Round Peg In a Square Hole-crafts

Monday, February 23, 2009

Severe Case of Start-itis

I have seriously been trying to move a few UFOs to the FO column, but I backslid badly this weekend, worse even than for the Superbowl. While I did finish one project that's been on the books for a while, I managed to start seven.

First, the FO:

Test knit socks

Really like these Baby Fern Rib socks, that were a test knit for someone on Ravelry. I finished the first one fairly quickly, to evaluate the pattern, but hadn't finished the second sock, because Christmas intervened. However, I now have them to wear and am very happy with them.

Now, we come, in no particular order, to all the things I started. I have no pictures yet of the third Muppet, which will be for my mother, but it'll look a lot like the one for my daughter

"The Muppet"

and the one for her doll.

AG Muppet

Mine, when I get around to it, will at least be a different color, and may be a bolero/shrug-ish version. Maybe.

Also with no pix is a chemo cap for a friend who just finished her radiation treatment and is almost done with her chemo. Better late than never, I'm thinking, and it's being done with a lovely acrylic/mohair blend called Divine, in a soft purply-pink that I think she will love. It should knit up quickly.

Last with no pix is another pair of felted slippers for my sister. I really seem to have some resistance to making these: I've lost the yarn several times and forgot the pattern at knitting the other night (thank you again, Ellen, for mailing it back to me!) Hoping to get these done quickly, so they can actually be used this year. (Have another pair to do for her husband, but have yet to cast those on.)

Now, we come to some "cheater pants" projects, as my daughter would say, in that they were both started and finished this weekend. I was going over to visit with family at my nephew's house, and I had never been there before, so I thought I'd bring a hostess gift. Their kitchen is a bright, dark red, so I whipped these up on Saturday:

Dish cloth/hot pad 1

Dish cloth/hot pad 2

Haven't made many dish cloths, so I was pleased with how they came out, but my neice-in-law said they'd have to keep them up high, or the dogs would eat them. Oh, well.

Next is a KAL that I'm doing with the Lesser of Two Needles group (fans of the Patrick O'Brian Aubrey/Matchurin books). They decided to do a red scarf, because it is mentioned in _Desolation Island_, and picked The Not-Quite-Straight-Scarf. I was just charmed by it, so I had to cast on:

Red Scarf for KAL

My original intention was to make this for the Red Scarf Charity project, but I may have trouble letting go of it.....

And lastly, we have one of three bags that I am knitting from a lovely organic cotton, to donate to the auction at my daughter's school. I'm doing the first one from Knitty's Everlasting Bagstopper, but squaring the bottom and using different straps:

Square Bagstopper

Haven't decided if I'll do all three the same, or do different patterns or different sizes. We shall see; I have some time, as I don't believe I have to have these finished until April-ish.

This is totally ignoring all the WIPs I already had on the needles, and we won't even talk about housework. I plead temporary insanity.

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Friday, February 20, 2009

Sock Madness III design

Since I just found out that neither of my designs made it into Sock Madness III, I'm releasing one of them here. I'm still looking for a test knitter for the second, because I hope to sell it.

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Tessellation


Tessellation-side view

I love colorwork, and this slipstitch pattern is one of the easiest ways to do it. The original stitch pattern came from a tea cozy pattern, but I used it to make a sweater for my daughter, converting it to circular for the sleeves. I thought it might make a cozy and colorful sock. Hope you think so, too!

Materials:
  • fingering weight: 70g main color (MC); 15-20g each of two contrasting colors (A and B) –OR- 70g MC and 30-40g painted or highly variegated; I used Elann’s Peruvian Baby Silk, in Sapphire (MC), Parchment (color A), and Cornflower (color B)
  • set of 5 dp needles, size 2, or size to get gauge
  • stitch markers (optional)
  • yarn needle

Gauge:
9 stitches/inch in stockinette

Terms:
  • dip stitch(dpst): Insert needle into stitch three rows below next stitch; pull through a loop of working yarn and place it on left needle. Knit this loop together with the next stitch, through the back loops.
  • 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
  • w&t: wrap and turn
  • kfb: knit in front and back
  • m1: make one by lifting bar between the last stitch knitted and the next stitch using the left needle and going from the front; knit this stitch through the back loop

Notes:
Just a few hints that may help:

-When doing the short-rowed heel, you can place a stitch marker 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! When working the wrapped stitches, take the stitch markers 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.

-A very useful way to hide the wraps on short rows is shown in two Cat Bordhi YouTube videos:
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yVikAvPuE4
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFrVqx-iN7k

-To avoid having a bazillion ends to weave in, you can just carry the colors not in use up the side of the sock at the beginning of the round, running the working yarn behind the others on one round, then in front on the next, and twisting them all together when changing colors.


Toe:
Using a figure 8 cast on, (http://www.knitty.com/issuewinter02/FEATtiptoptoes.html), a Magic cast on (http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring06/FEATmagiccaston.html), or your preferred method, cast on 16 stitches. Knit one round, making sure to k tbl on the twisted stitches, if you used the figure 8 cast on.
Round 2: (kfb of first stitch, k6, kfb in next stitch) twice
Round 3: (kfb, k8, kfb) twice
Round 4: (kfb, p10, kfb) twice
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 64 stitches, 32 for the instep, 32 for the sole. On the following round, k16, m1, k 32, m1, k to the end of the round. There are now 66 sts., with 33 on the instep and 33 for the sole. Knit 3 rounds with no increases.

Begin pattern:

Round 1: with A, (sl 3, k1, dpst, k1) 5 times, sl 3; k1, (sl 1, k1) to the end of the round
Round 2: with A, k1, (sl 1, k5) 5 times, sl 1, k1; k1, (sl 1, k1) to the end of the round
Round 3: with MC, (k3, sl 3) 5 times, k3; sl 1 (k1, sl 1) to the end of the round
Round 4: with MC, k4, (sl 1, k5) 4 times, sl 1, k4; sl 1 (k1, sl 1) to the end of the round Round 5: with MC, k4, (sl 1, k5) 4 times, sl 1, k4; k to the end of the round
Round 6: with MC, k
Round 7: with B, (k1, dpst, k1, sl 3) 5 times, k1, dpst, k1; sl 1, (k1, sl 1) to the end of the round
Round 8: with B, k4, (sl 1, k5) 4 times, sl 1, k4; sl 1, (k1, sl 1) to the end of the round
Round 9: with MC, (sl 3, k3) 5 times, sl 3; k1, (sl 1, k1) to the end of the round
Round 10: with MC, k1, (sl 1, k5) 5 times, sl 1, k1; k1, (sl 1, k1) to the end of the round
Round 11: with MC, k1, (sl 1, k5) 5 times, sl 1, k1; k to the end of the round
Round 12: with MC, k

Repeat these 12 rows until foot measures 2” less than final desired length, ending with row 4, 5, 10 or 11.

Begin short-row heel: (done with MC)
(worked back and forth over half the stitches)
Round 1: Work in pattern for 33sts (note the round number); k 32, w&t
Row 2: p31, w&t
Row 3: k30, w&t

Repeat rows 2 and 3, decreasing the number of stitches worked before the wrap by 1 on each row until there are 9 stitches left unwrapped, ending with a wrong side row.
Row 4: k9, knit next stitch along with its wrap, wrap next stitch (there are now two wraps on this stitch), turn
Row 5: p10, purl next stitch along with its wrap, w&t
Row 6: k11, knit next stitch with both its wraps, w&t
Row 7: p12, purl next stitch with both its wraps, w&t

Repeat rows 6 and 7, increasing the number of stitches worked before the wrap by 1 on each row, until all heel stitches and wraps have been worked, ending with a wrong side row and turning, then knitting across the heel to the start of the round.

You still have 66 sts.

Leg:
Begin leg pattern on the round following the round you noted when you started the heel.

Round 1: with A, (sl 3, k1, dpst, k1) 11 times
Round 2: with A, k1, (sl 1, k5) 10 times, sl 1, k4
Round 3: with MC, (k3, sl 3) 11 times
Round 4: with MC, k4, (sl 1, k5) 10 times, sl 1, k1
Round 5: with MC, k4, (sl 1, k5) 10 times, sl 1, k1
Round 6: with MC, k
Round 7: with B, (k1, dpst, k1, sl 3) 11 times
Round 8: with B, k4, (sl 1, k5) 10 times, sl 1, k1
Round 9: with MC, (sl 3, k3) 11 times
Round 10: with MC, k1, (sl 1, k5) 10 times, sl 1, k4
Round 11: with MC, k1, (sl 1, k5) 10 times, sl 1, k4
Round 12: with MC, k

Repeat these 12 rows 5 more times, for a total of 6 runs through the pattern on the leg. Tie off colors A and B as you finish with them on the last run-through of the pattern.

Cuff:
With MC, (Ktbl, p) to the end of the round. Continue until ribbing measures 1”. Bind off loosely.

Finishing:
Weave in loose ends.

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