Tag Archives: toe-up socks

Knit Continuum

Posted on September 10, 2011 by | Comments Off on Knit Continuum
Knit Madness
This will be a brief entry, but I am happy to announce that I am still working on The Dude Sweater.  I finished a few more rows and will begin armhole shaping of the back tomorrow.  I would have done more, but I was watching my son who has been a bit of a yarn monster lately (snatching my work from my hands or pulling a needle out from one of the sides).

I also managed to finish another pair of socks (below) and start a pair of socks in toddler size.
Green Moss Socks
$25 on etsy.com (cherishedmomentswi)

Finally, I'm experimenting with new photographic techniques in order to better showcase my handmade products.  I am using different scrapbooking supplies to dress up backgrounds and add a little something to the foreground as well.  I hope it's helping.

Coming Soon
The quest for popularity in the handmade realm.

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An Order to Chaos

Posted on August 20, 2011 by | Comments Off on An Order to Chaos
Current Projects
  • Peanut's Fall Sweater: I was able to complete Peanut's Fall Sweater, which is known as "Sweater with Ribbed Yoke" by Debbie Bliss.  It seemed as though the collar took the longest, but this sweater actually looks incredibly cute on my son (unfortunately, he wouldn't pose for any pictures while he tried it on).  This sweater involved a lot of ribbing and faux cables across the top of the front and back and also at the top of the sleeves.

  • Pink Swirls: I picked up a book called "Socks a la carte 2: Toes up!" while on my Yarn Trek.  I decided to start a pair of socks, as mentioned in my previous post.  I was also able to finish this pair while visiting my parents at their bed and breakfast.  So far, I've gotten pretty positive feedback on this pair, so I definitely will be making more pairs of socks out of this book.
  • Autumn Leaves: Yes, I started another pair of socks using a leaf pattern out of the book.  I am using Berroco Sox Metallic to complete this pair.  So far, I've been able to get a bit better at casting on a toe-up sock and it's turning out great.  Hopefully, I'll be able to finish these quickly and post pictures soon!
  • Falling Leaves:  Continuing with the upcoming "back-to-school" and fall season, I designed a jumper using Sirdar Snuggly yarn.  It will be multicolored with a border containing leaves.
Knitting Madness

It's absolutely crazy the number of projects that have decided to take on in order to get my etsy shop officially up and running.  Some of the things you will see on there soon:
  • Handmade knitting needles
  • Handmade stitch markers
  • Socks
  • Children's clothing
Keep checking back to monitor our progress!

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Toe-up Socks

Posted on August 12, 2011 by | Comments Off on Toe-up Socks
Design
While on my Yarn Trek, I came across a book for knitting toe up socks: Socks a la carte 2: Toes Up!  As much as I love to knit socks - and I even have my own master pattern - I have never done a toe-up sock.  Probably out of fear of the unknown...  Using the figure-eight cast on, I attempted (and failed) to start a toe-up sock a good 20 times until I gave up that day.  Even with the pictures, it just wasn't working.  Thanks to the group Sock Madness on Ravelry.com, I was able to get a few hints on how to do this cast on and make it look good.  Here's what I learned:
  1. When doing the cast on, include the slip-knot stitch as your cast on stitch.
  2. Knit a few rows - I knit a total of 2 - on each needle once you've done the cast on in order to make sure that the cast on was good.  It also creates a good-looking toe point if you're using variegated yarn.
  3. The book tells you to distribute the stitches a certain way for a lot of the different toe patterns.  For the double-up toe, slip 4 of the sts of one of the needles onto a third needle and then you should have the sts distributed. You'll have to knit the sts on what would be needle 3 (N3) in order to get to the beginning of the round.  Then and only then will it work.
Knitting Madness
Yarn Trek took a total of four days.  On days three and four, Peanut and I visited four more shops.
  • Grafton Yarn Store:  http://www.graftonyarnstore.com/  The shop is absolutely awesome!  It's in an older building and set up very well.  I got more baby yarn, picturing a back to school/fall colors jumper.  The owner was very friendly and invited me to join her Ravelry group to follow sales, etc. 
  • Main St. Yarn Shop:  http://www.mainstyarnshop.com/ This took a while for us to get to from our hometown, but it was definitely worth it.  I got some good business start-up advice from the owner, who was actually willing to talk to me about owning a yarn shop.  I also picked out some yarn that I plan on using to design a few fall items for my etsy shop.
  • Xpressions Beads & Yarn:  http://www.xpressionsbeadsnyarn.com/ This was a little bit of a smaller shop, but it is equally devoted to yarn and beads.  You can purchase items on their website, or email the owner and put in a special order.
  • Fiddlehead Yarns:  http://www.fiddleheadyarns.com/  Another quaint shop, but it is much larger than it appears.  There is even another room off of the main shop, which I assumed was for classes and/or private knitting. 
Coming Soon
Handmade knitting needles!

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