Lateral Knitting

It's summer and in summer I don't really like knitting scarfs and gloves (except when I have a really good idea, but currently I have no such luck :), but summer projects.
So I decided to knit myself a simple summer sweater from old (and bulky) cotton yarn, that I had reclaimed from a failed project. Another top I knitted with this yarn was last year's Waterfall Tunic.
This sweater is knitted sideways and in one big piece. It starts at one sleeve, and ends at the second one. Since is it knitted in one piece, only minimal seaming is required :) It is also knit in plain garter stitch and (except for the neckline) in right-angled pieces. So it's a quick and easy project.

As with many of my pattern, this is NOT a stitch-by-stitch knitting pattern for various sizes. It is rather a tutorial how to contruct and knit a similar tunic - and of course you don't have to use bulky yarn but can use other yarn weights as well. I will give you my numbers and calculations as an example written in purple.


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




Materials

• a tape measure to take your measurements
• 400 to 500 grams of Bulky weight cotton yarn
• 6mm knitting needles
• one stitch marker (to mark the middle of the piece) and some removable stitch markers (I put them in just below the ridge of a new part, to make counting the ridges a bit easier)
• something that acts as a big stitch holder - or a knitting needle that's roughly the same size as your original needle or scrap yarn
• a tapestry needle to weave in ends and to sew the pieces together

Construction
This piece is knitted from sleeve to sleeve in one piece. When reaching the shoulder stitches are cast on on each side (to reach the total length on the front and back).
When you reach the neckline, the piece is parted into a front (part 2) and back (part 3) part that are knitted one after the other. Afterwards both parts are joined again and knitted until you've reached the width of the body part. Then stitches on both sides of the arm are bound off and the second sleeve is knitted.

Swatching and Measurements
The schematic below shows the measurements that you should take

A = circumference of the sleeve (since there are not increases it should fit your arm at its widest point)
B = total length of your sweater (I wanted mine to be quite short)
C = depth of V-neck (to simplify the decreases here, I decided that the depth would be exactly one half of the width of the neck. Of course you can use a different ratio here, but with bulky yarn, there isn't much of a margin to play with.)
D = total width (at least half of your hip circumference)
E = length of arm
F = neck opening to start of arm
G = neck opening (please note: E times 2 plus F should equal D)
H = lower edge to just below the arm (H equals B-A/2)

Knit a swatch! And block it.
Then carefully count your stitches and rows and calculate the numbers of the measurements you've taken.

My swatch gave the following numbers: 10 cm = 12 to 12.5 sts in width and 10 cm = 12 to 13 ridges in height. Since I used cotton, I chose to use the smaller number. This is due to the fact that - in my experience - cotton tends to extend over time, i.e. gets wider and longer, especially if it's heavy.

Then I calculated: 
A = 40 cm: 40 / 10 x 12 = 48 => 48 sts
B = 52 cm: 52 / 10 x 12 = 62.4 => 62 sts
C = 11 cm: 11 / 10 x 12 = 13,2 => 13 sts
D = 52 cm: 52 / 10 x 12 = 62.4 => 62 ridges ( i.e. 124 garter stitch rows)
E = 16 cm: 16 / 10 x 12 = 19,2 => 19 ridges (i.e. 38 rows)
F = 15 cm: 15 / 10 x 12 = 18 => 18 ridges (i.e. 36 rows)
G = 22 cm: 22 / 10 x 12 = 26,4 => 26 ridges (i.e. 52 rows)
H = B-A/2: 62 - 48/2 = 62 - 24 = 38 => 38 sts

Instructions

Part 1
CO A stitches
Knit E garter stitch ridges starting each row with a slipped stitch - in the last row, insert a stitch marker at the middle of the row (i.e. after knitting A/2 stitches)

(I CO 48 sts and knitted 19 ridges of garter stitch. I inserted my middle marker after the 24th stitch.)

CO-Ridge: With knitted CO, cast on H stitches on one side (front part), knit one row and CO H more stitches on the other side (back side), then knit back. Now you have Bx2 stitches on your needles.

Knit F-1 more garter stitch ridges.

(I did a knitted CO of 38 stitches on the front and 38 stitches on the back part. Afterwards, I had 124 stitches on my needles. Then I knitted 17 more garter stitch ridges.)

Part 2 - Front
Ridge 1: sl1, k to 3 bef middle marker, k2tog, k1 (you've now reached the middle marker), put the stitches of the back part on a stitch holder. For the next G ridges you'll only be knitting the stitches of the front part. Turn. k to end.

(I knitted 59 sts (62-3) before doing the k2tog, k1, then I put the stitches of the back part on a spare knitting needle. I turned and knitted back.)

Ridge 2: sl1, k to 3 bef turn, k2tog, k1; turn, sl1, k to end
Repeat ridge 2 G/2-2 more times. Now you've reached the tip of the V-shape.

(After doing ridge 2 once, I repeated it 11 times (26/2 - 2 = 13-2 = 11).)

Next ridge: sl1, k to last stitch, mk1, k1, turn, sl1, k to end.
Repeat this ridge G/2-1 more times.
You should now have the same number of stitches that you started part 2 with.

(After doing this ridge once, I repeated it 12 more times (26/2 - 1 = 13-1 = 12). And I was back to my original 62 stitches for the front part.)

Cut yarn.

Part 3 - Back
Put the stitches from the front part on a stitch holder and the stitches of the back part back on your needles.

Attach yarn and start from the middle of the piece.
Ridge 1: sl1, ssk, k to end, turn, k to end
Ridge 2 = Ridge 1
Ridge 3= sl1, k to end, turn, sl1, k to end
Repeat Ridge 3 G-5 more times. (After knitting ridge 3 once, I repeated it 21 times (26-5=21).)

Last but one ridge: sl1, k1, mk1, k to end, turn, sl1, k to end
Last Ridge: sl1, k1, mk1, k to end, turn, sl1, k to end

Now you've knitted the same number of rows you knitted for part 2, and you're back to the original number of stitches that you started part 3.

Cut yarn.

Part 4
Part 4 is basically part 1 knitted backwards.

Put all your stitches on your active needle again. And start from the bottom of the front.
Ridge 1: sl1, k to end, turn, sl1, k to end
Repeat ridge 1 F-1 more times. (In my case, 17 times.)

BO-Ridge: BO H stitches, k to end, turn, BO H stitches, k to end. There should be A stitches left on your needles.
Knit E-1 garter stitch ridges starting each row with a slipped stitch.
Then bind off.

Cut yarn, weave in ends and block.
Then seam the sides. I left about 5cm at the bottom hem.

Fingerless Gloves Worked Flat

If you've read some of the posts from this blog you know that I like constructions a bit out of the ordinary - especially when knitting fingerless gloves.

In this blogpost I've compiled a list of fingerless gloves that are worked flat, which means that they don't have the loom construction of other fingerless gloves.

The photos above only show patterns from my blog, but further below I have listed quite a few other interesting patterns that I found on Ravelry and that I liked. Here are the (free!) patterns shown above:

1. Helix Mitts: Fingerless gloves knitted in a ten-stitch wide strip that winds around the hand.
2. Starburst Mitts: These mitts use short rows to form a circle around the thumb.
3. Xmas Star: Similar construction as the Starburst Mitts, but in two colors with an intarsia pattern to form a star around the thumb.
4. Serpentina Mitts: Knitted sideways in simple stockinette stitch, these mitts are decorated with random surface crochet
5. Sparkler Mitts: The same construction as the Starburst Mitts, but in crochet.
6. Inclination Wrist Warmers: Knitted slanted - all in garter stitch. 
7. Double Helix Mitts: Similar to the Helix Mitts, but knitted in two 8-stitch wide strips.
8. Color Explosion Mitts: The opposite construction to my Starburst Mitts, i.e. the short rows don't focus around the thumb but around a point close to the outer wrist.

Other patterns that use interesting techniques and can be found on Ravelry are the following (patterns not pictured above). I have not tried to knit or crochet any of them, but I did like the design when I saw them on Ravelry:

• Spritz (by Lilli Boscaino): Knitted sideways and in mosaic technique. 
• ZigZag Fingerless Gloves (by Whole Earth Education): Knitted sideways in two colors with a zigzag pattern. 
• Plain Sideways Cozy Fingerless Gloves (by Denton Foreman): Knitted sideways and in garter stitch. 
• Kerfuffle (by Lynne Vogel): Knitted flat and seamed later, but with a lovely ruffle.
• Tulips on Hands: A crochet pattern worked flat and with short rows.
• No list of fingerless gloves worked flat would be complete without the gorgeous horizontal cable patterns of Tanja Oswald (link to her designer page on Ravelry). Most of these are in crochet and paid patterns (and I have not read them), but I love (!) the finished objects:
• Elementary Mittens: crochet and with horizontal cables
• Mohnteilchen --- knitted: one of her few knitted patterns, also with horizontal cables.
• Skew To: a nice way to show off variegated yarn - knitted in a rhomboid and sewn in the end, plus a cuff knitted in the round

And if that's not enough, here's a list of all fingerless gloves patterns that have the "knitted flat" attribute (free and paid) - you must be logged in to Ravelry for access.

Ammonite Potholders

I always wanted to knit a spiral from within, but I didn't quite know how to go about it. I got a first idea when I thought about it waiting for my train in the morning ... something like: knit small triangles with short rows, increase one stitch per triangle and so on. Then I tried it the next time I had some time as well as the materials (yarn and needles - on a longer train journey :)
It made me quite proud to manage it in one color, but you need the right yarn to make the shape show up nicely ... and I didn't find that sort of yarn in cotton. So the obvious solution was to use a second color for contours.
These pieces can be used as potholders or coasters or as washcloths. Since they are done in intarsia, they look good from WS, too. They are knitted all in garter stitch which gives them a nice squishy texture.

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






Materials

• a total of about 25-30 grams cotton yarn in two colors - I used Aran weight for both (about 9 grams for C1 (blue) and 15 grams for C2 (white), but my scales are not really exact)
• 3.5mm knitting needles - I used short dpns
• a tapestry needle to weave in ends

Techniques

• Intarsia: Changing colors with the intarsia technique - as shown in this YouTube video by knitwithpat; or this YouTube video by Francoise Danoy. That way you don't have to carry long strands on the WS. The picture below shows the RS and WS of the piece.

• Throughout the pattern, the following notation will be used: "C1 (k2); C2 (k3, w+t, k3); C1 (k2)" means "knit 2 sts with C1; change to C2 and knit 3 sts with C2, wrap and turn, knit another 3 sts with C2, then change back to C1 and knit 2 sts with it".
   I.e. color is indicated before the knitting instructions for that yarn. the knitting instructions for that yarn are given in brackets after the color and color changes are indicated by a semicolon.
• Short rows with wrap and turn (w+t) - as shown in this YouTube video by Very Pink Knits. 
• Joining to rows at the edges: There are various ways to connect the last stitch of one ridge to the first stitch of another. I used the following one where I joined from the RS: I knitted to the RS row, drew a loop through the edge stitch (see pictures below), then turned and did a k2tog of the the newly picked up stitch and the next stitch of WS. I will call this sequence "connect" in the pattern.
  However, there are other methods to join rows at the edges, one method is shown here: http://youtu.be/3zPXZ4cu66Q . Please note that whatever you do, please stay consistent throughout the piece.

Gauge and Size
In garter stitch 4 ridges (i.e. 8 rows) gave 2 cm.
The pieces I knitted measured 18 cm in width and 16 cm in height.


Construction

The piece is started right in the middle with only a couple of stitches. During the first 7 sections, the stitch cound is increased by one stitch per section. Each of these section consists of one (complete) row in C1 and short rows in C2.
After finishing the first round of the spiral, the stitch count stays the same, but the sections consist of are full rows in C2 as well as of the short rows. The number of these full rows in C2 increases by one per section.
The last section is made up of full rows entirely.

Instructions

Setup Section - completely in C1

CO2

Row 0 (WS): kfb, k1

Ridge 1: sl1, k to end, TURN, sl1, k to end

Ridge 2: sl1, k1, w+t, k to end

Ridge 3: sl1, w+t, k to end

Section 1

Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k to end, and pick up a stitch from the side, TURN, sl1, k to end) - on illustration 1 I have marked the point where I picked up the stitch in pink, and on illustration 2 how the piece looked afterwards. Picking up stitches from somewhere at the end of the RS row helps to close the potential hole in the middle of the piece. Alternatively, you can knit RS to the end, turn, and do a kfb into the next stitch of ridge 1. Then you have to sew the hole shut at the end. - This applies to all ridges 1 in sections 1 to 7.

Illustrations

Ridge 2: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k1, w+t, k1), C1 (k2)

Ridge 3: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (w+t), C1 (k2)

Ridge 4: C1 (sl1, w+t, k1)

Section 2

Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k to end, pick up a stitch from the side, TURN, sl1, k to end) 

Ridge 2: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef end, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)
Ridge 3: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef last turn, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)

Next to Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (w+t), C1 (k2)

Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, w+t, k1)

Section 3
Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k to end, pick up a stitch from the side, TURN, sl1, k to end)

Ridge 2: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef end, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)
Ridge 3 - 4: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef last turn, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)

Next to Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (w+t), C1 (k2)

Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, w+t, k1)

Section 4
Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k to end, pick up a stitch from the side, TURN, sl1, k to end)

Ridge 2: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef end, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)
Ridge 3 - 5: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef last turn, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)

Next to Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (w+t), C1 (k2)

Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, w+t, k1)

Section 5
Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k to end, pick up a stitch from the side, TURN, sl1, k to end)

Ridge 2: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef end, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)
Ridge 3 - 6: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef last turn, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)

Next to Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (w+t), C1 (k2)

Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, w+t, k1)

Section 6
Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k to end, pick up a stitch from the side, TURN, sl1, k to end)

Ridge 2: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef end, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)
Ridge 3 - 7: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef last turn, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)

Next to Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (w+t), C1 (k2)

Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, w+t, k1)

Section 7
Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k to end, pick up a stitch from the side, TURN, sl1, k to end)

Ridge 2: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef end, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)
Ridge 3 - 8: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef last turn, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)

Next to Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (w+t), C1 (k2)

Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, w+t, k1)

Now you've finished one turn of the spiral (i.e. the inner spiral).

Section 8
Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k to end, connect, k to end)
Ridge 2: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to end, connect, k to 2 bef end), C1 (k2)
Ridge 3: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef end, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)
Ridges 4 - 9: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef last turn, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)

Next to Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (w+t), C1 (k2)

Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, w+t, k1)

Section 9
Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k to end, connect, k to end)
Ridges 2 and 3: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to end, connect, k to 2 bef end), C1 (k2)
Ridge 4: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef end, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)
Ridges 5 - 10: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef last turn, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)

Next to Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (w+t), C1 (k2)

Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, w+t, k1)

Section 10
Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k to end, connect, k to end)
Ridges 2 - 4 : C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to end, connect, k to 2 bef end), C1 (k2)
Ridge 5: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef end, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)
Ridges 6 - 11: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef last turn, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)

Next to Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (w+t), C1 (k2)

Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, w+t, k1)

Section 11
Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k to end, connect, k to end)
Ridges 2 - 5: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to end, connect, k to 2 bef end), C1 (k2)
Ridge 6: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef end, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)
Ridges 7 - 12: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef last turn, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)

Next to Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (w+t), C1 (k2)

Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, w+t, k1)

Section 12
Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k to end, connect, k to end)
Ridges 2 - 6: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to end, connect, k to 2 bef end), C1 (k2)
Ridge 7: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef end, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)
Ridges 8 - 13: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef last turn, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)

Next to Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (w+t), C1 (k2)

Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, w+t, k1)

Section 13
Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k to end, connect, k to end)
Ridges 2 - 7: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to end, connect, k to 2 bef end), C1 (k2)
Ridge 8: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef end, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)
Ridges 9 - 14: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef last turn, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)

Next to Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (w+t), C1 (k2)

Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, w+t, k1)

Section 14
Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k to end, connect, k to end)
Ridges 2 - 8: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to end, connect, k to 2 bef end), C1 (k2)
Ridge 9: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef end, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)
Ridges 10 - 15: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to 1 bef last turn, w+t, k to 2 bef end); C1 (k2)

Next to Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (w+t), C1 (k2)

Last Ridge: C1 (sl1, w+t, k1)

Section 15
Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k to end, connect, k to end)
Ridges 2 - 14: C1 (sl1, k1); C2 (k to end, connect, k to 2 bef end), C1 (k2)
Ridge 15: C1 (sl1, k to end, connect, BO all stitches loosely)

Cut yarn and weave in ends.

With my favorite cake (Greek Orange and Chocolate Cake) - here's the recipe (in German)

T-Shirt Upcycling - The Knitter's Way

I started this project back in 2016, when I was quite into watching DIY videos on YouTube (especially sewing toturials). I had the idea of upcycling thrifted stuff, but with a certain knitting element :). I first tried the general idea on an old black T-Shirt I had, but the finished product had so many flaws so that it wasn't fit to be worn in public. But you learn from your mistakes, right?
So I started with a similar idea on a nice dotted t-shirt that I had bought at the thrift shop. However, it was a bit tight especially around the arms, so I decided to make it a bit wider by inserting a ribbon into the sideseams ... but this ribbon as well as a piece for the neckline are hand-knitted :)

This is NOT a tutorial, but just an explanation of the basic idea.

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




The Materials I Used

• an old T-shirt
• thin cotton yarn (fingering or sport weight)
• knitting needles the yarn calls for
• scissors and a seamripper
• sewing needle and thread 

How I Did It

• First I decided on the design. Since this piece had a low back that I didn't quite like, I decided to turn it around, but to include a knitted panel in front to make the neckline not quite as low.
• To get the measurements of the pieces to be knitted 
• I measured the distance from the bottom hem along the side seam to the end of the arm hem
• and with a piece of paper inserted into the front, I drew a semicircular shape that I'd need for the front piece - and cut that out (plus about 5mm seam allowance around the curve).
• Then I knitted the three pieces:
• two garter stitch ribbons (10 sts wide) that are as long as the measured distance from the bottom hem along the side seam to the end of the arm hem
• the semicircle (starting with a few stitches and increasing symmetrically)
• And I gently blocked my hand-knitted pieces.
• I seamripped the side seams of your T-shirt - including the underarm seam. 
• With a sewing needle and thread that matched my yarn I handstitched the knitted pieces to the T-Shirt (starting in 2016 ... and finishing just now :)

Even though I'm not completely happy with the result, I think the idea of combining T-shirts with hand-knitted elements has a certain potential. (T-shirts are also knitted, after all :). Plus, I think that upcycling (or reusing) old stuff is a good thing. But I guess before I achieve something that is wearable outside, I need to work on my sewing skills - e.g. learning to do this on a sewing machine ... and get over my "fear" of using a sewing machine on my hand-knitted pieces.
Have you ever combined hand-knitted (or hand-crocheted) pieces with cloth (jersey or woven)? If so, do you have any tips how to apply a sewing machine to hand-knitted pieces? I'd be grateful for anything helpful :)

Lovely Little Stitch Pattern(s)

When I went to the city center this friday I bought a ball of cotton sock yarn (Regia Cotton Tutti Frutti to be exact, here's the link to the yarn's Ravelry page) - in a lovely fruity self-striping color way. I was planning to do something with short rows - though I wasn't sure what exactly. My first try didn't really work the way I planned, so I frogged it ... and decided to knit a plain sock (yes, no short rows), but I wanted a nice stitch pattern at least. So I searched Ravelry for inspiration. The best sock patterns are usually knitted over a small stitch count (i.e. repeats over 4 stitches or so) - and it's a plus if they're stretchy.

In the end, I used the stitch pattern from the Syncopation Socks (pattern by Mary Heininger - available on Ravelry). It's a really simple rib pattern, but the effect is gorgeous. Since I'm usually too lazy to read patterns (unless I really want to learn a new technique), I only used the stitch pattern and did the construction that I currently like most (toe-up and a shadow-wrap heel).

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

Other stitch patterns that I really want to try with socks are:

• the stitch pattern from Hermione's Everyday Socks (pattern by Erica Lueder - available on Ravelry) 
• the stitch pattern from Charade Socks (pattern by Sandra Park - available on Ravelry) 
• Wasp Nest (stitch pattern for 4 sts from knittingfool.com)
• Palmetto (stitch pattern from knittingfool.com)
• Lacy Mock Cable (stitch pattern from knittingfool.com)
• the slip stitch pattern from Slip Stitch Line socks (pattern by La Maison de Saba - available on Ravelry)

What are your favorite stitch patterns for socks?

Tipsy Toe Socks

When using self striping sock yarn it's always fun to try different ways of knitting common shapes like sock toes, because the self striping yarn will create attractive patterns. A while ago I had the idea of knitting slanted toes and using short rows to even them out before getting to the heel. I tried and frogged quite a few times before I actually managed to knit something to fit around human feet, but I finally made it.
These socks are knitted from the toe up, but they start at an angle and continuing with short row wedges. This slanted effect shows best with variegated yarn ... it's possible to knit it with a solid yarn, but you won't see the slanted effect. I've used and described a shadow wrap heel, but you can use any toe-up heel you like.
As with many of my patterns, this is not exactly a beginner pattern. It's also helpful, if you've knitted another pair of socks before.

Eine deutsche Version dieser Anleitung gibt es hier.
A German version of this pattern is available here.


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





Materials

• 50 to 80 grams of fingering weight yarn - depending on how long you like your sock cuff; for the lighter ones (in pastell colors) I used Lana Grossa Meilenweit Special Confetti (color 2508; here's the link to the yarn's Ravelry page) for the darker ones (dark blue, brown, orange etc.) I used Vendita Sockenwolle bought at Aldi's about three years ago (here's a link to the yarn's 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 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.
• German Short Rows (t+p): when you turn, bring yarn to the front and pull it back so that a sort of double-stitch is created, then knit back as usual - when you have to knit the double-stitch, be careful to knit it as one stitch (see also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6n561SMZXQ); this method has the advantage the no picking up of stitches is necessary. In the pattern, this stitch will be called t+p (turn and pull).
• Shadow Wrap Short Rows - as used for the heel: 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.

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, t+p, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 4 bef half marker, t+p, k to end
Round 17: k to 8 bef half marker, t+p, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 8 bef half marker, t+p, k to end
Round 18: k to 12 bef half marker, t+p, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 12 bef half marker, t+p, k to end
Round 19: k to 16 bef half marker, t+p, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 16 bef half marker, t+p, k to end
Round 20: k to 20 bef half marker, t+p, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 20 bef half marker, t+p, k to end
Round 21: k to 24 bef half marker, t+p, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 24 bef half marker, t+p, 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, t+p, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 6 bef half marker, t+p, k to end
Round 25: k to 12 bef half marker, t+p, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 12 bef half marker, t+p, k to end
Round 26: k to 18 bef half marker, t+p, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 18 bef half marker, t+p, k to end
Round 27: k to 24 bef half marker, t+p, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 24 bef half marker, t+p, 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
Knit plain stockinette rows until it's time 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, knit into the mother stitch of the next st (i.e. do a shadow wrap), turn
(b) slip shadow wrap stitch, p to one stitch before half marker, purl into the mother stitch of the next st, turn
(c) slip shadow wrap stitch, k to one stitch before the last shadow wrap, knit into the mother stitch of the next st, turn
(d) slip shadow wrap stitch, p to one stitch before the last shadow wrap, purl into the mother stitch of the next st, turn
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, knit into the mother stitch of the next st (i.e. do a shadow wrap), turn
(b) slip shadow wrap stitch, p one third of the heel stitches, purl into the mother stitch of the next stitch, turn
(c) slip shadow wrap stitch, k up to and including the twin-stitch, knit into the mother stitch of the next st (i.e. do a shadow wrap), turn
(d) slip shadow wrap stitch, p up to and including the twin-stitch, purl into the mother stitch of the next st (i.e. do a shadow wrap), turn
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 plain stockinette rounds and end with about 10 rounds of k2p2-ribbing.
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 just at the beginning of the round (over the first half of the stitches).

"Tipsy Toe" Socken mit schrägen Spitzen

Ich mag es mit buntem Sockengarn zu experimentieren. Wenn man bekannte Formen etwas anders als "normal" strickt, kommen dabei interessante Muster heraus. Vor kurzem hatte ich die Idee, die Spitze einer Socke schräg zu beginnen und dann mit verkürzten Reihen zu weiter zu arbeiten. Nach etwa fünf Versuchen und Ribbeln hat es geklappt und ich hatte eine Spitze, die mir gut passte.
Diese Socken werden von der Spitze her gestrickt - sie beginnen mit einem magischen Maschenanschlag, der aber schräg am Fuß sitzt. Anschließend wird mit Keilen aus verkürzten Reihen ausgeglichen, so dass der Rest der Socke normal gestrickt werden kann. Dieser schräge Effekt kommt gut heraus, wenn man bunten Sockengarn benutzt ... mit einfarbigem Garn tritt der Effekt nicht zu Tage.
Wie viele meiner Anleitungen ist diese nicht wirklich für Anfänger geeignet. Es ist außerdem hilfreich, wenn man schon einmal Socken gestrickt hat.

This pattern is also available in English.
Eine Version dieser Anleitung auf Englisch gibt es hier.


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






Material

• 50 bis 80 Gramm 4-fädiges Sockengarn - für die helleren Socken (in Pastelltönen) habe ich  Lana Grossa Meilenweit Special Confetti benutzt (Farbe 2508; hier der Link zur Ravelry-Seite des Garns) und für die dunkleren (in dunkelblau, -orange und braun) Vendita Sockenwolle von Aldi vor ca. 3 Jahren (Link zur Seite des Garns bei Ravelry)
• 2.5mm Nadeln - ich habe das Addi CrasyTrio verwendet, aber normale Sockennadeln oder eine Rundstricknadel (mit Magic Loop) gehen natürlich auch 
• 2 verschiedene Maschenmarkierer - einen für die Mitte der Runde (Mittelmarker oder MM) und einen für's Ende der Runde (Endmarker oder EM) 
• eine stumpfe Stopfnadel zum Vernähen der Enden

Techniken und Abkürzungen

• Magischer Maschenanschlag: siehe die erste Technik in diesem YouTube Video von Sylvie Rasch - CraSy creative things 
• kfb: eine Masche verdoppeln, indem man vorne und hinten abstrickt (siehe dieses YouTube Video von nadelspiel * Stricken & Häkeln mit eliZZZa)
• Maschen aus dem Querfaden zunehmen - rechts und links verschränkt: siehe dieses YouTube Video von Kathleen Engler.
• Verkürzte Reihen mit Doppelmasche (auch "German Short Rows" genannt): - eine einfache Methode für verkürzte Reihen, die letzte gestrickte Masche wird nach dem Wenden abgehoben und nach hinten gezogen, so dass die beiden Beinchen der Masche auf der Nadel zu sehen sind, dann wird normal zurück gestrickt - diese Technik wird in diesem YouTube Video von Maschenfein Berlin gezeigt. Diese Technik benutze ich gerne für verkürzte Reihen mitten im Gestrick. In dieser Anleitung wird sie für die "Keile" an der Zehe verwendet. In dieser Anleitung werde ich die Abkürzung "w+z" (also wenden und ziehen) dafür verwenden.
• Verkürzte Reihen mit sog. "Shadow Wraps": - wenn ich Sockenfersen stricke, benutze ich lieber die Shadow Wrap-Technik, weil das bei mir einfach besser aussieht. Hier wird die letzte Masche vor der Wende nicht selbst gestrickt, sondern man strickt in die Masche darunter - diese Technik kannst du in diesem YouTube Video von Sylvie Rasch - CraSy creative things lernen. Sie zeigt außerdem, wie man damit eine Ferse strickt (sehr ähnlich der Methode, die hier verwendet wird).

Natürlich kann man für die Ferse auch andere verkürzte Reihen verwenden (oder eine völlig andere Fersentechnik) - ebenso eine andere Technik für die verkürzten Reihen an den Zehen. Ich habe in dieser Anleitung die Techniken beschrieben, die ich selber verwendet habe - eben weil diese bei mir für den jeweiligen Anwendungsbereich am besten funktionieren.


Maschenprobe und Größe
Bei mir gaben 19 Reihen glatt rechts 5 cm (Höhe) und 16 Maschen glatt rechts 5 cm (Breite).
Ich empfehle als Ziel diejenige Maschenanzahl anzupeilen, die du normalerweise beim Sockenstricken brauchst. Die Tabelle unten zeigt an, welche welche Schuhgröße, welche Maschenanzahl hat. Außerdem zeigt sie die Ergebnisse der Berechnungen für die Ferse an, d.h. über wieviele Maschen die Ferse nach einigen Zunahmen gestrickt wird und wie diese Maschen beim Stricken der Ferse aufgeteilt werden, für Größe 36, z.B. werden an jeder Seite 11 Maschen in Shadow Wraps gestrickt und 12 Maschen bleiben in der Mitte.

Schuhgröße	Gesamtzahl an Maschen	Fersenmaschen (nach Zunahmen)	Maschenaufteilung in Ferse
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

Die Anleitung gibt die Größen wie folgt an 32-35 [36-38, 40-43]. Also vor der eckigen Klammer für 32 bis 35 und in der Klammer für 36 bis 39 und 40 bis 43.

Anleitung

Erste Socke

Zehenspitze
Nehme 2x10 Maschen [2x10, 2x12] mit dem magischen Maschenanschlag auf.
Runde 1: 8 re. M. [8 re. M., 10 re. M], kfb 1 re. M., Maschenmarkierer einsetzen (im folgenden Mittelmarkierer oder MM genannt), 1 re. M, kfb, 8 re. M. [8 re. M., 10 re. M] (Maschenmarkierer einsetzten (im folgenden Endmarkierer oder EM genannt)
Runde 2: 1 re. M., kfb, re. M. bis zu 2 vor MM, kfb, 1 re. M.; 1 re. M. kfb, re. M. bis zu 2 vor EM, kfb, 1 re. M.
Runde 3: re. M. bis zu 2 vor MM, kfb, 1 re. M.; 1 re. M, kfb, re. M bis zum Ende
Runden 2 und 3 viermal wiederholen. Jetzt hast du 2x26 [2x26, 2x28] Maschen auf den Nadeln.
Für die Grössen 36-39 und 40-43 Runde 2 noch einmal wiederholen.
Jetzt solltest du 2x26 [2x28, 2x30] Maschen auf den Nadeln haben.

Runde 12 [13, 13]: re. M
Runde 13 [14, 14]= Runde 2
Runde 14 [15, 15]: re. M.
Runde 15 [16, 16]= Runde 3

Jetzt hast du 2x29 [2x31, 2x33] Maschen auf den Nadeln (also 2x einen mehr als die angepeilte Anzahl) - und die Keile aus den verkürzten Reihen werden begonnen

Keil 1
Runde 16: re. M. bis 4 vor MM, w+z, li. M. bis EM (und dann weiter ohne wenden) li. M. bis 4 vor MM, w+z, re. M. bis EM
Runde 17: re. M. bis 8 vor MM, w+z, li. M. bis EM (und dann weiter ohne wenden) li. M. bis 8 vor MM, w+z, re. M. bis EM
Runde 18: re. M. bis 12 vor MM, w+z, li. M. bis EM (und dann weiter ohne wenden) li. M. bis 12 vor MM, w+z, re. M. bis EM
Runde 19: re. M. bis 16 vor MM, w+z, li. M. bis EM (und dann weiter ohne wenden) li. M. bis 16 vor MM, w+z, re. M. bis EM
Runde 20: re. M. bis 20 vor MM, w+z, li. M. bis EM (und dann weiter ohne wenden) li. M. bis 20 vor MM, w+z, re. M. bis EM
Runde 21: re. M. bis 24 vor MM, w+z, li. M. bis EM (und dann weiter ohne wenden) li. M. bis 24 vor MM, w+z, re. M. bis EM

Runde 22: 1 re. M., 2 M. zus., re. M. bis 3 vor EM, 2 M. zus., 1 re. M.
Runde 23: re. M. bis 2 vor MM, kfb, 1 re. M.; 1 re. M. kfb, re. M. bis zum Ende

Keil 2
Runde 24: re. M. bis 6 vor MM, w+z, li. M. bis EM (und dann weiter ohne wenden) li. M. bis 6 vor MM, w+z, re. M. bis EM
Runde 25: re. M. bis 12 vor MM, w+z, li. M. bis EM (und dann weiter ohne wenden) li. M. bis 12 vor MM, w+z, re. M. bis EM
Runde 26: re. M. bis 18 vor MM, w+z, li. M. bis EM (und dann weiter ohne wenden) li. M. bis 18 vor MM, w+z, re. M. bis EM
Runde 27: re. M. bis 24 vor MM, w+z, li. M. bis EM (und dann weiter ohne wenden) li. M. bis 24 vor MM, w+z, re. M. bis EM

Runde 28: 1 re. M., 2 M. zus., re. M. bis 3 vor EM, 2 M. zus., 1 re. M.
Runde 29: re. M.

Keil 3 = Keil 1 (i.e. Runden 16 bis 21)

Die Spitze ist fertig und du solltest 2x28 [2x30, 2x32] Maschen auf den Nadeln haben.

Fuß
Glatt rechts bis es Zeit wird, die Ferse zu beginnen.

Ferse
Normalerweise beginne ich eine Ferse aus verkürzten Reihen, wenn die Socke etwa 5 cm kürzer ist als die Gesamtlänge des Fußes.
Allerdings passen mir Socken besser, wenn ich vor der eigentlichen Ferse noch ein paar Maschen auf der Fersenseite zunehme, d.h. ich starte wenn die Socke etwa 6 bis 6.5 cm kürzer als die Gesamtlänge ist - und zwar so:

Runde 1: re. M. bis MM, und nach MM, kfb, re. M. bis 1 vor EM, kfb
Runde 2: re. M.
Runden 1 und 2 nochmals stricken

Jetzt ist die Fersenseite 4 Maschen breiter als die Vorderseite - die Ferse ist also etwas geräumiger. Für die erste Socke wird die Ferse über die zweite "Hälfte" der Maschen gearbeitet.

Runde 5:
(a) re. M. bis zu 1 vor EM, in die Masche unterhalb der nächsten Masche re. stricken, wenden,
(b) die erste Masche abheben, li. M. bis zu 1 vor MM, Masche unterhalb der nächsten Masche li. stricken, wenden
(c) die erste (doppelte) Masche abheben, re. M. bis zu 1 vor dem letzten Shadow Wrap, in die Masche unterhalb der nächsten Masche re. stricken, wenden,
(d) die erste Masche abheben, li. M. bis zu 1 vor letztem Shadow Wrap, Masche unterhalb der nächsten Masche li. stricken, wenden
(c) und (d) solange wiederholen bis die Anzahl der gestrickten Maschen in der Mitte nur noch ein Drittel der Fersenmaschen sind; es wurden also auf jeder Seite 11 [11, 12] Maschen in Shadow Wraps gestrickt und in der Mitte befinden sich noch 10 [12, 12 Maschen].
(e) re. M. bis zum Ende der Runde - und darauf achten, dass die Shadow Wraps als eine Masche abgestrickt werden - am Ende der Runde eine Masche verschränkt aus dem Querfaden herausstricken (dies hilft Löcher an der Seite zu vermeiden).

Runde 6: re. M. bis zu MM, nach MM eine Masche verschränkt aus dem Querfaden herausstricken, re. M. bis zum Ende (auch hier wieder darauf achten die Shadow Wraps als eine Masche abzustricken - die Fersenseite hat nun 6 Maschen mehr als die andere.
Runden 7 und 8: re. M.

Runde 9: re. M. bis MM,
(a) 21 [24, 24] re. M.,  in die Masche unterhalb der nächsten Masche re. stricken, wenden,
(b) die erste Masche abheben, 10 [12, 12] li. M., Masche unterhalb der nächsten Masche li. stricken, wenden
(c) die erste (doppelte) Masche abheben, re. M. bis zur nächsten Shadow Wrap-Masche, diese Masche re. abstricken, in die Masche unterhalb der nächsten Masche re. stricken, wenden,
(d) die erste Masche abheben, li. M. bis zur nächsten Shadow Wrap-Masche, diese Masche li. abstricken und die Masche unterhalb der nächsten Masche li. stricken, wenden
(c) und (d) solange wiederholen bis alle Maschen auf der Fersenseite abgearbeitet sind, d.h. die letzten Shadow Wrap-Maschen befinden sich neben den beiden Maschenmarkieren.
(e) re. M bis zum Ende der Runde  - am Ende der Runde eine Masche verschränkt aus dem Querfaden herausstricken (dies hilft Löcher an der Seite zu vermeiden)

Runde 10: re. M. bis zu MM, nach MM eine Masche verschränkt aus dem Querfaden herausstricken, re. M. bis zum Ende - jetzt hat die Fersenseite 8 Maschen mehr als die Vorderseite.
Runde 11: re. M.

Jetzt müssen die Maschen abgenommen werden, die für die Ferse zusätzlich aufgenommen wurden:
Runde 12: re. M. bis MM, 2 M. re. zus., re. M. bis 2 vor EM, 2 M re. zus.
Runde 13: re. M.
Runden 12 und 13 noch dreimal wiederholen, um auf die originale Maschenzahl zurück zu kommen.

Schaft und Bündchen
Glatt rechts stricken, bis man das Bündchen beginnen will.
Dann etwa 10 Reihen 2re. 2li. Bündchen stricken und lose abketten.

Zweite Socke
Zehenspitze und Fuß wie bei der ersten Socke stricken. Dann aber die Ferse über die erste Hälfte der Maschen stricken, d.h. die Fersenzunahmen direkt am Anfang der Runde und vor dem Mittelmarkierer durchführen und Fersenrunden 5 und 9 so ändern, dass die Shadow Wraps auf der ersten Hälfte der Runde gestrickt werden.
Schaft und Bündchen exakt wie für die erste Socke stricken.