Repairing Socks

July 23rd, 2012

I was gathering up all my plain socks when I discovered big giant gaping holes in some of them. Oh no!

It was time to fix some socks. Here’s a way to repair large holes in knit fabric.

Step 1: Gather your materials. You’ll need your sad sock, extra yarn (the one pictured is not the original yarn but pretty close in color), a darning needle, and 2 dpns (preferably in the size you used to knit the sock).

Step 2: Evaluate the hole. You’ll be re-knitting a patch to cover the hole as well as sewing a few stitches to either side, so you’ll need to cut a length of yarn long enough for this.

Step 3: Find the first row of stitches at the bottom of the hole that is complete and unbroken. Using a dpn, pick up the right leg of every stitch along this row. This is where you’ll begin adding fabric back to close up the hole.

Step 4: Leaving a tail, use the new yarn to knit across the dpn.

Step 5: Thread your needle and duplicate stitch a few sts into the old fabric along the same row you’ve re-created. Then move up to the next row and duplicate stitch back towards the edge of the hole.

Step 6: Turn and purl across the dpn.

Step 7: As in Step 5, Duplicate stitch a few sts beyond, and then back towards the hole.

Repeat steps 4-7 until you reach the top of the hole (without leaving a tail each time). Try not to entangle the cat in this process.

Pick up the right leg of every stitch in an unbroken line across the top of the hole with a dpn, just like you did for the bottom.

Graft the live stitches you’ve just knit to the live stitches from the top of the hole.

Weave in ends and enjoy your rejuvenated sock.

And here’s what it looks like on the inside. Ta-da!

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Dyeing Yarn with Wendee of Hazel Knits

July 18th, 2012

I was ecstatic when Wendee of Hazel Knits agreed to dye yarn for last year’s sock club, and even more ecstatic when I discovered I would be traveling to her part of the world and able to drop by in person. Fellow designer Anne Hanson was also traveling to the area, so we headed over to Wendee’s together. Wendee had her dye studio set up so that we could dye some of the yarn for the club!

Wendee experimented a lot with different shades of orange, working to find the perfect color just for us.

Working with Wendee was really interesting. She’s very methodical and has an efficient dyeing system so that she can rotate various yarns through each part of the process quickly. We had a fantastic time mixing and swishing yarn in giant bowls.

Here is lots of yarn hanging to dry.

Of course we had to try dyeing for ourselves, too – not just the club. I dyed two skeins of yarn (one Artisan Sock, one Filigree Lace) in gorgeous shades of brown. Now to find the perfect projects to knit…

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Reykjavik and Solfar

July 16th, 2012

Is it hot enough yet? Everyone seems to have been hit with a heat wave this past week. Maybe I can help cool off with socks from last month’s sock club shipment inspired by Iceland.

As you know, I headed over to Iceland earlier this year for a trip filled with adventure, lots of sheep and wool, and wonderfully cool winds. If you’ve never been to Iceland, I can’t recommend the Knitting Iceland tours enough!

What I found astounding about Icelandic culture was the emphasis placed on design and art. Everywhere we went we were greeted with visual feasts for the eyes. Not only is the landscape amazing with glaciers, lava rock, black sand beaches, fjords, and snow capped mountains, but homes and towns were also decorated beautifully.

While this month’s designs are certainly inspired by the Icelandic ways, they aren’t a literal inspiration. I haven’t incorporated the traditional Icelandic knitting methods or yarn which would involve stranded colorwork and lopi, a very sheepy yarn. Instead, I was drawn to the iconic artworks around Reykjavik, the capital, and the bright cheerful colors.

The yarn for this month’s patterns is Plucky Knitter’s Primo Fingering, a delicious merino-cashmere-nylon blend with a tight twist, dyed a beautiful shade of blue by Sarah Dimond in Michigan. In keeping with the theme, the colorway name is Vintage Icebox which is perfect.


The first design is named Sólfar after the iconic sculpture on Reykjavik’s waterfront designed by Jón Gunnar Árnason. Sólfar translates to “sun voyager” and is a modern sculpture of a “dreamboat”, and ode to Iceland’s rich history with the sea. The curves and symmetry of the sculpture translated well into the stitches of a sock, taking on an almost floral appearance.


The second design, Reykjavik, is modeled after another iconic Icelandic landmark, the Hallgrimskirkja cathedral, which is visible from all over Reykjavik and is quite an impressive sight with such elegant lines and simplicity. I designed the socks so that when looking down at your feet, you will catch a glimpse of Icelandic architecture down to your toes. The elegant lines and textures are translated into a twisted rib and wider angled lines.

These patterns are exclusive to the Cookie A Sock Club until June 15, 2013.

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Socktopus and Sokkusu

July 3rd, 2012

This April’s sock club shipment featured Sokkusu yarn from Alice Yu. I loooooove Sokkusu yarn. Alice and I met in 2009 while I was in the UK and have been great friends ever since. She is passionate about sock knitting and sock yarn (hence her nickname Socktopus) and has an eye for detail. Back then, Alice ran a shop called Socktopus in London which carried her favorite yarns imported from all over the world. She developed opinions about sock yarn (oh boy, show me a sock knitter who isn’t opinionated about sock yarns) and went in search of the perfect yarn.

When Alice found that that it was actually difficult to find the perfect yarn, she had Socktopus Sokkusu-Original sock yarn milled to her specifications. Working with mills isn’t easy, and I’ve heard plenty of horror stories, so it’s no surprise that it took nearly a year to get the yarn just right. Alice’s dream sock yarn is a 3 ply, tight twist, 100% merino fingering weight yarn that is durable and also soft soft soft! She created the signature colors for which Socktopus is known – gorgeous saturated colorways with life and verve. Alice also designs sock patterns which are available through the Knit Love Club and in her book Socktopus: 17 Pairs of Socks to Knit and Show Off   published by GMC in October 2011.

 

Finishing projects pays off! One lucky sock knitter from the 2012 Cookie A sock club received a copy of Alice’s book as well as some more of her luscious sock yarn!

Socktopus showcases not only Alice’s fun and creative designs, but her great sense of humor too. The book begins with an at-a-glance photo index showing all 17 projects, and lays out the sometimes serious, sometimes silly reasons and motivations to knit socks.

In the first chapter “Sock Yarn Basics,” Alice gives an overview of fibers used in sock yarn, yarns from around the world (to make comparisons), sock fit & anatomy. It’s a useful primer if you need some background information about socks.

The second and by far larger chapter contains the main content of the book: The Patterns. The patterns start off simple as can be with a “Totally Vanilla” stockinette sock, then work their way through more complicated techniques. There are lacy socks, textured patterns, the occasional cable… and some cool stranding and slipping techniques that bring out the best in variegated yarns. Alice likes to experiment with different techniques, so while most of the patterns top down, 3 of them are worked from the toe up. There is even a steeked sock!

Each pattern is charted (chart haters should note that written directions aren’t included) and step-by-step technique tutorials guide knitters through any tricky bits. You can check out all of the patterns on the book’s Ravelry page here. Shur’tugal has been among her most popular patterns, along with Rumpled! and Vorticity. As you might expect, the book features Alice’s own Sokkusu yarn.

Have you knit any of Alice’s patterns or tried Sokkusu yet?

 

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TNNA? No. Jeni’s? Yes!

June 29th, 2012

I was sad not to make it to the industry trade show, TNNA, in Columbus this weekend. Not only did I miss out on seeing all the upcoming yarns and products on display, chatting with other designers, and all kinds of knitter goodness, I knew I’d be reading a lot of tweets about Jeni’s Ice Cream, the go to place for sustenance while in Columbus. Jeni’s ice cream is … how shall I put it… AWESOME. When I first went to TNNA, I kept hearing about this fabulous wonderland called Jeni’s that was supposed to have The. Best. Ice. Cream. EVAR. I was skeptical. I’m not even a huge ice cream fan. But when I tasted it, I realized that it really was all that.

I knew that I’d be especially bummed to read everybody’s posts about eating and enjoying Jeni’s ice cream, so I kind of lost all control and ordered 8 pints of it (one was for a friend) and then there was a lot of hanging out, knitting, and eating ice cream. So while I didn’t make it to Columbus and TNNA, I got a piece of it right here on my own couch.

Mmmmmm.

 

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Now Available: Jubilee and Orange Pekoe

June 15th, 2012

It’s mid-June and that means it’s time for the release of two more patterns from last year’s sock club. Get ready for a celebration of all things orange!

When I started putting together my (very long) list of dyers I wanted to work with for the club, Wendee of Hazel Knits was a must. I first encountered Wendee’s yarn at Bobbin’s Nest Studio, my (sadly now closed!) local yarn shop, where she came in for a trunk show. I took home a skein of Artisan Sock in the Olympic Rainforest colorway. Later, I found that three other knitters in my knitting group had bought the exact same yarn and color! It was an instant hit. We loved the tight twist, the colors, the durability, the colorfastness, pretty much everything about the yarn.

When Wendee and I first talked about color, I matched her up with “orange” and told her to run with it. Her High OcTANG colorway is one of my favorite oranges, so I felt like she “understood” orange. Boy, was I right. Orange is Wendee’s favorite color and she did an entire series of oranges in search of the perfect one. I think we found it.

For the sock patterns, I wanted one to be simple, textured, and just plain fun. That’s where Jubilee came in. The pattern pairs a variation on garter stitch with mirrored lace panels. Sounds complicated, but it’s such a simple knit that I can imagine making it over and over again. It’s a true celebration of orange-y goodness.

The other pattern, Orange Pekoe, showcases bold leaves that mirror each other in the right and left socks. A bit more “high brow,” the name is a reference to a system of grading tea leaves. The full leaves in the Orange Pekoe sock pattern are fitting because the highest grades of tea have full unbroken leaves. Orange pekoe tea actually isn’t orange at all, and it’s suspected that orange actually refers to the house of Orange. In any case, the Orange Pekoe socks are an orange-ification of a non-orange thing.

 

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April 2012 Club Patterns

June 11th, 2012

I’ve been really excited about the Sock Club this year, and I’m glad to finally be able to unveil the April patterns! Socktopus Sokkusu Original is one of my new favorite yarns. It’s custom-milled for my friend Alice Yu, who then dyes it in all sorts of fantastic colors. I especially like that her colors have depth  and nuance to them. The yarn has a great twist for showing off stitch patterning, the merino fibers are wonderfully soft yet durable, and Sokkusu Original is just the right density knitting up comfortably at 9 stitches per inch for socks that will last quite some time. I like that it balances a springy, soft and comfortable knitting experience with the durability of a long staple fiber and thin (but not too thin!) yet dense fabric.

This is the Nanaimo sock pattern, named after the coastal town where my mother-in-law lives. They feature a simple and cozy knit-purl pattern with left and right socks mirroring each other.

And these are Turbulence. They have lots of fancy stitch work and are also mirrored. I think they are a club favorite.

These patterns are exclusive to the Cookie A Sock Club until April 15, 2013.

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knit. sock. love. now in Finnish!

June 4th, 2012

Lookie what I got in the mail. Knit. Sock. Love. in Finnish!

Knit. Sock. Love. – just like Sock Innovation – has been translated into Finnish and published by Minerva. I wasn’t involved in the translation, so I’m not sure what sukkia. rakkaudella. means. Google Translate says “Socks. With Love.” which makes me think of a James Bond movie. From Finland… Socks. With LOVE. Anyone fluent in Finnish want to shed some light? Every time I mention the Finnish edition of Knit. Sock. Love. someone will ask me “Haven’t you already finished that book?” Hee hee.

In any case, I’m tickled to be translated into Finnish.

Posted in Knit. Sock. Love. | 5 Comments »

Jean Paul Gaultier at the De Young

May 28th, 2012

A few weeks ago, I went to the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition at the de Young Museum in San Francisco with Cirilia, Kristine and Adrienne. Apparently we are all knitters who also have an interest in clothing construction, textiles, and nail polish. We saw so many amazing things, but my personal favorite was this dress. I’d seen it before in Knitwear in Fashion and was really excited to be able to see it up close. Most of it is knitted, but some parts are crocheted, and one area looked like it was done with macrame.

The back was equally amazing. I love the fit and the shapes and, well, all of it.

 

There wasn’t much in the way of interesting socks from a knitting perspective. There were a couple machine knitted knee highs or plain striped socks, but nothing too fancy. I did snap a photo of these because I liked the ridiculousness of them. Socks in silk slippers in high heel wedge sandals… plus pom poms!

Aday who is an even bigger Madonna fan than I am (I lost track around the early 90s) went CRAZY over these corsets that were worn by the queen of pop herself. It was especially interesting to see the shape of those corsets compared to the other garments that were made for a standard runway size.

Another piece I was excited to see was this dress made from film. Anne had told me about a documentary she had seen with this very dress in it, and from her description I recognized it immediately and understood how fantastic it must have looked in motion with wind blowing and to get the effect of the film unrolling. I’m going to have to hunt down that documentary.

I was a little sad to find that there weren’t any pieces from The City of Lost Children, one of my favorite movies of all time. Jean Paul Gaultier designed the costumes for the film, and there were sketches for the costumes but no actual garments.

     

If you find yourself in the San Francisco area, I highly recommend a visit to The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk if you are a fan of spectacle. I was surprised to hear so many people who were at the exhibition commenting on how unrealistic it is to wear any of the pieces. It runs through part of August.

 

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Now Available: Early 2011 Sock Club Patterns

May 23rd, 2012

Four patterns from last year’s Sock Club are now available to non-club members.

From February 2011, Ripple Leaf and Haleakala were inspired by a trip to Maui full of amazing experiences like paragliding down Haleakala (a MUST if you go). The fantasically scrummilicious String Theory Caper Sock is heaven to knit. Onto the socks.

Ripple Leaf

The Ripple Leaf pattern combines earth and sea elements reminiscent of waves and leaves. Depending on your perspective, you’ll see the ocean or forest or both. Because travel has been a large part of my life, these socks include a traveling component across the top of the foot of the sock after which they transition to stockinette. Perhaps this is my way of wishing for the simple life in the future.

Haleakala

There are two versions to this pattern – Straight Laced and Twisted. The Straight Laced pattern features a panel that continues from the top of the foot to the toe. The Twisted version has traveling ribs that begin at the heel flap and travel across the top of the foot.

 

And from April 2011, featuring Lorna’s Laces Solemate, are Boysenberry Yo and PB & J:

Boysenberry Yo

The Boysenberry Yo socks are my own sort of triple word play. For starters, yo is the abbreviation for yarnover, and there are a lot of them in these socks. The name Boysenberry Yo is also a shortened form of boysenberry yogurt, one of my childhood favorites. And of course, I love to say Yo.

I don’t know if I actually preferred the flavor of boysenberries, but I know I liked the sound of them.

 

PB & J

The PB&J socks feature two twisted stitch cabled panels, one that reminds me of spreading peanut butter and another that looks like berries. They travel around the sock and cross over one another, but they never actually mix. My confession: I never liked peanut butter and jam together. Separately, absolutely, but never the two should mix for me.

Keep your eyes peeled in mid- June for the release of two more patterns from last year’s club: Orange Pekoe and Jubilee.

Also, we have winners from last week’s blog giveaway! Roopali wins a copy of Contemporary Irish Knits, and Barbara A wins a copy of Little Red in the City.

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