Tuesday, December 1, 2009

I-cord gloves

(size 2 needle, superfine merino)

Little finger: 16 sts total
CO 6
K 1 row
Row 2: Increase to 11 sts: k1, [m1, k1] to end of row (5 times)
Row 3: Increase to 15 sts: k4, [m1, k1] 4 times, k4

Continue working I cord until tube is length of pinky (approx 2 ¼”)

Put the sts onto a string holder. Use crochet hook to pick up 1 st along the ladder.

Add this st to the scrap yarn.

Break yarn and begin next finger.

For the rest of the fingers, knit 1 row, increase 1 row, k 1 row, inc 1 row, then k evenly for the rest of the finger.

Ring finger: 18 sts total
CO 5
1st inc row: k1, [m1, k1] 4 times (9 sts)
2nd inc row: [m1, k1] 8 times (17 sts)

Middle finger: 20 sts total
CO 6
1st inc row: k1, [m1, k1] 5 times (11 sts)
2nd inc row: k2, [m1, k1] 8 times, k1 (19 sts)

Index finger: 18 sts total
CO 5
1st inc row: k1, [m1, k1] 4 times (9 sts)
2nd inc row: [m1, k1] 8 times (17 sts)

Thumb: 20 sts
CO 6
1st inc row: k1, [m1, k1] 5 times (11 sts)
2nd inc row: k2, [m1, k1] 8 times, k1 (19 sts)

Monday, November 30, 2009

gloves

I'm doing my first pair of gloves, finally taking on the challenge of all those fingers!

Basic glove pattern: http://www.wildwestwoolies.com/files/loughnasa_20gloves_1_.pdf

I-cord, fingertip-first, pattern: http://nonaknits.typepad.com/nonaknits/2005/10/icord_gloves_1s.html

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Toe-up Merino Socks

(Fingering weight merino wool, size 0 needles)
(Instructions adapted from Denise and JG)

Square Toe Cast On
Using the half hitch (simple backward loop ) and the single SMALLER dpn, make 8 loops on the needle.
Using one of your set of dpn’s knit across the 8 loops on the smaller needle. These stitches will form the top of the foot.

Turn the knitting over so that the bottom of the cast on loops are on top . The tail of yarn from the cast on and the yarn from the ball will both be at the right hand side. Take the cast on tail and move it over top of the yarn from the ball.

Taking the smaller dpn again, pick up the rightmost four of the loops as shown in the diagram and knit them using one of the regular dpn’s. Repeat this with the other four loops and a third regular dpn.

You should now have sixteen stitches on 3 dpn’s. You are finished with the smaller dpn, put it away so you won’t be tempted to knit with it! If you want to work with a set of five dpn’s. transfer four of the stitches from the first needle to another one. You will need to mark the beginning of your round if you do this.

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Toe Increases
Increases are made:
• After the first stitch and before the last stitch on needle 1 (the needle with 8 stitches that forms the top of the sock)
• After the first stitch on needle 2
• Before the last stitch on needle 3

Don’t forget that you need to make the increases symmetrical - use one form of your choice at the start of needle 1 and two and the other at the end of needle 1 and 3

Increase in each of the next two rounds, to a total of 24 stitches. Then change the rate of increase to every other round.

Round 1: Increase one stitch each needle as follows:
Needles 1 and 3: k1; lift the stitch below the stitch on the left needle and knit it; k to the end of needle.
Needles 2 and 4: k to within 1 st of end; lift the stitch below the stitch on the right needle and knit it; k1.
Round 2: Knit.
Repeat these two rounds until there are 18(19) stitches on each needle ( 72(76) stitches in all).

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Foot

Knit on 72(76) stitches, trying on the sock from time to time until you reach the point where the leg meets the top of the foot. This is about 6.5 inches from the tip of the toe. End at one of the sides of the foot, that is, above one line of toe increases.

=================
Gusset Increases

The rounds begin at the next needle, which will be called needle #1. The stitches on needles 1 and 2 are the sole of the sock, and on needles 3 and 4 are the instep.
Round 1:
Needle 1: K1, lift the stitch below the stitch to the left and knit it, k to the end of needle.
Needle 2: Knit to within 1 st of end; lift the stitch below the stitch just knitted and knit the lifted stitch, k1.
Needles 3 and 4: Knit plain (or knit in desired pattern).
Round 2: Knit around plain. (or knit in desired pattern on needls 3 and 4)

Repeat these two rounds 11(11) times altogether. Needles 1 and 2 have 29(30) sts, and needles 3 and 4 have 18(19) ( 94(98) sts in all).

==============
Heel Extension

Place the heel sole stitches on their own needle as follows:
Knit 18(19) stitches from needle 1 onto needle 4.
SSK (that is, slip 1 st as if to knit, sl 1 as if to knit, knit these 2 sts together through back loop), k 9(9) from needle 1 and 11(11) from needle 2 onto the heel needle. Slip the remaining 18(19) sts from needle 2 onto needle 3. There are now 36(38) stitches held on each of needles 3 and 4; you will work back and forth on the heel needle only.
Row 1: Turn, P2 tog, p across row.
Row 2: Turn. SSK, k across row.
Repeat these two rows until 8(8) stitches remain, ending with a wrong-side row.

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Heel Flap

Turn, sl 1, knit across heel.
Pick up 13(14) stitches by knitting along the decrease edge. Turn.
Sl 1 as if to purl, p back across the heel and pick up 13(14) stitches by purling along the other decrease edge. Turn.
You now have 34(36) sts on the heel needle. You will be knitting the heel flap upward, incorporating one stitch from the adjacent instep needle each time you turn.
Row 1: Sl 1 as if to knit, k across row to the last st. Sl 1, sl 1 from the next needle, k these 2 together through back loop. Turn.
Row 2: Sl 1 as if to purl, p across row to the last st. Sl 1 as if to p, sl 1 from the next needle, p these 2 together. Turn.
Repeat these two rows for a total of 17(18) times, ending with a purl row. You should have 72(76) stitches ( 34(36) on the heel needle and 19(20) on each instep needle).
Turn, sl 1, and knit a full round, adjusting stitches so that there are 18(19) on each of four needles.

=========
Begin the leg and cuff

===================================
Instep Patt: Slip Stitch Boxes (adapted from 99 Knit Stitches)

SK3 = [slip next st on cn and hold in front, K third st on left needle do not drop, K 1st and second sts on left needle and drop all 3 sts, K1 from cn]

BS1 = WYB slip 1

(always slip as if to purl)
Round 1: knit across
Round 2: K3 P2 *k5 P2* k3
Round 3: knit across
Round 4, 5 : repeat round 2 and 3
Round 6: (P2, BS1) twice *P3, BS1, P2, BS1* P2
Round 7: P2, BS1, K2, BS1 *P3, BS1, K2, BS1* P2
Round 8: (P2, BS1) twice *P3, BS1, P2, BS1* P2
Round 9: K2 [SK3] *K3 [SK3]* K2
Round 10: K3 P2 *K5 P2* K3

--------------
Leg Patt: Crossover Rib (From Sensational Knitted Socks)

Round 1: *K2 P2*
Round 2: *[Work 5 sts (K1 YO K1 YO K1) into next 2 sts tog - treat the 2 sts tog as 1 st when working the 5 sts] P2*
Round 3: *K5 P2*
Round 4: *K3 K2tog P2*
Round 5: *K4 P2*
Round 6: *K2 K2tog P2*
Round 7: *K3 P2*
Round 8: *K1 K2tog P2*

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Several projects finished

I finished several projects these last couple of months:

These first two projects I made as quickly as I could to prepare for spending several hours out in 20 degree weather, for the Inauguration.

1) Black wool fingerless gloves - I bought some cheap wool from Joann's and made fingerless gloves that I could wear over a pair of regular cotton gloves as extra insulation against the cold. I used one strand for the cuff and two strands for the main body of the glove because it seemed that one strand was just too thin. I used a simple 1x1 rib stitch all the way, and a #6 needle. The thumb hole I made by working the knitting as a flat work instead of a round work for about 8 rows, and then resuming knitting in the round.

2) Black wool socks - I used the remained of the same wool to make socks that I could wear over regular cotton socks, again, to provide extra warmth. I did these toe-up, and actually finished them on the plane to DC. Luckily, the TSA people didn't hassle me over the dpns. I had a little trouble binding off at the cuff - I just couldn't make them stretchy the way I wanted to, and also look nice over the ribbing. The cuff tended to come out wobbly looking or too tight. Oh well.

Both the socks and the gloves worked wonderfully well and my hands and feet were nice and toasty. With all the other layers I was wearing, I was reasonably comfortable - as much as can be expected anyway, with 18 degree wind chill...

3) Cotton string bag - I used the basic pattern found at http://sewintriguing.blogspot.com/2008/09/string-bag-instructions.html

I used one ball of yellow crochet thread (I think it was size 3), and it turned out reasonably well. This was my first project involving a circular needle and I had a little trouble manipulating the stitches over the cable. I don't know if that's because my needle is of inferior quality, or if that's just the way circular needles are.

It's amazing how little space is taken up by the bag and how large it stretches out to be.

New projects
1) The pink variegated socks I made for my daughter accidentally ended up in the dryer and don't fit her anymore. Oops. So I unraveled them, and I'm going to reknit them and see how it turns out. The yarn is felted but not too badly, so I think it might be ok. This is largely experimental.

2) I read about unraveling yarn from a thrift store sweater recently, and I decided to try it out. I bought a 100% merino wool medium sized sweater for $4.50 and unraveled it. It was made of 4-ply (the strands weren't twisted together) yarn, and it seems to be of good quality, as though the sweater wasn't worn much or at all. It's about 25 wpi (wrapped around a pencil), so I'm calling it fingering weight (fingering weight has approx 125 yds/oz). I estimate (roughly) that I recovered 3500 yards of yarn. I will weigh it once I'm sure it's dry and see if I can get a better estimate. But still, that's an enormous amount of wool for $4.50!

I'm going to try to make some socks with it and see how it goes. I knitted up some scrap on size 1 needles and it looks like it will be nice. The color is a semisolid reddish-brown.

Maybe I can separate the ply and make a laceweight shawl or something...