Fiber Fool

I hate to disappoint you all, but the review of New Pathways for Sock Knitters by Cat Bordhi will not be appearing here on the blog. It is for publication. I can tell you though that I bought my own copy this week even though the review copy has not yet been returned. I just couldn’t bear the thought of not having this book nearby whenever the urge might strike to learn a new sock construction. The first printing is sold out so your best bet of finding a copy before October is at an LYS.

To the left is a pair of the Little Sky Learning Socks from the book. These are knit top down with the gusset spreading out centrally over the front of the leg and star toe - no kitchnering for those who dislike grafting! I think these are just adorable and already my mind is whirling in circles with ideas of things to do with this sort of construction.

The other adorable pair of socks is the second learning sock - Little Coriolis. Note how the spiral of the socks go in opposite directions! *sigh* Ah, I love mirrored symmetry! As with Little Sky I have ideas rushing around in my head for this construction as well. There are not enough hours in the day for sock knitting and my back/neck can’t handle the hours of sock knitting I wish I were doing right now.

Pattern: Little Sky and Little Coriolis Learning Socks
Designer: Cat Bordhi, from New Pathways for Sock Knitters
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease, 113 Cherry Red
Needles: US 5 Brittany Birch DPNs
Mods: These are slightly smaller as my gauge was 6 sts/in rather than the samples in the book which were 5.5 sts/in. Other than that, no mods as the point was to learn new techniques.

Notes: I really, really suck at the figure-8 cast-on called for in the Little Coriolis pattern. For toe-ups using sock weight yarn where I am set up to knit the socks on 2 circs I think I’ll stick to my handy dandy Turkish cast-on. The second Little Coriolis has a slightly improved toe, but I still knit it twice and it still isn’t quite right.

I also love this heel. It appears to give the fit of a heel flap and gusset, but there is no picking up of stitches, just decreasing the extra “wing” stitches away. It is interesting though because the top down socks look like a traditional toe-up heel flap and gusset and vice versa for the top-down version. I can’t wait until I knit some of these in my size so I can see what the fit of these unusual constructions feel like. However, the Panda Cotton socks and Fountain of Youth socks need finished up first. It’s so hard to not cast on though!

I don’t know what was going on that I couldn’t figure out the Sherman heel. It really is quite easy and I hope I didn’t scare anyone away from trying it. I have to say it is my favorite short row heel technique so far. Since you aren’t wrapping stitches except at the very beginning of the heel it goes faster. Picking up the encroachment stitches goes more smoothly and faster for me than picking up wraps as well. At least once I was clear on what made up the “encroachment stitches.” The inside of the heel is also very smooth. You actually see more texture than you can really feel.

I know I’ll be using this technique again. I am still a big fan of the traditional flap and gusset. Perhaps because that was what I first learned. It also fits me quite well. However, I enjoy making contrasting heels and toes and I don’t care for the look of contrasted flap and gusset heels. I also enjoy learning new things and being able to do such is what keeps me interested in something.

Now, if only I could move a little faster on these socks! They aren’t in time out or anything. They are getting a few rounds of attention here and there, but nothing to make me zoom along quickly. The handspun project last week has divided my attention, as has the arrival of the new Cat Bordhi sock book that I need to review. I can tell you now that this book will become a part of my fiber arts library, without a doubt!

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Now an update the health of our household - Emma is doing well. She is her normal self and hasn’t had any seizures since coming home on Sunday morning. We did finally leave her home alone for a bit last night, but it was only a touch more than an hour. As for me and my back, yesterday I thought my back was doing quite well but it started acting up again during the night. It is frustrating, but it is nothing unusual for me so I have ways of dealing with it. It does slow down my creative pursuits though. I thank all of you for your kind words for Emma and myself.

Wanna see one of the ugliest FOs anyone has bothered to actually knit? I bet you thought it was all roses and pretty socks here, didn’t you? Well, not so much. Remember the shitty week last week? Well the fun just keeps coming! The only bright side are my fun orange toe knails. Deb and I are enjoying showing off our knitting & knails, so please join us!

Now, don’t say I didn’t warn you. The pictures that follow are not for the faint of heart! They could hurt you - looking at them too much or for too long could result in night terrors or even worse could cause you to give up the needles!

Okay, so maybe the wild strawberry plants have you fooled. Everyone loves strawberries so that makes the photo appealing. But I have to confess that these socks do not improve when modeled!

Below is what the cuff was *supposed* to look like…

*sigh*

Pattern: Coyote Ridge Anklets, available in the shop or below
Designer: Myself, Kristi Schueler
Size: Women’s US 9.5 Shoe Size
Yarn: 2 Skeins Crystal Palace Panda Wool, 1 ea of Basil Curry (0443) and Saffron (2209)
Recipient: Me :-)
Dates Worked: Late June, I’m not sure of the exact dates.

This spring I was at one of the LYS in the area and fell in love with the Panda Wool and Panda Cotton. It had such fun colors and was nice and shiny and just looked like it would work up well. I love the basil curry colorway but there wasn’t a second ball in a matching dyelot so I picked up a solid ball of saffron to go along with it. Originally I had intended to knit most of the sock with the solid color and the heels and toes with the varigated, but I decided to go out on the limb and use the multicolored one for the main color. I’m glad I did. It obscures the stitch pattern slightly, but the texture is the important element in the design, not the individual stitches. It also didn’t pool in a bad way which made me jump for joy. I’ve had some bad luck with pooling yarns lately.

The Panda Wool was great to work with and I’m looking forward to working with the Panda Cotton soon. They both have a fair bit of stretch so the one size should fit most adult women’s feet when knit in the yarn called for. Some guidance is provided to adjust the size and to length the leg to a more traditional sock if desired.

While Chris was visiting after EPWM we went on a hike at Coyote Ridge and because Chris is a more experienced hiker I stopped at the cabin part way up and let her continue on the hike. While at the cabin, besides taking copious pics of prairie dogs and other flora and fauna I knit on the last sock of the pair and nearly finished it there. It struck me as I sat on the porch making each stitch as I heard the birds and prairie dogs chirping that the colors in the sock were not unlike the colors of the nature area - warm peachy tones resembled the shale that dots the tops of the ridges and the stitch pattern gave the socks the illusion of repeating ridges of their own. In honor of the hike with Chris and the color and beauty of the Coyote Ridge Natural Area I decided to dub these anklets with the same name.

I know people have different definitions for anklets vs peds etc so call these fun short socks what you will, but either way they were a blast to knit. Despite the rather long stitch pattern, the lace was easy to memorize and quick to knit too, but provided enough interest to keep me knitting at a good clip. The pattern is written from the top down on two circs, but it is easily converted to DPNs or magic loop. A bit more work should allow for toe-up construction as well. The heel is a reversed wrap short row heel that highlights the wraps rather than hides them, but makes for a very smooth interior of the sock - perfect for those with more sensitive feet. I also snugged up the arch area as I know short socks have a greater tendency to slip or rotate on the foot and a snugger arch helps reduce that. It should be trivial to swap out your preferred heel or toe if you wish.

• Skill Level: Intermediate
• Sizes: 1 sizes for 8-9 inch ankle circumferences, with guidance for other sizes
• Yarn Requirements: Crystal Palace Panda Wool, 1 each, Basil Curry and Saffron
  46% Bamboo, 43% Wool, 11% Nylong, 170 yds/50 gms

• Needles: 2 - US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Circular Needles of 16 inches or greater length or size needed to obtain gauge of 9 st/in in St st

$5.50

As with all DK patterns, delivery is managed through Payloadz with payment through PayPal. With a credit card, no PayPal account is required. Pattern delivery may take up to 5 business days depending on method of payment. The pattern is nearly 1Mb, so please be sure you are able to download a file of that size and have the latest version of Acrobat Reader. There are no refunds for knitting patterns.

Finally! Just in time to ring in Summer of Socks 2007, I’m proud to announce the release of the final Sock Madness 2007 pattern to the general public. The Mashup Madness sock tosses in some lace and cables and mixes them all up into a fun and challenging sock pattern that is perfect for three season wear. It is topped off with a fun scalloped edge that looks like a crocheted edging, but no hook came anywhere near this sock!

Mashup Madness is written for 2 circular needles knit from the top down, but should be readily adapted to magic loop or DPNs; to maintain the scalloped edge, cuff down construction is required.

Some improvements have been made to the pattern since its original release. For purists, there is information on how to knit the socks as originally submitted to Sock Madness. There is also info on how to adjust the pattern for a more shapely calf. The stitch patterns are presented in both written and charted form so you can use the method you are most comfortable with.

$5.50

As with all DK patterns, delivery is managed through Payloadz with payment through PayPal. With a credit card, no PayPal account is required. Pattern delivery make take up to 5 business days depending on method of payment. The pattern is roughly 1Mb, so please be sure you are able to download a file of that size and have the latest version of Acrobat Reader. There are no refunds for knitting patterns.