2-at-a-Time Socks: Revealed Inside. . . The Secret of Knitting Two at Once on One Circular Needle; Works for any Sock Pattern!
144
2-at-a-Time Socks: Revealed Inside. . . The Secret of Knitting Two at Once on One Circular Needle; Works for any Sock Pattern!
144eBook
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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781603421706 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Storey Publishing, LLC |
| Publication date: | 01/15/2008 |
| Sold by: | Hachette Digital, Inc. |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 144 |
| Sales rank: | 555,285 |
| File size: | 12 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Melissa Morgan-Oakes learned as a child to crochet, tat, and sew without commercial patterns. When her children were small, she created award-winning sewn and crocheted garments. Melissa later taught herself to spin and knit, so she brings the perspective of a self-taught knitter to her innovative methods. She now teaches and designs patterns for WEBS, America's Yarn Store. Melissa lives in western Massachusetts with her family.
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
The SECRET Revealed
WHY TWO SOCKS AT ONCE? WELL, WHY NOT? Think about it. Two socks started and finished at the same time. They're still portable, still fun, but no "second-sock syndrome." For those who don't know about this knitting curse, it's what happens when a knitter completes the first sock and thinks "Oh, no. Now I have to make another one ..." Often the finished sock and the yarn for its ne'er-to-be-knit pal get stuffed in a bag, never again to see the light of day. I've been whipping out socks two at a time for a few years now. And trust me, the rewards are great: All my socks are the same length. When I'm done with one sock, I am done with both. This may not be the method for everyone, but I think it's an excellent one for most people. Although never confronted with second-sock syndrome myself, I have seen its cruel effects on many a knitter; those victims deserve this technique.
While the concept is not by any means my own, I did develop my method independently of any outside source. It was not until the time came to write a book that I researched various sock-knitting techniques and found a bit more about how other folks are creating two socks at one time. My technique is different from others. It's not necessarily better, and I certainly don't think worse, but it is different. This book is not just about knitting two socks at once. It's about beautiful, funky, fun, creative, whimsical, and sophisticated socks. A knitter doesn't necessarily need to learn the technique in order to knit these socks; you can adapt these patterns to your personal sock-knitting style and still enjoy them. Are you a die-hard double pointer? That's okay. Addicted to other circular sock techniques? That's fine. With a little conversion, the patterns will work for you, too. But best of all, once you've mastered this technique, you can easily apply it to any of your favorite sock patterns.
Knitting did not come easily to me. One very beloved grandmother had taught me to crochet, but all my other relatives were knitters and wanted to teach me how to knit. Over a weekend visit, one grandmother would get me started, and I'd roll along nicely. The following weekend a different relative, perhaps a great-aunt would be knitting, and I'd ask if I could, too. Out would come needles and yarn, and I'd proudly demonstrate what I'd learned at Grandma's house. "What are you doing?" I'd hear. "I am knitting!" I'd reply, with the proud naivety of youth. "Well, you're not doing it right. Do it this way." Confused, I would comply, but my self-esteem suffered at my apparent lack of ability, and I tossed knitting out the window. Now I get it. Knitting crosses cultures. It changes shape along the way, and we've given names to its many forms: Continental. Combination. English. Eastern. Western. Crossed. Uncrossed. Knitters from very different cultural backgrounds were each trying to teach me how to knit their way.
While I was visiting my mother one day, her friend Stacia spied me knitting. She ripped my work out of my hands and told me I was doing it all wrong. I watched, stunned, as her fingers flew. I was trying to knit "the American way," and I needed to do it "the right way, the Polish way." Suddenly things seemed easier — in a matter of minutes I was knitting madly, purling joyfully, and having a total ball. I was a Knitter.
I began to knit constantly. Piles of baby sweaters appeared, even though no one was pregnant or planning to be. On weekends, my husband and I hiked, and that often meant long car rides to find new mountains. I created my first lace on a car trip. My first Fair Isle started the same way. It makes sense, then, that I turned my first heel in the car. Instantly hooked on the concept of socks, I took them everywhere. Portable. Fun. Adaptable. You can try anything with a sock; it's like a giant swatch.
A few weeks after I finished that first sock, I found WEBS. Although it feels like miles of fiber-filled space, WEBS is much more than a store: It's a community of knitters. Most important for me, it's become a place to teach and learn to grow as a knitting designer, and to help knitters of all backgrounds. WEBS is where I first taught knitting and the place that gave me a shot as a pattern designer and believed in me when I said, "I think I want to write a book about socks."
So here it is, a little book about socks and the method of knitting them that knitting friends have come to call "Melissa's Way." Within these pages, you'll find a technique that's probably new to you and a mix of sock patterns that I hope will inspire you. I've tried to include a lot of sizes and styles and a wide range of yarns, most of which are machine washable and dryable. I have nothing against hand-washing socks and fully support the knitter's right to substitute any yarn you desire (as long as you get gauge), but I've learned from experience that socks sometimes get into places they don't belong (lost in a pant leg, for example) and disaster can result. So I rely heavily on machine-washable yarns for my own socks, and that bias is reflected in the book.
What I hope you'll most take away from this book is a spirit of adventure and play. Knitting should not be about deadlines, obsessive detail, or any form of stress. Few of us are making socks to keep our families from freezing their toes, so we can just have fun with our knitting. Knitting should be about liberation, freedom, expression, and joy. This is not to say that it's always easy or that new skills come without some effort. But the gain should outweigh the pain. The best cooks play with their food, the best fine artists play with their paints, and the best knitters play with their yarn — the only limits are the ones you place on yourself. Now grab a 40-inch long circular needle, and let's make socks!
CHAPTER 2
2-at-a-time TECHNIQUE
SOCKS are not difficult to knit, though they can seem that way to the uninitiated. Actually, their construction requires only basic knitting skills.
The first thing any potential sock knitter should understand is the structure and anatomy of socks. Socks can be knit from the toe up, from the top down, or even sideways. There are at least five ways to create a turned heel in a top-down sock, and more than 10 toe treatments. In spite of these variations, the anatomy of a sock changes very little from one method of construction to another.
I will focus on a top-down sock method with a round heel and a reinforced heel flap. You begin top-down socks with a top cuff, usually worked in a narrow rib, though possibly in a fancy stitch that may create a ruffle or other attractive edging. Knit the leg next, then, on half the stitches, the heel flap, after which you work the heel turn. The stitches you don't use in creating the heel will become the instep, which, in the finished sock, will cover the top of the foot. After the heel turn come the gusset stitches, which you pick up from the heel flap, then decrease away, leaving a triangle of fabric. Next, you knit the foot and finally the toe. (For photo of sock anatomy, see below.)
Knitting a Sample Sock
For the sake of practice, I'll demonstrate the 2-at-a-time method with these sample toddler socks. When completed, they should fit a two-to-three-year-old child, and they can make great gifts: Little kids don't mind if their socks are not perfect! You'll need one US 4 (3.5 mm), 40" (100 cm) circular needle. I used Skacel's Addi Turbo, but any circular needle of this length will work. Stainless steel needles are especially good for circular techniques; the slippery metal allows stitches to move freely along the needle shaft, even when they are very tight — and you'll want to keep stitches tight at the end of each needle to prevent laddering (see The Low-down on Laddering).
To make the transitions between socks easy to see, I suggest using two different colors of yarn for the sample socks. For these small socks, you should not need more than 60 yards each of two different colors of any worsted-weight yarn; I used Valley Yarns Superwash for the sample socks. The gauge is six stitches per inch, although at this point gauge is not a critical issue. (That may be the only time Iever say those words — gauge is actually always critical in garment construction. For more on gauge, see here.) Choose yarn colors similar to those shown in the photos — it will be easier for you to follow along.
You'll also need a stitch marker. I like to use Clover's locking stitch markers because I can attach them to my work to mark the beginning of rounds without damaging the yarn.
Casting On
Step 1 ... With color A, use the long-tail method to cast 32 stitches onto your long circular needle. With color B, cast on 32 stitches.
Step 2 ... Push both sets of newly cast-on stitches all the way down the cable to the other end of the needle (in your left hand). The yarn tails and working yarns should be away from the nearest working tip of the needle.
Dividing and Joining Sock A
Step 3 ... You are now ready to divide the first set of cast-on stitches of sock A so that half of the stitches are on a working needle and half are on the cable, with a loop of cable between them. Slide the stitches back a bit until they are all on the cable. Starting at the first cast-on stitch, count back 16 stitches. Carefully separate the stitches and tug the cable through the opening, dividing the stitches exactly in half. (I use the point of my free needle to help pull the cable through.) Pull the cable through until it forms a loop about 3" (7.5 cm) long between the two sets of 16 stitches of sock A. You have divided sock A stitches in half.
Step 4 ... You now join the first and last stitches of sock A so you can knit in the round, creating the cuff of your sock. Slide the half of the stitches that begins with the first cast-on stitch toward the nearest needle point.
Step 5 ... Being careful not to twist your stitches, bring the working yarn of sock A up between the needles, letting the cast-on tail hang down. Using the empty needle in your right hand, join the front stitches (the ones on the left-hand needle) to the back stitches (the ones on the cable) with your working yarn by knitting into the first cast-on stitch.
Step 6 ... Attach a locking stitch marker or scrap of contrasting-color yarn to your work one stitch over from your join. Work these 16 stitches in a K1, P1 rib. This marks the beginning of the first round of sock A.
Step 7 ... Rotate your work counterclockwise so that you can work the next 16 stitches of sock A (instep stitches). Push the unknit (cast-on) stitches of sock A onto the needle in your left hand, and pull the right-hand needle through so that a few inches of cable are visible. Now, work the remaining 16 stitches of sock A in K1, P1 rib.
Dividing and Joining Sock B
You've made it through the first round of sock A and are ready to join sock B so that it too can be worked in the round. Be careful not to lose the loop that separates the two groups of stitches of sock A. Allow sock A to rest close to the working stitches of sock B, but not close enough that you might confuse your socks.
Step 8 ... Allow sock A to remain under your right hand, with a loop of cable clearly visible. Slide the stitches of sock B down toward the needle in your left hand. The first cast-on stitch of sock B should be nearest the needle point.
Step 9 ... Divide the stitches into two sets of 16, placing half on the front needle and half on the cable. Be certain that the cast-on stitches of sock B are not twisted, and bring the working yarn of sock B up between the needles, allowing the cast-on tail to hang down. Using the working yarn of sock B, knit into the first cast-on stitch and work across these 16 stitches in K1, P1 rib (instep stitches).
Step 10 ... Working in the round, move on to the other side of sock B. Work in K1, P1 rib across the remainder of sock B stitches. You've finished one round on each sock, and are back at the center between the two socks.
Working the Cuffs and Legs
Step 11 ... Continue working first sock A and then sock B in K1, P1 rib until the piece measures 16 ½" (3.75 cm) from the cast-on edge.
Step 12 ... Knit every round (stockinette stitch) until the socks measure 46 ½" (11.25 cm) from cast-on edge. End your leg-building at the end of a round.
Working the Heel Flaps
My favorite heel flap is a simple one that creates a reinforced heel by using slipped stitches and knit stitches alternately on the right side of the work. Note: Work heel flaps on half of the total number of cast-on stitches.
Step 13 ... With the right side facing, begin working the heel flap of sock A. Slip the first stitch as if to purl, knit the next stitch. Continue across these 16 stitches in a slip 1, K1 pattern, ending with K1.
Step 14 ... Turn your work, slip the first stitch, and purl to the end of the row. You are now back in the center, between socks A and B.
Step 15 ... Work the first heel-flap row of sock B. Note that this is a wrong-side row: Slip the first stitch, then purl to the end of the row. Turn your work.
Step 16 ... Slip the first stitch of the right side of heel flap B, knit the next stitch. Continue across these 16 stitches as above, alternating a slip stitch and a knit stitch, ending with K1.
Step 17 ... Continue on heel flap A, working in the established slip 1, K1 pattern across the row, turn your work, slip the first stitch, and purl back across all stitches on heel flap A. Next, slip the first stitch of heel flap B, and purl across heel flap B. Work both heel flaps in turn in this way, alternating a slip 1, K1 row (right side) with a purl row (wrong side) on each sock until the heel flaps measure 1" (2.5 cm). End having just worked a right-side row of heel flap B. Sock B will be a row shorter than sock A, but that's okay.
Turning the Heels
You will turn the heels using a short-row technique: Knit partway across the row, then turn your work and work partway back again. Continue in this way, working progressively more stitches across each row until you've worked all the stitches — and you've turned the heel. For the 2-at-a-time method, you work each heel turn separately, beginning with heel flap A. (See Glossary for explanations of the ssk [slip, slip, knit] and the P2 tog [purl two together] decreases.)
Step 18 ... On heel flap A, K10, ssk, K1, turn. (This completes a right- side row.)
Step 19 ... Slip the first stitch, P5, P2tog, P1, turn. (This is a wrong-side row.) Take a moment to look at your work with the right side facing you. To your left, you have a series of eight just-worked stitches. If you look across these stitches, you'll see a small gap between stitches 8 and 9; you will close this gap as you create the short rows.
Step 20 ... Slip 1, K6 (you are now at one stitch before the gap, shown above), ssk (this closes the gap), K1, turn.
Step 21 ... Slip 1, P7 (you are now one stitch before the gap), P2tog (this closes the gap), P1, turn.
Step 22 ... Continue working short rows until all stitches have been worked and you have 10 stitches for the heel flap of sock A. You'll end with a wrong-side row.
Step 23 ... Move to sock B, slip the first stitch of the heel flap, and purl to the end of the row. Turn, and follow short-row heel-turn directions for sock A. You'll end having just worked a wrong-side row.
Step 24 ... With the right side of your work facing you, use the needle that is in your right hand to knit across the heel stitches of sock B, placing a marker between the fifth and sixth stitches of the heel. This marker (at the middle of the heel of sock B) denotes the new beginning of your rounds. You do not need to place a marker on sock A; the one on sock B will serve as the starting point for both of them.
Picking Up Gusset Stitches
Simply put, gussets are extra material that make space and improve fit. A hand-knitted tube sock will cover the foot, but it won't ever be as comfortable as a sock with a gusset, which accommodates the angle of the human foot. So now that you've created a turned heel, you need to make a gusset that will comfortably fit your heel. To accomplish this, you'll pick up stitches along both sides of the heel flaps and then decrease some of them away to create a triangular section of fabric (the gusset).
Step 25 ... Pick up and knit eight stitches along the left side of the heel flap of sock B. Note the clean line of ready-to-pick-up stitches you created by slipping a stitch at the beginning of every row while you worked the heel flap.
Step 26 ... To avoid a gap at the join between the gusset and instep, pick up and knit a ninth stitch between the heel and instep.
Step 27 ... Move to sock A, work across the heel stitches. (Don't worry about the stitches on the right side of sock A heel flap yet; you will pick up these in Step 30.) Pick up and knit eight stitches along the left side of the heel flap of sock A, then pick up a stitch between the heel and instep.
Step 28 ... Working in the round once again, move to the instep stitches. Adjust your cables as shown, and work across the insteps of both socks.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "2-At-A-Time Socks"
by .
Copyright © 2007 Melissa Morgan-Oakes.
Excerpted by permission of Storey Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
The Secret Revealed2-at-a-Time Techniques
2-at-a-Time Patterns
Berry Season
Spice
Be Mine
Varsity
Belle Epoque
Frolic
Coquette
Socks for Aidan
Twilight
Sugar Maple
H Sock
Athena
Emily's Socks
Sailor's Delight
Pitter Patter
The Classic Sock
Ragg Hiker
Appendix
Glossary
Pattern Stitch Key
Abbreviations
Standard Sock Sizes
Resources
The Sock Knitters/Acknowledgments
Index
Related Subjects
Customer Reviews
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