Danube Socks July 23, 2008

Here they are, the Danube socks! (Finally!)

I’m not going to say that these socks are easy. But they were a lot easier than I expected. If you’ve done cables and you’ve made a sock before, you can do these socks! The center cable is complex, but the side cables pretty much take care of themselves. Some of the cables take a knit stitch and turn it into a purl or vise versa, so trust in the chart! (I forgot my own advice sometimes.) Also, unlike larger cables, there are cable twists every row. I’m going to post some pictures of how to do a twisted stitch tomorrow, in case the written description is confusing. It’s similar to cabling without a cable needle, just with fewer stitches.

One other word of advice- the ribbing at the top is pretty, but not very functional. I’ve broken it into sections for the written instructions, separated by semi-colons. The ribbing seems random, but there’s a pattern, I promise. And it’s really only the first row that you have to really pay attention to. After that it’s just working the stitches as they’re presented. Feel free to substitute your own favorite ribbing pattern instead, though. Oh, and do yourself a favor and gauge in the round- twisting stitches on the WS is not fun.

I made these socks on 2 circs- I particularly love the two circ method for cables, because I don’t have to worry about a cable traveling over a needle join. I also love the magic of working with DPNs, though, so I’ve tried to write the pattern as non-needle specific as possible. There are no guidelines as to how to arrange the stitches, except for the heel, so I hope the instructions are clear. I like to use stitch markers to mark the beginning of the round and the start and end of the instep sts.

Danube Socks

• Finished Size: Women’s 9 (9.5″ foot length)
• Needles: Size 1 (2.25mm) DPNs or 2 circulars
• Yarn: Knit Picks Essential, Mermaid (2 skeins)
• Yardage: 400 yards
• Extras: Stitch markers, stitch holder or scrap yarn, tapestry needle
• Gauge: 9 sts x 12 rows= 1″ in stockinette; first 29 sts x 18 rows of Chart A= 2.5″ x1.5″

Special Stitches

PYI Ribbing (Pretty But Ineffectual Ribbing): *P2, k2, p2, k1; p2, (k1, p1,) twice, k1; p2, k1, p1, (k2, p2) twice, k2, p1, k1; p2, (k1, p1) twice, k1; p2, k1* twice

1×1 Twisted Ribbing: *k1 tbl, p1* repeat to the end of the round.

Right Twist: Slip next two stitches purlwise. From the back, insert the left needle into the back of the first slipped stitch. Pull the right needle from both stitches and reinsert right needle into the loose stitch from the front. Slip this stitch back to the left needle, then k2 tbl.

Cable Key

Left Twist: Insert the right needle into the back of the second stitch on the left needle. Pull left needle out of the first two stitches and reinsert the left needle into the loose stitch from the front. Replace stitch on right needle to left needle, then k2tbl.

Right Purl Twist: Perform a Right Twist, but at the end, k1tbl, p1.

Left Purl Twist: Perform a Left Twist, but at the end, p1, k1tbl.

All knit stitches on Chart A and B are knit through the back loop (tbl). Gray stitches on the chart are purled.

Leg

CO 80 sts using the Long Tail Cast On.

Work PYI Ribbing OR 1×1 Twisted Ribbing for about 1”.

Work Chart A completely once, then work Rounds 1 to 30 of Chart A again. (The red line just shows the halfway mark on the chart.)

Chart A - Leg

Divide for heel: Work Round 31 of Chart A. At the end of the round, work the first 3 stitches as presented from the beginning of the round, turn.

Heel

Row 1 (WS): Sl 1, p39, turn.

Row 2 (RS): *Sl 1, k1* repeat until the end of the row, turn.

(After the first few rows, you may want to put the other 40 sts on a holder or scrap yarn.)

Repeat these two rows 28 more times for a total of 30 rows, then work Row 1 again. RS will be facing.

Heel Turn

Row 1 (RS): Sl 1, k22, ssk, k1, turn.

Row 2 (WS): Sl 1, p7, p2tog, p1, turn.

Row 3 (RS): Sl 1, k8, ssk, k1, turn.

Repeat Row 2 and 3, working 1 more stitch every row, until all stitches have been worked, ending after a WS row. 24 stitches remain.

Turn and knit across all heel stitches.

Gusset

Pick up and knit through the back loop 16 stitches along the heel flap and 1 st in the gap between the flap and the instep. (17 sts increased). Work Row 1 of Chart B across the held instep stitches. Pick up and knit through the back loop 1 st in the gap and 16 stitches along the heel flap (17 sts increased), k12 heel stitches to move the beginning of the round. Beginning of the round is now in the center of the heel. 98 sts.

Chart B - Instep

Round 1: Knit to 3 stitches before instep, k2tog, k1. Work the next row of Chart B across instep. K1, ssk, knit to the end of the round. 2 sts decreased.

Round 2: Knit to instep. Work the next Row of Chart B across instep. Knit to the end of the round.

Repeat Round 1 and 2 until 40 sole stitches remain; a total of 80 stitches.

Foot

Work Round 2 until 2 ½” short of desired length. Try to end on Row 1, 13, 19 or 31 of Chart B. (Shown ending on Row 19).

Toe

Round 1: Knit to 3 stitches before instep, k2tog, k2, ssk, knit to 3 sts before the end of the instep, k2tog, k2, ssk, knit to the end of the round. 4 sts decreased

Round 2: Knit.

Repeat Round 1 and 2 until 20 sts remain.

Graft remaining sts together using Kitchener Stitch. Weave in ends, make another one, and wear around proudly!

Please Note: I post my patterns as soon as I’ve completed them because I’m excited to share them with you. They have not been fully tested. But they are free. I’ve made every effort to make sure that the instructions are clear and error-free. There may be typos or pattern mistakes and if you find them or have any questions, please let me know by posting a comment or emailing me, dailyskein at gmail.com.

Twisted Stitches July 18, 2008

I spent all yesterday (minus the time for a bike ride, grocery store, laundry… you get the picture) in a marathon knitting session to get my latest sock finished. I got mostly there. I finished up the toe this morning… and then waited around anxiously, looking for the perfect lighting to take pictures outside. There was some stunning sunshine yesterday around 3 o’clock, but of course the sock wasn’t finished yet. In accordance with MLA (Murphey’s Law Association) guidelines, it was overcast all day today and the promised sunshine never appeared. But here’s what I managed to get:

Knit with Knit Picks Essential, in Mermaid. I’ve named them Danube, after the river that runs through Vienna, Austria. I took a river cruise down the Danube when I was in high school, and it was magical. The socks are my attempt to design a traditional Austrian twisted stitch sock. I haven’t been able to find much information on the traditional sock design, just a few sentences in Folk Socks by Nancy Bush and Eunny Jang’s blog, so these might not be entirely traditional. My grandmother is from Vienna and she wants to take me and my sisters there again, so maybe I’ll scour the city for knitting books if that happens.

I’ll have lots more details later, as well as more pictures, and of course a pattern eventually.  Now, we’re off to see a midnight IMax showing of the Dark Knight!  I’m excited, I haven’t seen an IMax movie since I was in school.

Chainmaille Pt 1 July 15, 2008

At the end of July, I’m teaching 6 chainmaille classes at a Girl Scout summer camp. I did this last year and it was tons of fun. Whenever I teach a class, I write up a handout with pictures and instructions so that the students can make more at home. I have to take some time to make new handouts for the new classes in a few weeks, but I thought I would publish my popular handouts on the blog here. Chainmaille is a lot of fun and there’s nothing like the compliments you get when wearing chainmaille jewelry! I love that the delicate pieces of silver jewelry I make have a link (forgive the pun) to the armor that protected knights and others for thousands of years.

First, a little background information about chainmaille. The art of chainmaille is based on the original armour-making techniques of linking separate rings together to create a “fabric.” Chainmaille (or mail as it was known then) was invented some time in the middle of the 1st millennium BC, but the earliest piece found is from the 4th century BC. Chainmaille was great for protecting against slashing and piercing weapons, which caused deadly infections, but didn’t help against crushing or bruising. Both Europe and Asia had chainmaille which was likely developed independently. European chainmaille was used to create whole shirts (hauberks) and head protection (coifs) and was made with riveted iron rings. Asian chainmaille was made from smaller rings that weren’t welded or riveted and the chainmaille was used to cover small vulnerable areas in their armour like the underarm. Asian chainmaille was often sewn to a fabric or leather backing, sometimes completely concealed between layers.

Artists have been adapting and creating new chainmaille for years. Just as embroidery has different stitches and knitting has cables and lace, chainmaille has “weaves.” These weaves fall into “families” based on their general method of construction.

This first picture is Byzantine, a very popular weave in the European family. The second picture is Oriental 4-in-1, from the Oriental family. You can see how distinct they look. They’re woven in very different ways.

To make chainmaille, you need two pairs of piers. Most chainmaillers use needle nose or chain nose, but I like to use a pair of bent nose pliers and a pair of flat nose pliers. Pliers without teeth are best if you’re going to be making silver or gold jewelry (the bracelets above are made with silver, niobium, and titanium). You’ll hold a pair in each hand, using them to open and close jump rings by twisting them towards and away from you. (Never pull jump rings from side to side! It’ll weaken the metal and mess up the shape of the ring.)

The jump rings can be made by hand by wrapping wire around a dowel to get a coil, then cutting the coil with snips or a jeweler’s saw to get individual rings. Or, my favorite method, save yourself the hassle and let a machine do all that coiling and cutting for you! Trust me, it takes forever to get enough rings for a large project like a necklace. Some of my favorite jump ring suppliers are the Ring Lord (great prices and variety, but terrible shipping time) and Spiderchain, a very talented chainmaille artist and of course, Etsy.

Chainmaille rings are named using the gauge of the wire used and the diameter of the dowel used to make the rings. For example, if I were to wrap a 20ga wire around a 1/8″ dowel rod, I would have a 20ga 1/8″ ring. Some ring sizes are better than others for certain weaves, like suggested needle sizes for knitting. You don’t want to knit fingering weight with size 7 needles (most of the time) and you don’t want to make a Byzantine weave with 18ga 1/8″ rings. Unlike knitting, though, where you can still knit with non-recommended needles, if you have a ring that is too small the weave will just not work. You just won’t be able to fit all the rings together. Most weaves have an “aspect ratio” that works best. The aspect ratio of a ring is the mm or inch measurement of the ring’s inner diameter (the space inside the ring) divided by the width of the wire (the mm or inch measurement, not the gauge). This is a great article about the effect of aspect ratio (or AR) on chainmaille: Aspect Ratio on Maille Artisans.

Now that we’ve got the preliminaries out of the way, on to the actual tutorial. This one is for the Byzantine weave, one of my favorites.

Byzantine Chainmaille Tutorial

The PDF file includes suggested ring sizes, pictures, and written instructions. Keep in mind that the PDF was originally written to be used in a class (I’m editing it to be more stand-alone, but who knows when that’ll be done) - if you have questions, I’m happy to answer them! Or, if you’d like to find out more about chainmaille on your own, I highly recommend browing around Maille Artisans, Phong’s Tutorials, or the Ring Lord’s Forums. Be warned, though: Chainmaille is highly addictive! Ring stashes can be easier to store than yarn stashes but much harder to forgive when they fall out of the closet onto your head.

Socks? July 10, 2008

My in-laws took off yesterday, so life is back to “normal” for the time being.  We had a lot of fun and I did get a lot of knitting done.  I worked on two different socks- one that is technically tricky and one that was very simple (for walking around or knitting in the car.)  While my in-laws don’t quite understand my obsession with the craft, they’re very tolerant of it.  I got the leg of the challenging sock completed and finished the heel and gusset of the simpler one. Of course, with all this wonderful knitting time and productivity, something had to go wrong.

I’ve been struck down by the Gauge Demon.  You know the one, big pointy horns, red eyes, and covered in discarded swatches.  I gauged each stitch pattern carefully, measured, multiplied, and then cast on a number of stitches that should work (and has worked in the past.)  But then the Demon saw that I had not tried on the socks after the ribbing section or even halfway down the leg.  And he decided that the sock, that should by all reasonable logic fit perfectly, would suddenly be too small.  Not quite too small to put on… just circulation-stopping small.

I hate that guy.

This is my easier sock.  Louet Gems Pearl in Caribou (I’m trying to use up some Gems from another project that used 8 skeins of various colors… and didn’t really work out) and the lovely Pagewood Farm Denali in Navajo.  This sock went with me everywhere.  See how much work I got done before the Gauge Demon struck? ? *sigh* I messed up the heel all by myself, though. I might reknit this one, I really liked how fast it worked up, but it might be bumped for another project.

My technical sock.  I love this sock. I’ve always wanted to knit one of those beautiful Austrian twisted stitch socks, especially as my grandmother is from Vienna.  I’ve tried a few times before, but I don’t think I ever had the right yarn.  Or I was too impatient.    The sock above is knitted with my other skein from Pagewood Farm.  I love the yarn and the color, but the lighter bits are a little distracting in the pattern.  So the Gauge Demon has actually given me a good excuse to switch yarns.  I’m reknitting the sock (correctly sized this time, take that demon!) in some Knit Picks Essential Mermaid.  The revised sock is knitting up pretty fast!

Speaking of Knit Picks, I bought a nice big box of yarn from them to try out some of their new stuff/colors.  I love Knit Picks.  Essential feels so great on my feet, soft and springy but easy to knit with.  Wool of the Andes is great for felting and comes in so many colors! Especially with the high gas and food prices, the idea of getting two skeins of sock yarn for under $7 is really attractive.  Plus, free shipping is always a nice perk.  I enjoy going to my LYS and splurging on special or beautiful yarns (like the Denali), but a large chunk of my stash is from Knit Picks.  Really, this isn’t an ad for Knit Picks.  I just love their yarn and felt like I needed to justify my Knit Picks stash, lol.

Check out that new superwash/alpaca/nylon sock yarn there in the upper left.  I’m excited to knit that up! (Can you tell I like blues?)

Lakeside Gloves July 6, 2008

I cannot get a good picture of these mitts. It’s impossible. I think I’ll blame it on the drab weather. (Or the fact that my in-laws are here, therefore giving me less time to spend fiddling in my lightbox.)

Anyway, I wanted something light and small to wear while typing and going to movies (this summer has a strangely large number of movies that we want to see.) I wanted them to be quick and simple to knit too. These meet just about all my criteria, but I wish I had made them just a smidge longer at the end. The pattern and color combination were inspired by Rattlesnake Lake, where we like to kayak and hike (this isn’t my picture.)

There aren’t actually any rattlesnakes at Rattlesnake Lake, but the wind blowing through the trees makes a very similar sound to a rattlesnake and the original explorers thought there were snakes here. The water is a beautiful teal color when it’s sunny and there’s a nice rocky/sandy beach at the shore.

The Lakeside Mitts start with a 1×1 twisted rib, then have a fun and not-too-complicated lace pattern. The lace pattern is only on the back of the hand, so the palm is smooth and comfortable. The thumb gusset is made with yarn overs and then bound off without having to join more yarn. Except for the contrasting color cuff, the gloves are made in one piece. The right glove is made by knitting from the side of the hand towards the thumb over the back of the hand. The left glove is made the opposite, by starting at the side of the hand, knitting across the palm, then over the back. The cuff instructions are the same for both.

Lakeside Mitts

Finished Size: Women’s medium

Needles: 2 Size 1 (2.25mm) circulars or Size 1 DPNs

Yarn: MC- Pagewood Farms Denali, Navajo; CC- Louet Gems Pearl, Champagne

Yardage: TBD (but it’s not too much)

Extras: Stitch markers, tapestry needle

Gauge: 8 sts x 11 rows= 1 row in stockingette

Stitch Guide

Twisted Rib: *K1tbl, p1* until the end of the round.

M1: Insert right needle into the strand running between the stitches from front to back and place on left needle. Knit into the back loop. 1 stitch increased. Pictures here.

Larkspur Lace:

(worked over 29 sts)

Row 1: *K2, yo, sl1, k1, psso, k3, k2tog, yo,* 3 times, k2

Row 2 and all even rounds: Knit

Row 3: *K2, yo, k1, sl1, k1, psso, k1, k2tog, k1, yo,* 3 times, k2

Row 5: *K3, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, sl1, k1, psso, k1,* 3 times, k2

Row 7: *k2tog, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, sl1, k1, psso,* 3 times, k2

Row 8: Knit.

Repeat Rows 1-8.

Cuff for Right and Left Mitt

CO 58 sts in CC. (29 sts on each needle, if using 2 circs.)

Work Twisted Rib for about 3/4″ or as long as desired.

Hand and Thumb Increases, Right Mitt

Round 1: Join MC and work the first row of Larkspur Lace over the first 29 sts, place one stitch marker, then p1, place second marker, m1, knit to 1 stitch before the end of the round, m1, p1. 2 stitches increased. 60 sts.

Round 2 and all Even rounds: Work stitches as presented (knit the knits and purl the purls.) Counts as even rows for Larkspur Lace.

Round 3: Work next odd row of Larkspur Lace to first marker, p1, k 30, p1.

Round 5: Work next odd row of Larkspur Lace to first marker, slip marker, YO, p1, YO, slip second marker, k 30, p1. 2 sts increased. 62 sts.

Round 7: Work next odd row of Larkspur Lace to first marker, slip marker, YO, knit to the purl stitch, p1, knit to second marker, YO, slip marker, k30, p1. 2 sts increased. 64 sts.

Alternate Round 7 and an Even Round until there are 11 YO increases on each side.

Rib Round: Work next odd row of Larkspur Lace to first marker, slip marker, *k1tbl, p1* to last stitch before marker, k1tbl, slip marker, k30, p1.

Alternate an Even Round, then Rib Round twice more (total of 3 Rib Rounds, 5 rounds in all.)

Bind Off Round: Work next odd row of Larkspur Lace to first marker, slip marker, BO all stitches between markers, remove second marker, BO 1 more stitch, k30, p1. 59 sts.

Work an Even Round, but CO 1 stitch after the marker. (Second marker can be removed now.) 1 stitch increased. 60 sts.

Alternate Round 3 and an Even Round until the gloves are about 1/2″ shorter than desired length.

Work Twisted Rib for 1/2″ or longer.

BO loosely and weave in ends.

Hand and Thumb Increases, Left Mitt

Round 1: Join MC and p1, m1, knit 27 sts, m1, place marker, p1, place second marker, work the first row of Larkspur Lace over the last 29 sts. 2 stitches increased. 60 sts.

Round 2 and all Even rounds: Work stitches as presented (knit the knits and purl the purls.) Counts as even rows for Larkspur Lace.

Round 3: P1, k 30, p1, work next odd row of Larkspur Lace to end of round.

Round 5: P1, k30, slip marker, YO, p1, YO, slip second marker, work next odd row of Larkspur Lace to end of round. 2 sts increased. 62 sts.

Round 7: P1, k30, slip marker, YO, knit to the purl stitch, p1, knit to second marker, YO, slip second marker, work next odd row of Larkspur Lace to end of round. 2 sts increased. 64 sts.

Alternate Round 7 and an Even Round until there are 11 YO increases on each side.

Rib Round: P1, k30, slip marker, *k1tbl, p1* to last stitch before marker, k1tbl, slip marker, work next odd row of Larkspur Lace to end of round.

Alternate an Even Round, then Rib Round twice more (total of 3 Rib Rounds, 5 rounds in all.)

Bind Off Round: P1, k30, BO all stitches between markers, remove second marker, BO 1 more stitch, work next odd row of Larkspur Lace end of round. 1 stitch decreased. 59 sts.

Work an Even Round, but CO 1 stitch before the marker. (First marker can be removed now.) 1 stitch increased. 60 sts.

Alternate Round 3 and an Even Round until the gloves are about 1/2″ shorter than desired length.

Work Twisted Rib for at least 1/2″.

BO loosely, weave in ends and enjoy your new mitts!

Please Note: I post my patterns as soon as I’ve completed them because I’m excited to share them with you. They have not been fully tested. But they are free. I’ve made every effort to make sure that the instructions are clear and error-free. There may be typos or pattern mistakes and if you find them or have any questions, please let me know by posting a comment or emailing me, dailyskein at gmail.com.