Round Peg In a Square Hole-crafts

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

KnitPicks Slipper Socks--A Review

The promised review of the Knit Picks Slipper Socks pattern. And I apologize in advance for my dreadful photography on this project.

Finished slippers: Women's size 8, Men's size 10

I made one pair of these as a Christmas present (no pics, alas), and two more (links above) as post-Christmas gifts, so I have some experience on which to base this review. Overall, it's a good pattern: no errors that I found, the felting (O.K., technically, it's "fulling", but if you say that, no one but extreme knitters or anal retentives will know what you're talking about) worked as advertised, and I didn't even have much trouble sizing it up to make men's slippers (the directions are only given for women's sizes). I used Knit Pick's Memories yarn, (Red Hat and S'mores colorways) which worked quite well, and didn't cost all that much, considering you needed four hanks for each pair of slippers.

Slippers are worked holding two strands as one, and the resultant, pre-felted slipper is HUGE, REALLY HUGE! Remain calm! It will be fine! Knit up the cuffs in a standard K2-P2 rib pattern, also using two strands. (I even tried the experiment of trying to match the color patches of the yarns, but actually preferred the random-ness, which is saying a lot from me.) You then run the slipper foot only (not the knitted cuff) through the washer (directions are given in the pattern) and you get something much more reasonable and sane. I will say that it took twice through my washer to get results, so don't panic if the first wash doesn't do much. And don't worry if you over-shoot a little; the blocking process after the felting can bring it back up to the right size.

They say to also make and felt an I-cord, and I did do this for the first pair I made, but I ended up not using it, as I used yarn to sew the cuff to the slipper, and the stitches weren't noticeable. For the next two pair, I did not make the I-cord, and sewed the cuff to the slipper with regular sewing thread, as recommended in the pattern; then, I was sort of wishing I had made the I-cord, to cover the stitches, but it didn't look too bad, and wouldn't show at all, if you made these in a solid, rather than a varigated, yarn. In short, decide how you are going to sew the pieces together (I will say that sewing through the felted slipper with a tapestry needle and yarn was HARD, which was why I shifted to the sewing thread on the second and third pair), and only do the I-cord if you are going to use a varigated yarn and sew them together with thread. (BTW, I recommend using 4 or more threads at a time when sewing; this seam is going to take a lot of stess.)

One caveat: if the person who will be wearing these walks on a lot of uncarpeted floors, consider adding a suede sole, or suede sole patches, or even fabric paint to the bottoms of these slippers, as they are quite slick. I think they even sell, in liquid form, that rubber stuff that is on the bottoms of kids jammie feet, but I don't know, off-hand, where to buy it. On carpeted floors, they are fine as-is.

In summary, I was pleased with the results, though I still think that the idea of knitting something AND THEN FELTING IT SO THAT NO ONE CAN TELL IT IS KNITTED is just short of insane, but it does do a good slipper, and I can see why you might want it for a bag. But in that case, why not just felt the yarn or the roving, and save yourself a lot of time? I guess the knitting makes the shape more reliable, and gives you an even thickness to the fabric; it's just not my gig. :-)

The good news is that they arrived safely at their destination, they fit, and the recipients LOVE them. AND they may even get to wear them a little before spring and summer really set in, and they have to be put away until the cool weather returns. Wins all around.

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Friday, March 16, 2007

Footie Stuff

It is entirely possible that I'm just a weeeeeeeee bit more competitive than I thought. (I know, you're shocked.)

Seriously, Sock Madness has really brought it out in me. Somehow, knowing the socks would have to be mailed made Sock Wars a little less frantic. In this game, there is no time for anything--I didn't wash a dish this weekend, nor any laundry. I only cooked because I had to, and let my daughter watch videos, which I ordinarily don't do. I was a woman obsessed/possessed; it was kinda freaky. But it was fun, too, and I'm really glad I made it to the next round. Doubt I will make it much farther, given how fast YarnMagnet (my opponent in the next round) finished her first pair, but will still probably knit along with everyone else. I mean, I bought the yarn already, wouldn't want it to go to waste......

In the meantime, I've FINALLY finished the felted slippers for my sister and brother-in-law! I should be able to mail them off today; have before and after pics, this time, and will soon post them, along with my review of the pattern.

So, I just need to finish the cable socks for my mom before Easter. Almost to the heel on the second sock, so should be fine, since Round 2 of Sock Madness won't start this weekend. It sounds as if they've made a good compromise between wanting to move the game along, and giving folks time to recover from one round before starting another.

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Tuesday, March 13, 2007

In for Round 2!

I made it to the next round of Sock Madness! Have even left a taunting note (well, a note, at least) on the blog of my Round 2 opponent. Can't wait for the next pattern!

Well, actually, I CAN wait; I stressed out a bit this weekend about this game; here's hoping they wait until next weekend (March 24th) to release the next pattern! I could use the break. Also, it would be nice if my Knit Picks order would get here--I fudged the first pair; not sure I can do it again, as I don't have that large a selection of sock yarn.

On another note, I had been hoping to submit a few patterns I have for conseration of publication at Knitty.com. However, I just read the guidelines, and by posting my patterns here, I have made them inelegible for publication at Knitty; bummer! I understand why they have that rule, but I'm sad that my wish to share with others may have cost me publication at Knitty. I do have several other ideas in the works, though; had meant to blog about them, but will now have to keep my mouth shut. Not an easy task!

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Monday, March 12, 2007

Sock Madness--Update

DID manage to finish my socks at lunch, and post to Flickr. By my calculations, there were 4 slots open when I posted, but I'll wait for official notification before I rejoice too much. :-)

Just glad they're done!

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Also-Rans

Not looking good for my making it to the next round in Sock Madness. As of about an hour ago, there are only 6 slots left in my division, and I still have more than an hour to go until lunch, with 2 more pattern repeats and the cuff on my second sock to do. And, even if I finish, not sure I'll be able to post a pic before I get home tonight. Sigh! I'll keep my toes crossed (can't cross the fingers and knit at the same time!) but it's not looking good. Still, they're nice-looking socks, even if I can't take a good pic.


It occurred to me that, now that I know they are not using my sock designs for Sock Madness, I can post the pics and patterns here. So! Without further ado:
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Bridget's Madly Cabled Socks

on foot

These socks are worked from the toe up, because that’s how I like to work socks ( ☺ ) and have a short-rowed heel, because I think it looks nicer than a heel flap. Purling the sole stitches is what Charlene Schurch calls a “Princess Foot”, because it is more comfortable to walk on the knit side of the stitches than the purl side.

Materials:
100g/190yds dk yarn
set of 5 dp needles, size 5, or size to get gauge
16 stitch markers (optional)

Gauge:
22 stitches/30 rows to 4 inches/10 cm

Terms:
wrap next stitch (purling): bring yarn to back, slip next stitch from left needle to right, bring yarn to front, slip stitch back to left needle

wrap next stitch (knitting): bring yarn to front, slip next stitch from left needle to right, bring yarn to back, slip stitch back to left needle

kfb: knit in front and back of next st

pfb: purl in front and back of next st

k tbl: knit through the back loop, resulting in a twisted stitch (I do all my ribbing with a twisted knit stitch; it seems to make for a springier ribbing.)

Toe:
Using a figure 8 cast on, (http://www.knitty.com/issuewinter02/FEATtiptoptoes.html) cast on 16 stitches.
Round 1: p8, k8
Round 2: pfb of first stitch, p3; take up another needle, p3, pfb in next stitch; take up another needle, kfb, k3; with free needle, k3, kfb. Stitches are now evenly distributed on 4 needles, 5 stitches on each.
Round 3: pfb, p8, pfb, kfb, k8, kfb
Round 4: pfb, p10, pfb, kfb, k10, kfb
Round 5: p14, k14

Repeat rounds 4 and 5, increasing the number of stitches between the inreases by two each increase round (so round 6 would have 12 st between them) until there are a total of 48 stitches.

Begin pattern:
Round 1, 2, 4, 5 &6: p24,* p1, k6, p1* repeat to end
Round 3: p24, *p1, sl next three stitches to cable needle and hold in front, k3, k3 from cable needle, p1* repeat to end

Continue with these 6 rounds until the foot of sock is 2 inches shorter than desired final foot length, ending with Round 6.

Begin short-row heel:
(worked back and forth over half the stitches)
Row 1: p23, wrap next stitch, turn
Row 2: k22, wrap next stitch, turn

Work rows 1 and 2, decreasing the number of stitches worked before the wrap by 1 on each row until there are 8 stitches left unwrapped, ending with a wrong side row. (If you like, a stitch marker can be inserted each time you slip the wrapped stitch back to the left needle; this makes it easier to see where the next wrap should go. This uses a blurt-load of stitch markers, but it’s a lifesaver, if you have to put your work down in the middle of the heel!)

Row 3: p8, purl next stitch along with its wrap, wrap next stitch (there are now two wraps on this stitch), turn
Row 4: k9, knit next stitch along with its wrap, wrap next stitch, turn
Row 5: p10, purl next stitch with both its wraps, wrap next stitch, turn
Row 6: k11, knit next stitch with both its wraps, wrap next stitch, turn

Repeat rows 5 and 6 until all heel stitches and wraps have been worked, ending with a wrong side row. (If you inserted stitch markers, take them out only after the stitch and its wraps have been knit; slip the marker and the stitch when you do the second wrap, then slip both back.)

Leg:
Purl across heel stitches then, continue the pattern as established on instep stitches. On next round, continue the pattern across the heel stitches to establish the pattern.

Work the 6 rounds of the pattern until leg is 3.5 inches, ending with Round 6.

Cuff:
Round 1: (k tbl, p1) repeat until end

Work until cuff measures 1 inch. Bind off loosely.

Finishing:
Weave in loose ends.

BTW, if you want to make my anal-retentive heart sing, on the second sock you will make the cables twist the other way by holding the needle in back, k3 off the left needle, then k3 off the cable needle. I'm just sayin', is all.
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Mad Bridget’s Faux Cables

on foot

These socks look cabled, but there is no changing of the order of the stitches, and hence no need for a cable needle, or the “guts” method of just dropping a stitch off the needle, working the next one, then picking up the dropped stitch on the correct side of the work. They’re worked from the toe up, because that’s how I like to work socks ( ☺ ) and have a short-rowed heel, because I think it looks nicer than a heel flap. The stitch motif comes from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch.

Materials:
100g/190yds dk yarn
set of 5 dp needles, size 5, or size to get gauge
16 stitch markers (optional)

Gauge:
22 stitches/30 rows to 4 inches/10 cm

Terms:
wrap next stitch (purling): bring yarn to back, slip next stitch from left needle to right, bring yarn to front, slip stitch back to left needle

wrap next stitch (knitting): bring yarn to front, slip next stitch from left needle to right, bring yarn to back, slip stitch back to left needle

kfb: knit in front and back of next st

Toe:
Using a figure 8 cast on, (http://www.knitty.com/issuewinter02/FEATtiptoptoes.html) cast on 16 stitches. Knit one round.
Round 2: kfb of first stitch, k3; take up another needle, k3, kfb in next stitch; take up another needle, kfb, k3; with free needle, k3, kfb. Stitches are now evenly distributed on 4 needles, 5 stitches on each.
Round 3: kfb, k8, kfb twice, k8, kfb
Round 4: kfb, k10, kfb twice, k10, kfb
Round 5: k

Repeat rounds 4 and 5, increasing the number of stitches between the kfbs by two each increase round (so round 6 would have k12 between them) until there are a total of 48 stitches.

Begin pattern:
Round 1: (p1, YO, ssk, k1, YO,ssk, p2) 3 times, k23,p1
Rounds 2, 4 & 6: (p1, k5, p2) 3 times, k23, p1
Round 3: (p1, k1, YO, ssk, k2, p2) 3 times, k23, p1
Round 5: (p1, k2, YO, ssk, k1, p2) 3 times, k23, p1

Continue with these 6 rounds until the foot of sock is 2 inches shorter than desired final foot length, ending with Round 5.

Begin short-row heel:
(worked back and forth over the St st stitches on bottom of foot)
Round 1: (p1, k5, p2) 3 times, k23, wrap next stitch, turn
Row 2: p22, wrap next stitch, turn
Row 3: k21, wrap next stitch, turn

Work rows 2 and 3, decreasing the number of stitches worked before the wrap by 1 on each row until there are 8 stitches left, ending with a wrong side row. (If you like, a stitch marker can be inserted each time you slip the wrapped stitch back to the left needle; this makes it easier to see where the next wrap should go. This uses a blurt-load of stitch markers, but it’s a lifesaver, if you have to put your work down in the middle of the heel!)

Row 4: k8, knit next stitch along with its wrap, wrap next stitch (there are now two wraps on this stitch), turn
Row 5: p9, purl next stitch along with its wrap, wrap next stitch, turn
Row 6: k10, knit next stitch with both its wraps, wrap next stitch, turn
Row 7: p11, purl next stitch with both its wraps, wrap next stitch, turn

Repeat rows 6 and 7 until all heel stitches and wraps have been worked, ending with a wrong side row and turning. (If you inserted stitch markers, take them out only after the stitch and its wraps have been knit; slip the marker and the stitch when you do the second wrap, then slip both back.)

Leg:
Round 1: (p1, YO, ssk, k1, YO,ssk, p2) 6 times (this establishes the pattern on the stitches coming out of the heel, and continues the pattern on the instep stitches)
Rounds 2, 4 &6: (p1, k5, p2) 6 times
Round 3: (p1, k1, YO, ssk, k2, p2) 6 times
Round 5: (p2, k2, YO, ssk, k1, p2) 6 times

Work these 6 rounds until leg is 3.5 inches.

Cuff:
Round 1: (k tbl, p1) repeat until end

Work until cuff measures 1 inch. Bind off loosely.

Finishing:
Weave in loose ends.

At some point, I will post a reverse of the pattern stitch, so that you can make the second sock mirror the first, as I suggested for the cabled socks. Really. Real soon now.

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Friday, March 09, 2007

New Game Starts Tomorrow

Sock Madness kicks off tomorrow! Finally starting to get excited about it; hope I have as much fun as I did in Sock Wars!

I'm kinda behind in gathering my supplies, though. I missed the call for sign-ups, and when they opened the first round up to anyone who wanted to join, it didn't occur to me that I needed to look into the materials list. Hence, I have now broken my vow of Knit From Your Stash, and can't even use my one get-out-of-jail-free opportunity, since I made online orders from two different stores. Sigh! How did $60 fly out the door so fast? And then, since the yarn wouldn't arrive in time for me to start on Saturday, I had to go to the LYS for one skein, even though I was cheating and using scraps for the varigated. My first pair will be the KnitPicks Memories colorway Red Hat, paired with a solid red.

Have to say I was a little surprised that the very first sock involves color work (or maybe it's just striped? But then why specify one varigated?) That seems pretty complicated for a first sock in such a competition. Makes me worried about where we will go from there! Besides, I'm more into stitch patterns than color work; I love cables, twisted stitches, lace, etc. Hope at least some of them are like that!

Really glad they changed the rules so that all who are interested can play, at least in the first round. Like many others, I'm just in it for the sock patterns and the comraderie!

Update: Just re-read the rules for KFYS, and sock yarn is specifically excluded. Cool!

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