Video: Let's Talk About Socks - Lessons Learned From A Summer of Sock Knitting

 

Have you wanted to make socks, but you don't know what pattern, heel, cuff, yarn, etc to use for best success? I've made 8 pairs of socks since July and in this video I break down al the particulars about each pair - what went well, what didn't, and lessons I learned. I'm linking all the particulars for each pair below - both patterns and yarn - so you can find all the things if you want to make any of these up for yourself. So head over to You Tube or click the video at the bottom of this post to watch it for yourself :)

• Jaywalker Socks Pattern
  
• Premier Yarns Fruits
  
• I'm So Basic Socks Pattern
  
• Regia Arne & Carlos Yarn
  
• Hobbii Silly Sock Disco
  
• Film Reel Sock Pattern
  
• Knit Picks Stroll Hand Painted
  
• Hobbii Black Friday Sock
  
• Chrysanthemum frutescens Sock Pattern
  
• Twizzler Sock Pattern
  
• Hobbii Summer Sock
  
• Lang Jawoll
  
• Scatterby Sock Pattern
  
• Knit Picks Muse Hand Painted
  
• Little Sprouts in the Rain Pattern
  
• Hobbii Halloween Sock
  
• Basic Socks No. 1 Pattern
  
• Knit Picks Stroll
  
• Colorwork Cuff Club Pattern

FO: Rose Street Cardigan (Plus Video Review!)

 

My latest sweater is finished and I am so thrilled! I've been wanting to make this since the pattern was released last April and now I finally have one of my very own :) This is the Rose Street Cardigan by Syndey Crabaugh of Squid's School of Vintage Knitting. I adore her patterns and this one struck me immediately. 

The body of the sweater is very simple - just basic stockinette with a ribbed yoke on the front and back. This made the body incredibly fast to knit. I made mine up in Knit Picks Stroll in the Duchess Heather colorway that I grabbed on sale over 2 orders (I bought 6 before seeing this pattern, then bought 2 more when I knew I wanted to use it on this pattern) and it worked just beautifully. This is one of my absolute favorite yarns, so I always love using it.

Here's my Ginger Rogers pose to show off the best part of this sweater - the fantastic sleeves! They are long bishop sleeves with a simple lace detail and I adore them. I knitted my sleeves flat through the whole cuff before I realized it was written to be knitted in the round. Oops. I was not going to redo the cuff, so I just knit them both flat and it worked out fine. 

I'm also thrilled that Syndey's newest pattern (The Four Seasons Dress) includes a written description for setting in the sleeves. This was my only hang up with making this because I can never remember how to do the puff and I had a hard time finding her video on Patreon. The written instructions worked fantastic (and if you are a Patreon member of hers, you automatically get access to both of these patterns, so it worked out great). 

As per usual, I backed my button bands, and this time I filmed a tutorial on how I do this - so if you are interested, check My YouTube Channel next week for that. I used my usual rayon Petersham ribbon and some pretty vintage buttons. I did have a little snafoo - I miscounted my button holes, so I had to add 1 more button that did not match. I got as close as possible from my stash and put it at the bottom, so I think it blends in well enough that no one will notice but me.

And that's my Rose Street Cardigan! I love how it turned out. It is comfy and cute. I just wish it was colder so I could wear it more often before the end of the year. I have also made a YouTube video review about this project if you prefer to hear the deets in that way :)

Summary:

Yarn: 7.24 skeins of Knit Picks Stroll in Duchess Heather - $29.26

Pattern: Rose Street Cardigan by Syndey Crabaugh - $6.50

Notions: Rayon Petersham Ribbon - $6.50, 8 buttons - $ 0.45

Time: 2 months

Total Cost: $ 42.71

FO: Susan Shaw Cardigan

Friends, the saga is complete! I have officially made my very first actual vintage sweater. This pattern is from a 1943 Bestway pamphlet and was modeled by actress Susan Shaw, thus why I've called my sweater that. I started this project back in March, but I had purchased the yarn last September when I was inspired by Retro Claude's version on YouTube. I still cannot find which video shows her actually making this one (and I've honestly tried pretty hard, so maybe it was taken down?). Either way, I made note of the pattern when I saw hers, found someone selling the digital file on Etsy, and even purchased yarn with this in mind during a great Knit Picks sale (I still wish I had bought more because it's never been that cheap since). So when I had other projects and obligations taken care of back in March, I cast this on.

Here's how the sweater looks open, which is realistically how it will be worn most of the time. The yarn being on sale is actually what sparked this sweater going from "I'd like to make that" to an actual possibility. Knit Picks had a random fantastic sale on my favorite yarn - this is Stroll, which is a 75% merino superwash/ 25% nylon blend. It's intended for socks, which I've made a few times in this yarn, but it's just so soft and wonderful. It's honestly my favorite Knit Picks yarn to work with and wear. They had this yarn in certain colorways for just $2.50 per ball last September, which I've never seen before or since. I grabbed 6 balls of the Hollyberry colorway specifically intending it for this sweater. This was a total guess going by other fingering weight sweaters I've made. I was making an order this summer and decided to order 1 more skein because I was nervous about finishing the sweater in my size, and this turned out to be almost exactly enough - I literally have just scrap pieces left and I didn't have to skimp too bad on the sleeves. If I had only 6 skeins, I don't think I would have even been able to make 3/4 sleeves, so this extra skein was a wise decision. Being a stash knitter, sizing up vintage sweaters adds that yarn constraint challenge to the mix.

This became a saga because of how the pattern is written and then how my body changed while I was making it. First off - I was a 45" bust in March when I started this. The pattern doesn't mention the size it is written for anywhere and you have to do the math yourself to find out, but Retro Claude had listed it as a 34-36" bust size. I did a gauge swatch and did the math to increase it to 45" at the bust and started knitting. This is knit from the bottom up, so you start with 40 rows of ribbing (ugh) but after that it was just knitting the back piece without any issues. I moved on to the front pieces, which were fine, and it wasn't until I was literally seaming the body and trying it on as a vest that I realized it was too big. I lost weight this year and am now a 40" bust, but that thought never crossed my mind until I tried this on. I had also made the shoulders too wide and the armscye was pulling weirdly. I detailed all the issues and showed photos in this post at the end of August. In the end I decided to pull the fronts back to the ribbing and knit them again, but I left the back exactly as it was and it worked out just fine. This is the one advantage I can see about a seamed sweater - you can make alterations on the fly when you sew it up. So this is technically too wide in the back, but now one will really know that but me.

Originally I had like 3 extra columns of the design at the top, which made the shoulders way too wide. At first I toyed with just folding them under and making it a seam allowance, but the other issues with fit were just too much and it really needed to be re-knit. It's still a bi wide at the shoulder, but that is now caused by the wider back and the armscye shape instead of too much fabric at the shoulder. It's not bad now, though, so I'm fine with it. I just try to make sure I pull the shoulder area up when I put it on in hopes of it sitting better when I wear it.

I knit the neckband before I knit the sleeves because I was working with a certain amount of yarn and the sleeves are the area I can alter as I go. The neck band is knit in a long strip as a separate piece, which I've never done before. I was inclined to pick up stitches all around like I usually do, but I liked the smooth look in the pattern photo so I decided to just go true to the vintage and knit it as written. I had to do a bit of math to get it extended for my extra length and then I misread the instructions for attaching. You're supposed to sew it on and pull a bit at the back of the neck so it keeps things snug there. I thought it said to tug a bit all over, which is why mine pulls up a bit at the center front compared to the rest of the sweater. It's not bad enough to make me want to re-knit that band, lol. It would also mean taking off the backing and everything. Yeah, it's fine. Not doing that. I also love the faux-cable-ish design - I say they look like cartoon red blood cells.

Speaking of backing, I did my usual finish of adding rayon Petersham ribbon inside the back. I machine stitch buttonholes on the back of the receiving end to line up with the holes I knit, then hand sew the ribbon in place. I then hand stitch a corresponding ribbon on the button side and then sew the buttons on. This makes the whole thing SO much sturdier. I always say I don't like t look like I'm Hulk-ing out of my sweaters, and since I like a fitted look, this is prone to happen. Adding the ribbon makes it smooth and sturdy and it is absolutely worth the time. I'm thinking of doing a tutorial on this if anyone is interested. My buttons are from my stash and I liked that they kind of looked like balls of yarn. They are a bit more textured than I would usually like for a sweater, but so far everything is fine.

The sleeves were another experience. These were knitted top down (thank heaven) and it was complete guess work in making them the right size at the sleeve cap. I honestly didn't really know what width of sleeve would be comfortable and I never thought to just measure one I liked (duh). So I knit about to my elbow a few times on the first sleeve and ripped it out once I wrapped it around my arm and saw how loose it was. This was entirely preference for the look I wanted and it wouldn't have been the end of the world had the sleeves been looser. I really do like the fit I finally achieved though. I just measures the width of my Honeybee sleeves and after that it was smooth sailing.

I originally planned this to be 3/4 sleeve since that is my favorite length, but when I was knitting the first sleeve I decided to make them long sleeves since I don't have a single hand knit fingering weight sweater and I knew it would be useful to have at least one. I had to fudge the length a smidge in the end because of how much yarn I had left and they turned out just a little shorter than would be ideal, but still long sleeved and fine. That's the problem with sizing up a vintage sweater - you don't know how much yarn you will need. At least now I have a reference with how much yarn this took (about 1600 yards) and I can file that away for future vintage sweaters.

All in all, I'm happy with this sweater. It is very cozy and soft, the size is comfy (if a little more fiddly at the shoulders), but overall for this being my first time sizing up a vintage pattern myself, I'm pleased with the result. I may have technically knit the whole thing 1.5 times, but I have a very wearable sweater for my efforts and it's done just in time for the cooler season. I learned a lot in making this, and while vintage patterns are still not "easy", I at least have a better idea of what I need to pay attention to when knitting one. Now I need to sew more bottoms to wear with this!

Summary:

Yarn: 7 skeins Knit Picks Stroll in Hollyberry - $22.21

Pattern: Susan Shaw Cardigan from 1943 Bestway Magazine - $2.56

Notions: rayon petersham ribbon - $6.50, 6 buttons - $ 2.50

Time: 8 Months

Total Cost: $33.77

*My Knit Picks links are affiliate links and I receive a small commission if you make a purchase, but all yarn for my project was purchased with my own money and all opinions are 100% my own.

Old FO: My First Socks

Also known as The Post That PhotoBucket Made. Two months ago, I signed onto my blog and noticed that all of my photo grids (on the My Handmade Wardrobe page, etc.) had been replaced by generated pictures saying I hadn't payed for 3rd party hosting. I've used PhotoBucket since the days of Myspace, so when I needed a free place to host my pictures for this blog I just continued to use them. Apparently after being free since their inception, PhotoBucket decided they wanted to charge $400!!! if you want to show your photos anywhere other than their site. Yeah. I'm guessing they hope people will just pay that exorbitant amount to avoid the hassle, but seriously $400? Even Flickr is only $25 a year. Come on, folks! Being the cheap skate I am, I redid every photo (we're talking sizing and everything) and then replaced them in the html of my blog. This was a ton of work, but I would rather do more than that then pay PhotoBucket after pulling a stunt like that. I'm now hosted on Google Photos completely free - I highly recommend them if you have the same problem! Anyway, in the process of redoing all the photos and html work I noticed that I never posted about my first ever pair of socks! I had never even taken official photos of them, which is unheard of for me. So thank you, PhotoBucket, for being jerks and bringing to my attention this oversight :) Anyway, sorry for the rant. You're here for the socks!

These are the Lace Knee Socks from Craftsy's Knit Sock Workshop class. This class was purchased back when it was the only class on socks available (which is very much not the case now), and I just really got it in my head that I wanted to make socks when I first began knitting 5 years ago. Being so new to knitting and not knowing anything about socks or difficulty in patterns, I didn't realize how hard this would be. I thought that since I had a video class that I would be able to make them. I started this pattern only to barely finish the toe before I realized this was WAY to advanced for my skills at that time. Fast forward to December of 2014 when I had new yarn and wanted to make this pattern, so I cast on.

The pattern starts out with a Bosnian Toe cast on. I remember this was very difficult for me to knit without getting pronounced holes at the toe, but after many tries I was finally happy enough to move on. The toe has a neat swirl that I really like. Being my first ever sock pattern I had no idea at the time that this wasn't how all socks were made, but now I am able to appreciate it even more having a few more pairs under my belt.

From there you go into a lovely feather and fan pattern on the top of the foot. This feather and fan is what drew me back to the pattern. The pattern was easy to memorize but not boring (always a nice combination).

Next you get into the leg - now I knew I wouldn't be able to make these to the knee when I began due to only having 462 yards of yarn. My yarn is Knit Picks Stroll in the Blue Topaz colorway which I snagged in a clearance sale so I couldn't get any more at the time. I just wanted to knit until I ran out of yarn. The original pattern has a lovely lattice section below the cuff, but I cut that out entirely to save on yarn and it worked perfectly.

This is how much yarn I had left in the end. Wow! I'm still pretty impressed by this. As you can see I had to tink back a row to finish the bind off (thus all the kinks in the yarn), but it got there in the end and I had zero waste - always a nice feeling :)

Being that these are designed as knee socks, there is some shaping to the lace pattern at the back of the calf. If I remember correctly the added section should be longer, but I only had so much yarn so I stopped as you see.

And being socks they have totally smooth bottoms to be comfy underfoot. You can see them pilling already since I've worn them a bit in the colder months. They make nice bed socks :)

So how did things go on this first pair of socks? Well, sadly they are too big and also too small (womp womp). Since my feet are huge and I'm used to always having the larger sizes in anything having to do with me feet, I just cast on the largest size without checking the measurements. The result is that the socks are sloppy on my feet to where I could never wear them with shoes. This changes in the ankle increases where it becomes too tight for my rather muscular calves. This is normal too for me - I can never get knee high boots because they are always too tight, so I should've known, but I didn't think to check having never made socks before.

I'm also pretty proud of my heel and toe on these. Considering I'd never knitted either before, and considering the toe was kind of tricky, I'm thrilled they look this nice. I knitted a good deal of one sock while I was on a cruise in the Bahamas with my sister, so I think of that every time I see these socks.

So now I have officially blogged about my first ever pair of socks :) In spite of their issues these were fun to make and I do still wear them to sleep in when it's cold (which it seems it never will be again if last "winter" is any indication). I learned a lot from these socks and I was able to go on to knit 3 more pairs of socks later. If you're an experienced knitter and want to try socks, I would recommend Knit Sock Workshop as well. You really do learn the breakdown of a sock and the patterns with the class are lovely. I wouldn't recommend the class to a newbie knitter though, to be honest. That's probably why Craftsy has so many classes now devoted to new sock knitters :)

Summary:
Yarn: 2 skeins Knit Picks Stroll in Blue Topaz - $5.50
Pattern: Lace Knee Socks by Donna Druchunas in Knit Sock Workshop Craftsy Class
Time: 2 months

WIP: Christmas Procrastination

So, I've been plugging away at my Christmas gifts still ... frantically stitching my heart out in hopes of completing everything on time. I have reached the point on most of my items that I have to sit at home and devote time to them (either from confusing parts or small pieces and stuffing), so when I needed a travel project this weekend (that could be seen around my family members) I had nada. Against my better judgement, I started a sock.

This is my gorgeous new Knit Picks Stroll Sock yarn - it was so delicious and soft, it was just begging to be made into something. Needing something pretty quickly to grab and go, I decided to try again at the one sock pattern I have attempted (and not succeeded with) before - the lacy knee socks pattern from the Knit Sock Workshop Craftsy class. I started this pattern back when I first learned to knit, but quickly realized it was beyond my abilities. Plus I now know I had picked horrible yarn for this project (it was self striping). Anyway, I already had the pattern printed out and I knew which size to make, so I grabbed it and started. The pattern uses a swirl toe and a Tunisian cast on - I love the swirl of the toe, but my cast on could be tighter. Oh well, it's my first go, right? I love the lace pattern and it's an incredibly simple stitch pattern.

Here is the bottom - see the cool swirl? I'm pretty proud of it :) In one day of knitting I got farther in the pattern than I had years ago - and I had worked on it for at least a week, lol. Nice to see my skills have progressed a bit. Sadly, I haven't been able to work on it since Sunday because of my mad dash to finish presents this week. I am itching to get this baby on my foot and try out my first hand knit sock!

The rest of my projects are not safe to share here, but it won't be long before they are revealed! Wish me luck at getting it all done in time :)