YOP – year 8 – week 47
Crochet · Knitting · Projects in Progress

YOP – year 8 – week 47

Ruth15 Comments

Today’s post has been written a few days ago and published early. There has not been a lot of making going on, for a couple of reasons. Today is my Mum’s first year anniversary mass, while this coming Wednesday is her actual anniversary and I just haven’t felt like doing much, much of anything really. I’ve spent most of this last week on my own either over a coffee or taking a run/walk. The head space has allowed for some quiet to all that’s going on around me. Getting outdoors and getting more active has reminded me of why I enjoyed it so much in my youth, when I used to compete nationally in orienteering. This is also something I want to continue and focus more on and is why I am in the process of setting up a separate blog where I can write about the walks, treks and trails I go on. I’ll keep you posted on that for anyone interested.

I have been making, it’s just been a lot slower and for an hour or two only late in the evenings. The concentration is not so good I’ve found at the moment and I seem to be only able to concentrate on a row or two of the Mae cardigan. It’s not that it’s complicated, it’s just more my concentration on it, but I am enjoying the bits I’m doing on it here and there and I know myself well enough now to not push it further than that. Here is where it is now. The only way to get a good colour representation was for me to put something lighter into the shot, ie my hand and arm but this is a better picture of the colour than last weeks shot.

Mae Cardigan

I have been picking up my crochet blanket that I blogged about a couple of weeks back and I’ve been putting a row in here and there. It seems to be a lot more mindless and my fingers are enjoying the change of pace the different craft is bringing. I’m going to show you the blanket now because this coming week I just don’t think I’m going to get an extra post written up.

Crochet Blanket

and that’s it, short and sweet with not much happening, but the list it looks like this;

Year of Projects 2018-2019 List

Knitted Garments

  • Fintry – started July 7th – finished August 9th
  • Lichen – started August 11th – finished October 10th
  • Bentley – started October 13th – finished December 9th
  • Gingerbread – started March 26th – finished April 5th
  • Coloring – started January 1st – finished January 20th
  • Aster – started January 27th – finished February 26th
  • Cumulus Blouse – started October 20th – finished December 20th
  • Magnolia – started April 14th – finished May 4th
  • Mae Cardigan – started May 8th –

Sewn Garments

Socks

6 pairs

  • My Dearest Loveliest Elizabeth – started July 16th – FROGGED
  • Sock #1– started August 10th – finished August 26th 
  • Sock #2 – started August 30th – finished September 30th 
  • Sock #3 – started October 11th – FROGGED
  • Sock #4 – started November 4th – finished December 6th 
  • Sock #5 – started November 17th – FROGGED
  • Sock #6 – started December 10th – finished December 30th
  • Sock #7 – started January 4th – finished January 27th
  • Evelyns Socks – started March 1st – finished March 5th
  • Sock #8 – started March 7th – finished March 18th
  • Elizabeths Socks – started March 18th – finished March 24th
  • Sock #9 – started April 5th – finished April 14th

You can find the YOP group and weekly posts HERE

Ruth.

YOP – year 8 – week 46
Knitting · Year of Projects

YOP – year 8 – week 46

Ruth15 Comments

Just getting today’s YOP post written in the last few hours of the day. It’s been a hectic week with family events happening and today was spent as a family day out but there has been a little making time in amongst all the activity.

Firstly Magnolia has not been blocked…this is hardly a surprise…but honestly there just wasn’t a moment when I was at home to get it done. Perhaps this week, if not this week coming then it won’t get blocked for two weeks because that’s just how the next couple of weeks are going.

So that leads me onto last weeks dilemma and what to start. I started off this week by swatching first for the Vintage knit. I figured this was a good place to start because the yarn I was proposing to use is Holst Garn and this yarn contains a lot of spinning oil from listening to other knitters and when blocked it fluffs up quite a bit. I needed to factor this fluffing up into my gauge swatch because I need to redo the math on the Vintage knit a bit to make a size that will fit me as the pattern only comes in a size 36″ bust. So I knit and blocked the swatch, this is a picture of it before blocking. I am deciding if when the yarn is blocked if it’s a fabric I’m going to be happy with, if I decide it is I’ll work the math out and then begin the project.

swatch 1

As the Vintage knit requires some planning before the project begins I thought now was really the best time to get started with the Mae Cardigan, that last garment project on this years YOP list. I’ve got 6 weeks remaining to get it knit and blocked, which is cutting it a bit tight considering how the remaining weeks in May are going to be but I’ll give it a go. This is the small, meagre start I’ve made to it. The light is not great as I took it after getting home tonight in order to get this post done in time.

Mae Cardigan

I’ve decided to leave the next pair of socks to be knit until after the Mae cardigan is complete. I haven’t sewn any items yet, again right now it’s not having the time but I have been thinking about what I might want to have on my sewing list for next years YOP list and I do think there will be a sewing section…just a more realistic one!

I am currently thinking about how much I might like the Vintage pattern and if I might want more of those on next years list rather than some of the modern garment patterns I’ve been looking at. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Anyway, that does leave the list looking like this;

Year of Projects 2018-2019 List

Knitted Garments

  • Fintry – started July 7th – finished August 9th
  • Lichen – started August 11th – finished October 10th
  • Bentley – started October 13th – finished December 9th
  • Gingerbread – started March 26th – finished April 5th
  • Coloring – started January 1st – finished January 20th
  • Aster – started January 27th – finished February 26th
  • Cumulus Blouse – started October 20th – finished December 20th
  • Magnolia – started April 14th – finished May 4th
  • Mae Cardigan – started May 8th –

Sewn Garments

Socks

6 pairs

  • My Dearest Loveliest Elizabeth – started July 16th – FROGGED
  • Sock #1– started August 10th – finished August 26th 
  • Sock #2 – started August 30th – finished September 30th 
  • Sock #3 – started October 11th – FROGGED
  • Sock #4 – started November 4th – finished December 6th 
  • Sock #5 – started November 17th – FROGGED
  • Sock #6 – started December 10th – finished December 30th
  • Sock #7 – started January 4th – finished January 27th
  • Evelyns Socks – started March 1st – finished March 5th
  • Sock #8 – started March 7th – finished March 18th
  • Elizabeths Socks – started March 18th – finished March 24th
  • Sock #9 – started April 5th – finished April 14th

You can find the YOP group and weekly posts HERE

Ruth.

YOP – year 8 – week 45
Knitting · Year of Projects

YOP – year 8 – week 45

Ruth10 Comments

I looked about for what I had to talk about for this weeks Year of Projects post and all I have is the Magnolia jumper. Last week I was at the stage of having just began the pattern part on the first sleeve. As of last night the entire jumper is off the needles and even has the ends woven in. All that remains is for it to be blocked. Let’s hope though that part doesn’t take some time. I will once it’s blocked have a separate post

Magnolia

This morning has my knitting needles empty of any project, so today I can have a new cast on but what? I have a slight dilemma in that I have three different projects I want to do and I only want to work on one project at a time.

I need to swatch for the vintage jumper pattern and then work on the math for it as the sizing is smaller than what will fit me, even with negative ease. This might take some time and figuring out and it’s for that reason I’m debating about whether I should at this stage of the YOP year start the last garment on my YOP list, the Mae cardigan, work on it until complete and then use the remainder of any time in the YOP year to work on the vintage jumper and catch up on my box of socks.

I did put some rows in on my crochet blanket, I spoke about it during the week in a post here so I’m not going to show it again today as it has only grown by a couple of rows since that post.

So the list is now looking like this;

Year of Projects 2018-2019 List

Knitted Garments

  • Fintry – started July 7th – finished August 9th
  • Lichen – started August 11th – finished October 10th
  • Bentley – started October 13th – finished December 9th
  • Gingerbread – started March 26th – finished April 5th
  • Coloring – started January 1st – finished January 20th
  • Aster – started January 27th – finished February 26th
  • Cumulus Blouse – started October 20th – finished December 20th
  • Magnolia – started April 14th – finished May 4th
  • Mae Cardigan –

Sewn Garments

Socks

6 pairs

  • My Dearest Loveliest Elizabeth – started July 16th – FROGGED
  • Sock #1– started August 10th – finished August 26th 
  • Sock #2 – started August 30th – finished September 30th 
  • Sock #3 – started October 11th – FROGGED
  • Sock #4 – started November 4th – finished December 6th 
  • Sock #5 – started November 17th – FROGGED
  • Sock #6 – started December 10th – finished December 30th
  • Sock #7 – started January 4th – finished January 27th
  • Evelyns Socks – started March 1st – finished March 5th
  • Sock #8 – started March 7th – finished March 18th
  • Elizabeths Socks – started March 18th – finished March 24th
  • Sock #9 – started April 5th – finished April 14th

You can find the YOP group and weekly posts HERE

Ruth.

Project in Progress – Crochet Blanket
Crochet · Projects in Progress

Project in Progress – Crochet Blanket

Ruth7 Comments

After last weeks post I took all the advice, thank you for all your comments they helped lots, and had a think about what I could and would do about the crochet blanket.

Crochet Blanket 3

Quite a few of you were happy with the blanket as it was, and that made me feel so much better about the choices I had made. A few of you were completely right in that I was over thinking it, I’m completely guilty of that especially when it comes to patterns and colours. Even with all of that I wasn’t happy with the blanket, so I took the advice of taking out the larger green sections and seeing how I felt about the pattern then.

Crochet Blanket 2

After I took those out I stood back and assessed it once again. The colours ended up feeling out of balance….this is where more over thinking came into it I suspect. But I went with it anyway and frogged it all back until I had this;

Crochet Blanket 3

It really wasn’t that painful ripping out all that work and having all those little balls all over the table felt good, it must have been the right decision. Now with it all gone, it was time to begin again. I was reminded on instagram by Nicola, about the Moorland Blanket on the Attic 24 blog here. It didn’t take all that long to realise this would probably work better than the ripple I had been doing and would suit the colours I’ve chosen to work with. This blanket is also smaller in size than the one just frogged. This blanket will fit a single bed opposed to the double size I had been doing, so each row is done quicker and yet I’ll still end up with a substantial size blanket that will get thrown over the sofas for the family to use.

Crochet Blanket 4

It was lovely switching the making up to a different craft and it reminded me why I like crocheting blankets so much. The fingers and hands just seem to know what to do while the brain shuts off. I like how the colours are working better together with this pattern and the whole thing feels a lot more balanced. The pattern is easy and intuitive and it doesn’t take long before you can read the pattern from the stitches themselves. I would say not to try crocheting while watching the new series of Game of Thrones as I ended up frogging the row I was working on because I got distracted and this happened several times! Currently it’s sitting in my basket beside my chair and I’ve been picking it up almost daily to work a row on it, this seems to be working for the project right now so we shall go with that for as long as it lasts or until the blanket is complete.

This has sparked a crochet bug and I’ve a few other ideas for blankets, one in particular involving some yarn scraps, but as I already have two other blankets other than this one started, perhaps starting another would just be total folly but we shall see.

YOP – year 8 – week 44
Knitting · Year of Projects

YOP – year 8 – week 44

Ruth14 Comments

Year of project’s is really moving along with the weeks right now, only 8 weeks remain and I took some time this week to take a look through some possible new project ideas as well as projects I’m thinking about adding. I like the planning of projects, as much as working on them and then the wrapping up. In the 8 years I’ve been doing it I still can’t decide which part of the process I like more!

But I digress, lets get back to this week and let me speak a little about the Magnolia sweater by Camilla Vad that is the project currently on my needles. Last week I had just begun the design on the bottom of the body. That is now complete along with the ribbing on the bottom of the body. The design although difficult did take longer but it didn’t really matter, it was relaxing and there is no particular rush on this project. I have moved on and picked up the sleeves for the first sleeve and I’m working the design on the bottom of it.

Magnolia

I didn’t get round to cutting out that cuff top either, I got distracted by some other projects this week, I made some posts about them as I was going.

  1. Project Focus post on the finished Gingerbread jumper.
  2. Project in Progress post on a current crochet blanket.
  3. Vintage Knitting Adventures post.

The plan for this week is to work away on Magnolia, put a couple of rows in possibly on the blanket but definitely move forward with the Vintage Knitting pattern which by the time I do the planning for the Magnolia may very well be finished and this can be my monogamous knitting project.

The list looks like this;

Year of Projects 2018-2019 List

Knitted Garments

  • Fintry – started July 7th – finished August 9th
  • Lichen – started August 11th – finished October 10th
  • Bentley – started October 13th – finished December 9th
  • Gingerbread – started March 26th – finished April 5th
  • Coloring – started January 1st – finished January 20th
  • Aster – started January 27th – finished February 26th
  • Cumulus Blouse – started October 20th – finished December 20th
  • Magnolia – started April 14th –
  • Mae Cardigan

Sewn Garments

Socks

6 pairs

  • My Dearest Loveliest Elizabeth – started July 16th – FROGGED
  • Sock #1– started August 10th – finished August 26th 
  • Sock #2 – started August 30th – finished September 30th 
  • Sock #3 – started October 11th – FROGGED
  • Sock #4 – started November 4th – finished December 6th 
  • Sock #5 – started November 17th – FROGGED
  • Sock #6 – started December 10th – finished December 30th
  • Sock #7 – started January 4th – finished January 27th
  • Evelyns Socks – started March 1st – finished March 5th
  • Sock #8 – started March 7th – finished March 18th
  • Elizabeths Socks – started March 18th – finished March 24th
  • Sock #9 – started April 5th – finished April 14th

You can find the YOP group and weekly posts HERE

Ruth.

Knitting

Vintage Knitting Adventures

Ruth10 Comments

The Beginning.

Recently I’ve been obsessed with vintage sewing and looking at sewing vlogs that aim at vintage sewers. It’s just so fascinating and I love a great many of the looks. Looks that may not necessarily fit with my everyday look and style but I’m learning so much about drafting and fitting and we all know how much I love fitted items regardless of era.        As I’m only a beginner sewer and I feel many of these pieces are beyond my abilities as a sewer at the moment, plus I’m still unsure what pieces are actually my favourite, it did turn my attention to vintage knitting.

Knitting is a medium I’m much more comfortable in and if anywhere is a good place to start it’s at least with a medium that is familiar. So a little happy research over several cups of coffee and a rabbit hole appeared of patterns, styles and looks. A shiny new Pinterest board and a lot of favourited links and I now find myself at the start of something new and intriguing.

Vintage Knitting

I found myself taken with this Bear Cub Twins Cardigan Pattern and I began to wonder how easy or difficult it might be to follow a vintage knitting pattern. This pattern is from the late 1930s and I fell in love with the cropped cabled look. So I looked it over and thought about it and then thought about it some more and looked it over again and this went on for several days and figured the only way to find out if I could do it was to…yes..actually just do it. I thought it might be nice to document the journey here so there is a record and notes of it, perhaps this might be something you’d be interested in reading also???

So first things first it’s going to be a matter of gathering supplies. I have the pattern and I definitely have the needles and yarn. I am debating whether I should forego the use of my circular needles and use my straight needles. I think the use of straight needles will be a little more in keeping with when the piece would have been originally knitted but I’ll let you know what I decide in the next update, but do let me know your thoughts. Secondly apart from just the directions and following those there is the issue of sizing. The pattern is for one size, which is not my size, not even the size I hope to be at the end of my weight loss journey. So before I start actually knitting this is going to require my notebook, a swatch, and whatever knitting experience I may have accumulated.

I’m kind of hoping that knitting experience is going to help with the whole process and for the first time in at least the last 12 months all of my creative self is intrigued and excited.

Project In Progress – Crochet Blanket
Crochet · Projects in Progress

Project In Progress – Crochet Blanket

Ruth8 Comments

Today’s project in progress post is a crochet blanket that has been in progress for some time. Blankets are currently the only long standing projects I have still in progress as the time taken to complete them is so much longer than even a garment so I tend to work on them when the desire to do so hits. This means they are in progress for some time. Currently I have three blankets that are in progress, two are crochet and one is knit. Crochet is my preferred way to make blankets and that is why perhaps having them as long standing projects in progress doesn’t bother me.

This blanket, pictured below is my longest standing one. It is a ripple crochet blanket, the pattern for which came from the Attic 24 blog here. When I start to make a blanket I tend to look at her blog for patterns and ideas. I’m using a 4mm crochet hook and some DK weight yarn.

Crochet Blanket 3

For all my blankets I use an acrylic yarn, Stylecraft DK is my favourite and is what is used in the majority of Lucy’s blankets on Attic 24 but for this one I chose four colours of a just an acrylic blend. The yarn is soft and I’ve no issues with the yarn and think it will make a serviceable and well wearing blanket, which is what I want from all my blankets. They get used daily, by all the family through out the year and I don’t want any of them to be precious blankets, I want them to be used, loved and enjoyed.

Crochet Blanket 1

My issues with the blanket and why it’s been put away and not worked on in quite some time is one of two issues. It is either the pattern or the colour placement I’ve used. I am leaning a lot more to the colour placement but either way this project is now firmly in the I no longer wish to work on it camp.

Crochet Blanket 2

I’ve had a think what I can do to change this project so it becomes something I want to work on and finish. Ok, so I like the stripped parts before both larger chunks of the dark green stripes. I think my main issue is with those dark green wider stripes. The blanket is folded and this is a quarter of it’s width so likely big enough for at least a double bed, I can’t remember correctly as I started it some time ago but judging from the size that’s what I think. The size I’m happy with and with eight balls of the light green yarn (2400 meters) and four balls of the dark green, cream and grey (1200 meters), I don’t think running out of yarn is an issue. I’m relatively happy enough with the pattern, it’s easy and mindless but I do wonder if there is some other pattern that might work better with the colours?

The options I have are

  1. Continue on and let the blanket develop as set out already.
  2. Frog this back to take out the wider dark green stripes and then continue on with the ripple but minus the wider dark green stripes.
  3. Frog the blanket completely and begin again with another pattern…but what? Corner to corner?….granny squares?…or something else???

I’d love to hear your thoughts and or suggestions as I’m stuck with the is project and where it is at the moment. Perhaps you have a different option? Maybe you have a different pattern suggestion that you can see working with these four colours? Are the four colours enough or is another colour needed?

At this stage I’m questioning everything to do with this project…

 

Project Focus – Gingerbread jumper
Knitting · Project Focus

Project Focus – Gingerbread jumper

Ruth10 Comments

Today’s Project Focus post is on my recently completed Gingerbread jumper or at least my version of it.

I’m still calling this my Gingerbread jumper even though it looks nothing like the wonderful Gingerbread pattern by Libby of Truly Myrtle but because I used her numbers and directions in her pattern for all bar the plain bottom I used in my version, I can’t but link and give credit where it is due and I had originally set out to make the Gingerbread as directed the project just took a turn as what I wanted veered the project away from the original.

Gingerbread

I started out combining two yarns, a light fingering and a silk lace mohair, to get the recommended gauge of 20 sts x 26 rows = 10cm. The yarns I used were the Shetland Heritage in the Moorit colourway combined with an Isager Silk Mohair in the colourway 06. A true representation of the colour of these yarns combined is in the modelled shot above, I found capturing a true representation of the colour to be difficult.

I opted to knit the size 38″ which for my current size is with a -2″ of ease. I chose this size for a couple of reasons. 1. it is coming into summer so I’m not likely to be wearing a sweater of DK weight again until the end of Autumn and on my current weight loss journey I’m hoping to be smaller again and 2. I really dislike the oversized look to my knitted garments…I dislike it to my garments in general…looking like a sack of potatoes is not a flattering look on me! So I am experimenting with my garments to find what look is going to work for me and this is the garment I’ve chosen to try to a negative ease look coupled with some waist shaping.

So as I’ve said I followed the pattern as written for the neckline and increases, separation of sleeves etc. My modifications began 5″ after the sleeve separation point. It is at this point in my garments if I am adding waist shaping that I began that shaping. As you can see from the below picture I worked a series of spaced decreases and then at approx 9″ I begin to increase once more for the hips. I find this works in all my knitted garments for shaping.

Gingerbread 2

As the original Gingerbread sweater has a deep patterning and ribbing to the bottom of it which when added on to my shaping modification it would have left the garment much longer on me than what I desired so it was at this point that I veered away completely from the pattern. As you will see in the picture below I continued on with my hip increasing and knit in plain stockinette until I had an inch to go where at the point I worked that final inch in 2 x 2 ribbing. This gave me a total body length of 14″ which is the body length I opt for across all my garments.

Gingerbread 3

With the body complete I once more returned to the pattern for the sleeves and worked them to the numbers and directions again I merely omitted the patterning and knit my sleeves until they were 17″ in length from the underarm and then finished them off with an inch of 2 x 2 ribbing to mirror the bottom of the body, as you will see in the above picture. I have to say the sleeves on this Gingerbread sweater are the best fitting sleeves I have to knit to date. There is no bagging along the arm or the bottom ribbing and I love the fit of the sleeves with the negative ease. This is something I’m going to take note of for future garments. In general each garment I knit has something that I bring forward to future garments, be that shaping, certain numbers for necks, button bands, ribbing, sleeve decreases or sleeve lengths etc. It’s a process in building the components of a garment that I like and fit that I just apply to future garments.

All that remained then was the neckline, I followed the pattern for the rate of stitch pick up, but worked it in a 2 x 2 ribbing to again mirror the other ribbing in the garment. I like the wide square type of neckline, although how I have chosen to wear it in the modelled shot is how I’d normally wear this jumper and I’m not sure in the winter months how appropriate or practical that is, this we shall see.

Gingerbread 1

Overall I’m happy with the finished and completed sweater. I like the combination of yarns and fibres and it is a soft but warm garment and I like the marled look that has come from using both yarns together. The Silk Mohair yarn I had in stash so it was nice to use that up but I did purchase the Shetland Heritage. It did come on a cone with over 2000 meters for 28 pound, this is enough for two garments so I consider it good value.

I’m also pleased overall with the size, I do like the negative ease effect and with it I may not have to add waist shaping in future garments, this is something to consider in future. It has come out slightly more cropped in look at present than perhaps is the intended look but although this is not a look I normally go for, I can’t say that I dislike it also. I think if it is still so very cropped with less weight on me by the Autumn and I’m feeling self conscious the garment will work over a vest top that extends longer and this is a look I’d still be comfortable wearing, so I can see this garment working in my wardrobe perhaps a little better than some of the knitted garments at present which are getting a little baggy and oversized with the weight loss, which is a shame as some of those I liked when I knit and finished them. But c’est la vie!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on your garments, what works for you and what doesn’t?  If there are any other details on this garment you’d like to know just ask in the comments section below.

I hope you enjoyed this project focus post and I look forward to sharing my next project with you all.

YOP – year 8 – week 43
Knitting · Year of Projects

YOP – year 8 – week 43

Ruth15 Comments

The first week of Easter break has been busier than expected but I’ve gotten some making time during the evenings.

I finished up and completed the Crocus socks last Sunday. I blogged about them here if you want further photos and to check out any of the details of them.

Crocus Sock

I then swatched for the Magnolia garment by Camillia Vad that I was wanting to cast on. I got gauge with this Rauma Finul PT2 and I’ve been working away on this during the evenings. I have just moved onto working the design on the bottom of the body before the ribbing. Most of this should be complete today with the sleeves ready to be worked on from tomorrow. I love working with the Rauma yarn. More on it and the sweater itself when it’s complete.

Magnolia

Speaking of complete sweaters I’ve blocked the Gingerbread sweater or at least my version of it. I am aiming to get a Project Focus post up this week about it with further details and shots including a modelled one.

Gingerbread 1

I didn’t actually get around to cutting out the next Cuff Top, I’d like to say perhaps this week but we shall see. I am aiming to write up a post on a crochet blanket project in progress that I have and what I’m thinking of doing with it.

So lots going on. Now, the list has been updated and looks like this;

Year of Projects 2018-2019 List

Knitted Garments

  • Fintry – started July 7th – finished August 9th
  • Lichen – started August 11th – finished October 10th
  • Bentley – started October 13th – finished December 9th
  • Gingerbread – started March 26th – finished April 5th
  • Coloring – started January 1st – finished January 20th
  • Aster – started January 27th – finished February 26th
  • Cumulus Blouse – started October 20th – finished December 20th
  • Magnolia – started April 14th –
  • Mae Cardigan

Sewn Garments

Socks

6 pairs

  • My Dearest Loveliest Elizabeth – started July 16th – FROGGED
  • Sock #1– started August 10th – finished August 26th 
  • Sock #2 – started August 30th – finished September 30th 
  • Sock #3 – started October 11th – FROGGED
  • Sock #4 – started November 4th – finished December 6th 
  • Sock #5 – started November 17th – FROGGED
  • Sock #6 – started December 10th – finished December 30th
  • Sock #7 – started January 4th – finished January 27th
  • Evelyns Socks – started March 1st – finished March 5th
  • Sock #8 – started March 7th – finished March 18th
  • Elizabeths Socks – started March 18th – finished March 24th
  • Sock #9 – started April 5th – finished April 14th

You can find the YOP group and weekly posts HERE

Ruth.

Project Focus – Crocus Socks
Knitting · Project Focus

Project Focus – Crocus Socks

Ruth7 Comments

Today’s project focus post takes a look at the recently completed Crocus socks that I knit.

 

These socks are a part of the Toe Up Socks for Everybody book by Wendy D. Johnson. As part of my box of socks challenge that I’ve set myself for the year I decided to knit 12 pairs of socks from this book. This is a book I’ve had for some time on my book shelves and I’d like to focus more this year also on working with all the wonderful patterns and books of patterns that I already own. The patterns are lovely, they have interest but yet are not overly complicated. There is a mixture of lace, cabled and colourwork patterns in the book. I’m concentrating on the lace and cabled patterns as those are what interest me the most.

Crocus Sock 1

 

The lace patterning on the Crocus sock was a simple lace pattern but throughout the entire sock it held my attention. The pattern was worked over 33 stitches and 16 rows and the socks seemed relatively quick to knit because of the desire to knit one more pattern repeat. I enjoyed working the pattern up the front of the sock and the interesting side patterns added to an overall pleasing look.

As is my usual and preferred sock format I cast on using the same cast on method used by Nathan aka Sockmatician, you can find his tutorial for that here. I work all my socks magic loop on 2.25mm ChiaoGoo needles. As the pattern is worked over 33 stitches I increased the toe until I had 33 stitches on the front of foot to work the pattern but I kept the sole stitches at 32 stitches as it was to be worked in stockinette until after the heel flap. I worked my own heel flap and gusset increases that I use for all my toe up socks. The heel flap and gusset is also my most preferred heel to use as I find the fit of it just perfect for my foot. Once the heel flap was worked I increased the back of the leg to 33 stitches so that I had enough stitches to work the pattern same as the front and giving me a total of 66 stitches. When the leg of the pattern was worked I decreased back down to 64 stitches, 32 stitches per needle and then worked a 1 x 1 twisted rib and cast off using an elastic bind off. The bind off I use can be seen here in this tutorial. This is again my favourite for my socks as I find it doesn’t flair out, a look I’m not overly fond of.

I used a single colour for these socks, as I’ve found I’ve just fallen out of love with contrasting parts, and there is something pleasing for me in just the one colour. The colour is Apricot Tulip and it is from Eden Cottage Yarns on their Tempo 4ply base. This is a 75% wool, 25% nylon base and is one I enjoy working with. I find socks knit in this yarn wear really well, it gives patterns a good stitch definition and comes in a range of colours I just love.

Crocus Sock

This is the third pattern from the book that I’ve knit this year and this pair now joins the first two, the Rosebud and Laurel socks, in my box of socks.

Crocus Sock 5