Inverse Unpadded Footlets

Don’t these look familiar?  I made them once before:

Modifications:

• I added 6 rounds to the cuff to make this shorty sock a little bit longer (I did that last time, too)
• I used the same yarns but reversed them
• I skipped the padding on the heel (I skipped the padding on most of the sole last time; this time it was gone altogether)
• I replaced the stockinette panel in the heel flap with a slipped stitch pattern
• I made the cuff stripe and the toe stripe match, at 3 rounds each
• I used the star toe to finish

I think the lace panel on the heel flap is very attractive but am skeptical that it will hold up well.  Time will tell!

Headed for the Summit

Headed for the Summit
Originally uploaded by JLW in PA

I'm packing for the Summit today - here is some of my fiber-related stuff. (Open the Flickr photo for notes about items in the picture.)

1. The folder contains all registration receipts, schedule, list of intriguing vendors, directions to Ravelry party, etc.
2. Homework for classes is bagged and labeled by class.
3. I have yarn and needles for the world record attempt on Friday. I never knit on straight needles anymore. I grabbed some short ones that I bought recently to have ready in case another child wants to learn to knit, and a ball of leftover worsted weight yarn. We only have to knit for 15 minutes. I'll just make a swatch.
4. I have two socks in progress. First, the inverse unpadded footlets. (I may need to work on a better name for these.)
5. Next, the Charade (Rav link) pattern in Shibui Sock, colorway "Wasabi."

Normally I would take more knitting along for a 9-day trip ... but not this one! I'm sure I'll buy sock yarn at the Summit, so if I finish both of these pairs of socks, I'll just start something new. Who knows what's next in the queue?

Inverse, Unpadded Footlets

Remember the padded footlets I made earlier this summer?

I thought I might try knitting their inverse: orange footies with green stripes.  S1 loved this idea, so I’m doing it.  I thought this would be a good project to take with me to Portland, since I’ve knit it before. 

Then again, last time I knit these, I declared several modifications for future pairs.  I’ll be sure to review my notes before leaving the state!

I’ll need another relatively simple sock project, as well.  Right now I’m entertaining the Charade pattern.

Footies are done

Today I finished up the Padded Footlets that I started a few weeks ago. I think S and I are happy enough with the finished product, but it wasn't my favorite knit.

If I were to knit these again, I would completely forego the double-stranding (which I only maintained through the heel turn area, not the entire sole) and I would make the heel flap a lot less long. The flap as designed is freakishly long and I predict that it will lead to some sagging and bunching between the bottom of the ribbed cuff and the heel area.

However, I love the lace pattern and the fact that it is incorporated into the heel flap. I'm not sure how that heel flap lace will wear, but we'll see.

I wouldn't have thought that the sporty contrasting stripe would look good with a lace pattern - but it does!

Also, this was an ideal way to use up the rest of the green yarn. I used part of the ball for the cuff, heel, and toe of these socks, so I had about half left. Now I only have 18 g left, perfect for a Christmas tree ornament or two.

Next I'll report on spinning. I've had both success and challenge today.

Padded (sort of) Footlet #1

Padded Footlet 1
Originally uploaded by JLW in PA

Here is the first finished padded footlet. I stopped padding after the heel turn and just finished it like a regular sock. It turned out pretty nicely. I tried knitting the toe just like the pattern said (except for padding) - it's a traditional toe decrease but the decreases do not march along neatly on every other row. Instead, for a while they appear every third row, then every second row, and then on every row. It should create a more rounded toe ... but it really doesn't. Plus the tip of the toe is fairly wide (13 stitches Kitchenered). I probably won't do this on another pair of socks... but I have to make the second sock match the first one, so I'll do it one more time!

Here's the top view of the sock:

New sock project

I have been a bit stalled on my home knitting projects lately. It's because I haven't finished the Must Have Cardigan, and I feel like I shouldn't start anything new until that's done. But that means I don't knit so much. Bad. What happened to the Must Have? What usually happens in the spring... I got a huge sinus infection and my head wasn't clear for weeks and weeks. I couldn't make the decisions I needed to make about buttonband construction while not thinking clearly, and so the project stalled. The same thing happened last year with the Rogue - the finishing didn't happen until June. I will return to it ... soon.

So here is a new sock project, Padded Footlets (sorry, Ravelry link) from Favorite Socks. I've knit a couple of patterns from this book: Uptown Boot Socks (please excuse poor partnering of yarn and pattern) and Undulating Rib Socks (which I liked so much that I knit them a second time). Time for a new one. S1 went through my copy of Favorite Socks when I first got it and left little post-it notes about what she liked and didn't. She liked this one, which surprised me. It has a lace pattern. But, as Gretchen says, it's not "lacy lace," which probably explains the attraction. This is a short sock - a good candidate for summer and early fall. The book shows the sock knit in a nice olive green with orange accent, and I happened to have similar yarn in my stash. Here it is so far:

This sock has some interesting details. First, the lace pattern first appears on the outside edges of the heel flap. It is also featured on the top of the sock. The little orange stripe is on the top of the cuff and will appear again close to the tip of the toe. And the sole of the sock is knit with a double strand of yarn (that's the "padded" part).

I was a little concerned about the padded sole, since the pattern does not call for the needle size to change. Socks are normally knit pretty tightly - and now the designer wants me to cram in double the yarn width on the same needles? Ouch! I consulted Ravelry to find out more about this and also to check for errata. There were errata. But the errata listed were for the version of the pattern that originally appeared in the magazine back in the Summer 2005 issue of IK. The IK publishing website lists a different errata for the version in the book. Now, this was just plain annoying. I had to cross check them to make sure I had everything straightened out. I don't know exactly when IK figured out that the magazine version had a mistake in it - was it before the book was published? Did they forget to change the pattern in the book? Mild grrr.

I decided to dive in and just knit the sock. S1 wanted to lengthen the cuff just a little bit (6 rounds) so it wouldn't get sucked down into her shoe. Then I began the heel flap instructions. These are written in the most bizarre way. This flap is extra long, and the doublestranding of the yarn begins about 6 rows before the bottom of the flap. You can probably see where that happens. There are also some short rows toward the bottom of the flap (the kind where you wrap and turn, then pick up the wraps later). THEN you do the heel turn with the other kind of short rows (the ones where you don't pick up any wraps). Crikey!

The sock is really hard to knit with 2 strands of yarn - my hands ached immediately. I went back to Ravelry and read people's comments. The vast majority of them said "forget the padded sole - just do regular" and "I would knit this again, but without the padded sole" and "this pattern is written in an unnecessarily complex way." A small minority said "why would you avoid the padded sole - that is the most interesting and unique thing about these socks!" I sided with the majority on this one. I dropped the second strand as soon as I resumed knitting in the round. I have also stopped reading the pattern and am just completing this in my usual way.

This sock, despite being knit over only 58 stitches, might be a little big. I need to knit more in order to know for sure. I'm knitting it on 2.25 mm needles. I swatched on both 2.0 and 2.25, and oddly, I got the same gauge (how can this be?!?). I chose to go with the bigger ones because of the double-stranding issue. But if the resulting sock is a little baggy, I'll rip it all out and begin again on 2.0 needles and just knit it in my typical way, incorporating this lace design into the sock.

Whew! It can be exhausting to be in my head. If you're still reading, go have a drink. You deserve it.

I'm hoping to get my next pair of office socks started this weekend. I'll keep you posted.