Sunday Knitting

These socks should not have taken me four months to knit.

But they are kind of nice, and I'm happy to see that the legs seem to be the same length. I was worried about that as I was binding off the other night.

These are an improvised pattern, cobbled together from Sensational Knitted Socks. I used the toe from one pattern, the heel from another, and cast on the number of stitches that seemed appropriate. The stitch pattern is just a 2x2 rib.

This yarn is Cascade sock yarn, which is 25% nylon, the only way to go with socks I've decided. No more 100% wool for me. I can't darn fast enough to keep up. 

They're knit on size 0 needles, for a nice tight non-hole-wearing gauge. I used an extra strand of yarn on the heel so they are nice and firm. If this all doesn't keep the socks from getting holes, my next step is to investigate steel yarn. 

(Sorry for the crappy iphone photo. The regular camera isn't cooperating with me right now.)

Sunday Knitting

I'm just back from my Thanksgiving trip to Maine, but managed to get a picture of my sock while I was there and it was daylight.

It looks a little misshapen here, but I swear it looks totally normal when I put it on my foot.

As planned, I used an extra strand on the heel flap on the bottom which I knit on the drive up (I wasn't driving at the time) and also on the heel turn, which I did at my mother's house after we arrived. I have an inconvenient problem with reading in the car, in that it makes me incredibly ill, so I can't do any knitting that involves closely following instructions. Anyhow, the double-stranded parts feel very tough, which makes me hopeful that they won't wear through immediately.

After the heel turn, I went back to the single strand and knit the back heel flap and gusset, which you can tell from the photo is very short. This is a new construction for me so I'm not sure if that's how it's supposed to be but I tried the sock on and it fits, so I'm happy with it.

On the drive back I knit most of the leg - I think maybe one more inch I'll be ready to start the second sock!

Sunday Knitting

After last weekend's musings on the difficulties of creating durable socks, I looked through some of my sock books for information and ideas about this. The problem is that the place where my socks wear is on the bottom of the heel and there is so little that is worked back and forth, thus enabling me to use an extra strand for reinforcement.

But I was looking through my favorite sock book, Sensational Knitted Socks, and Charlene Schurch does discuss reinforcement. Mostly it is what I've read in other places, but it was comforting to see that she acknowledged it numerous times. In looking through the chapter on sock construction, I saw something that might work for me: a toe-up sock with a heel flap. Socks made this way have a heel flap that starts mid-way through the bottom of the foot which means that there is a longer stretch of back and forth knitting, more opportunity for me to use reinforcing yarn. This is excellent news!

I immediately whipped out a skein of Cascade Heritage sock yarn I bought recently - which, helpfully, happens to be 25% nylon - and cast on a short-row toe.

Although I don't enjoy working short rows, primarily because I'm not great at it and have to really focus on the instructions, I do love the little cup it makes for my toes. I also really love this yarn so far. The color is a fantastic murky seawater color that reminds me of days on the lobster boat when I was a kid. Seriously. The photo above really brings out bright blues and greens that don't appear in real life. I'll try to get a more accurate photo later.

There isn't a real pattern here. I'm using the short row toe from one set of patterns in the Schurch book and the heel flap from another set of patterns. I'm working it in a nice classic 2 x 2 rib. I really want to get to a point where I can just pick up some yarn and needles and knit me some socks without a pattern. I think I'm getting close.

I'm knitting on size 0 needles to create a nice tight gauge, something that also helps to prevent holes, and in addition to the nylon content of the yarn and the extra strand I'll use on the heels I expect these socks to survive any upcoming apocalypse we may experience.