Sneak
15 May 2009 · No Comments
One wee quick peek at the sock for Schaefer – just the barest glimpse. I predict these will be seriously nifty.
Embonpoint
22 May 2009 · 1 Comment
Embonpoint: \äⁿ-bōⁿ-ˈpwaⁿ\ adjective
-sufficiently fat so as to have a pleasing fullness of figure
Allow me to present my newest creation, Embonpoint!
The name is perfect on several counts. First, this is the most luciously fat sock yarn I’ve ever seen. It is thick enough that the socks work up quickly, but still thin enough to fit inside of most shoes. It has a nice tight twist, making the strands marvelously plump and firm. The name works for the pattern too. There is a lovely round little faux cable. It’s great fun to make, doesn’t take a cable needle, and makes adorable little circles. Finally, the cuff of the sock is made on straight needles and then joined up for working in the round in such a way that it absolutely will not bother you if you’re having a puffy ankle sort of day.
Also, it’s just a damn nifty word. If you want to hear the official dictionary droid pronounce it for you, just go here. It’s great fun to say.
Just How Much do You Like it?
13 May 2009 · 5 Comments
So, the Pedigreed socks are a bit of a challenge. They will be mirror images of each other and feature four different cable patterns and a wrap around rib. They’re fun to knit, but they are not an entirely simple undertaking. I actually rather like my socks to be challenging, but I’ve learned something. The socks that are tricky to knit are also, not surprisingly, tricky to write up.
The pattern for these would be by far my most complicated yet. It would need 8 charts, 6 of them full-page affairs. The written text would take several pages. The whole pattern would likely be about 12 pages long and represent rather a lot of effort on my part. The testing process would also be quite a bit more intense than usual.
Given all that, I’m not sure it’s worth it to sell the pattern for four or five dollars (the going rate for the other patterns I’ve written). I’m also not sure how much demand there would be if I priced it a bit higher, say six or seven dollars. So I’m taking a poll.
If you would, please let me know if you’d be willing to pay an extra dollar or two for a detailed, twelve-page, chart-laden, photo-heavy pattern for advanced intermediate socks. Feel free to tell me that six or seven dollars is just way too much to spend on socks as well. I’m trying to decide if I should write these up, and don’t have my heart set on it one way or the other.
Progress
12 May 2009 · 3 Comments
Pedigreed are coming along nicely. The current push to write patterns up for publication is doing wonders for my knitting fidelity. I’m just about ready to start the toe decreases and should hopefully finish the first one tonight.
I especially like the asymmetrically placed gusset on these socks. On this sock, the right side gusset decreases are in the normal location, while the left side gusset decreases move across the top of the foot forcing the plain rib to wrap around and pull over to the right. It’s still quite comfortable and easy to do, but it really changes the look of the sock. See? It looks like it’s hiding.
Pedigreed
11 May 2009 · No Comments
The next socks are on the needles already. They are based on the idea of a cable work sampler. There are patterned ribs in four widths, each with a different design (three cables, one technically a traveling stitches, but the effect is the same). An unpatterned rib starts on the back and wraps around the ankle and foot. The pattern will be mirrored on the second sock.
The first sock is about 75% done. The second may be a bit of a challenge, as I have to figure out how to mirror one of the patterns and am so far having no luck. These are quite a bit more complicated than the last socks, so it will likely be a while until they are available.
These are surprisingly hard to photograph, but this should give you the idea. More (and one hopes better) photos when the first one is finished.
