Knitting Socks Using Three Different Techniques - Which Is Your Favorite?
Greetings Friends! Let's talk about socks. Generally speaking we don't give them much thought. Lot's of people wear the same style every day. I am a white cotton gym sock. My husband is a wool boot sock and my son is a black cotton dress sock. We are dedicated to our styles and because of our commitment it is the one thing we don't have to worry about when getting dressed each morning (hooray!). So while consistency does have it's advantages, I'll openly admit that it is boring (boo!). Hand knit socks however, are not. The assortment of specialty yarns geared specifically for our feet are fabulous! You can find bright colors, light colors, self striping, ombre, jacquards, fair isle, heathered, and sparkles. Hand spun, hand dyed and hand painted in nearly any fiber or combination of fibers you can name! Then of course there are the patterns. On Ravelry alone there are nearly 30,000 matches for the search "knit socks"! Wow! It only makes sense that there are a variety of different techniques for turning yarn into fashionable footwear. Like all things in knitting, one way is not better than the other, or the "right" way to do it. It all comes down to what works best for you and the sock you're making!
There is one more technique that I've come across. The magic loop uses just one long (40 inch) circular needle. In fact, there is even a way to knit two socks at the same time using this method! When I first started knitting I thought that might be easier for a beginner. You know, get them both done at the same time and then you don't have to worry about the dreaded second sock syndrome. Turns out I was wrong. I didn't know enough about the basics of sock construction and I wasn't confident enough in my skills to be sliding stitches around and pulling needles from one side to the other! It was a disastrous undertaking that ended with some choice words and a knotted mess of yarn. I haven't given up on the magic loop, and I still think there is wisdom in the two at once philosophy, especially for someone like me who has a hard time finishing all the things I start!
I'm not sure which of these I'll finish first. I've been plugging away at all of them everyday. I like having a variety of different projects all set and at the ready. Plus socks are great on the go. I can toss any one of them in my bag and not worry about having a pattern or keeping track of where I am on a chart. Did you have any idea that there were so many ways to make socks? And we didn't even talk about the actual construction techniques (like top-down, toe-up and flat) or the many kinds of heels and toes you can make! With such a variety of options it's understandable why knitting socks is so popular. There really is something for everyone. Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with me! Until next time friends, Be Blessed and Stitch & Read with Love!
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Greetings! It's a well established fact that I have crafting ADD. I am physically unable to to work on one project at a time. I don't think that I have ever finished anything without starting something new or spending time with a WIP. It's fine with me. It works. My husband doesn't understand - just like he doesn't understand why I insist on leaving the house at the very last minute - no matter where I'm going (I'm not usually late, but I am never early!) As I was gathering the pictures for this post it dawned on me that my insatiable desire to try new things is actually good for me. Every time a publisher sends me a book to review it's an opportunity to feed my need. What I mean is ... if I were to only work on one thing at a time from start to finish it would take me ages to prepare for a review. Working on multiple projects at the same time lets me get a feel for the patterns and in turn the books much more quickly while at the same time stimulating my creative serotonin. It's my happy way of multitasking! Let me show you what I'm working on today: A basic ankle sock from Happy Feet, a book devoted totally to tootsies! I'm giving the two circ method a try and hoping that I have finally found the right project for this pretty yarn I won from Danielle at A Stash Addict well over two years ago (more about that later!) Next up is a little knit pear pincushion from 50 Pincushions to Knit & Crochet. It's my first attempt at knitting something small and round(ish). My initial impression: crocheting small round things is way easier! 
Triangle Tulip Shawl from "Lovely Knitted Lace"
And to wrap it up for today it's the Triangle Tulip Shawl from Lovely Knitted Lace. I'm quite pleased with my progress on what the book describes as a "perfect pattern for beginners". The first pattern I tried was a scarf using the yarn from A Stash Addict. Turns out I'm not quite ready for knitting nupps with skinny yarn and tiny needles!!
Of course there are more, but we can talk about those another time! Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with me. Until next time friends, Be Blessed and Stitch & Read with Love! 
Greetings!The warm weather has arrived in New England, and that means it's time for me to break out the ankle socks. (Do any of you call them Peds? I always have, but I'm not sure if that's a brand name, a regional thing, or just old fashioned). Anyway, I'm a sneaker girl. Don't get me wrong, I love shoes: heels, sandals, boots you name it. I've just learned that no matter how cute they look in the store, I won't wear them. Ever. I didn't figure this out overnight! It's been a long, expensive lesson. I'm finally willing to admit that comfort is way more important to me than fashion. But that doesn't mean that I have to forgo style! That's where the little lace socks come in. You see, not only do I always wear sneakers, but in order to keep my feet the happiest they can be I usually wear white cotton socks. Kind of plain and boring I know... I've looked for alternatives, but never with great success. And then it struck me! Why not add a little lace to the socks I have?! It can't be that hard, and then I can make them as colorful and frilly as I want. Brilliant! So I headed for the sock basket, found a matching pair, and got to it. 
This is a very flexible and forgiving project. Rather than give you an exact, stitch my stitch pattern, think of this as a guide. Here's what I did: I knew that the fan pattern I wanted to use works in multiples of 4 plus 1. Using my favorite steel hook (no pre-poking holes required!), I attached the thread at the back of the sock and did a round of sc. I stretched the ribbing open and put one stitch between each rib. How much you stretch and how close together you put your stitches is up to you. Just remember if you don't stretch before stitching the sock won't fit, and to count the number of stitches you put in the first sock, so you can make the second one the same! Seems like common sense doesn't it? Alas. I speak from experience (head slap)! Next, I did a round of (ch5, skip 3, sc) to make a base for the fans. Then I did 5dc in each ch5 around. That's it! Next time I do these little fans I'll make the base smaller (ch4) and the fan bigger (ch7). I think that will give it a fuller look. And I'll make sure to count my stitches! I was looking through my magazine collection and there are so many edging patterns that you can adapt to your socks. And with all the amazing colors of thread that are available you can create one of a kind designs that will make everyone take notice! My next pair will be pink, purple and green I think, or maybe I'll do little flowers hanging off a vine.... No matter what, I know my feet are going to be happy!! 
I wore my lacy little socks yesterday and they're perfect! So I ask you, who needs a closet full of shoes that make your feet hurt, when with a little thread your comfy white socks will turn your sneakers into the cutest shoes ever!
That's all for today! Until next time friends, Be blessed and stitch & read with love!
But again, in time I'm sure that it will come. It only seems natural that the next step is knitting in the round. Especially since I don't like seaming anything - at all. But that means double pointed needles. Have you seen what this looks like? There are points sticking out hither and yon just waiting to skewer you. And there's nothing to stop the stitches from sliding off those smooth needles except for tension and gravity. I'm pretty sure that both of these things can work against you just as easily as for you!! I did what I always do and headed for the books. I also watched a hand full of videos where everyone assured me that it's really not as hard as it looks. (Did I mention that it looks like you're performing a magic trick?) With my resources in front of me and a simple project in mind (leg warmers) I got to it. At first I tried casting onto one needle and then sliding the stitches onto the other two. It didn't work too well because my tension was too tight. After a few tries I was able to cast on to all three needles. I laid them out in a little triangle and then tried to pick the whole thing up to knit the first stitch. Ha! They swiveled and rocked and rotated about causing a fair amount of frustration and a bit of flowery language. I resorted to keeping them on the table and gently lifting the needles to join them. Success!! And it wasn't even twisted. Can you hear the halleluiah chorus?
Ever so carefully I picked up the fragile contraption and started knitting. Imagine my surprise when it worked! I was doing it. I struggled some when it was time to go from one needle to the next and again resorted to laying the whole thing down. But just like everyone promised, after a few rounds it gained stability and the whole matter was so much easier! Woo - hoo!! Now we're cooking. I was cruising along like no tomorrow. Then I remembered a post by my friend Pumpkin. Pumpkin is an accomplished knitter who creates beautiful garments. After years of knitting, she recently learned (and admitted!) that she has been doing it wrong. Doing what? Knitting in the round inside out. That is to say the front of her work was inside the tube. What? I panicked! Where was the front of mine? Was I doing it wrong too? Of course you know the answer is yes! It was so easy that way, so natural. How was I supposed to fix it? I pushed and turned and flipped it around eventually getting things to where they should be. Thanks goodness! And thank you Pumpkin for sharing your story. Otherwise I might never have known. I suppose it really doesn't matter that much, but I'd rather learn the right way from the start than have to fix a bad habit somewhere down the line.
Yes! Yes it is easier than it looks! Once you get the first few rows started and are able to accept that part of your work is just going to hang there it really isn't that hard! I'm convinced. But what about circular needles? So many bloggers sign their praises - for working in the round and back and forth. Not wanting to miss anything I decided to move my legwarmer from the dpns onto a 16 inch circular. Making the transition was a breeze and after just one round it was clear to me why people love using these.
I was even brave enough to go ahead and try stripes. The "jog" is there, but I can live with that if it means no seaming. I'm still struggling with carrying the yarn up the inside and I'm fighting with a little gap when I change colors. There are all kinds of techniques that I have yet to try so I'm not too worried about it. Plus I think that's a story for another day!
Are you still with me? I know this is a long one and I've been rambling on, it's just that there's so much to tell!! Legwarmer number one is all most finished. I switched back to the smaller dpns and only have a few rounds left. Did I tell you that I'm just making this up (the pattern that is) as I go along?? Something I never would have imagined a few months ago. Mitt number one is finished. I needed help with the thumb. Attaching the yarn and picking up stitches to close the gap are new and different from crochet. Once Jean showed me I realized that I was making it more complicated than it needed to be. Hopefully I'll remember what to do when I get to number two! One last thing (promise!) I'm always working on several projects at the same time ( it's crafting A.D.D.) and recently discovered a great way to keep organized. Each project gets it's own plastic storage container (shoe box size). In it goes the yarn, the pattern, the needle(s), stitch markers, a pencil and anything else specific to that project. The scissors and tape measure stay on the table. Now everything is in it's place and there's a place for everything. Brilliant, right?! Phew! That's it. All done for now. Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with me. Until next time friends, Be blessed and stitch & read with love! P.S. : Don't Forget - There's still time to win these awesome books!
click on the picture(s) to enter
In July I began this adventure know as A Year of Projects. The premise is to choose a goal (or several as the case may be) that you wish to achieve over the course of one year and then track your progress with blog posts. Support and camaraderie are found in the Ravely group Come Blog-A-Long where participates share their posts and chat about their successes (and failures) in various threads. It seemed an intriguing way to bring some structure to my otherwise random crafting, plus many of my blogging buddies participated last year and had a really good time. I had the advantage of their experience when I put together my list of goals. The main point taken to not be too lofty in what I think I'm capable of accomplishing. Now that we've just begun our second quarter of activity it seems that a progress report is in order. Let's take a look! What I've Done
What I'm Doing Next
What I Still Have (Want) To Do
What do you think? Does it seem manageable? Giving it careful consideration I remain optimistic that I'll be able to accomplish everything between now and June. I imagine that my biggest hindrance will be getting involved in projects that aren't on the list. In hindsight I realize that I should have chosen a sweater from Dora's book instead of starting the Marlo cardigan, but I like Marlo and I don't want to abandon her - or frog all the progress I've made! There you have it! One quarter down, three to go! I'm having a great time working on my goals and seeing the progress that my friends are making. You can check out what they've been up to here.
 Setting up to take this mornings picture I realized a color theme had developed. Funny how that happens when you're occupied with other things! This week has been challenging as health issues have reared their ugly head and demanded my attention. It's been necessary and therapeutic for me to keep my hands and mind busy on some simple projects. So I decided to give amigurumi a try. The spiral that you see is the beginning of Sammy Snail. I imagine that he'll be whole by the end of the day. I don't think the same can be said of the socks. But that's okay. I'm still working on finding the perfect sock pattern for me. That's why I have two toes started here. One from my default pattern - Socks That Fit, and the other is something new called Round and Round Toe Up Socks. I'll let you know where my preference lies after working them each a bit more.
This week's book is Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, the second installment in the Hunger Games Trilogy. I haven't started yet as I just closed the case on The Body in the Boudoir by Katherine Hall Page. Stop in tomorrow when I share my review. I'm off to check out other great projects and books with Tami, Ginny, and Susan. Why don't you join me? Until next time friends, Be blessed and stitch & read with love! 
It has been a very productive week!
It's been a busy and productive week! I have several irons in the fire right now, but I'm very pleased to report that instead of feeling overwhelmed by this I am in fact very EXCITED! Balance is so necessary to me, and when I start to waiver I need to remind myself to step back and take time to meditate and pray. This allows me to calmly evaluate the things that are going on. Then I can make decisions and assign priority to things that are important. It also helps me to see where I'm wasting energy on things that don't deserve it. And then things fall into place and I'm having fun and enjoying life instead of fretting!
Now about those crochet projects!! Marie at Underground Crafter is hosting the Holiday Stashdown Challenge which has been helping me to get organized and motivated. One of the projects that I'm making for gifts this year are her adorable Chubby Sheep! The pattern is a FREE Ravelry download and has been a breeze so far. (I made this much of him last night - after 10 PM!) Last week I was gifted (by my knitting/crochet group) this great sock yarn of unknown wooly goodness that I've named Autumn Stroll. As you can see I haven't made a lot of progress, but truthfully, getting the toe started is still a little hard for me and takes some time. With it done I'm at the point I can just start rolling round and round until I get to the heal decrease/increase. I'm following my go-to guide for Socks-That-Fit which has proven to be invaluable! In case you're wondering, I'm still not done with the cardigan - but I have finished the sleeves! One more row on the body (it's not quite long enough) then a little trim and voila! Ready to block and wear. This week I'm reading The Body in the Boudoir by Katherine Hall Page. This is a Faith Fairchild Mystery. I have read several in this series whose main character is Faith Fairchild, the owner of a catering company called Have Faith, and the wife of Reverend Tom Fairchild a pastor in a small Massachusetts parish. Faith is down to earth, funny and spunky and can't resist a good mystery. I've enjoyed all of the titles I read in this series. Even after several they are fresh and always draw me right in. This book is the story of how Faith and Tom met. I'm only 40 pages in, and so far it hasn't disappointed! Check in on Thursday when I'll review the book I just finished: The Lost Years by Mary Higgins Clark. Now I'm off to see what everyone else is creating and reading this week and Tami's Amis WIP Wednesday and Small Things Yarn Along. I'd love it if you joined me! Thanks for stopping by! Until next time friends, Be blessed and stitch & read with love! 
So it goes like this... I stall, I make progress, I stall again, then I make a little more progress. Honestly I'm a bit embarrassed that I'm once again talking about this cardigan. Will I ever get it finished? I suppose if the weather were cooler and I could wear it when it's done I might move a little quicker, but that's questionable. The progress report goes like this: I have reached what I believe to be the desired body length. I'm unsure so I've left the ball of yarn I used attached just in case I want to add another row or two. Last night I began sleeve one. Like my recent foray into socks, this pattern is more of a guide than a step by step and it leaves a bit to interpretation. Note to self - this is best done before midnight when you're able to think clearly. The instructions told me to attach on the 7th stitch of the under arm, ch 3 (first dc) and work in pattern across. (But it's really around) Join with a slip stitch, turn and continue to work in pattern to desired length. I tried. It didn't work. I ripped. I have encountered patterns in the past (for mittens) that wanted me to work my round by turning. I'm sure it can be done and there's a reason for it, I just haven't figured out how. Being the creative problem solver that I am I did this instead: join in 7th stitch, ch 3 and work in pattern across. When I got to the beginning ch 3 I joined with a slip stitch and then put another slip stitch in the next dc to bring me to the right place to begin the pattern. I continued working the pattern in the round joining each this way. So far I've done 6 rounds and it looks great. (Pat on the back here!) It feels good to have encountered a "problem" and created a "solution". For me this is testimony that my skills are advancing! Now if I can only stay motivated long enough to finish this thing!
The book that I'm reading today is The Lost Years by Mary Higgins Clark. I'm a mystery fan, and haven't read a MH Clark in a long time. This story centers on a the murder of a biblical scholar who may have discovered the only know writings of Jesus Christ. A letter to Joseph of Arimathea thought to have been stolen from the Vatican in 1474 AD. Who is responsible for his murder? His wife who's suffering from advanced Alzheimers? His mistress whom he has just broken things off with? Or maybe one of his colleagues who is intent on possessing the parchment? Face-paced with plenty of twists I'm enjoying this interesting bit of fiction - when I'm not working on my sweater of course! Don't forget to to stop by Tami's Amis and Small Wonders to see all the great projects going on today! Until next time friends, Be blessed and stitch & read with love!
The instructions in the STF pattern are a little vague - it's more like sock guidelines rather than a traditional pattern. That's okay it just means I needed to keep my thinking cap on. I struggled a bit with the toe. It came out kind of pointy, but I'll adjust that next time and I made quick progress of the body. The heal was another story though. I increased just fine, but it took a few tries and a bit of ripping to get the decreases right. I finally got it though and once that was done the rest was a breeze! It's a bit tight across the instep (I'll spare you more pictures of my foot!), but I think I know how to fix that next time. And there you have it - my first sock!  but I didn't give up - and look! My First Sock!
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My name is Robin. I am a wife, mother and strong believer in the power of faith. I'm a maker, a crafter and an artist. I love exploring new mediums and sharing my adventures with you. Did you enjoy your visit? Let me know by leaving a comment. I love knowing you dropped by, and hope to see you again soon! Be Blessed and Stitch & Read with Love! 
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