Little Boy Blue

I am thinking sock camp.

This sock is the prototype. 

"Little Boy Blue."

Worsted weight yarn.

# 6 double pointed needles.

CO 24 stitches

K2, P2 for 10 rows

K 4 rows.

Place 12 stitches on a holder.

12 heel stitches: k 1 row, p1 row for 9 rows.

Turn heel:

Row 1: K6, K 2 tog, k1, turn.

         2: Sl 1, P1, P 2 tog, P 1, turn.

         3; Sl 1, K2, K2 tog, K1, turn.

         4: Sl 1, P3, P 2 tog, P1, turn.

         5: Sl 1, K4, K 2 tog, turn

         6: Sl 1, P4, P 2 tog.

K 6.

Pick up & knit 7 stitches on the edge of the heel.

K 12 instep stitches.

Pick up & knit 7 stitches on the opposite heel edge.

Knit 3 stitches from needle one.

Add 3 stitches to needle three.

Needle 1 = 10 stitches.

             2= 12 stitches

             3= 10 stitches

Mark the midpoint of the heel.

Knit a round.

Needle 1: Knit to last three stitches, K 2 tog, K 1.

              2: Knit across instep.

              3: K 1, Sl 1, PSSO, knit to end.

Repeat the 2 rows until 24 stitches remain.

Knit 5 rows.

Toe decreases:

Needle 1: Knit to last 3 stitches, K 2 tog, k1.

             2: K 1, S1, K 1, PSSO; knit to last 3 stitches, K 2 tog, K 1.

             3: K1, Sl 1, K1, PSSO, K to end.  

Knit 1 round.

Repeat the two rows until 12 stitches remain.

Finish with Kitchener stitch.          

The Royal Road Home

We are on the royal road home

knitting all the way.

Lucky

Get lucky.

Come to sock camp.

1 set of # five double pointed needles

and one skein of Moda Dea: "Lucky"

and you too can have a pair of

lucky socks.

Promise: the knitter

will acquire the luck of the Irish.

Sock Camp

Let's be campfire girls.

We'll use the term "girls" loosely.

And skip the campfire.

Husband could get a little testy

about setting the porch afire.

Sleep-over or day camp?

Whatever.

We'll drink pop, wine, beer...

Eat popcorn and brownies

And knit to our heart's content.

Double pointed needles, skein of yarn

and we are set to go.

Place the porch...

You remember the porch, site

of the famous "Porch Ladies"

writing group.  New York.

Time: Any summer Sunday.

Sign up: give your best dates.

No fee. Come one,

come all, ready to knit.

Bring your carefree

inner child...

Ready to party.

Sock Worksheet

Circumference:  of leg (where cuff begins).

                             

                              of ankle at its narrowest point.

                            

                              of the foot at its widest point.

                              of the ball of the foot.

Length:               from ankle bone to beginning of the heel.

                               length of foot from heel to longest toe. (Stand on ruler).

Hmm. Lots of measurements.

Now I have to investigate different ways

to knit heels to arrive at the most comfortable

fit.

                         

Sock Hop

I am knitting ankle socks.

They are such fun to knit...

an inch and a half of cuff

and off you go...

Actually I have dubbed them

"Croc" socks.

I'm tempting the Gods 

and hoping my version of ankle socks

will be a comfortable fit with

Crocs... the grand girls favored

footwear.

And in the process I am

remembering ankle socks

worn with saddle shoes.

Remember saddle shoes?

And Sinatra?

And sock hops?

Oh my! Dances in the gym

in the days before everyone wore

sneakers on every occasion...

And shoes had to be removed

to preserve the dignity of the

highly polished  gym floor.

I seem to remember that

girls asked boys to sock hops

 in the fifties but my friend, 

Pat B., thought that it was still

a boy ask girl affair.

I will defer to her memory.

I'm thinking to knit lots

of ankle socks and promote

my own sock hop.

How does that sound?

Crone Wisdom

Monday morning musings.

I have determined

that I should knit sock heels

with a needle one size smaller

than the one I have used

for the cuff  or will use

for the foot and toe.

Also, I will use the smaller needle

for the first round of stitches

on the instep gusset. Nice join.

At some point one has to bow

to the inevitable and advance

stitches from needle to needle

to avoid ladders where the needle

meet.

I have succumbed.

One should not plan

huge complicated projects

on Monday mornings on the cusp

of a thirteen hundred mile journey.

But, but I really want to knit

that skating skirt at seven stitches

to the inch.

How wise could one be on

Monday mornings?

Midwife

Simply Soft Baby yarn...

pale blue with pink and yellow 

nubs.

Toddler socks.

Stephanie McPhee i.e. the Yarn Harlot

opined that when she was a midwife

she knit gifts  for all the  newborns

she helped to usher into the world.

I've decided to extend the principle.

I shall knit gifts...  a small act of faith

for all births.

Manuscripts and babies. 

Happy Birthday, Miss Frances.

List

Things to do while you wait:

Read: _Things I Learned from Knitting_

Buy yarn.

Knit toddler socks. Why?

Who knows?

Drink red wine.

DON'T eat the jelly beans 

in the closet.

Surf the net.

Pray.

Tip Toe Through the Tulips

 Not quite... although

I am especially fond of tulips.

I have moved on 

to the aforementioned

heel of my toe-up sock.

I am willing to brag.

I knitted 3/4 of  the heel

according to the directions.

The pick-up was marginal

and the edges were not to die for

but it was a bona fide heel.

And then I promptly ripped

it out.

Way too stretchy!

And today I'm going 

to knit it again with some

creative license.

I might get a heel

my knitting critic

will accept.

Back to the salt mines

or  should I say

the knitting sweatshop?

I'll have to breakout my

Walmart socks. 

Cold feet.

And this baby is not quite finished

and we have another one to go.

Toe-Up

Toe the mark.

Toe the line.

Knit the sock

from the toe-up.

I am intrigued by the concept

and intimidated by the process.

So, Saturday I took 

the knitting needle,

the crochet hook, and 

a page of  step-by-step instructions 

and gave it a go.

I did a provisional cast-on:

crochet a row of foundation loops,

knit for x number of rows and

rip out the crochet loops.

I mean I am the "Queen of Ripping"

but ripping out your base row...

having to pick up the precise number

of stitches in the correct direction without

stretching them.

Phew!

Not exactly brain surgery but

scary just the same.

I am here to say

I have completed one toe

on one sock and I'm on way

to the heel.

Now there are multiple ways

to insert the heel. None of them 

seem to be the reverse of knitting

in a heel from cuff to heel to toe.

I'm sitting here admiring the

toe... "Nice toe!" and ignoring

the fact the directions for

the toe-up heel are problematic.

Ta, ta... see you on the mountain

or should I say, see you at the 

cuff?

Don't hurry.

I will be awhile.