Tipsy Toe Socks 2.0

For a KAL I wanted to knit another pair of socks - but something that wouldn't bore me and something that would bring out the colors of self-striping yarn. I had always thought that my Tipsy Toe Socks were interesting at the start (the toes) but slightly boring for the rest of the pattern. That's why I wanted to continue a pattern of wedges for the whole sock. It took me a while to a) get it right and b) choose the right yarn for the pattern. But now that they are finished I really like them.
These socks are knitted toe-up, but unlike the original Tipsy Toe Sock pattern (where I used German short rows for the wedges, but not the heel) I used only Shadow wrap short rows here. For me these short rows looked neater than any other type that I had tried to knit in the round.

This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.






Materials

• 50 to 80 grams of fingering weight yarn - depending on how long you like your sock cuff; for the rainbow colored ones I used Lang Yarns Twin Soxx (color 909, here's a link to the yarn's Ravelry page) and for the blue-purple one Vendita Sockenwolle (bought at Aldi's a few years ago - here's a link to the yarns Ravelry page).
• 2.5mm needles - I used Addi CrasyTrio, but you can use dpns or a circular needle (with Magic Loop method) as well
• 2.25mm needles - to knit the ribbing
• 2 different stitch markers - one to mark the end of round (called "end marker") and one to mark the middle of the round (called "middle marker")
• a tapestry needle to weave in ends

Techniques

• Judy's Magic Cast-On is a technique that gives you live stitches on both sides of your needle - it is generally used for toe-up socks (e.g. in this pattern), but it can be used for other purposes as well. Here's a written description (from Knitty) and here's a YouTube-video by Cat Bordhi and another YouTube-video by Very Pink Knits.
• Shadow Wrap Short Rows - used throughout the pattern: as shown in this YouTube video by Lee Meredith. A video by Miriam Felton that shows how to do a heel with shadow wraps can be found here on YouTube. However, the heel knitted here is knitted slightly different because here there are two rounds between the two parts of the heel, i.e. there won't be any triple stitches.
• Knitting the Shadow Wraps: In a knit row (i.e. you're knitting on the outside of your socks), you knit up to the stitch where you want to turn, and then knit into the stitch in the row below, i.e. you insert the right hand needle from the front into the stitch below the next stitch and pull your working yarn through. Then you put the loop onto the left hand needle (creating a double stitch from the stitch below) - keeping the yarn on the back. Then you turn and your yarn is now in front, tighten it to make sure that all stitches have the same size and start to purl in the opposite direction. This sequence (knitting int the stitch below and turning) will be called kbelow in the pattern.
  If you're in a purl row, you purl into the stitch of the row below, i.e. insert the right hand needle from the back into the stitch below and draw your yarn through and put the stitch onto your left hand needle - creating a double stitch. The yarn is in front while you're doing this. Turn your work. The yarn is now on the back of your knitting. Make sure that the stitch is as tight as the other stitches on your needles and start knitting in the opposite direction. This sequence will be called pbelow in the pattern.
• Knitting the double stitch.: When you come to a double stitch you can simply knit / purl it as one. This looks well when you're working it in the same direction it was created (i.e. the double stitch was created in a purl row and is also worked in a purl row). However, when you have to knit a double stitch that was created in a purl row, the following sequence made the result look a bit neater. I slipped the first loop of the double stitch to the right hand needle, turned the second loop so that the front leg was now in the back and put the first loop back facing the same way (i.e. the former front leg was now in the back). Then I knitted both loops through the back loop.

Gauge and Sizes
When I knitted these 19 rows of stockinette gave 5cm in height and 16 sts (stockinette) gave 5 cm in width. But If you've knitted socks before, you'll know which total stitch count to aim for. Here's the table that shows you the usual amount of stitches you need for your shoe size. Furthermore, it shows over how many stitches you're going to knit the heel (after some increases) and how these stitches are distributed, i.e. how many stitches are used for short rows at each side.
E.g. for size 36 you work the heel over 34 stitches, i.e. you do short rows for 11 stitches on both sides and 12 stitches in the middle are knitted normally.

shoe size	total number of stitches	heel stitches (after increasing)	distribution of heel stitches
32-35	56 = 2x28	28 + 4 = 32	11 - 10 - 11
36-39	60 = 2x30	30 + 4 = 34	11 - 12 - 11
40-43	64 = 2x32	32 + 4 = 36	12 - 12 - 12

Instructions for sizes are given as follows: sizes 32-35 [sizes 36-39, sizes 40-43]. I.e. the instructions before the brackets are for sizes 32 to 35 and in brackets first for sizes 36 to 39 and then for sizes 40 to 43.

Instructions

First Sock

Toe
Do a magic CO of 2x10 sts [2x10, 2x12]
Round 1: k8 [k8, k10], kfb k1, place marker ("half marker"), k1 kfb k8 [k8, k10], place marker ("end marker")
Round 2: k1, kfb, k to 2 bef half marker, kfb, k1, slip half marker, k1, kfb, k to 2 bef end marker, kfb, k1
Round 3: k to 2 bef half marker, kfb, k1, slip half marker, k1, kfb, k to end
Repeat rounds 2 and 3 four more times. (Now you have 2x26 [2x26, 2x28] sts on your needles)
For sizes 36-39 and 40-43 repeat round 2 once more.

Now you have 2x26 [2x28, 2x30] sts on your needles

Round 12 [13, 13]: k all
Round 13 [14, 14] = Round 2
Round 14 [15, 15]: k all
Round 15 [16, 16] = Round 3

Now you have 2x29 [2x31, 2x33] sts on your needles (i.e. 1 too much for the stitch count you're actually aiming for) - and the short row wedges will be started.

Wedge 1
Round 16: k to 4 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 4 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 17: k to 8 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 8 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 18: k to 12 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 12 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 19: k to 16 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 16 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 20: k to 20 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 20 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 21: k to 24 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 24 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end

Round 22: k1, ssk, k to 3 bef end marker, k2tog, k1
Round 23: k to 2 bef half marker, kfb, k1, slip half marker, k1, kfb, k to end

Wedge 2
Round 24: k to 6 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 6 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 25: k to 12 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 12 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 26: k to 18 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 18 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 27: k to 24 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 24 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end

Round 28: k1, ssk, k to 3 bef end marker, k2tog, k1
Round 29: k all

Wedge 3 = Wedge 1 (i.e. Rounds 16 to 21)

Now you've finished the toe and 2x28 [2x30, 2x32] sts on your needles.

Foot
Round 1: k all

Wedge 4
Round 2: k to 4 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 4 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 3: k to 8 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 8 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 4: k to 12 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 12 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 5: k to 16 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 16 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 6: k to 20 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 20 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 7: k to 24 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 24 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end

Round 8: k all
Repeat Round 8 once [twice, three times] more

Wedge 5
Round 10: k to half marker,
    k4, kbelow, p8, pbelow
    k12, kbelow, p16, pbelow
    k20, kbelow, p24, pbelow
    k28, kbelow, p32, pbelow
    k36, kbelow, p40, pbelow
    k44, kbelow, p48, pbelow
    k to end

Round 11: k all

Wedge 6
Round 12: k to half marker,
   k to 4 bef end kbelow, p to half marker p to 4 bef end, pbelow,
   k to 8 bef end kbelow, p to half marker p to 8 bef end, pbelow,
   k to 12 bef end kbelow, p to half marker p to 12 bef end, pbelow,
   k to 16 bef end kbelow, p to half marker p to 16 bef end, pbelow,
   k to 20 bef end kbelow, p to half marker p to 20 bef end, pbelow,
   k to 24 bef end kbelow, p to half marker p to 24 bef end, pbelow,
   k to end
Round 13: k all
Repeat Round 13 once [twice, three times] more

Wedge 7
Round 14: k4, kbelow, p8, pbelow
    k12, kbelow, p16, pbelow
    k20, kbelow, p24, pbelow
    k28, kbelow, p32, pbelow
    k36, kbelow, p40, pbelow
    k44, kbelow, p48, pbelow
    k to end

Knit in rounds until you have to start the heel.

Heel
If you want to knit a short row heel (e.g. shadow wrap heel, as described here) you usually start it when you're about 5 cm short of the total foot length.
But I like to make my heels a bit bigger, so I do a few increases at the sides of the "heel" half and I start a bit earlier, about 6 to 6.5 cm short of the total length.

Round 1: k to half marker, slip half marker, kfb, k to 1 bef end marker, kfb,
Round 2: k all
Repeat rounds 1 and 2 once more - now the heel part of your socks has 4 (=2x2) more stitches than the other part

And now for the real heel - this is worked only over the stitches after the half marker:
Round 5:
(a) k to one stitch before end marker, kbelow
(b) slip shadow wrap stitch, p to one stitch before half marker, pbelow
(c) slip shadow wrap stitch, k to one stitch before the last shadow wrap, kbelow
(d) slip shadow wrap stitch, p to one stitch before the last shadow wrap, pbelow
Repeat (c) and (d) until the remaining (knitted) stitches are only one third of your heel stitches.
k to end of row (making sure to pick up the shadow wraps, i.e. to knit the twin-stitches as one stitch) and mk1l (this last increase is to avoid a hole at the gap)

Round 6: k to half marker, slip half marker, mk1r (also to avoid a hole), k to end (also making sure to pick up the shadow wraps) - now the heel part of your socks has 6 (=4+2) more stitches than the other part
Round 7 and 8: k all

Round 9: k to half marker,
(a) k two thirds of the heel stitches, kbelow
(b) slip shadow wrap stitch, p one third of the heel stitches, pbelow
(c) slip shadow wrap stitch, k up to and including the twin-stitch, kbelow
(d) slip shadow wrap stitch, p up to and including the twin-stitch, pbelow
Repeat (c) and (d) until the twin-stitches on both sides are one stitch away from the markers (end marker and half marker),
k to end of row and mk1l

Round 10: k to half marker, slip half marker, mk1r, k to end  - now the heel part of your socks has 8 (=6+2) more stitches than the other part
Round 11: k all

Now the extra stitches for the heel (four per side) must be decreased again.
Round 12: k to half marker, slip half marker, ssk, k to 2 bef end marker, k2tog
Round 13: k all
Repeat rounds 12 and 13 three times more.


Cuff
Knit rounds 1 to 11 of the Foot rounds, i.e. wedges 4 and 5.
If you want longer cuffs you can also go on and knit rounds 12 to 14 of the Foot rounds as well (wegdes 6 and 7).

End with about 10 rounds of k2p2-ribbing - knitted with the 2.25mm needles.
Bind off loosely in ribbing pattern.

Second Sock
Knit toe and foot like the first sock, but start the heel on the opposite side, i.e. when knitting the first sock, the instructions told you to start the heel after the half marker (second half of the stitches), so for the second sock you should start it right at the beginning of the round (over the first half of the stitches).

Stjernevanter - Zimtsterne Fingerless Gloves in Danish

Marianne Holmen from strikkeglad.dk has written a Danish translation of the Zimtsterne Fingerless Gloves pattern. Thank you very much or rather "mange tak"!
Here is a link to the Danish version of this pattern on strikkeglad.dk.
The original (English) version can be found here.

A list of all translated versions of my patterns can be found in this blogpost.







This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Sternchen - Star-Shaped Ornament

Now that we're in the middle of November, Christmas decorations are starting to be seen again. To get into the right mood, I tried to a knit small 3-dimensional star. And once I finished one, I couldn't stop and did quite a few more - because they really look cute and it's fun knitting them.
Even though these stars are 3-dimensional they are knitted flat. They have six points, are constructed of short rows and knitted (nearly) all in garter stitch. They come in four sizes and can be used to decorate your house for Christmas.
As to the name, "Sternchen" is the German word for little star.

The pattern is available as a PDF

• via Ravelry 
• via Loveknitting and
• via Payhip

The pattern PDF contains

• a written pattern for all four sizes
• a chart for two sizes
• photo illustrations for various stages of star

Skills
In order to knit one of these stars, you need the following knitting skills:

• Provisional CO
• Short rows with wrap and turn - there is also an explanation how to adapt it to use german short rows
• Grafting in garter stitch
• Grafting in stockinette
• kfb and ssk

Materials

To knit these stars you need

• yarn - leftovers will do, when using fingering weight yarn, I used about 5 grams of yarn to knit a bigger star, with Sports weight it was about 10 grams
• straight knitting needles - I used a size that was a bit too small for the yarn to get a tight texture
• crochet hook and scrap yarn for provisional CO
• stuffing - I used old yarn ends that I had collected from my last knitting projects
• a tapestry needle for grafting and to weave in ends
• one stitch marker

The Right Yarn for the Right Pattern

For #socktober I wanted to knit a pair of short row socks - with a similar toe construction to the Tipsy Toe Socks, but with a bit more of a short row pattern for the main part. At first I wasn't quite sure about the effect I wanted to achieve. That's why I tried it a few times - and with different yarns. But once I had roughly settled for a pattern (or rather a pattern idea), I found out that not every kind of variegated yarn worked for it and - as a general rule - how important it is to choose the right yarn for the right pattern.

Here's how it went for me when trying to knit these socks:

• Upper Left - 1st Attempt: This was my first attempt and done with Lang Yarns Twin Wash - the yarn worked beautifully for the shape I had in mind - especially with the longer dark yarn between the lovely rainbow color changes, but I hadn't quite fixed how exactly the socks were supposed to look. I tried once with a shadow wrap heel and once with a sweet tomato heel, but I wasn't quite happy with both. So in order to save this yarn (i.e. not to frog it too often) I tried the same shape with different yarn. 
• Upper Right - 2nd Attempt: For the 2nd try I used yarn from years ago (to be exact from the second pair of Pieces of Eight Mitts) - a beautiful autumnal dark-green, red and yellow combination of Schoeller+Stahl Fortissima Mexico. When trying the socks with this yarn, I found out that the color change was a bit too long to look nice. I finished the sock anyway, just to frog it later on. But at least I figured out, the actual pattern I wanted to knit.
• Lower Left - 3rd Attempt: So I tried again, with a yarn that had much shorter color changes: a Regia Mosaik Color colorway I bought this year on holiday. The yarn is beautiful, but the lack of longer strands of one color results in a lack of color blocks that you usually get from short rows and therefore the shape wasn't quite visible. But while knitting the tip of this sock, I finally figured out, how to best do the short rows in the round (hint: with shadow-wraps). 
• Lower Right - 4th Attempt: I then dived into my stash again and found some of last year's cheap Aldi yarn. Since I knew what socks pattern and what heel I wanted to knit (plus I had figured out a way to do nice looking short rows in the round), it worked a treat - and I finished a pair of them and I am really happy with the look.

Since the pattern also fits the first yarn I tried it with, I have started another pair with my Lang Yarns Twin Socks yarn. I guess I will also write and publish the pattern for it.

As an aside, this sock was the first time, I tried to use shadow-wrap short rows for something other than a heel - and I really liked how neat they looked.

Finished Objects or Good Train Knitting

Time spent on public transport - especially over longer distances - can be quality knitting time. But when you knit on a train you need a knitting project that is suitable for the environment. For me, a suitable project usually has to fulfil the following criteria:

1. only one skein of yarn is needed
2. the yarn weight is quite light (fingering or below) so
3. no additional knitting accessories are needed (e.g. cable needles, stitch holders ...)
4. the pattern is not too complicated or - even better - it's so easy that you don't need the pattern

Basically the same criteria apply, when I'm knitting something that I have designed myself on the train. But then it must also be so easy that I do not have to take notes while knitting on the train. But in order to have a good self-designed train project, you need some inspiration.

This year, I ran out of inspiration quite a few times - and unfortunately, this coincided with the times I went on longer train journeys. So I had to fall back on knitting somebody else's patterns.

In June - when I went to Zurich, i.e. 2 x 5 hours on the train - I decided on knitting Garnomera's Durkslag (free pattern available on Ravelry).  It's a gorgeous shawl, in half-circle shape with many small holes - so that it looks like a colander (or durkslag in Swedish). I had seen photos of it on instagram a few years ago and loved the look of it. Even though I was quite reluctant to knit something that wasn't designed by myself, I was quite happy once I had started. Plus it beautifully matched the yarn I had (Puk Puk by Bilum).

For my holidays in September I needed something even bigger because I planned to go to the North Sea (about 2 x 6-7 hours by train) and afterwards again to Switzerland. Plus, I wanted to knit something multifunctional, i.e. something that can be worn as a poncho, shrug or scarf - using a skein of Wollmeise Lace (300 grams, about 1500 meters). I bought the pattern for Smooth Sailor by Strickmich (Martina Behm) - a paid pattern available on Ravelry. I did the cast on and the first rows (the part where you actually need the pattern) at home and knitted the rest (really, REALLY easy) during my holidays. I changed the last rows a bit by not knitting a ruffle (as suggested in the pattern) but a garter stitch edge. The piece has a great construction and I love wearing it.

Since both of these projects are knitted with Lace weight light yarn they took quite a while to finish. But I am really happy with both finished objects - and I highly recommend both patterns!
How do you choose which projects you take on a journey?

Pointy Hat

Ever since I went to a Discworld convention a long time ago and saw so many people dressed as wizzards and witches, I wanted a pointy hat. At the time, I couldn't get one and later I didn't have many occasions where a pointy hat would have been useful :-)
But lately I thought about it again and decided that I would knit such a hat for myself - to wear on Halloween and also during carnival.
This pointy hat is really easy to knit and adjustable to your head circumference. The hat knitted top-down and in the round - starting with a cone in plain stockinette and ending with a brim in stockinette with some purl rows (but not quite garter stitch).

This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.




Materials

• yarn - I used about 80 grams of worsted weight yarn
• knitting needles (dpns or circulars to knit in the round) - I used 2.5 mm circular needles, in any case, use smaller needles than your yarn calls for to get a stiff texture of fabric
• 4 stitch markers
• a tapestry needle to weave in ends

The pattern is written in a way that you can adapt it to any yarn weight. It is important - however - to use needles that are smaller than the yarn usually requires in order to get a very tight fabric. This is necessary to get a hat that supports itself.

Instructions

Cone

CO 6 stitches and join in round. Place a stitch marker to mark the beginning/end of a round.
From now on until the hat fits around your head, you need to increase by one stitch per round at a random point in the round. I used kfb's to increase, but you can use any increase you like.

To get a better distribution of the increases, I did divided the number of stitches into 4 parts (with stitch markers) and would increase in the 1st part in one round, in the 2nd part in next, then in the 3rd, then the 4th and then start again with increasing once in part 1.

Repeat until the hat has a circumference that fits around your head.
Knit about 10 rows without increases and then continue with brim.


Brim

Round 1: * k2, kfb repeat from * until there are fewer than 3 stitches left, k to end
Round 2: k all
Round 3: p all
Round 4: k all
Repeat rounds 2 - 4 three more times or until the brim is as wide as you'd like, then BO.

Cut yarn and weave in ends.

Since the texture is very stiff, the hat stays in shape without any help.
The "hat band" that you see in the photos is actually made up from two lifelines I put in when I was still deciding how to knit the brim (and expecting that I'd have to frog it at least once :). In the end, I quite liked the look so I kept them in.

Biased Brioche Cowl

I like to experiment with my knitting and to combine techniques. This time, I wanted to try out short rows in combination with two color brioche. The result is a comfortable piece with a squishy texture that is perfect for autumn and winter.
This cowl starts with a provisional cast on, is knitted flat and finished with grafting in garter stitch.

The pattern is available for purchase on Ravelry here.
Get a 40% discount on my latest cowl pattern. Discount ends Oct 14, 2018.






Materials

• about 130 grams of fingering weight yarn in main color (MC) – I used Wollmeise Pure – colorway “Ballerina”
• about 60 grams of fingering weight yarn in contrast color (CC) – I used a speckled yarn by Lanartus
• scrap yarn and a crochet hook for provisional CO
• 3.5 mm knitting needles - I used circulars, but straight needles will do as well
• a tapestry needle to weave in ends

Gauge and Size
In garter stitch 10 ridges (i.e. 20 rows) gave 5 cm in height, 11 stitches gave 5 cm in width. This was measured on a blocked piece.
The finished cowl measures about 27 cm wide, and measures about 130 cm in circumference.


Skills
To finish this cowl, you need the following skills

• Provisional Cast-On
• Short Rows with Wrap and Turn
• Two Color Brioche
• Grafting in Garter Stitch