The Knitting Siren

Add some sole to your socks!

Sole as in a Linen Stitch sole.  If your anything like me, the thought of getting holes in the bottoms of your precious hand-knit socks is almost too much to bear.  I've been toying around with different ideas, from double-knit souls to thick stitch patterns.  I'm working on a pair of socks right now with a linen stitch sole and love it.  Very simple to do and it look cool to boot!

You can do this on any of your favorite pairs of socks (as long as the sole of the sock has no shaping or stitch pattern).
On the bottom half of your stitches, sole only (top down, toe-up, both work):
Round 1: k1, *wyif sl 1, k1; repeat from * across (if you have an odd # of stitches, just knit the last stitch).
Round 2: Knit across.
Round 3: K2, *wyif sl1, k1; repeat across * to last 2 sts, end k2.
Round 4: Knit across.

Linen stitch does end up having shorter rows than regular stitch, so you will want to make up the difference with a short row every so often.  So, hold up your work and if your sole looks about 2 rows shorter than the top, work a short row as follows.  You'll want to do this starting with round 1 or 3 of the linen stitch.

Work in pattern across to last stitch, turn.
Backward yo onto right needle, purl across to last stitch, turn.
Backward yo onto right needle, work in pattern to previously worked yo, knit yo together with the next st. 
Work in your sock's pattern across the top of the foot.
Ssk the next stitch together with the loop.

Repeat the short row directions as needed to keep the bottom of the sock level with the top.

Next I'm going to try a sort of double knit sole...

This is me, freaking out.

Oh wait, you can't see me.  If you could, you would see me screaming and dancing all over the house.  Why, you ask?  Because I'm going to Sock Summit 2009!!!  I'll be there in the capacity of "helper" to Beth at Doodlebirds.com, but I'll be toting along my patterns of course.  All of my favorite knitting idols will be there.  I might get to meet Cat Bordhi and Barbara Walker!!!  Or at least oogle them from a distance.

Now I've gotta start planning.  I have to get those patterns that have been on the back burner done (yes, that means the baby bag!) and pump out a few more sock patterns.  I've gotta find a great printing company to print my patterns up beautifully.  I have to figure out what to do with the kiddos and how to get out there period.  Maybe I'll make a trip to Beth's house and help her load up a truck load of yarn.

WOOHOO!!!

Sneak Peek

Here is a sneak peek on what's coming up:

I had a "helper."  I love this yarn.  I've been reading about it and drooling over this base for a while now and I finally got some from www.doodlebirds.com sock club.  It's made out of wool, silk and silver!  I love it!  The silver adds just a touch of bling.  When I got the skein, I thought there is no way I'm putting this yummy stuff on my feet.

I was hoping to have this pattern finished before Valentine's Day, but time just got away from me.  The stitch pattern looks almost like little hearts. 

So, I've got 3 patterns in testing phase.  Being sick for over a week gave me time to be creative :-)  Now the house is a mess...

Got the yuckies

It looks like I did catch the yucky cold that my kids have been passing around to each other.  Ah well, now I have an excuse to sit on the couch and knit all day!

I finished plying up the rainbow yarn and am pleased with the outcome. 

And I finished up these longies this weekend.  I love this colorway.  All my favorite colors wrapped into one beautiful yarn.  I might have to order this on sock yarn for myself.  Care of www.littlebopeepknits.com, colorway is Glorianna which she created just for me. 

I made some decent headway on the Sideways Britches pattern over the last couple days.  It still has a ways to go, but the bare bones rough draft is in place.  Now I need to add pictures and more detail.  The hard part is getting all the calculations figured out and written down.  Since that is done, the rest should sail more smoothly.  I'm hoping it should be ready for testing in March (cross my fingers).

Also, you might notice a couple ads here and there to help cover the costs of running this site.  So if you like getting free patterns and see an ad that peaks your interest, click away!  I will keep them to a minimum.  I hate wading through ads just to read a blog.

Spinning like a mad woman!

I've had to make myself timer task lately or I would spin my life away.  My schedule has been, clean 20 min, spin 20 min, clean 20, knit 20 and so on.  I actually got a ton done yesterday.  I cleaned out 2 closets and got a big chunk of organizing done in my craft/crap room and spun 4 oz of lace weight and finished up a pair of custom britches.  My studio is a pit, so I'll be working more on that today.  It's hard to be inspired when your studio is a mess.  I need to make room for a new knitting machine that I've been saving up for.  My Ultimate Knitting Machine (aka plastic piece of junk) broke after only being able to use it 3 times.  We can thank my 8 yo for that.  He owes me big time and knows it.

Here is the lace weight I did last night.  Lighting is rotten, but the ball looked so cool.  I wanted a rainbow and that's what I got.  I'm planning on cable plying all of this.  I'm about 3/4 of the way through the first ply.

I finished this up over the weekend as well.

Ok, back to work...

Leafy Ruffle

I am having fun with ruffles lately.  I just worked up this pair of Sideways Britches and the momma wanted a ruffle hem.

This colorway, Woodland from www.littlebopeepknits.com, was just screaming "Leaves!"

Upclose shot:

Instructions are now available in my Adorabubble Britches pattern.  This one came straight from my head, so you won't find it in a stitch dictionary (at least any I've seen).
I'm thinking this hem would look super cute on the arm of a 3/4 length sweater (thanks for the idea Patti!)

Adorabubble Britches, $7 instant download.  (The britches pictured above are my sideways britches and the patterns is not yet available)

Cotton Kills!

Scary title, huh?  That's just a saying in the mountaineering world.  Before my kid days, hubbie and I used to climb mountains and a lot of what I know about cloth diapering and wool actually comes from those days.  We were concerned about wicking, absorption, keeping warm even when wet (and my gusset for the britches actually came from studying rock climbing pants). 

Anyway, I'm trying to figure out why everyone insists on using cotton for baby bibs.  Yes, cotton is absorbant, but that's the only good quality as far as bibs go.  I like to peruse Ravelry and see which of my patterns people are knitting and I've yet to see someone knit one of my Slobber Soakers in superwash wool or acrylic like I highly highly recommend.  They're all in cotton. 

Here is why cottons suck (yes, pun intended).  Cotton wicks, so when baby drools, the liquid spreads across the fabric and if baby is wearing a cotton shirt, that shirt will get wet.  Cotton gets cold when wet (that's where the phrase, "Cotton kills" comes from).  If you feel baby's chest under that wet shirt, you'll notice the poor guy is cold.  The only way a cotton bib is worth it's salt is if you have a ton of them and trade them out the second baby drips on it.  Or you sew a waterproof backing on it.

Superwash wool or acrylic rocks for baby bibs.  Acrylic yarn is very similar in property to fleece (acrylic longies work just about the same as fleece longies).  Any mountaineer knows the wonders of fleece and wool.  Both stay warm even when wet.  Wool holds 30% of it's weight in water and both fleece and wool do not wick.  That means even if the bib is wet, it won't make the clothes underneath wet.

So, please, trust me!  Use wool or acrylic for your slobber soakers or any bib for that matter.  You'll thank me later :-)