T09:07:29.509-08:00Peace, love and tie-dye, plus dinosaur long johnsI've been playing with the dye pot and fabric paints again, oh no! Sometimes the results are good; sometimes not so much.<br />
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This tee shirt turned out pretty well. I used the low-water immersion method of dyeing, where you put the piece in a plastic bag with a small amount of water, dye and fixative. I poured two colors in there: turquoise and yellow. The result was a kind of green:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/Sy-ntaYBA7I/AAAAAAAAAgc/QWvhayCOKBI/s1600-h/greenshirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/Sy-ntaYBA7I/AAAAAAAAAgc/QWvhayCOKBI/s320/greenshirt.jpg" /></a> After I dyed it, I used fabric paint to stamp some stars on it. Stamping results in a kind of transparent, not very visible mark. So I also used some stenciling around the neckline, which results in a more opaque mark for some reason. Maybe because you end up putting down more paint.<br />
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Here is a detail:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/Sy-oPInT7kI/AAAAAAAAAgk/jVMToN8gh4k/s1600-h/shirtdetail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/Sy-oPInT7kI/AAAAAAAAAgk/jVMToN8gh4k/s320/shirtdetail.jpg" /></a>On the back I drew some spirals free hand, squeezing the fabric paint out of a little applicator bottle. It was fun. Makes you wonder why you don't draw on your clothes all the time.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/Sy-og-QpSPI/AAAAAAAAAgs/LmwfKhXqGMo/s1600-h/spirals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/Sy-og-QpSPI/AAAAAAAAAgs/LmwfKhXqGMo/s1600-h/spirals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/Sy-og-QpSPI/AAAAAAAAAgs/LmwfKhXqGMo/s320/spirals.jpg" /></a>Also I dyed some capri pants I got from Walmart last summer. The colors are cerulean blue and turquoise. Then I stenciled some shapes on the legs. These were not so successful I think: the design is too rigid or something.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/Sy-pDVof3wI/AAAAAAAAAg0/OFi8kWuhSt8/s1600-h/capris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/Sy-pDVof3wI/AAAAAAAAAg0/OFi8kWuhSt8/s320/capris.jpg" /></a>The yellow moons, which you can barely see, were stamped on.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then I made a little hooded fleece top for my niece, using an Ottobre magazine pattern:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/Sy-pVzTRGnI/AAAAAAAAAg8/j5hzC0bnqiw/s1600-h/jacket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/Sy-pVzTRGnI/AAAAAAAAAg8/j5hzC0bnqiw/s320/jacket.jpg" /></a>The fleece came from Hancock's, and it was pretty good quality for Hancock's. However, if I had had time, I probably would have ordered the really good stuff online. The best fleece, IMHO, is Polartec from Malden Mills. There's an <a href="http://www.milldirecttextiles.com/dept2.asp">outlet</a> online where you can get it cheap.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This pattern had a really cute feature: the reverse applique on the front pocket, and then here on the back too:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/Sy-qF5fbSwI/AAAAAAAAAhE/hwabs8nD2yQ/s1600-h/cutwork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/Sy-qF5fbSwI/AAAAAAAAAhE/hwabs8nD2yQ/s320/cutwork.jpg" /></a>My new sewing machine came in useful for this: you use triple reinforcing stitch to stitch around the petal shapes, through the fleece layer and the contrasting layer piece underneath. This was tricky at first, but I got better at it. Then you cut away inside the shapes to reveal the other color underneath. (You use a piece of tear-away stabilizer under all layers.)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">From a different Ottobre magazine, I made some boys' long johns, using the beloved dinosaur skull knit fabric I got last summer:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The idea here was that the seams would be on the outside for comfort, and then would be covered by this rib knit. It worked, but then that left a big wad of several layers<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">of fabric at the crotch seam. But I fixed that by zigzagging<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">it down.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/Sy-qwjuaW7I/AAAAAAAAAhM/jGDjvC9z5Aw/s1600-h/longjohns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/Sy-qwjuaW7I/AAAAAAAAAhM/jGDjvC9z5Aw/s320/longjohns.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-37615079256947499392009-12-14T15:47:00.000-08:002009-12-14T15:48:39.267-08:00Monster fulled yoga socks for December<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/SybLUegmG3I/AAAAAAAAAgE/6OKKQw9CTdg/s1600-h/540071809_7992c07ae4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/SybLUegmG3I/AAAAAAAAAgE/6OKKQw9CTdg/s320/540071809_7992c07ae4.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
</div>The December Sock-down challenge on the Ravelry group Sock Knitters Anonymous is to make a sock that's not quite a sock. One of the options is a pair of yoga socks. This is what they look like. (Note: this is not a picture of my feet and my socks; this is from a Ravelry page with a yoga sock pattern on it. I just put it here to show you what a yoga sock is.)<br />
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The idea is that your heel and toes can still grip the mat, but your feet don't get as cold as they would barefoot.<br />
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The other part of the challenge is to use up as many bits and pieces of yarns in your stash as possible. Socks with a lot of very different (sometimes clashing) colors are sometimes called Monster Socks on Ravelry. I have a big stash of sport weight yarns in many colors:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/SybLyWttQ6I/AAAAAAAAAgM/amqNOAbpAHc/s1600-h/sportstash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/SybLyWttQ6I/AAAAAAAAAgM/amqNOAbpAHc/s320/sportstash.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Most of these balls are handspun yarn, although there are a few mill spun balls in there.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One problem with making socks from handspun is that my handspun wool does not have any nylon mixed into it. Nylon makes the socks wear longer without getting holes. In the past, I have tried to card nylon with wool to make a sock blend, but it didn't blend in very well and I didn't like the result. So my new idea, to make the socks more durable, is to full them before wearing.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Fulling is just washing the socks in hot water and perhaps tossing them in the dryer, to make the wool fibers catch on and cling to each other more tightly, otherwise known as shrinking. It is like felting, in that the objective is to make the wool fibers fuse together, but felting is done with loose unspun fibers, whereas fulling is done to woven or knitted fabric. It was common to full woven fabric in pre-industrial times; in Scotland, there were "waulking" parties, where wet wool was beaten over and over by gangs of women around a table, as they sang songs called "waulking songs." Nowadays, all we have to do is throw a piece of woven or knitted wool in the washer with some hot water and some other pieces of clothing, agitate in the machine, and then remove and check the degree of fulling. Further fulling can be done in the dryer, as the semi-wet piece tosses around in the humid heat.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Fulling makes knitting much more durable, so it seems a natural for socks.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I plan to knit fair isle yoga socks with corrugated rib at the top and along the edge of the opening at the heel and toe. After fulling, I'll have an idea of the gauge of my fulled knitting--the number of stitches per inch after fulling, as well as before fulling--which will be useful information in designing future fulled socks or other clothing. Ideally, I could come up with a percentage rule--i.e. "make your sock 10% wider and 15% longer than you intend for it to be after fulling"--that would work for most wools.<br />
</div>shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-56946407639244628342009-11-29T13:22:00.000-08:002009-11-29T13:22:08.932-08:00Anatomical toesI've been experimenting with anatomical toes on socks. Most people's feet are not pointed like a normal homemade sock's toe is. Well, maybe a normal sock is not pointed, but it has a rounded point. The "normal" sock toe decrease is that you decrease the number of stitches on both sides, right and left, at the same rate, four stitches every other round.<br />
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But on my foot, the outside of the foot curves in more at the toe than the inside, because my big toe points pretty much straight ahead. I have never worn really pointy shoes in my life, so my feet have not taken on the shape of pointy toed shoes. My feet are shaped like the Birkenstock clogs I wear almost all the time.<br />
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So I have started making sock toes reflect this fact. My first effort was this:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/SxLlQvJvDuI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/N6wyYGCOILs/s1600/toe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/SxLlQvJvDuI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/N6wyYGCOILs/s320/toe.jpg" /></a><br />
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I did no decreases at all on the big toe side, just on the outside "little toe" side. It's very comfortable.<br />
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On my second model, I decreased every other row on the outside of the foot for about 3/4 inch, and then I started decreasing on both the inside and the outside of the foot, four stitches eliminated every other row, for another 1 1/4 inch approximately. This yielded the following toe:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/SxLl091_pyI/AAAAAAAAAfY/JosFUwTQwVU/s1600/greensocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/SxLl091_pyI/AAAAAAAAAfY/JosFUwTQwVU/s320/greensocks.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's pretty comfortable too, but I think the first one is more comfortable. We'll see which is better after I've test-driven both for a few weeks.<br />
</div>shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837174870846040922.post-21191280130263308832009-11-21T10:38:00.000-08:002009-11-21T10:38:42.220-08:00Miss Marple Mystery SockI have become addicted to Sock Knitters Anonymous, a group on Ravelry. SKA has a monthly "challenge, " beginning in September: each monthly challenge gives the knitter a choice between knitting a sock by a certain designer; or a sock using a certain technique; or, every other month, the mystery sock.<br />
For November, the technique is mosaic knitting, and the mystery sock was designed by Star Athena. That is the challenge I'm working on this month.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/Swgzh09lrRI/AAAAAAAAAdw/RoL-52UTKcQ/s1600/sock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gXuWSIoZF9k/Swgzh09lrRI/AAAAAAAAAdw/RoL-52UTKcQ/s320/sock.jpg" /></a><br />
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I learned about mosaic knitting early in my knitting career, which began thirty years ago. My first knitting teacher was Barbara Walker, who wrote a book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Knit-Afghan-Book-Barbara-Walker/dp/0942018133/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258828205&sr=8-1">Learn-to-Knit Afghan Book</a>. This is the first knitting book I ever had. Barbara Walker is a big exponent of mosaic knitting. It uses two colors (or more) like Fair Isle knitting, but you don't carry two colors in one row as in Fair Isle knitting; the color work results from slipping stitches from the previous row. You knit two rows of one color, then two rows of another color, but you are slipping stitches from the row below, so it looks as if there are two colors carried in one row, sort of.<br />
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For some reason I didn't really take to mosaic knitting thirty years ago. I didn't really like the way it looked as well as I liked the way Fair Isle knitting looked. Mosaic knitting has a kind of angular look to it, whereas Fair Isle patterns are more organic-looking, and with Fair Isle knitting, you can knit dancing ladies or dogs or skateboarders (yes, I graphed a skateboarder once for my son's hat).<br />
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But I love Star Athena's design for this sock. It's intricate and absorbing to knit. I'm still working on Clue # 2 (a new clue is published on Ravelry and <a href="http://keeponknittinginthefreeworld.blogspot.com/">Star Athena's blog</a> every Sunday of November), so I'm a little behind. The cuff had one mosaic pattern (clue #1) and the leg has two mosaic patterns that alternate, although you can only see one in this picture. When I'm further along, I'll post another picture.shannonstoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03732140813186253428noreply@blogger.com0