From P and From the Mill

Here are some socks knit up by P with my own hand dyed 2 ply mule spun yarn. These are all medium sized (ladies), and most are adapted from patterns in 'Sock Hop' by Joseph Madl.

This is almost enough to make me learn to use dpns. (Well, enough to make we want to learn; and almost enough to push me past wanting.)

Here's a new way to package yarn:

That bag is just under 6' x 3' x 2'.

And what's in the bag?

This is my own Super Bulky yarn; it is 6 ply carded unspun yarn; 100% wool. It is in 1/2 lb cakes. ~ 95m/225g (100 yds/8 oz.). The mill suggests 6 - 8mm needles; 10 stitches/10 cm. (!)

I like to try new things... so this is a new (to me) yarn that the mill did up for me.

Job one will be to see if I can dye it without making a royal muck up of the strands, or if it wants to be knit au naturel.

I'm not sure what I'll do with it yet. Cast on 4 stitches and knit a pair of socks may be one idea. Or knit a blanket in 20 minutes.

Any suggestions?

All Thumbs II

Yesterday I knit the strip for the thumb in my fingerless glove, knit some scrap yarn onto the end of the strip to hold the stitches in place, and then ran the work off the needles, and then removed all my weights.

Now to knit the gusset.

Recall, I have 26 rows in my thumb strip, and that I was knitting on 22 needles.

Here I am grabbing the first stitch from the side of my thumb strip, adjacent to the first needle that was raised out of work. I will hang this stitch onto the first empty needle.

I carry on picking up stitches along the side of the thumb strip and hanging them on the empty needles until I have stitches on 11 needles (half of the 22 empty needles). I snag those stitches by the side of the stitch loop, not by the bar of the stitch.

Then I repeat the same process on the other side.

It doesn't matter which side you do first, or even if you do a few stitches at a time on alternating sides. I find it quicker work to do one complete side, then the other.

One last little thing I do when I finish the second side - I hang a twelfth stitch. This puts a stitch on top of my final (11th) stitch coming from the opposite side. This binds the work together leaving one less 'hole' to snug in after the fact.

I end up (or should end up) with a little stubby thumb left over, of 4 stitches in length. Even though I knit 26 rows, I knit them thirteen going back (counter clockwise) and 13 going forth (clockwise).The initial stitch in each pass gives you the side of the stitch that you will pick up, while the final stitch in each pass gives you the bar stitch. So when I pick up 11 side loops, that actually from 22 passes of knitting. (Not as confusing as I make it sound!)

Then I tuck the thumb strip and ends into the thumb hole, just to get it out of the way.

To recommence knitting, I thread my yarn through the carrier and hold it (with a generous tail) inside the cylinder. I actually brace the yarn for a little extra tension by holding between a few raised needles instead of right at the first needle that will knit.

I have put my main weights back on the work, but I don't hang the heel hooks with their weights. It would probably be easier if I did rehang all the weights but I find this method quicker. Instead of the heel weights I use my hand to push down, gently, against the gusset area to apply the required tension - to balance the tension with the that of the main work being held down with the triple weights.

A watch point is to go VERY SLOW to make sure that the first stitch happens - ie that the yarn goes underneath the hook but above the latch.

I proceed slowly until about 6 stitches are knit - enough that the yarn is securely attached to the work.

Then I lower all the needles that were raised up and make sure all the latches are down.

Using my hand instead of the heel weights, I carry on knitting. Obviously I have to stop once each round to let the yarn pass my hand and it is important to not crank while my hand is removed. Even so this is still faster than hanging and rehanging weights.

I do this for about 15 rows. By that time the thumb is lower in the cylinder and I can grab it and hold from underneath while I carry on with the knitting. Then I carry on 'regular knitting' until I have the desired length for the fingerless fingers.

You can see the hole where I began knitting after the thumb. The purpose of the long tail when I recommenced knitting is to weave that hole closed.

There is also a small hold on the opposite side where the gusset rejoins the body of the knitting. I've been leaving an extra long tail on the thumb strip - when I close the sides of the thumb I carry on with that tail and weave the second hold closed.

(Since I took these photos the other day I've come up with a new method to get rid of those holes without weaving, which will save several minutes work on the finishing chore. I'll show you that another day.... )

All Thumbs

I did a post on thumb making before. But here is another one!

I'm knitting fingerless gloves this week so I've decided to review thumbs. Partly because I'm getting better at it and need to reinforce my own processes ;o)

As these pictures begin, I've already knit my cuff and the tube portion of the hand. I'm using Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport, 100% wool.

Now I am getting ready to begin knitting my thumb.

I have raised all except 22 of the 54 needles out of work, beginning with the 4th needle behind the left red hash mark (9 o'clock) and all around to the right front yellow hash mark.

You can see on the table to the left of the sock machine I have two double pronged heel forks and to single weights at the ready.

You may have to enlarge this to see it... I'm trying to show you where the sweet spot is for my heel fork placement. The two red fingers are the one fork and the blue fingers point to the prongs of the other fork.

I set a single weight on each heel fork.

So numbers 1 and 2 in the picture are the fork weights, and number 3 is the set of 3 main weights on the body of the work.

This position is typically good for about 10 - 12 rows, after which I re-hang the hooks and weights in the original position. Beyond 10 or 12 rows and stitches start to get missed.

To knit the thumb (in this case a partial thumb for a fingerless glove) I will knit 26 rows. Instead of going round and round as in tube knitting, I will go back and forth (13 times each).

Even with a good spot for hanging the weights, the first stitch on each row is a watch point.

I'm finding it a good policy to gently place the index finger of my left hand against the inside of the needle that will knit first, which ever direction I'm going. This helps the yarn snug up and makes sure it gets caught by the needle.

Then as soon as I see the first stitch is caught I STOP cranking, and move my left hand down ONTO the two single weights - I park my left thumb on the right weight and a few assorted fingers on the left weight. I apply a GENTLE pressure, and finish cranking that row.

When I was relying on the weights alone I was missing (and having to pick up) the first stitch in each row frequently, and had to raise the hooks every 6 rows.

Here I've completed the first 10 or 12 rows of the thumb flap. You can see the holes forming at the junction of the flap and the main body. This hole grows as the flat gets longer and the body stays the same.

Now I've completed the 26 rows of my thumb strip. I've cut the yarn leaving a generous tail, and placed the tail on the inside of the cylinder. The tail will be used to finish the top edge of the partial thumb and to close the side of the thumb.

If you look close....You can see how the creation of the holes while knitting the thumb strip stretches the first stitch on each side of the main body knitting. This will get snugged up as the work progresses.

The red arrow shows the bar between first stretched stitch and the stitch I will pick up first. When I begin to rehang stitches I will look for the loop of the adjacent stitch and hang that on my first empty needle. Because the works is stretched in progress, that loop can be tightened up and difficult to find. The green arrow points to that tricky little hiding place.

I know if I've grabbed the correct part of the stitch if that bar by the red arrow immediately snugs up.

But before I can pick up stitches, I have to get the strip OFF the needles.

Here I've knit on 10 rows of scrap yarn. When I cut the tail of the scrap yarn, on the right hand side of the knitting, I use a darning needle and run the tail through the last couple of stitches on the needles - makes it less likely to unravel when I take the work off the needles.

To take the thumb strip off the needles I FIRST remove the two sets of heel forks and weights. But not the main weight. I apply a gentle pressure with my left hand to the thumb strip, inside the cylinder, and give a quick crank. The work pops off.

The thumb is now knit, and the next step will be to pick up stitches and form the gusset, which I'll blog on Friday.

Uncovered Treasures

When I was resorting and organizing my stash I came upon a skid of DGB Confetti I bought on line a few years ago. This colourway is #4.003

I'm not certain, but I believe the DGB is dyed by a computerized printer setup. A number of the lesser expensive self patterning yarns, including this one, have more muted tones of the dye, almost like a washed-denim thing going on, and it is not uncommon to find little blips of colour misplaced here and there within the patterning. The colours are 'nice' but not as vibrant as some of the dearer yarns.

Still, the yarn is comparable in weight and gauge to other 4 ply sock yarns, and a good value. Not as soft as Lorna's but comparable to Fortissima and Opal and at about half the price.

I actually knit this pair of Size Large for myself. On purpose. It's the first pair of socks I deliberately knit for me (all my others are socks that I made boo boo's on).

You can see that I had a knot/splice in the second 50 g ball and so the patterns don't match in the foot.

I bought this shirt on sale last month, and when I saw the DGB sock yarn I thought it would be a good match. The sock 'white' is more a creamy white vs the shirt which has a truer white. But with a pair of jeans separating the shirt and socks I think they'll match up nicely.

Holy co-ordination Batman!

Other Finds
Another tub I was re-sorting had some partial balls of hand painted Arequipa sock yarn, 65% wool, 20% Alpaca, 15% nylon. I had enough of 4 colourways to make one sock each ;o(

My solution:

I call this pair Alpaca Fields and Forest. The browns have a chestnut-walnut hardwood thing going on, and the complementing colourway reminds me of the grain fields at harvest (this week!).

This pair is Size Medium +,knit on the Verdun 47, 72 needle cylinder.

And this pair:

is also Size Medium +. I call it Alpaca Strawburple because of all the grape and berry tones happening in these two yarns.

I bought the Arequipa online at Pickup Sticks.

Boys will be boys

Here's a six pack of socks for bigger boys and girls.

All are Size Large, knit on the Verdun 47, 72 cylinder, and all are Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock.

From the left: Huron, Jungle Stripe, Purple Iris, Mixed Berry, Mine Shaft, and Jeans.

Cranking has been stiff this week. Lorna's usually flows through my sock machines like butter, but with the cold nights, and the heat not yet turned on, the machines are quite stiff. I actually had to loosen my tension almost half a turn and the knitting was still quite a workout.

And On The Farm

Jesse and I took a walk to the back bush after lunch today.

In one corner we startled a deer.

Or rather, he startled us.

Again.

We didn't even see it today, but the crash he made bolting through the trees sounded like it must be the 8 pointer we've seen here several times.

We DID see several partridges ,(actually Grouse, but I grew up knowing -and eating - these as partridges) a Pileated Woodpecker, and a raccoon that Jesse chased up a tree.

He was mostly chasing birds today.

Maybe he thinks he's a bird dog.

But I think he's a burred dog.

Boys will be boys.....

Floors and finches

Egad! The sock studio has a floor!

I thought I remembered there being a floor, but I hadn't seen it for so long that I forgot about it.

Skeins and balls re-sorted, bagged and neatly stashed in the cubbies.

Cones and bulk skeins/balls sorted into tubs. Tubs against the slanted wall are two layers deep; plus other bulk yarns stashed in garbage bags where the slope is too step for tubs to fit under.

I'm not sure how long there will be a floor. Stuff happens....

On the Farm

Here's a sign of poor pasture management! Bull Thistles abound. At least these horrid plants have one redeeming feature - they are a primary source of feed for Goldfinches.

At the moment there are more finches than sheep.

And on the Sock Machine
and in honour of the thistle:

Featured on this sock (and its mate) is a Thistle Clock. I did the clocks by reversing stitches from knit to purl (demo last week).

The yarn is my one ply 70/30 lamb/nylon. The knit is finer than most 4 ply's I use - more like a 3 ply weight or even a tad less.

I think the yarn gauge is a bit thin for the clock chart I used. It is from an 18th century historical pattern and I believe it was meant to be used with approximately worsted weight. With my finer gauge the thistle is kind of squat.

Nevertheless, I'm pleased with my initial effort at purl switching and clocks.

There are 4 clocks in all, one on each side of each sock, all ending just at the beginning of the ankle (amazingly, as I planned!).

If I use the my fine yarn again I think I'll try to modify the pattern of the clock to stretch the design vertically more in keeping with the look of the chart.

And of the thistle!

Closed for the Season

Jesse wanted to try water sliding before the fall air turns too cold, so we went off for an adventure.

Alas, when we arrived two hours later the water slides were closed.

Oh well. It was a large park and we were pretty sure there would be other things to do.

Hmmm, I wonder what's in that building over there.

Oh.....

Well, its a good thing we brought the truck...

The above are from a 'new to me' brand - The Black Lamb. The top 6 skeins are a merino/nylon sock yarn, and the bottom two are a merino/seacell blend.

Collinette's Jitterbug, 100% superwash merino, is another 'new to me' brand.

And All Things Heather is another 100% superwash merino 'new to me'.

Well, Hand Maiden is an old friend yarn, but I haven't tried the Sea Silk 70% silk 30% seacell before. I'm not sure how I'll knit this up - there's little memory in silk and I'm unfamiliar with the seacell. Some ribbing, mock or for real, in the leg might be warranted. The skeins are a generous 600m/150g. (Anyone used this for socks?)

Even with no swimming, and the remnants of Ike dumping on us as we drove home the outing was very enjoyable.

It's the first time I've been to the Kitchener Guild's Knitting Fair.

There were ~ 70 vendors; I believe most were strictly retailers, but I did recognize 5 or 6 indy folks hawking their own gorgeous wares. A lot of vendors were selling Koigu, Fleece Artist, Hand Maiden et al.

And there were quite a few Alpaca vendors - some indy folks and some from a co-op.

And then there was also a Qiviut vendor (hence the truck).

I was a little surprised that sock yarn didn't dominate the show. Do people actually knit things beside socks!

There was scads of beautiful lace weight yarns, multi-media yarns, and kits.

Oh. And buttons.

The little buttons on the top left are for baby sweaters that have a three button shoulder. And the big funky buttons are for purses that DW makes.

I saw Ravelry Buttons adorning the occasional shopper, but alas, no one I know ;o(

The Letter P

Today is brought to you by the letter 'P'.

With a second non-raining day in a row, Jesse and I went for another hike out back.

The back 40 is loaded with Hawthorne bushes. They have really nasty barbs on them. If you walk into a branch, a barb can go right through your hat! And like bee's a little bit of the end of the stinger breaks off. And festers.

P is for pricks!

We checked on the back pond. Loads and loads of water. From the large boulders in the foreground to the back of the pond is 100 feet or more, and the pond is over 20 feet deep.

It's the first summer/fall in many that I haven't been in a panic about water shortage.

P is for pond.

From the Dye Pot

Another batch of my 50/50 wool/tencel fingering weight sock yarn; ~ 400yds/112g.

P is for Periwinkle.

And on the Sock Machine:
Reversing a Stitch
A newsletter to which I subscribe had some tips on this. Some of the language wasn't dumbed down enough for me, but I fiddled away at the sock machine and found my way to figuring it out.

The red mark on the cylinder is at 9 o'clock on the sock machine and, with the hook tool in my left hand, I've lifted the stitch I want to reverse off its needle.

Holding an extra latch hook needle in my right hand, I slip the hook under the bar of the stitch I just lifted. (That bar of the lifted stitch is also the loop of the the stitch in the previous row.)

Once my latch hook is safely under the stitch bar, I let go of the loop I'm holding with the hook tool in my left hand. Holding the latch hook in place when I let go of the loop stops a run from happening!

With the hook tool I give the newly freed loop a little tweak to pop the stitch.

That loose strand on the top of the latch hook is what used to be the loop of the stitch that was on the hook tool. See how I've positioned it so the latch will close on it.

The loop on that same latch hook, on the other side of the latch, is what used to be the bar of the stitch I removed.

Now - I pull the loose strand through the loop to create a new stitch.

And, ta da, now I hang the new stitch on the needle whence the old stitch was stolen!

So I've taken the stitch apart and remade it. If you look carefully you can see that my loop on the new stitch comes over top of the bar of the previous stitch, while in the other stitches in the picture the loop come underneath the bar of the previous stitch.

P is for purl.

A Break from the Rain

This is the first day in many that it hasn't rained, so Jesse and I took a walk out back after lunch. The sun peaked through the dense clouds here and there to make for a pleasant hike.

The view is from the top of 'The Knoll' facing north. In the centre of the picture in the distance is the high speed Internet tower. One of many now gracing the rural areas in Ontario.

A few signs of fall colours are beginning to appear on the farm.

I don't know what kind of butterfly this little friend is, or even if it is a moth. It's about the same size as the Monarch Butterfly that frequents the farm when the milkweed has flowered.

Inside Out Raccoon
This photo is not for the squeamish.

Jesse and I found this dead raccoon up near the top of the knoll. At first I thought it was a vulture by the shape of the head and long neck. Then I saw the canine teeth and grey fur and realized it must be a raccoon.

There were a few feathers about the scene, another reason I first thought it was a vulture. Then I thought maybe the raccoon was eaten by a vulture.

I've seen sheep turned inside out by coyotes - the hide is literally pulled over the head like taking off a sweater.

Maybe the vultures and the coyotes had pot luck together.

Socks With Clocks
I was reading an article about sock clocks. I might like to try knitting some.

Anyone out there done it?

I think I get the idea but I'm not sure if the clocks end just above the ankle, or if they actually go down overtop of the ankle.