Yesterday, I finished my first pair of regulation socks for Socks for Soldiers, including weaving in the ends.
These are very long socks! I now have them washed and they are currently drying in the dryer. I need to run to the store and pick up a few extra “goodies” to put in the package and write my letter to the soldier who will receive the socks. Then, I should be ready to package everything up and send it off to Sarge at SFS.
Here’s a picture of the finished socks:
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January in Nebraska is usually cold, snowy and gray. This year was no exception. We have had several 5 inch snowfalls, sometimes with freezing drizzle accompanying, temperatures well below freezing and our usual gusty winds — which makes for wind chills in the sub-zero category. So, it seemed like a good time to knit up some nice warm hats. I have knit two and am about half-way done with a third. February is continuing with the snow and cold temperatures — so I will have no trouble finishing this third hat.
First up is the “Three Color Hat ala EZ”:
This hat was knit using Patons Classic Wool yarn, which is a worsted weight yarn. This yarn is nice and soft and knits up well. The main color is Plum Heather (Colorway 77307). Color 2 was Aran (Colorway 00202) and Color 3 was Jade Heather (Colorway 77208). I used size US 6 and US 8 circular needles and my gauge was 5 spi using the larger needles.
I knit this hat according to the instructions given in Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Workshop. Her instructions are for a yarn with a gauge of 4 spi, so I adjusted the number of stitches from 72 to 90 to start. The first color pattern is one suggested in the book, the second is one I made up as I went. I knit the hat to a length of 6 inches before I started decreasing. It is probably too long, but I’m happy with the end result: A one of a kind, warm wool hat that fits nicely over my ears and keeps me warm!
Next Post: Trinity Stitch Slouchy Hat.
Reference: Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Workshop
In my last post, I outlined how to use EZ’s Percentage System to design a sweater. Today, I will spend some time answering a question from Amanda, who asked, “What do you do when the pattern does not have instructions for YOUR size?”
This is very frustrating for those of us who are either smaller or larger than the range of sizes given by the pattern designer. I have never fully understood why some designer’s only develop their patterns for “Small, Medium, & Large”, though the trend seems to be to at least go up to “Extra Large” in current knitting publications. But, if your measurements do not correspond to the designer’s definition of “medium”, you may still find yourself with a sweater that is not well-fitting.
Isn’t that the goal for all of us? To knit a well-fitting garment? So, once again, the answer is to use the pattern as a general guideline and develop your own sweater according to your own measurements. Your measurements are your starting point.
There are two ways to take your measurements:
#1: Take measurements from a sweater that fits you the way you like/love.
Lay the sweater out flat on a table or other flat surface and take the following measurements:
Shoulder Width[ShW] – this is the measurement across the shoulders from the seams or the point where the arm meets the body. This measurement is important for a proper fitting sweater.
The Neck Measurment [NM] – measure this for both the front and the back and note if the garment has shaping that creates depth – due to a difference in the front neckline from the back.
Armhole Depth [AD] – measure from the top of the sleeve at the shoulder seam down to the underarm.
Sleeve Length [SL] – measure from the top of the sleeve at the shoulder seam to the beginning of the sleeve.
Wrist Measurement [WM] – measure the width of the wrist at the bottom of the sleeve.
Sleeve Width [SW] – measure the widest part of the sleeve.
Side Seam Length [SSL] – measure from the bottom of the sweater to the point where the sleeve meets the body at the underarm.
Back Length [BL] – at the center of the back – measure from the center of the back neck edge to the bottom of the sweater.
Front Length [FL] – at the center of the front (or front edge if a cardigan) – measure from the front neck edge to the bottom of the sweater.
Other measurements that you may want –
width of sleeve at the elbow
width at waist (if sweater tapers in at the waist)
I am including a diagram that you can use to record these measurements – click here: Measurements Diagram.
#2 – Take your measurements using your body.
Note – this is best accomplished with the help of a good friend. Measurements to be taken are the same as above, only taken directly from your body. You will need to figure in “ease” when calculating your pattern changes.
Now a few words about “Ease”. Ease is an extra amount of fabric that provides a garment with movement and shaping. When you take your measurements from your sweater – they will include the ease of that sweater. When you take actual body measurements, you will need to add in an appropriate amount of ease.
Close fitting garments have less ease and in some cases have negative ease, while loose fitting garments may have a significant amount of ease. Generally, the guidelines are that a classic fit has 7-10% ease, a close-fit will have a negative 7-10% ease and a very loose fit may have up to 20% ease.
So, now you have all the measurements you need. Take a look at the pattern you are wanting to use – hopefully, there is a diagram in the pattern that gives the finished measurements for each size. If not, you may want to use my diagram to write them down. Make note of the differences between your measurements and those in the pattern.
Also, make note of any textured stitch patterns or colorwork patterns used in the pattern. You need to know what the base number of stitches is for the pattern repeats. This is usually something like: “7 stitches over 9 rows” or “7 stitches, plus 1 over 9 rows”. Write this down – you will need it later.
That’s enough for today. Next post: Step 2 – Analyze the pattern.
You may or may not have noticed a new page showing up in the top menu. It’s the Stitches Library Page. I have decided to copy the instructions from some of the posts I wrote back in 2010 on various stitch patterns into downloadable pdf files and make them available in my new stitch library. So far there are only four: Elfin Lace, Trinity Stitch, Waffle Check, and Zig-Zag Eyelet.
I plan to add a new stitch pattern about once a month going forward. I will start with a couple from 2009, but after that I will be swatching new patterns. Please check back from time to time to see what is new. 🙂
Wow! Those feet look huge compared to the leg! I bet the solidier will love having hand knit socks! I’m glad you got them finished!
If I unwrapped a present from a kind person who sent me a gift without even knowing me, I’d be absolutely knocked out to receive these hand knit beauties.
Thank you Ms. LindyKnits. If the soldier who gets your present can’t write to thank you himself, let me thank you for him.
Come to think of it, I hope the soldier is a ‘himself’ and not a ‘herself’; a woman might have a hard time filling out these socks. Oh! Even worse to be a woman with feet so large that manly socks were the only ones that would fit her gargatuan tootsies! That would be awful, wouldn’t it?
Oh dear me! Now you have me thinking. No telling where this will end.
(I do love your socks, though. That remains.)