It's a Toe

Here's what I knitted up last night.

The next stage in my sock-knitting adventures is to knit toe-up socks. Unfortunately that's beyond the scope of Ann Budd's Getting Started Knitting Socks book which has been my trusted guide so far.

I don't currently have a knitting group--I'm planning to rectify that deficiency soon--so I turned to the internet for help. Wendy's toe-up sock pattern seems to be a popular go-to guide. With the help of this tutorial I managed the slightly wonky toe you see here. One of the problems with this sort of independent learning is that it's hard to work out which bits of wonkiness are my own beginner's errors and which are inherent deficiencies of the particular method being used.

When I looked at my knitted toe last night I was disappointed with how messy one particular line of stitches looked. If you're into knitting short-row toe-up socks, it's the part where you pick up the wrapped purl stitches while knitting the second half of the toe. I'd never done a short-row toe before. In fact knitting short rows using wrapped stitches is new to me. This morning I hunted around for more information on knitting short rows using "wrap and turn". I discovered this video, "How to INVISIBLY pick up a wrapped stitch on the Purl Side". I learned that the messy appearance of these stitches is not just my problem. And I learned a technique for making it better. Now I'm going to pull out this toe and try again. Hopefully I'll go on to knit the entire sock. I'll get several chances to practise my new skills as the short-row heel is pretty much like the short-row toe except it's at the back of the foot instead of the front. That much I know. 

Hot Heels

Here's my idea of the perfect footwear for a great night in.

The yarns are Bendigo 8-ply--I can't quite remember which one as it's years since I dyed these--on 4mm double pointed needles and 5 stitches per inch. I used the adult medium size from Anne Budd's "Getting Started Knitting Socks". And I'm proud to say I did the Kitchener stitch for the toes without checking the book while talking to a friend over coffee. I am rather pleased with that effort. I've re-established my confidence in my basic sock knitting skills after a little break. Now I need to look for a new challenge, but in the meantime I've cast on another pair in the same yarn, this time using the Spiral Rib pattern for the cuffs. That will be the project I carry around to knit in any spare minutes while I'm out and about. The new challenge--whatever it might be--will be reserved for times when I can concentrate and I'll get on with a new big project for my armchair. 

Back to Basics

I'm getting back into the swing of knitting socks. Since I don't have a lot of experience I wanted to brush up on the basics before trying anything new. And I've been wearing the first batch of socks I made and figuring out the things that worked well and the things that need adjusting.

My very first socks were made of 8 ply yarn, just for lounging around at home--and for instant gratification. I've noticed as I've been wearing and washing them that the tension is too loose. When I went back to my book I couldn't remember which pattern I'd used. So, I decided to follow the number one rule of knitting and do a tension square--or a tension cuff in this case.

I also re-read the relevant section in my "Getting Started Knitting Socks" book and realised that the sizes there were given according to US shoe sizes, not Australian. That should have been obvious, but I guess at the time I was so overwhelmed by the excitement of knitting real live socks on double pointed needles that I missed the point. I decided on a firmer tension and larger size. And I decided to keep a record of what I make so next time I won't be so confused. 

Same, Same, Different

This Ruffle Cuff Anklet sock is featured on the cover of Ann Budd's Getting Started Knitting Socks. I've been keen on it since I first saw the book, before I started knitting my first ever sock.

After completing the pair of plain socks last week, I immediately cast this on. I finished the knitting yesterday afternoon. I just have to graft the toe and I've already cast on it's mate. Unfortunately the cuff isn't as ruffly as I would like in my version. I don't know if that's about my tension in knitting the rib. I know I'm accustomed to over the top ruffles, so maybe I've been spoilt. Anyway it's a good way to consolidate my basic sock knitting skills with just a bit of added interest to keep me motivated.