Natalia Knits

I’ve ditched Haloscan, and am going to go with Blogger for comments, since I want posts and comments to all be at the same place.

Because of this, the small number of comments already here will disappear into the Holoscan ether.

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…

Jo asked:

One thing I am confused about is why the need to set up the pattern after finishing the toe. The orginal pattern doesn’t seem to do anything special to set up (or end) the pattern. Am I missing something here?

There are special instructions in the original pattern, they’re just hidden in the gusset and toe shaping.

The rows are there because you have a different gauge over the pattern stitch and plain stockinette. In the original pattern, the cuff is worked with 38 st on the front half of the sock, and 38 on the back half. The heel flap is worked on those 38 stitches, but then the gusset decreases have you decreasing down to 32 stitches on the bottom of the foot, so it won’t be wider than the patterned section.

When you start the toe shaping, Rounds 1 and 2 have you decreasing only on the instep side, not on the sole side.:

“Round 1: Work needle #1 even. *K1, ssk at the beginning of needle #2, work to 3 sts from end of needle, k2tog, k1. Repeat from * for needle #3. Work needle #4 even. 66 (74) sts remain.
Round 2: Work needle #1 even. K1, ssk at the beginning of needle #2. Work to 3 sts from end of needle #3, k2tog, k1. Work needle #4 even. 64 (72) sts remain.”

Then you have 32 stitches on the instep as well, and you can continue on with a normal wedge toe.

I reversed this toe shaping to re-create the 32 st sole/38 st instep, but added a plain row between, since I am knitting into the stitch below to increase, and that works best following a plain row.

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.

So I, um, haven’t updated since February? Wow. There must be something about winter that makes me more likely to update this thing. The weather here has turned, so I guess it’s time.

Oh yeah, and “here” isn’t where “here” was last winter. Now that I’m in Missouri, I’m getting re-acquainted with winter. It’s only November, and I’m already “this close” to trading up my fingerless mits to full-on Norwegian mittens. And this is considering that I have a 10-minute commute to work and I haven’t had to scrape ice off of my car yet. In another month, I will be a whiny crybaby.

Looking back over the last entries I made, I have a lot of pictures to take. Hopefully those will actually happen soon.

In the mean time, the [Interweave winter preview] is up. My personal play-by-play:

• Ballet Wrap Cardigan - Pretty but too bulky. That chunky ribbing eats up the models waistline.

• Mowat Mukluks - Wow, these are tacky as sin… and yet I just know I’m going to end up making a pair. (In more appealing colors, of course) They look like really comfy slippers.
• Windowpane Jacket - Nice enough. Kinda frumpy. One of those things that doesn’t seem really cut out for knitwear, when it could be done much better the normal way, sewn from tweed fabric.
• Ribbed Diamonds - Looks comfortable, but I don’t know anyone who would wear it.
• Fair Isle 101 Pullover - I like it, but it would need some tweaking. I love the neckline, but the sweater doesn’t look too flattering on the model. I’m not sure how to fix it, other than making the fair isle band smaller, and building in vertical darts at the bust to keep the sweater kind-of fitted. At that point, I would add a little extra plain knitting at the bottom, and wear the whole thing without the blouse underneath. I don’t know. It’s a shame, the sweater seems so cute, yet so unworkable.
• Bi-Color Cables - I know I would never get around to making it, but I like it.
• Cabled Bandeau - I don’t do tube tops. But it’s also cute.
• Hip Hop Coat - I have a feeling it wouldn’t really wear well… It would stretch out of shape and pill and just get ratty really quickly.
• Pearl Buck Swing Jacket - I also don’t do swing coats.
• Aran Pullover - I like it. I’d shorten it, though. But that’s an easy fix.
• Brilliant Retro - Looks like it has potential, but it doesn’t really flatter the model.
• Wedge Hat - Goofy looking. But I guess it’s for kids, so not realy aimed at me.
• Gull Stitch Cardigan - I am deeply suspicious when the photo of a cardigan doesn’t show the front. Especially when it’s an “asymmetrical cardigan”. I have a feeling this one has issues.
• Fickle Fingers Scarf - Cute enough. Not my thing.
• Embossed Leaves Socks - OoooOooo. IK does come through with the pretty socks, that’s for sure.
• 4-3-2 Ribbed Pullover - If it makes the model look a little pregnant, it will make me look like I’m carrying an elephant
• Bias-Knit Tie - The 70’s called, they want their ties back.
• Belted Wrap Jacket - Maybe it’s the color that’s predisposing me to like this one, but it looks cozy and comfy (and will also probably pill like mad)
• Cover Your Ears! - The staff projects rarely push my buttons. Invariably too busy, too much going on. These are no exception.
• Gored Skirt - Knit skirts are a recipe for saggy-looking behinds.
• Winter Star Jacket - Not my style, but I could see it working on a lot of people.
• Speckled Beret - Cute and Classic. If I didn’t already have a beret I love, I would be all over it.
• Pom-Pom Christmas - This was not a good idea.

So I’ll probably end up making both pieces of footwear. Overall, it’s not a bad issue. Maybe I’ll find a reason to cannibalize the cables off of some of the sweaters. Worth the $6, I think.