Natalia Knits

Bad, blurry pictures of my clue one of Secret of the Stole ii, in the pretty cashmere from Yubina: (click on the pictures to enlarge)

I’m really enjoying lace knitting right now. In a couple of weeks, I’ll be starting on the Secret of the Stole ii mystery knit-along. I didn’t participate in the first one, but it turned out to be gorgeous, so this one should be spectacular too.

A couple of weeks ago, I started a new pair of toe-up jaywalkers, using a very pretty blue/red colorway of Fortissima Colori Socka Color, this time on size 1’s instead of size 0’s.

I have turned one heel, and am midway through turning the 2nd, and I can say unequivically that this time the heels fit perfectly. Amazing what happens when you actually make gauge.

Pictures will follow.

All of you are going to point and laugh when you hear this.

So when I started my socks, my gauge was a little off. You know where this is going. They were a little snug around the ball of the foot, but I was so eager to get to the heel shaping, I pressed on. I had this stupid idea in my head that Lorna’s Laces is so springy, that somehow it would overcome a whole extra stitch per inch. Ha.

The socks are in time-out until after Christmas, At which point I will rip them out (sob! I had already turned both heels!) And start over on size 1s.

Everybody and their cousin had this issue. It’s not like I didn’t see it coming, I knew my gauge was off. Anyway, the next time you see my jaywalkers, there will be much less of them.

I am really amazed that there is so much interest in my toe-up adaptation (And I am really happy Grumperina was ok with me putting it up for you guys) If you have any questions about anything in the pattern, please feel free to leave a comment.

Also, if anyone finishes them toe-up from my directions, drop me a line, and I’ll put up a link to your socks.

You know what else, I’m happy that over the course of this knit-along, I have introduced people to the idea of a toe-up heel flap. The method I’ve described still involves picking up stitches, but I think it’s in a less noticeable spot. Anyway, it’s a clever technique.

I definately think cuff-down/toe-up, and dpn/2 circs/magic loop are nothing more than personal preference kind of things. There are arguments for any combination of the above, and I hate the “my way is the one true sockknitting way!” pronouncements that occationally turn up on mailing lists. That said, I suspect there are people who have entirely dismissed toe-up knitting because they dislike short-row heels.

Though, if we’re counting cool things from the toe-up camp, I’ve noticed is that lace patterns in cuff down socks will be viewed upside-down from the direction you are knitting them. But the lace patterns in most stitch dictionaries are photographed right side up, as if you were to put them on a sweater knit from the bottom up. Toe-up knitting shows off your stitch pattern right side up. Good to know.

It’s time for more pictures taken on my woefully un-photogenic blue desk under harsh artificial light!

Here we have my process to date: I console myself for my slow progress by reminding myself that if I was doing one sock at a time, I’d have a whole single sock by now.

Now for some random detail shots…

I have mentioned before that I am not using the k-f/b increase called for in the pattern, instead I am doing right and left leaning increases by knitting into the stitch into the row below. This causes the center part of the center two stitches to be pushed up and mirrors the centered double decrease well.

In the picture below, the left ridge is the decrease column, the right ridge in the increase column, don’t they look pretty?

Also, you remember where I said that the way I provisionally cast on over a 2nd circular left me with a row of fairly inconspicuous twisted stitches? Here it is. I think you can see where they are, but it’s not going to make an uncomfortable seam or anything.

If there is anyone out there following my vague instructions for adapting the Jaywalker pattern for toe-up gusset versions, I am going to add one more weird detail to the mix.

Although the heel flap is 38 stitches wide, it is only 32 stitches long. So when you are building up your gusset increases, you want to increase until there are 16 stitches in each gusset, and 38 stitches in the center section to work the heel flap on. Then you work up your heel flap like normal until you end up at the top of your heel, with 38 stitches ready to go into the patterning on the back side of the ankle.

Here’s a picture of my progress:

Yes, I am fully aware that my blue desk is a poor background for photography, but it’s convenient. It’s a little blurry, but I think it’s a good enough picture to show how the pattern looks.

Lots of flying and knitting over thanksgiving weekend, so hopefully next week I’ll have a lot more to show for myself.

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Since I’ll be gone for a few days, I thought I would insert my thoughts on picking a heel treatment…

• CT&H toe-up heel flap This is a clever technique, I like it. It makes a really well-fitting sock, and since I suck horribly at picking up stitches, it beats the pants off of a traditional cuff-down flap heel. I will be mimicing the original pattern by starting my gusset a little early, and adding 3 extra increase rounds to bring the sock up to 38 sole stitches, then continuing the gusset and heel as if I had had 38 to begin with. That will leave me with 38 stitches when I finish the heel and I will be all ready to work the zig-zag motif on the back of the leg.
• Short-Row Heel I would be a little uncertain about using a short row heel for this sock. People knitting the cuff-down version have said the sock is pretty un-stretchy and hard to pull over the heel. I always have a little trouble with getting short row heels over my heels as well. The two together could be an excercise in frustration.If I were to do it, I would include a little mini-gusset, beginning about half an inch before you would normally start the heel. (Knit a round increasing on either side of the sole, then knit a round plain) three times. You will then have 38 stitches on your sole, work your short row over those, and you’ll have a slightly roomier heel, and you’ll be all set when you come out of your heel to go right into the zig-zag motif.
• Eclectic Heel I actually really like the way this heel fits, I would probably work it up normally, but stop the gusset decreases at 38 st.
• Peasant Heel Like the short-row, I would probably also do a mini-gusset before starting this heel. It will set you up with enough stitches for the zig-zag later, and I think this heel, like the short-row, depends a lot on the elasticity of the sock fabric for fit, and since this sock won’t be super-stretchy, the extra stitches will help the fit.
• Reverse Dutch Heel This method is another good choice if you want something that looks similar to the cuff-down version. In this case, like the CT&H heel, add an extra 3 repeats to the gusset and work as if you had started with 38 stitches on the sole.
• You’re Putting Me On Another toe-up faux-heel-flap method. Same gusset comment as above.

I know there are other toe-up sock heels out there, but these are the only ones I know…

Since Cara asked nicely, I’m going to try and document my process of kniting the Jaywalker socks toe-up.

I’m not going to detail the Queen Kahuna toe-up heel method, but all of you who are toe-up knitters probably have a favorite toe-up heel of your own that you’re partial to, so just substitute it when you get there.

To begin with, I want to show off my beautiful yarn:

Not only does it look good in the hank, it’s even prettier wound up in a ball, which is nice, since plenty of hand-dyed yarns lose their charm when they’re wound and you really see all the colors together.

Anyway, So I’m using my very favorite needles (that are sadly discontinued) Inox Express size 0 circulars. I think they discontinued their 0’s, 1’s and 2’s. I’ve been wanting to stock up, but it seems like almost nowhere still has them in stock.

I don’t remember which episode it was, or I would link to it, but I recently saw an episode of Kintty Gritty where they did a provisional cast on where they looped the yarn around the cable of a circular needle so the stitches would already be there when you went back to knit the other way, and you wouldn’t have to pick them up. There are instructions for something like this in Queen Kahuna’s book, but her instructions didn’t make sense to me, so I played it by ear. I did a long tail cast on where I ran the tail end under the spare cable after every stitch. I think the stitches are twisted funny, but they lay totally flat, so there won’t be an uncomfortable seam.

I cast on 32 stitches, and am doing a normal double-wrapped short row toe, working down to 12 stitches and back up. This will make a fairly shallow toe, but it works well for my feet. Here’s what the provisional cast on looks like, and my toe-in-progress:

Once the toes are complete, and the provisional cast on has been picked up, you’ll be all ready to knit the foot (you will need to pick up a stitch at one of the sides, since the other side of a provisional cast on always has one less stitch). To set up for the pattern rows, you will need to first knit the following 4 rows:

Row 1: Knit plain all around.
Row 2: Knit plain on sole side, k-f/b, knit 30, k-f/b on instep side
Row 3: Knit plain all around
Row 4: Knit plain on sole side, (k-f/b, knit 15, k-f/b) twice on instep side

You will now have 32 stitches on the sole side needle, and 38 on the instep needle. Begin knitting in pattern as written in the original pattern only on the instep needle.

I promise to post pictures when I have enough on the needles to show what the pattern looks like upsidedown.

I have joined the Jaywalker Knitalong, and I have a pair of beautiful skiens of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in Irving Park that I have chosen for these socks. It’s beautiful, the socks will be beautiful.

Because I can’t leave well-enough alone, I will be knitting the socks from the toe up, with short-row toes, and Queen-Kahuna style heels. The chevrons will be going the opposite direction, but I’m ok with that.

I like doing socks toe-up, because I like being able to decide once I have the sock on my foot how long I want the cuffs to be, I’m really fickle about that. The only thing that sucks is that there are only two kinds of toes I like, cuff-down wedge toes kitchenered at the end, or short-row toes. Which, if I want to work toe-up, basically means a provisional cast-on either way. At least with the short row toe, I don’t have to go back and do the toe later.

Anyway, I’m sure they will be lovely, since the jaywalker pattern seems to handle yarns that pool and flash really gracefully.