Saturday, March 10, 2007

Finished STR Rockin' Sock Club Inside Out!

STR Inside Out!

Yesterday I finished the second sock from the Socks that Rock, Rockin' Sock Club's March 2007 shipment. I have been waiting until more people have gotten their package before giving some lessons learned. So here goes:


  1. When doing the provisional cast-on, do the crochet chain onto the needle. I find that MUCH easier than trying to pick up the crochet chain after it has been completed. See Knitting at Knoon for a description and video of this technique.

  2. For some reason I found this weird - but it worked. You will knit 32 stitches, turn and knit 31 stitches and wrap that last stitch. That last stitch will just hang out until you finish the short row toe, it also is the stitch that your tail is attached to. You then knit 30 stitches, wrap that last stitch (do not knit it) and turn. At this point there will be two wrapped stitches. Continue with the pattern. All this time you will be knitting flat, but will be making a little cup.

  3. I personally like to use double pointed needles, so I oriented the stitches so that the sole was on 2 needles, and the instep was on 2 needles. If you do magic loop or use 2 circular needles, do the same thing make one side the sole, the other the instep. The advantage is that when you get into the foot ribbing it is really easy to see if you did the setup correctly as you will start the instep with a purl stitch, and start the sole with a purl stitch. Also this makes the heel easier to orient.

  4. Short row heel. I had to do this twice on the first sock - the first time I just left the instep on the 2 double pointed needles. It just about drove me crazy. Once I started the cuff I realized that the foot was too long, so a frogging I went. The second time, I put the waiting instep stitches on a circular needle and then did the short row heel. MUCH better. You could also put the instep stitches on a piece of yarn so that they don't get in the way.

  5. Cuff. The cuff pattern is repeated three times. To avoid using markers I just knitted the cuff using 3 double pointed needles. This would be where using double pointed needles is to your advantage.

  6. Fit. I tend to walk out of the foot of my socks, so I knitted VERY tightly using size 0 needles for the foot. On the cuff, you will want it to be knit much looser, this is due to the cabling and it really pulls in and remove a lot of the stretch you get with the ribbing. So I knit this using size 1 (2.5mm) double pointed needles. If this is not knit loosely, you will have MUCH trouble getting your foot through the cuff.



I have a very wide (size D US width) "peasant foot", in size 7. So your mileage may vary.

12 Comments:

At 11:57 AM, Blogger Crescent said...

Thanks for the cast on video. I've not done the provisional cast on before so this video gave me a visual of how to do it. I love the idea of crocheting it right onto the needle.

 
At 12:01 PM, Blogger Laurie said...

No problem, I can't remember where I learned how to do it that way, but I *do* remember the sound of my hand smacking my forehead during the "Ah Ha! Why didn't *I* think of that?!" moment that followed.

 
At 12:02 PM, Blogger J. Denae said...

Thanks for the info! I'm on the foot of the first sock... after four toe froggings I was ready to give up! I am using 5 dpn's, too and I think it is much easier.

 
At 1:04 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for the tips Laurie. I've printed it out to keep with my pattern. I've managed to sneak away from my desk to get a few rows done on the first toe, that sock is really calling to me!

Wow, you are quick. Your socks look great, congrats.

 
At 1:08 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

BTW, love that cool tie-dye effect on your feet.

 
At 1:24 PM, Blogger KnittyLynn said...

Lovely!
And great suggestions/thoughts.

 
At 3:05 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nice work - they look great! I'm just now turning the heel on my first sock.

 
At 6:53 PM, Blogger Casa Pearl said...

Thank you so much for the tips and the video link. The STR Inside Out socks will be my first attempt at toe up and your tips and seeing the provisional cast on are a LOT of help! Patti @ Stitching in Lobster Land (blogger wasn't letting me log in!)

 
At 4:15 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great looking sock! I love the striping and the pooling you got. Almost makes me want to knit the second one with really big needles for the leg so I can see if I can get my foot into it. Size 3's anyone? :)

 
At 5:01 AM, Blogger fibercrone said...

I'm glad I came back to check on your progress. Very nice. And done already. Awesome. I was stuck on the toe but thanks to reading your blogpost I now know my mistake. I had misread the w&t instructions in the key as wrap, turn and work, as in knit the wrapped stitch, when it really says wrap & turn work. Big difference! I get it now and will frog it back and restart. By the way, I did the crochet cast on over the needle, too. I find it much easier especially when working with finer yarns. I learned how to do it from one of Lucy Neatby's videos. Congratulations on completing your socks. fibercrone

 
At 7:21 AM, Blogger Laurie said...

I took a workshop with Lucy. If you ever have the opportunity - take it. When she taught her cast-off technique it was like a million lightbulbs went off in the place. Fantastic.

 
At 10:49 AM, Blogger Vera said...

Nice job!

 

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