Have you ever knit anything that just didn't work?
I have. My first pair of toe-up socks took me over a year two years to finish. Sure, they were a back-up & take-along project, something I picked up when other things were too big or too involving. Still, two years for a pair of socks reveals a bit of the pain these socks caused me! ;)
Toe? Fine.
Foot? Good fit.
After-thought heel? Intriguing, but. . . I wasn't sure where to put it so it would fit best. And once it was done, it stretched and left ugly holes. It doesn't have any slipped stitches and seems weak. And it defeated the purpose of a toe-up sock, since I had to guess at how much yarn to set aside for the heels, and ended up with two tiny balls of leftover yarn.
Leg? Could have been better. I decreased here for a snugger fit, but didn't work any sort of pattern, so the socks are saggy.
Cuff? The worst! The ribbing is loose and doesn't hold its shape, but the bind-off is so tight that the yarn is likely to snap.
These socks are not keepers. Are any toe-up socks?
Even though this project stank like the dirty little socks it resulted in, I have great hopes that toe-up socks might work for me.
I am not ready to give up on the idea of having just the right amount of yarn for my socks. (At least I have babies, so I can use up odd ends on their wee feetsies.)
To that end I've cast on a (hopefully pretty) pair of Bettie's Lace Stockings.
Then I spent a little time digging through my Ravelry favorites and found two other toe-up projects, promising for their thoughtful and new-to-me construction.
The first is the super cute Chevrolace socks. I'm excited to try these because the toe looks a little easier to knit than the invisible provisional CO I'm practicing for toe-up pair #2.
And this tutorial by Andrea Mules looks both simple and sturdy. I'm hoping for few holes and lots of speedy knitting with this versatile tute.
Serendipitously, yesterday I saw that Interweave Press' Sockupied eMags are all just under $5 each. I've been ogling them for ages, and snatched up the original and the most recent issues. They've already explained to me some of the mysteries of toe-up sock construction, such as cast-ons. While watching the videos, the magic loop method finally clicked for me. I'm really excited for great resources like these, and I hope to painlessly figure out toe-up socks.
What are your favorite toe-up sock techniques and resources?
What types of projects are your pain?
Posts
2 pennies:
i learned to knit socks toe up! i don't know how to do cuff down. :)
i knit the sweetheart socks from knitty for a pair to wear in my cold bedroom and they are PERFECT! judy's magic cast on is great for replacing other types of toes.
i'm sorry those first ones didn't work out for you! good luck with the next ones. :)
i'm terrible with scarves, like fixed width long scarves. in 4 years of knitting, haven't finished one yet!
Ammie, As soon as I shaved my head I found I did not have a ' girlie' hat. Oh I do have a hat, knit from hand painted sock yarn for Spencer. I had not put the strip of fleece lining inside, you know to keep ears from itching. Well I had to wear it any way! I hurried the Sat evening after the buzz to the Blazing Needles shop just 4 streets from me with Aunt Darcy. Picked a beautiful skein of Malabrigo, Grey pink and aqua. Well, in the next 9 days I knitted 2 hats and have one! How does that happen? I pick out at least half of what I knit! I have a perfect hat that I love!
Post a Comment