Sock Rescue
It must be because it's fall here. I am in 'finish it' mode. I have been picking up neglected projects and giving them the attention they deserve. This week two pairs of my favorite socks were rescued. Both pairs are 100% wool, handwash only. The problem is that I usually wash them on the handwashables cycle of my front loading washing machine. Cold wash, cold rinse. Tragedy struck when several handwash only items were washed together! Previously I only washed 2 or 3 pairs of socks in one load and everything was fine. This time, however, too many items meant too much friction and my lace cuff socks became quasi-felted! Groan! There was still some stretch to them but not enough to get them over my heel! As usual I was busy with something else at the time so I put them into the "To Do" basket. They sat there 8 months before I got to them this week! It actually felt really good to be knitting socks with 4.5mm DPNs instead of 2mm!
The first pair is grey-blue with a feather and fan cuff. The red pair has a Cat's Eye lace cuff. Since I knit socks toe-up all I had to do was ravel the cuff and re-knit it. The bound off row required a great deal of patience to undo because it was actually quite matted together. After that was done the rest came much easier. I realized that the yarn had lost much of it's natural elasticity so I thought the safest bet was plain 2x2 ribbing. I didn't do anything fancy on the grey pair to finish so they're a rather slouchy pair now. No matter - they're comfy - and they're mine!
Feather and Fan Before 2x2 Rib After
A bit of a horror to look at the pics of the grey pair. They have only been worn a few times and in real life the feet are NOT stained like they look in the pic. Weird eh? Must be shadowing from the halo. I am pleased to report I wore them the day I fixed them (to the dentist) and they were a real comfort!
The red pair was just as difficult to unbind and their wool was also less elastic than when new. I made 2x2 ribbing with the old yarn but was fortunate enough to still have some of the red wool so they each got a new 3x2 rib cuff top in my hallmark extra elastic ribbing (pattern below). They hug my ankles nicely now.
Cat's Eye Lace Before 2x2 Ribbing, 3x2 Rib Cuff After
Extra Elastic Ribbing is a bit of a mis-nomer because ribbing is quite stretchy all on it's own. The ribbing I prefer to use, however, wants to pull back so it doesn't sag like traditional ribbing is prone to do! I prefer 3x2 because it gives you one plain knit stitch in the middle of the knit rib and only 2 stitches in the purl rib.
Multiple of 5 stitches, knit in the round:
* K1 through the back of the stitch, K1, K1 through the back of the stitch, p2* Repeat until the ribbing is as long as you want.
Nice stretchy Cast off for Toe-up Socks
It seems a chronic problem for toe-up socks is the cast off. It's hard to beat a sewn cast off but it takes forever and there's always the danger that your sewing yarn is too short (grrrr) or so long it constantly tangles (double grrrr). The solution is a simple knitable cast off. Be sure to knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches. If you are casting off the above ribbing it is NOT necessary to knit through the back on the knit stitches.
Knit the first 2 stitches, then knit them together, leaving the remaining stitch on the right hand needle. Knit (or purl as the case may be) the next stitch. Now you have 2 stitches on the right hand needle. Knit (or purl) them together nice and loose. Continue in this manner until you have only one stitch left. Tie off as usual and weave in your end.
This is the only bind off I use now. It works wonderfully for hats, collars, cuffs etc. Any time you need a stretchy bind off that doesn't ruffle and doesn't take forever to do!
The first pair is grey-blue with a feather and fan cuff. The red pair has a Cat's Eye lace cuff. Since I knit socks toe-up all I had to do was ravel the cuff and re-knit it. The bound off row required a great deal of patience to undo because it was actually quite matted together. After that was done the rest came much easier. I realized that the yarn had lost much of it's natural elasticity so I thought the safest bet was plain 2x2 ribbing. I didn't do anything fancy on the grey pair to finish so they're a rather slouchy pair now. No matter - they're comfy - and they're mine!
Feather and Fan Before 2x2 Rib After
A bit of a horror to look at the pics of the grey pair. They have only been worn a few times and in real life the feet are NOT stained like they look in the pic. Weird eh? Must be shadowing from the halo. I am pleased to report I wore them the day I fixed them (to the dentist) and they were a real comfort!
The red pair was just as difficult to unbind and their wool was also less elastic than when new. I made 2x2 ribbing with the old yarn but was fortunate enough to still have some of the red wool so they each got a new 3x2 rib cuff top in my hallmark extra elastic ribbing (pattern below). They hug my ankles nicely now.
Cat's Eye Lace Before 2x2 Ribbing, 3x2 Rib Cuff After
Extra Elastic Ribbing is a bit of a mis-nomer because ribbing is quite stretchy all on it's own. The ribbing I prefer to use, however, wants to pull back so it doesn't sag like traditional ribbing is prone to do! I prefer 3x2 because it gives you one plain knit stitch in the middle of the knit rib and only 2 stitches in the purl rib.
Multiple of 5 stitches, knit in the round:
* K1 through the back of the stitch, K1, K1 through the back of the stitch, p2* Repeat until the ribbing is as long as you want.
Nice stretchy Cast off for Toe-up Socks
It seems a chronic problem for toe-up socks is the cast off. It's hard to beat a sewn cast off but it takes forever and there's always the danger that your sewing yarn is too short (grrrr) or so long it constantly tangles (double grrrr). The solution is a simple knitable cast off. Be sure to knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches. If you are casting off the above ribbing it is NOT necessary to knit through the back on the knit stitches.
Knit the first 2 stitches, then knit them together, leaving the remaining stitch on the right hand needle. Knit (or purl as the case may be) the next stitch. Now you have 2 stitches on the right hand needle. Knit (or purl) them together nice and loose. Continue in this manner until you have only one stitch left. Tie off as usual and weave in your end.
This is the only bind off I use now. It works wonderfully for hats, collars, cuffs etc. Any time you need a stretchy bind off that doesn't ruffle and doesn't take forever to do!
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