Feeling like a Heel Tutorial

First, I want to wish everyone a Happy Easter/Passover or Chocolate day, whichever you celebrate.

Ok, “His Socks” are to the point of Inserting the Heels.

First make the socks, sans heels…

Thought a short photo tutorial would show you how easy it is. 

I start out with an outline of the foot I am making the sock for. Mark a line across the heel directly across where the ankle bone meets the heel. 

The outline for a custom sock, in this case 7″ to the heel line.

First make your sock, top down or toe up doesn’t matter. Magic loop or 5 dpns, works either way. 

Ok, I want to pause and explain something before we get under way.

Anatomy ala the Vitruvian man: 

You know how some sock just won’t stay up. They sag and drive you nuts.

Well if you follow this simple rule, your socks won’t do that.  Make your socks as long as the measurement from your toes to your ankle bone. Yup, then add your cuff. You see if you measure up from the floor, for example 7″ as for this custom sock, you will note that your calf starts to curve out and that is why your sock is sliding down. You can make socks longer, but past this point in order for them to stay up, they have to be above your calf muscle (to your knee) not to slide down. Thank you Leonardo! 

In this case I am making Toe ups

When knitting, I knit the whole sock cuff and all, inserting and knitting over the waste yarn at the ankle line. 

Note: this is a 60st sock on 2.5mm. Using 1/2 the stitches, (30st) I have knit 15st with my waste yarn, then left a loop in the yarn and continued to knit the remaining 15st. I usually to this with a separate dpn. I then continue knitting over this waste yarn row as usual.

So I knit my socks, (usually both) then I insert the heels at the same time.

Optional: I often make my heels in a complimentary yarn colour. This makes repairing and re-knitting the heel so much easier. I’ve never had to replace the heels in my own socks, but my guys have needed many replacements over the years. 

I was lucky to find a nice Kermit green yarn for these beauties  :0)

Ok, we are going to pick out the waste yarn. At first it is a little like a battle with an octopus, but it gets easier as you go along. Start at one side with 2 dpns; pick up the top live stitch on the waste yarn on one dpn and the bottom live stitch on the waste yarn on the other dpn.

Using the 3rd dpn, gently unknit the waste yarn being very careful that each stitch is securely on the upper or lower needle before persuading the waste yarn out of the stitches.

When you reach the middle, you will have 15 st on the upper needle and 15st on the lower. Now flip the sock over and work from the other end to the middle with 2 more dpns, (one for the top row and one for the bottom row). 

This is what we’re aiming for.

Oops you say, why do I have 61st instead of 60st? Technically the lower row is upside down and there is always one more stitch going the opposite direction. Therefore knitting upward, 60st, turn the knitting the other way up 61st. Weird but true!

We are going to reduce the stitches back to 60st by k2tog at the end closest to the ankle of the sock on the needle with 16st, on the first heel round. Clear as Mud?

How this works with whatever number of stitches your sock is. Use Half the number of stitches in your sock, (must work out to an even number) one stitch here or there is fine. 

Therefore if your sock is 72st, you would knit 36st on your waste yarn. Which would work out to be 18st on each of 4 dpns for a total of 72st for the heel opening. 

Note, that this method gives you only one tail to darn in at the ankle.

Inserted heel close up

Instructions for 60st heel

• Row 1: knit
• Row 2: knit (on 4 dpns rearrange stitches) dpn 1: 2st,pm 2st, dpn 2: 26st dpn 3: 4st dpn 4: 26st) (on Magic loop) 30st either side.
• Row 3: (on 4 dpns rearrange stitches 2,pm) pm *K2, ssk, k12, k12 k2tog, k2* (on Magic loop) pm *k2, ssk, k24, k2tog, k2*
• Row 4: knit alternate rows
• Continue reducing 4st every other row  to 24st. 
• Now reduce 4st every row to 14st.
• next row k1,*k2tog* (7st)
• Thread tail through stitches. Darn in tail.

WIP List = 11

1. Dish Soap Poncho – for church craft sale
2. Buttermere #2
3. EZ’s Baby Surprise Jacket – Fb/Kal
4. Zuzu’s Petals
5. His/Hers Socks
6. Cabled Hood with Pockets 
7. Sea of Dreams Blanket
8. Isla lace Pillowcase edge  
9. Rose Harbour Shawl 
10. My Fair Cardi 
11. Simplicity Lace Scarf   Kal/feb2015 

FO’s 2015 = 9

WIPS 2015 = 9 + 2 = 11

Long-term Projects = 4

 Stash Used 2015 = 13

Yds of Handspun 2015 = 0

Sewing FO’s 2015 = O

Books 2015 = 5

cya next week :0)

I’m off on to my blogwalk

come join me in the blogpond :0 

I also have a Ravelry shop and an Etsy shop!

for my Literary blog, see Totally Austentatious.

The Fix is in!

There are times when you agree to stuff and you end up thinking you should have your head examined!

A good friend at church had a little problem, that wasn’t so little. She was knitting this lovely little cardigan for her great grandchild and something went wrong.

Having sewn in one sleeve and the right side up. The other however was sewed up without the sleeve. This is were the trouble began.

I must say that this very experienced knitter is a very exceptional seam sewer! While trying to open the seam at the shoulder to insert the sleeve, things went pear shaped.

I have to admit I would most likely have thrown in the towel. While trying to remove these very well concealed stitches 3 or 4 edge stitches in the front panel got snipped. Luckily the back was fine, however a hole 9 stitches deep and 5 rows long developed… Yup! 

The final row wouldn’t come out smoothly when grafted. The stitches were too mangled. I figure a blind man would be happy to see it.Starting from the most secure stitches at the bottom of the hole, I matched the colour and patched the 10 st across, knitting the side stitches seamlessly on the right side. The 7 rows join up and lay smoothly below.
Fixing a patch against an open edge was a first for me and a little nerve racking.
Very pleased with the overall result :0)

Remember my post on mending? Well I went back and forth three sides of the hole, using the most stable stitches. The tricky part is working a patch against an open edge. Wasn’t holding a lot of hope that this would work out. 

Finished it up by fixing the shoulder seam and inserting the sleeve. Then with a long thread secured the underarm leaving 1/2 the yarn to sew the sleeve, and the other half to mattress stitch the side seam. Then returned to the under arm to continue to sew the sleeve together.

Visualize, visualize, visualize, work at it till it looks as you see it in your mind. Be optimistic and plaster a smile on your puss!

Finishing advice:

I am a great advocate of sewing knitted garments together with the outside facing you. Follow the rows on either side to make a straight and seamless line. When working a shaped edge, I lightly pin (Coiless pins preferably plastic) the front and back, then working as smoothly as possible, easy the pieces together using the closest stable stitch to fit them together. Really important to match increases or decrease where possible. This is so much easier on the front side of the work. A knitting teacher once told me “That sewing it together right side out and seam to seam, made for a better finish as you can see what is actually happening. You don’t wear sweaters inside out. If you sew it together inside out, the inside will look lovely, but the outside will look like you sewed it together inside out!”

Part of my family is Catholic, so for the each of the children’s first communions I have made them a Rosary. Only one more to go after this. Finally finished this one. Thank goodness the other side isn’t, I would have 18 more to do! The Protestant side is very prolific!

This is a Catholic Rosary for my cousins daughter. Catholic uses 5 decades of 10 beads.

I also do Protestant Rosaries. For those that are interested in this meditative prayer practice. I am considering making some for my Etsy shop.

This one is mine. Note that the Protestant version of the Rosary has fewer beads. 4 wks of 7 beads.

If anyone is interested in Rosaries, let me know in the comments and I will provide links for making and use of both kinds.

WIP List = 9

1. EZ’s Baby Surprise Jacket – Fb/Kal
2. Zuzu’s Petals
3. His/Hers Socks
4. Cabled Hood with Pockets 
5. Sea of Dreams Blanket
6. Isla lace Pillowcase edge  
7. Rose Harbour Shawl 
8. My Fair Cardi 
9. Simplicity Lace Scarf   Kal/feb2015 

FO’s 2015 = 8 + 1 = 9

WIPS 2015 = 9

Long-term Projects = 4

 Stash Used 2015 = 13

Yds of Handspun 2015 = 0

Sewing FO’s 2015 = O

Books 2015 = 5

cya next week :0)

I’m off on to my blogwalk

come join me in the blogpond :0 

I also have a Ravelry shop and an Etsy shop!

for my Literary blog, see Totally Austentatious.

Frustration knitting and Prize winner!

What do you do when you are almost finished a Kal and the yarn comes to the end in your hand?

 EZ Baby Surprise Jacket for my facebook group Kal. Ratz!

You knit one or two of these 

(2) XL coffee cup sweater, I’m doing about 1/2 dozen of these for our church craft sale.

and more of this. 

Be Simple Scarf almost done!?!

and read some of this 

Totally awesome sequels to Pride and Prejudice. Just love the relationship that Linda Berdoll has envisioned.

and wait for the LYS to open. 

Picked up the needed yarn for my Kal 

Oh, and I won 3rd place in the Soper Creek Yarns Challenge!

Bunch of great work! Congratulations everyone!

My effort!

My own design; Sanquhar cowl

WIP List = 9

1. EZ’s Baby Surprise Jacket – Fb/Kal
2. Zuzu’s Petals
3. His/Hers Socks
4. Cabled Hood with Pockets 
5. Sea of Dreams Blanket
6. Isla lace Pillowcase edge  
7. Rose Harbour Shawl 
8. My Fair Cardi 
9. Simplicity Lace Scarf   Kal/feb2015 

FO’s 2015 = 6 + 2 = 8

WIPS 2015 = 9

Long-term Projects = 4

 Stash Used 2015 = 10 + 3 = 13

Yds of Handspun 2015 = 0

Sewing FO’s 2015 = O

Books 2015 = 4 + 1 = 5

cya next week :0)

I’m off on to my blogwalk

come join me in the blogpond :0 

I also have a Ravelry shop and an Etsy shop!

for my Literary blog, see Totally Austentatious.

Suffering from Startitis!

Oh noz! I have itchy palms, itching to start something new! Someone stop me I still have…
– Zuzu’s Petals
– His/Hers Socks
– Cabled Hood with Pockets
– Sea of Dreams Blanket
– Isla lace Pillowcase edge
– Rose Harbour Shawl
– My Fair Cardi
– Be Simple Scarf
to finish!

Initially I opted to be responsible and finish my

Be Simple Crayon scarf!

Love how the self striping yarn is working in this.

But the urge was still there!

In an effort to control myself, I decided to work on 2 Kals that I’m a member of.

On Facebook: Fans of Elizabeth Zimmermann Knitting Group This months Kal is EZ’s Baby Surprise Jacket 

My modification: Centre double decrease.

On Ravelry, The Carry Along Forum Kal is Horseshoe Lace Cowl by Sashka Macievich (not started yet, but imminent!)

Thinking maybe…

This last week I finished 

This was my Carry along forum Kal for last month
Be Simple Lace scarf.

And my Soper Creek Yarn Challenge Contest project

Which I can’t show you till all the votes are in. I can only tell you that it’s Brown, gray and cream…and very nice ;0)

Bunch of really creative entries! Voting ends on the 14th.

WIP List = 9

1. EZ’s Baby Surprise Jacket – Fb/Kal
2. Zuzu’s Petals
3. His/Hers Socks
4. Cabled Hood with Pockets 
5. Sea of Dreams Blanket
6. Isla lace Pillowcase edge  
7. Rose Harbour Shawl 
8. My Fair Cardi 
9. Simplicity Lace Scarf   Kal/feb2015 

FO’s 2015 = 4 + 2 = 6

WIPS 2015 = 8 + 1 = 9

Long-term Projects = 4

 Stash Used 2015 = 6 + 4 = 10

Yds of Handspun 2015 = 0

Sewing FO’s 2015 = O

Books 2015 = 3 + 1 = 4

cya next week :0)

I’m off on to my blogwalk

come join me in the blogpond :0 

I also have a Ravelry shop and an Etsy shop!

for my Literary blog, see Totally Austentatious.