Blue Socks

I finished the experimental pair of socks on the 1/4-inch 56-peg CinDWood loom, using Paton's sock yarn, size #1.  It's a really nice color -- Cadet.  It's a thinner yarn than I was accustomed to using.

By the end, I just wanted to be done with them.  Some people swear by Paton's sock yarn -- I don't quite see what all the fuss is about.  The colors are nice -- and yes, it's real wool.  But it has a roughness / coarseness that I did not feel in alpaca or in the merino Marly Bird Chic Sheep yarn (which is my preference).  I am hoping it was just some stabilizer that would wash out once it was wet finished.  [They do seem a little softer and fluffier after wet-finishing.]  And they are definitely snugger than my previous socks made from thicker yarns--That was the point of this little experiment, to make some socks I might actually be able to wear to work in regular shoes.

Since it is a #1 size yarn, I had to make some slight adjustments in my usual sock pattern--mostly more rounds for the length of the foot.    I had just a small ball of yarn left for each sock.  I could have done several more rounds on the leg and cuffs, but, like I said, I just wanted it to be over sooner that later.  It's a slightly snugger fit than the Marly Bird socks.

Toes - 9 in and 9 out
Foot - 75 - 80 rounds?
Heel - 9 in and 9 out
Leg - 45 rounds
Cuff - 25 rounds K2 P2
Super stretchy bind off.

Now I can start that red pair for my dad!

Delphinium Blue Speckled Socks

I finished my second pair of socks on the CinDWood circular knitting loom.   Thanks to a trip to Idaho (Yes, Sheila!  I was visiting my old friend up near Boise) last week, with plenty of idle time in the airports.  Yeah! And they seem to fit, too!

Here are the specifics:

Yarn : Chic Sheep 100% merino wool (with great springness suitable for socks)
Color : Lace (hand-dyed by me with Wilton's Delphinium Blue)
2 balls (1 per sock)  at 189 yards with a little left over.

Loom: CinDWood Knitted Knocker Loom 1/4 inch 56-pegs

Pattern:

I followed Hypnotic Hysteria's instructions for Loom-Knit Toe-Up Socks on this video:

[This isn't actually the video I learned on, but it's very similar.  Hypnotic Hysteria had a You Tube disaster where her channel was hacked and she lost everything, and had to start over.  To date, she has not re-posted the one I started with, but this one is close.  I think the only difference is that the leg is a little longer, and she was using the 56-peg knitted knocker loom, like I did.]




Just for kicks, I'm going to add this video, too.  It's a different loom, but the pattern is closer to what I did:


My alterations:
          Instead of 7 decreases/increases for toe and heel, I did 9 stitches. (I need a wider toe box.)
          65 rounds for length of foot
          45 rounds for leg above ankle
          20 rounds for cuff
               (Ribbing is Knit 2 / Purl 2 for more springiness)

Now onto the next project!

Speckled Sock Seeks Mate

I finally finished that sock on the CinDwood 56-peg 1/4 guage round knitting loom.

I followed Hypnotic Hysteria's instructions on this video:

It was much easier than I thought it would be.  The heel is made by exactly the same process as the toe.  And this time, I even figured out how to do the super-stretchy bind off.

I made the length of the foot about 1 inch too long.  It's really hard to tell what is the right length when it's on the loom, because it's a little stretched out and distorted.

 

 Detail of the heel and cuff.

I also changed the cuff to be K2 P2 instead of the K1 P1 that Hypnotic Hysteria recommends.  This gives it a nice stretch that you want in a cuff.

Detail of the toe box.

It's actually more even than it appears.  This was probably after I had tried it on for size.

Now to get started on the second one ...  I've already set up the Kitchener caston, and secured it with a round of knit stitches.  Now I'm beginning the toe box ...

There's a method of avoiding 2nd sock syndrome where you purchase 2 sets of needles (or in my case, a second knitting loom), so that you can work through each stage simultaneously.  That way, you don't have to start over from the beginning to make the 2nd sock.  You can just go back to the last stage.

Though -- since this one was a prototype, and I was just learning the process, it's probably ok NOT to make the second sock.  But I'm gonna do it anyway.  Maybe I'll make this one the right size for my own foot?

Loom Knitting an Ice Blue Cowl

 Ice Blue Cowl off the knitting loom.

Detail of the Ice Blue Cowl - Knit and Purl.

It really is knitting, though somehow, I feel like I'm cheating, and not really knitting without the traditional needles. 

I challenged myself to learn to knit this year.  I've been crocheting since I was a kid, but never really learned how to knit.  Now, with the wonders of Pinterest, I see so many patterns for knitted goods, and then I would get sad because they were too complicated, too beyond my abilities, too not-gonna-happen.  And then I thought, well, why not?  People learn to knit every day, and now with the wonders of You Tube, I can have at-home instruction for free anytime I want it.  And so it begins ...   I picked out patterns (Lots of patterns!) - I bought needles and supplies - and I watched some of those videos.  And still, the regular knitting came out as a jumbled mess.  I keep having to remind myself that anything worth learning, is worth doing poorly at first.  It will take practice.  And I would practice, and rip it out, and practice some more ...  and still put it down in discouragement.

I've been working on The Frigid Wind Infinity Cowl pattern because I thought it would be a good one for  a beginner.  I bought fat circular needles (Size 15 US) so I can knit in the round.  I bought some chunky light-colored yarn (not black) so I could more easily see the stitches as I'm learning.  Knitting and purling are easy enough, but the cast on got so curled and confused as the cord twisted and turned.  I tried to keep it straight, but it never quite worked.  I'm wondering if I cover that thin little cord with some surgical tubing, or something -- would it stay straight and stable?

What a mess!  I'll probably end up pulling this all out -- and this is the 4th or 5th try at it.

And then I tried loom knitting.    No needles, just a peg board and a pick.  The loom holds the tension nicely while you work.  And you're less likely to drop stitches.




Even the cast-on was a breeze.  I used this video by Good Knit Kisses showing the cable cast-on.  Quick, easy and elegant.  The yarn even sort of curls itself, giving you a clue for the next step of looping the adjacent peg.

Isn't that pretty!  And orderly and neat?

Good Knit Kisses has a very useful Loom Knitting Library on You Tube demonstrating many stitches and tasks.   Here are the 2 basics I started with : Knit and Purl.

 
 




The "diving for purls" mnemonic was very helpful for remembering which way to pull the yarn for purl stitches.  With this project, I've become very comfortable with knitting and purling on the knitting loom.

Here it is still on the loom.  The loom does stretch and distort it some, but it's remarkable how it comes back to it's natural shape with a little distance from the pegs.

Here's the view from the top.

I was having trouble keeping track of where I was in the pattern -- Was I supposed to knit or purl at that peg?   I wasn't really sure what the pattern was supposed to look like either, to even know if things were lining up properly with previous rows.    Nor how to tell if the stitch directly below was a Knit or a Purl.     It didn't seem to look like the pictures with the pattern.    I finally mapped out the pattern, and drew it out on graph paper.  That helped a lot!   I guess that means I know how to read a SIMPLE knitting pattern now.   This really helped me to keep on track.

I did a crochet bind-off as that seems to be very stable, and something I know how to do already.  And it looks nice. ;-)  I also did a crochet line on the bottom edge as the cast-on was loose and distorted.  The crochet helped to bring it back in line.

I also picked up some markers to mark the pegs when I needed to purl on any given row.  That helped me get in the groove, so to speak, and I could work more on auto-pilot without having to think so hard about what I was doing where.  That lets it be more of a working meditation.

 

I also purchased a loom knitting pick made by The Knitting Board.  It has a nice comfortable handle that made the process much easier.  The cheap picks that come with kits tend to hurt my hand after a while.

For future reference, here are the specifics of the yarn I used.

I know it's acrylic.  I think I'm going to steer back to the alpaca and wool now that I have a better idea of what I'm doing.

Knitting Checklist from Over the Rainbow Yarn.
I guess I need 2 knitting checklists -- 1 for Loom Knitting, and 1 for regular knitting with needles.

> For Loom Knitting, I can check off the following : 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 9- 11 - 12

> For Needle Knitting, I'm lagging behind : 1 - 2 - 3- 11 - 12

LittleThings

 First, a gorgeous image of frost from the guest room window back in February. 
The Frost Fariries were doing beautiful work that day!

My husband asked me to weave some place matts.  He got some quilted ones for Christmas instead.  Since I'm at the applique stage of the Morning Star Quilt project, I've been itching to SEW something -- and I have lots of blue scraps left over from my Sister's blue and orange quilt along with mom and dad's king-size 50th anniversary quilt.

I made a velvet scarf for my mom for Christmas.  She loves blue, and pretty things.  

The velvet is leftover from the Polar Bear Quilt.  

2 versions of Fingerless Mittens

The right (top) hand was done on the Addi Express Knitting Machine.

That's how I spent New Year's Day, getting to know the Addi's ins and outs.  

I'm working on a separate post to explain how I made the version on the Addi. 

The left (lower) hand was done on a manual knitting loom-- Slower work, but more precise, and nicer looking.  I think I'll definitely be doing more of that method.  Even took it on a plane trip earlier in December, proving it's portable and calming.     There are also multiple stitches you can do on the knitting looms--not just stockinette.  I have a whole new world to explore! 

Ok Sheila -- You win on the contemplative nature of knitting vs. the speedy machine knitting sucking all the joy out of it.  Slow work has value.

We've been making progress on the wool picker project.  The picker plates are sized and cut out. I worked up the drilling templates for the nails, and drilled them last weekend.  Yes-- I got 5 pounds of nails for Christmas so we could make this wool picker.  ;-)   More updates on that to come ...

Other than that, I'm feeling very frustrated in my quest to learn to knit with traditional knitting needles--even after watching the Craftsy Class online.  I've been spending countless hours on Pinterst, printing off patterns, only to realize most of them are wwaaayyy beyond my current ability / skill level.    Yup-- I want to make a lacey cowl, or patterned socks.    Sigh -- I bought aluminum needles -- maybe that was my first mistake, and why I hated it when I was a kid.  I was compelled to make the stitches so tight so as not to lose them--which is one of the issues with aluminum needles.  But apparently that's less of a problem with wood or acrylic needles.  Either way, I'm going back to the knitting looms for a while ...   I need to let the needle knitting sink in little more.  Although -- I feel better about reading charts now, and there are methods for translating needle knitting patterns to loom knitting.   Beyond that, I have a couple of friends who are accomplished knitters, and are willing to help me out ...  at least for mastering the basics.   Then there's the YouTube World, too.  Which had been just dandy for the loom knitting.  Or I could just go back to the tried and true crochet handwork.

It's good to learn new things, to remember what it's like to be an amateur ...  How long does it take to make those knitting stitches automatic?  You see those knitters going at it without even looking at what they are doing because they have such a feel for it.  I'm a long way from that.

 Let's end on a high (and calm) note with another Frost Texture photo.   Ahhh!

December Frost