Nearly Identical Twins…

December 15, 2009| Lindy| 0 Comments | 1:52 pm

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Last month, the Yarn Harlot posted an article on a pair of identical twin socks that she had made. As those of us who knit with self-striping/self-patterning yarns know, getting a pair of socks that are totally identical is nearly impossible — but this pair turned out to be completely identical. (I was impressed…)

This morning I was putting away my pair of striped socks that I had knit with Paton’s Kroy self-striping sock yarn — and noticed that while I had not gotten a completely identical pair of socks — they were nearly identical — being off only a few rows of striping. So I took a couple of pictures:
StripedSocks_Twins1 StripedSocks_Twins2

How’s that for a pair of twins?

1 thought on “Nearly Identical Twins…”

Amanda says:

December 15, 2009 at 3:09 pm

That is pretty awesome. I don’t usually like pink, but for some reason I love those socks!

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About Knitting SocksAbout Knitting Socks

December 19, 2007| Lindy| 0 Comment| 4:51 am

It’s been awhile since I’ve had time to blog — the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is so hectic!

Since finishing the Secret of the Stole, I have been spending time working on two lace projects. One is another shawl and I’ll blog about that later. The other is a pair of socks in Regia Silk yarn that I am knitting on two circular needles. This my first project knitting two socks at the same time using two circulars.

Some thoughts about knitting socks. There are basically two schools of thought when it comes to hand-knitting socks. The one school simply doesn’t see any reason for doing this and the other is completely taken with the idea of being able to hand-knit socks. BTW — if you knit socks, you know which group you are in. 🙂 Unfortunately, my DH belongs in the first group — and after spending the time making him a pair of socks that he made fun of — I have informed him that he has received his first and ONLY pair of hand-knit socks from me.

Now — I like to knit socks because I enjoy having a small portable project on needles that I can take with me whenever I travel or am going to be somewhere where I will need something to keep me busy. There are many sock knitters who are completely absorbed with knitting socks and they make lots and lots of socks and are very involved in finding new yarns and patterns for knitting socks. I think the popularity of knitting socks has really brought about a great deal of innovation and creativity. Just take a look at all the options we have for sock yarns today — I don’t remember seeing such variety ten years ago. Now you can find sock yarns in many fibers from wool to bamboo — and Oh, my! the colors and the self-striping or self-patterning yarns! Yes, this could develop into an obsession….

Back to my lace socks. In this project I am combining my current interest in lace knitting with the fun of knitting two socks on two circulars. So far, I am still working on the leg or cuff of the socks — but they are turning out nicely.

I am not one who uses patterns much anymore. What I have learned about knitting socks is that there are basic technics involved — knitting in the round, knitting and turning the heel and then picking up stitches and knitting the gusset of the sock and then knitting the toe and finishing with grafting the last few stitches of the toe. When it comes to patterns — I like to experiment with different patterns from a stitch pattern library rather than buy or download a specific pattern — so I tend to create my own. For this project, I borrowed the lace pattern from a sock pattern in “A Gathering of Lace” and determined the number of stitches based upon my guage with the yarn and the size of my foot. (These socks are for me!)

Some other thoughts about knitting socks. I recommend that new knitters take on the task of learning to knit in the round using double point needles. There are times when knowing how to use dpns is of value for any knitter — especially for very small diameters. Try a simple hat pattern and a worsted weight yarn to begin. After you have mastered the dpns, try using two circulars. There are many good resources on this technic and it is my favorite way to knit socks. I started by knitting one sock at a time on two circulars — I think it is best to get the hang of the technic before trying to do two socks at the same time. But — once you know how to use the two circulars to knit one sock — it doesn’t take much to learn to add that second sock to the needles and begin knitting a pair of socks. There is another technic called the “magic loop” where you knit socks on one longer circular needles. This will probably be my next learning challenge, but I’m fairly content with the two circular needle technic for now….

Here are some pictures of my socks in progress:

Stitch Pattern: The Trinity StitchStitch Pattern: The Trinity Stitch

August 19, 2010| Lindy| 0 Comments| 9:34 am

I used the Trinity Stitch pattern for dishcloth # 6. This stitch pattern produces a lovely textured fabric and is relatively easy to do. It is also known as the Cluster Stitch or Bramble Stitch. The fabric produced has a “knobby” texture and would make a lovely scarf or hat. It could also be used as part of the textured patterning in an Aran style or Fisherman style sweater or as a panel mixed with other textured patterns in an afghan or shawl.

The pattern is a multiple of 4 stitches done over 4 rows:

Row 1: (Right side) – Purl
Row 2: *(K1, P1, K1) all in same stitch, P3tog. Repeat from * across.
Row 3: Purl
Row 4: *P3tog, (K1, P1, K1) all in the same stitch. Repeat from * across.
Repeat these 4 rows for the desired length of your fabric.

Reference: Barbara G. Walker, A Treasury of Knitting Patterns

WIP: The EZ Green SweaterWIP: The EZ Green Sweater

June 26, 2011| LindyBeir| 0 Comment| 4:43 pm

I have been knitting recreated Green Sweater from the pattern recreated by Sunday Holm from the original sweater knitted by Elizabeth Zimmerman. (Schoolhouse Press Pattern #13, Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Green Sweater). This sweater pattern has a charming history and you can read the story here: Channelling Elizabeth.

Now, I am a “sometimes knitter” when it comes to sweaters. I start them and I knit on them “sometimes” — for some reason, I tend to knit on my sweater projects in between other projects. This means that I take a long time to finish a sweater project once it’s started. So, I started this project over a year ago — and I knitted a portion of the lower body and then I set this project aside.

A couple of months ago, I took this project up again and knit on it quite a bit. It’s a very intriguing pattern. The sweater is knit in the round using steeks. Yes, I said steeks. Steeks are that technique that many of us knitters avoid — but one Elizabeth Z embraced and used extensively. I decided to do this sweater specifically because of the steeks — I figured it was time for me to master the use of steeks. In this pattern, there are four steeks. The first one is up the center front (the sweater is a cardigan), then there is a steek for each armhole/sleeve and the fourth one is the neckline. You basically cast-on extra stitches, in this case I cast on five for each steek, and knit them up with the sweater. Then you cut them apart in the middle. Yep — I said you cut them apart. That’s what’s scary about steeks.

Here are some pictures of this sweater in progress:

This is the center front, showing the center 5 steek stitches and the beginning of the armholes for the sleeves.

This shows the sweater with all the steeks knitted, before they have been cut.

I used the crocheted method for fastening the steek stitches on each side.

In these two pictures, you can see the steeks, all cut and awaiting further work.

I am now working on the first sleeve. I am about two-thirds done with it. The sleeve has a unique design, and I really like how it is knitting up. I’ll post more pictures of this sweater once I have the sleeves and the neckline knitted.

Some details: I am using Frog Tree 100% Merino Yarn in Colorway 909 Teal and using circular needles, size US 8 (5.0 mm).