New Goodies

Jocerane sent me these vintage magazines that have old fashioned stitch dictionaries in them. I love them! Firstly, they are in French and I am looking forward to translating them into English so I can use them. I am hoping that because they are older and because they are French that there is much less chance of people in the UK and USA using those rarer stitch patterns, and so I can perhaps revive them and make my socks a bit more interesting.

I also got some new yarns to try from SWTC. It is called Jezebel and is a 100 percent merino wool in fingering weight and can be used for shawls or luxury socks. I used the blue/green coloured one for these socks. The yarn is hand-dyed and the colour has grabbed in a variegated way, so you get a very subtle self striping effect that is not so strong it interferes with texture patterns.

I love it, but did find it quite delicate so would probably want to add 2 strands of yarn, some colourwork or another strand of nylon to heels and toes to strengthen it. If this felts well, then probably if feet get a bit sweaty and the heel rubs against the shoe, the yarn can felt together and wear into a hole but this could be avoided by doing some stranded work, then the strands at the back of the work you would want to felt down.

I used Jezebel to make this version of the Speke's Mouth Cove: Wavy Cable Baby Sock for my booklet. I just love the little tiny stripes, you can't appreciate it here as it looks like a big sock but this sock is tiny and only 12 cm long. I made it for Aran, Woolly Wormhead's little boy, as I keep promising to make stuff, get half way through and then the little lad has grown before I get round to sending it. I must make the 2nd sock for him this Sunday and then it should fit him until he is about 9mths but I know Woolly will appreciate this hand dyed yarn in this colour. The camera is making it look very turquoise but I would say it is more of a sea green/aqua colour than it looks here

My next set of goodies, is from SWTC again, and they have sent me more balls of Tofutsie in shades I haven't seen yet which is good. I will be using these for socks for the booklet. More importantly though, I must make them in sizes that I can wear because I just love wearing that sock yarn above all others. It is really strong and tough enough for me to abuse, but is soft too. The colour ranges are absolutely huge and SWTC have a loyal fan base for this yarn so that they snap up any new colours coming out and make socks for everyday use.

A New Magazine

The Twist Collective is a new magazine available to knitters online and the first issue Fall 2008 is up. It is what I would call a a designer's magazine. Of course it is suitable for knitters of all levels but it also has the sophisitication and polish that a designer will love.

There are a few differences between this sort of magazine and others you may have seen. Firstly, the patterns are not free. However you do not need to buy a whole issue only to find there is nothing in it that you would knit (especially designers who like to browse all others knitting but might not want to buy all the patterns to knit).

The articles and features are free and the magazine is laid out more like a glossy magazine in print than a website. You will see full colour glossy photos of designs then be able to roll over the images to find out who the designer is and the cost of downloading a pattern. You will also be able to go straight to the shop area to see thumbnails of designs and details.

Patterns on average are around $6 and there will be designers there you have seen and admired before like Cat Bhordi, Marnie Maclean and Cookie A to name
a few.

You will also see advertisements in classifieds sections, but just like a print magazine you don't have to linger on those pages or find them obtrusive if you don't want to. They are open to submissions, but I think the quality will be high and the competition tough. However, the lucky designers who are chosen get the chance to be able to receive a negotiated percentage of their pattern sales.

Although each design is of an haute couture (high end fashion) style and of subtle uses of colours and yarns designed to be sophisticated I have yet to find out if this is just because it is an Autumn issue or whether there will be a place for in it for designs that are challenging and alternative in their concept. A difficult one because if the patterns are designed for sale, then they have to appeal to the mainstream in order to be successful and that can also colour exactly what designers are likely to come up with. I myself would feel far too intimidated to submit at the moment as I am a mere 'baby' for (despite all my efforts) compared with these people!

They are currently working on their Winter issue and if it is as strong as this one, I am looking forward to it. Submissions are closed for that issue, and they are accepting stuff for Spring with a Sep 1st deadline.

What's Going on in those online Mags....

I have failed to mention the Anticraft's latest issue, which is naughty! I am taken by surprise* as their Lughnasadh issue is up earlier than usual. First we have Tepes and Impaler, 2 winning designs for a competition to come up with a head garment for Vlad the Impaler, designed as a reaction to a scathing review of the Anticraft by Steven Wells, who couldn't appreciate the edginess of craft. I love the effect of the sharp impaler on the hat below, with the illusion of fresh dripping blood on his helmet...oooh errr!

Vlad the Impaler didn't crotchet his own ear-flapped bobble hats. And neither should you.
—Steven Wells

*UPDATE....ZABET TELLS ME ACTUALLY, THIS LUGH ISSUE WAS A LITTLE LATER THAN PLANNED. IN FUTURE THE ANTICRAFT WILL BE PUBLISHING THEIR ISSUE A MONTH BEFORE THE EVENT THEY ARE NAMED FOR, E.G THE SAMHAIN ISSUE IS DUE ON SEP 1ST SO PEOPLE CAN MAKE THEIR GARMENTS IN TIME FOR THE SEASON

'Nuff Said!! Then my favourite design, simple but beautifully thought out shawl Wa na na na na na na na Bat Shawl!

And for sheer quirkiness, this Fuck Off I'm Reading book mark appeals to me
Lastly, this bag uses a very similar stitch effect to the ones I am working on at the moment. I decided to delve into my vintage archives and revive a few stitches that seem to have been buried and forgotten since the 1970's. I think in those days, yarn that we could afford was of such poor quality and in such dull shades that the only thing to do on socks and stuff was to come up with an interesting texture pattern. A lot of patterns as well, were for skirts and jackets and as the fashion was for tweedy fabrics knitting would imitate woven fabric for garments you didn't want to stretch and which needed a bit of extra thickness on the surface for warmth. So I am currently looking into tweedy and herringbone type stitches, and ones with an oblique effect.

That always happens to me. I do a bit of research, start designing something that perhaps no-one else is using, and then blow me if it doesn't suddenly crop up in a published pattern just before I was about to bring out something that might look a bit different!

Knitting on the Net

I just love this issue of Knit on the net and out of all the online magazines this is the first this year to impress me with its cohesive fashion story. Normally an online magazine will have a list of individual designs, all interesting in their own right, but perhaps not as a collection. These designs fit together beautifully. However, I say this with a designer's hat on, and I suspect that knitters themselves, just scan on line magazines and free patterns for those items they wish to knit up and wear, and the more they like, however disjointed the themes are, the more they will praise a magazine. Knit on the Net is subtle, and it is growing on me.

I particularly love this design on the left Tropicana by Just Call Me Ruby. The use of a lovely warm glowing sort of yellow (height of fashion of course) and its flattering shape to a curvy body!










Also, there were some interesting features including one about self publishing Going Indie by my online knitting mentor Woolly Wormhead. It is a great introduction to self publishing with ideas about starting out and writing up your knitting patterns, I would love to see a Part 2 written though, where she outlines a guide to self publishing a collection as a book! Are you going to do one Woolly when you've brought out your next book?
Don't give away all your secrets though!

I liked the feature by Henrietta Dups From Catwalk to Cast On, I would have loved to see a bibliography list or list of refs with regard to the Catwalk stuff, as a non fashion student myself like many knitters, I don't have a clue on how to get resources of latest fashion trends unless it is sent out to me by Vogue!










Knit on the net also includes interviews with designers or yarn producers ,as well as yarn and book reviews.
Do have a look at Gudrun Johnston's interview as it contains a lot of interesting edgy stuff with a traditional basis but the little image on the list of features, and the title of the article really doesn't invite you to open that option.

Really, there is such a lot going on out there. Who said that knitting was just for winter eh?

Textiles Design Courses...Places still available for this year

I have been contacted by one of the course tutors of the Textiles courses of Bradford School of Arts and Media.

They would like everyone to know, there are still places left for anyone wishing to further their knowledge of knitted techniques and knitted textiles design. This can be studied from a distance from anywhere in the country.

Students must attend an initial 10 day block, then followed by 4 weekends over the year.

Between the teaching weekends students receive detailed support and feedback via one to one tutorials, via email, telephone, post or face to face depending on their location. The course runs for two years part time, students gain a HNC Higher National Certificate and has it has ran very successfully for several years in woven textile design. They have only recently added the knitted textile strand and so a lot of people might not be aware of it may not be aware of the course.

Dates For Academic year 2008-2009

Level 1

The dates for the autumn school are Monday 29^th September to Wednesday 8^th October 2008 inclusive. (With the Sunday off)

The dates for the following 4 weekends for the academic year 2008-2009 are as follows:

12^th,13^th and 14^th December 2008 20^th,21^st 22^nd February 2009 8^th, 9^th and 10^th May 2009, 17^th, 18^th and 19^th July 2009.

Contact the admissions officer Helen Peacock on 01274 433239 for an application form and further detailed information

Access more information about the college itself on the Bradford College website

Loads of text and no piccies!
We Will have to remedy that

Here is a mini sock swatch, which I have called Rain for obvious reasons.

I noticed that I had put up a lot of text and not a lot to look at, so am now adding pictures when I should be off knitting. I keep procrastinating with my current projects, it must be cos I'm a wee bit poorly at the moment and feeling a sort of unsettled seasonal change coming on. I hope it isn't Autumn already, though I feel in my achy bones and tissues like Summer is about to erupt.

How to do a Test Knit or in fact,What is a Test Knit?

There have been quite a few discussions on Ravelry with regards to what is required for test knitting, and how designers work in different ways but need help at different stages. Also, those people who are from the test pool on Ravelry are not always as experienced as we assume, it is not their fault, it is up to us to clarify what we require. It can be difficult as well, making demands if the person is volunteering for us but in order to be truly useful, it pays to let the knitter know up front exactly what is required and getting them to agree to it before they commit.

Therefore I have put together an info sheet about test knitting, then for each pattern they get this along with a sheet of specific requirements and a rough working pattern. This is for people knitting a test knit at a distance, perhaps trying out one of the sizes of the pattern and keep the garments themselves, it does not cover knitting samples for photographic work which I do not call test knitting, and refer to their jobs as 'makers'.

Thought you might find it useful. So have a look below

**********************************************************

Test Knitting

Test knitting can cover a variety of activities, so always check with your designer to clarify why they need a test knit and the duties expected of you. E.g. is it for a sample for photography? Is it the final check on a pattern, or is it the initial check on newly written rough pattern? Do they want you to knit all noting errors and then contact them at the very end of the knit, or do they wish to be told bit by bit as and when errors occur?

Erssie Knits uses 3 types of testers

A: A test knitter to try out a particular graded size and to test the pattern in its rough early stages. This is explained in more detail below. This can be done from a distance Worldwide.

B: A sample knitter to knit up a sample for photography and at the same time gives feedback on the pattern. If they spot errors they are expected to contact the designer immediately rather than guess and continue or if changes are needed they need to seek permission. This is done from the UK

C: A technical pattern checker. This is a person with expertise in pattern writing and reading and can check a pattern by eye for errors in the copy, instruction or maths and corrects it usually just before final publication.

Qualities I expect to find in A: Test Knitters

1. Ability to knit up to intermediate level with knowledge of most techniques without the use of a pattern or tutorial nor the need to contact the designer for too much help.

2. Ability to spot simple errors, fill in the gaps and to continue knitting without being tripped up. For example, the pattern might miss out a very simple instruction like K2, or it could have the wrong number K3 instead of K2, but a good tester would be able to spot it as a typo or maths error and realise it doesn't work and make their own adjustment without having to go back and forth to the designer with small queries. Work from the photo of a swatch or garment if necessary to solve problems

3. Ability to remain calm even if it means ripping out their knit and starting again because an unexpected error has thrown them out. Also they need a total acceptance that this is a rough pattern and that they are being employed for their expertise and experience in being able to spot errors. Most patterns will contain at least one error and as I said before, it may be small but frustrating. A love of puzzles is a must!

4. Willingness to not only knit the item, but to mark out errors in red on the original pattern (without obscuring any black text) and to fill out a small questionnaire at the back of the pattern.

5. Willingness to work professionally and to a deadline even though they have volunteered for the job. Many people who work as unpaid test workers get references to go on to get better paid work and the experience even leads a lot of testers to become designers themselves so treating it as a real job even though it is unpaid is to your advantage.

6. Total confidentiality is required and you may not post pictures or information on your blog or any other website page until you have been given permission to do so. You may not share the pattern with any other party either before or after publication.

If you feel you would like to take part these are the specific needs of this test knit are attached

Test Knit Form

Name of Design:

Designer:

Description:

Skills Level of Pattern: Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced

Stage of Written Pattern: Very Rough/Rough Working/Final

Size to be tested:

Sizes to be pattern checked::

Deadline:

Requirements of Test Knit

1. Use the attached pattern to knit the garment in the size instructed or size of your choice (let me know straight away which size you are going to do)

2. Whilst using the pattern, if there are any small errors or amendments you feel you would like to make to either the knitting instructions or the text, then do so in red next to the parts you wish to correct, do not obscure or delete any of the black/green/purple text on the original pattern although you may put a line through it to cross it out if you think it is wrong.

3. Do not contact me with each individual error until the very end of the pattern, then send everything back in one go.

4. Complete the short questionnaire at the back of the pattern and return at the end of a test knit. Once I have received your amended pattern and questionnaire I will close your test knit.

5.If you find you cannot continue because you are not able to spot the errors and amend them and yet an error has lead you to a standstill, then stop at that point, note errors and amendments up to that point and send back with questionnaire.

6. Finally, on your questionnaire if you wish you may put your name as you wish to be credited and your website/blog address* in certain instances I can publish the names and contacts of knitters that helped me to prepare the pattern for publication. Otherwise you have the right to remain anonymous and the information you provide is just as useful.

Specific instructions for this pattern:

E.g. any extra info, photos, requirements?

*Any information held by Erssie Knits will meet the requirements of the Data Protection Act (s) and we will not be using the information for marketing purposes nor will we pass the information to any other parties.

My House is Too Small!

I knew when I first started buying my knitting magazines that I would run out of room. Such a shame, as there is often some very useful information in there and I had been so methodical in keeping them in the right order like a good keeper of journals.

Anyway as our house is so small and the bookcase is groaning under the weight of
magazines like

Simply Knitting
Vogue Knitting
Vogue Knit Simple
Vogue knit 1
Knitting

which I had been taking regularly for a couple of years and I am still collecting vintage patterns and guides and buying in the odd craft book. I have made a decision to keep ONE magazine only, and sell the rest on Ebay and to continue subscription to one magazine as well and Vogue Knitting is the winner. Putting a pic up of each of the others individually is going to be an admin task of mammoth proportions but essential I feel.

My other half is selling his bike mags too and we decided to make a guess at the postage costs, and we were staggered actually that an average magazine weighs in at around 350g!!

If anyone wants the magazines, or is looking for a particular issue, do email me before they go on ebay and I will sell you a copy for £2 including the postage to the UK.

A Song I love.....

I have to mention one of my fave tracks at the moment, Home Town Glory by Adele, it really moves me. such a young person with an old (wise) voice. I first heard this on the Skins drama (which I also loved). Had to mention it because it suddenly started on the radio as I was typing this.

Whilst in North Devon, I had another look at this little street off the main street running though Croyde, this lane is named after my family and it is my birthname. The Cloutman's had a dairy farm that bordered this lane. Apparently, clout is an old Cornishname for the clot on top of cream...hence clotted cream. I might just add a creamy sock to the new collection.....well maybe not, I will stick to the coast.

Holiday

We had a wonderful time away at a cottage celebrating the other half's birthday. I was inspired by the break to come up with new sock designs for a booklet. There will be about 5 pairs of Adult socks, and a mini version of each sock for a baby, toddler or child.

This is Speke's Mouth (photo by Noel Jenkins, in copyright and covered by Creative Commons) a waterfall that appears on a sandy beach once the tide is out, it used not to have a mill, but ruins of buildings show that there was a sand store here. The beaches in this area at low tide show strips of rock interspersed with strips of sand, and so it inspired me to use the sand stitch ribbing with the first of the socks, a baby sock using a wavy cable and sand stitch for the cuff and heel. Yes, it is unlike me to leak future projects but this will be my very own booklet and the mini baby socks will not give away the main designs for the adult socks, they are more simple befitting the size and just use certain elements so are a bit of a teaser.




The greys loved their hols, and as well as having lots of countryside around the cottage to walk in the farmers were kind enough to give us our own field especially for letting the dogs loose. Here is one pic of them running, I have written up a more detailed account of their adventures on my Gorgeous Greyhounds blog.

My Life as a Maker

When I first started to design a few patterns for on line magazines, I used to make garments for other designers as well. However, I am not the fastest person in the world when it comes to making things. Ages ago I received a request to make a baby afghan and I had about 4 or 5 weeks to make it which is plenty of time.
However, as crochet is a bit hard on the wrist, I employed another maker to help me, and gave her half the materials. She disappeared on holiday to France, so I had no idea of her progress and was a little bit anxious about getting it done on time. Then she returned from her holiday and it was getting really close to the deadline, which was a Monday morning and she was ignoring all my telephone calls. It developed into my worst nightmare, a commitment over which I had no control and no sign of an FO!

Eventually on the Friday before the Monday deadline the maker posted a lot of individual granny squares through the front door, they were the wrong gauge, the wrong stitches, and actually the wrong squares as they were not even square. The best of her squares is above on the left, mine is on the right you can just about see she has used incorrect stitches and didn't know how to turn corners.
On top of that, knots had been made and then yarn cut really close to the knots, and of the huge number she was committed to do, she had done less than one quarter! Her work had ruined the yarn, as each square she had made was too tiny and had short ends.


I set about frogging the lot, but then had no option but to buy new yarn. She also refused to speak to me to explain what had happened although there was a note to say she had some other work in. This is fairly typical of a maker who enjoys making for a hobby but when they decide to do it professionally find they are not up to it or just do not prioritise.

Makers nearly always put the making at the bottom of their list of priorities and it is difficult to find a really good one. Thank goodness I have two really good ones at the moment.

Anyway, the baby afghan problem was solved by me sitting up day and night from Friday until Monday afternoon, and Steve biking over London to get replacement yarn and eventually me rushing over in a taxi to deliver in person to the publishers. They will never know the hours I spent on it and the fee, was all gone in replacement yarn costs and taxi fare. At least I didn't let the client down, and they obviously thought the project was worthy enough to put on the front of the book. So there it is, middle top photo on the cover, the Granny Square Baby Afghan looking all innocent and peaceful. It was not my design, but I put everything I had into making it and thought never again will I let myself get into that position again!

I am Off

I will be in North Devon for a week, celebrating someone's birthday but also knitting a series of socks specifically inspired by special places along this rugged coastline. There will be a collection of 4 patterns, all with a variety of stitch patterns not only on the body, but on the cuff band and heels.

What I have in mind is sock patterns for those people wishing to move on from stocking stitch, that do have the know how to insert stitch patterns onto their learned structure, but frankly just cannot be bothered to do the maths. They will be people who want to knit lots of socks to wear rather than knit a showy piece. However, each one will have a vintage inspired stitch pattern involving simple cables, texture and lace with variations on standard ribbing and heels to keep the interest. They will be quick knit as well and not too bogged down by their stitch types.

Vintage Swatchin'

I recently bought a stack of cheap vintage patterns, reasonably priced too as they were the originals and not photocopies of the originals.

My purpose was to look through and see if the lace and texture patterns used were any different from the stitch patterns found on line, or in modern books. I have even got bored of my old Harmony stitch guides!

All these sources do have some beautiful stitches, it is just that there are so many knitters out there, who go online that display their beautiful work using these stitches that it leaves any design I come up with using those stitch patterns a little over used.

My intention is not to copy the vintage stitch patterns at all. I am just researching and practising and what I like about these vintage patterns is that it is easy to see how tiny differences in placing the YO's or decreases can make very different looks. I have already come up with a variety of stitch pattern myself that is an easy lacy rib. I still want to make my patterns easy to do, but to have effective small stitch patterns that are unique.

Time savers for busy swatchers

Casting on
Whilst swatching, I also realised that the way I normally cast on is tedious. If you are swatching yourself, I recommend ditching any fancy edge and just wrap the stitches around the thumb, but not knit them off, so you are literally looping yarn straight onto one needle. Then purl the first row and you have a base on which to knit your swatch.

Multiple swatches
When knitting swatches, if you aren't worried about making distinctive photography with them showing all four edges then why cast on for each one? For example, my first swatch was a 9st repeat and 1 edge = 28 sts. My 2nd swatch was for an 8st repeat plus 2 edge sts = 26, I just knit a band of stocking stitch between my 2 swatched and decreased a couple of stitches. You can even change yarn if you want and it all saves time not to have to cast on again.

Casting Off
In the same way as casting on correctly wastes time, as it is not always the cast on edge you want to see, casting off can be a bit tedious too and the normal way does seem to cause a curl. I use a more flexible cast off on a slightly larger needle. It is so much faster to do.

Knit the first stitch as normal
Slip this first stitch worked from the RH needle back onto the left needle
*K2tog the previously worked stitch with the next stitch
Slip worked stitch from rH needle back onto LH needle again
Repeat from * onwards

It gives a strange edge, almost like the live stitches have had a thread pulled through, I am not keen on the look but for speed it can't be beaten.

What to do with finished swatches
Eventually you may have enough swatches, so what do you do with them? Leaving them lingering in your project bag does no good at all. My swatches get washed in water slightly hotter than suggested to test the yarn, then dried flat and labelled.

Make a paper label and put on the name of the stitch, the size of needles and gauge of yarn on the front, and on the back if there is room write out the stitch pattern or if there is not then put a ref to where you can find the stitch pattern again.

Then what? Swatches are attached to the relevant pages in my design journal, or they get put into a bag and put into my swatch box or they are filed with the actual project file if there is a lot of paperwork and a plastic envelope for that project.



And something that has cropped up whilst writing this, is my love of the original patterns themselves, I am not so interested in copies. It seems that those who keep vintage libraries sell copies for quite a lot of money, e.g. about $5 compared with me paying the same for 15 women's patterns from ebay. One such company, had some beautiful colourwork and I hastily pressed the BUY NOW button, but then on the order it referred to copies. I wrote and asked very politely if the patterns I had bought were original or photocopied and got the response "they've been copies for 10 yrs!!" which put me in my place. However, it stank of poor customer service as I was only asking an innocent question, I would have bought the copies too, but not now. As it turns out, the buy now only put it in a basket, which generated an invoice and they take cheques so I will not be sending mine!

Books

Just quickly I must catch up on the reading I have been doing.

Love in the time of Cholera
Gabriel García Márquez

I found this book very witty. I am not sure it was supposed to be written tongue in cheek as a comedy, but I did find it hilarious. I loved the atmosphere and the author's love of the setting in the Carribean could be felt. The story settles on two lovers, Florentino and Fermina. Fermina rejects Florentino to marry another, and Florentino spends his whole life waiting for her. Of course, while he waits, he has his own fair share of physical passions but all the time he saves his heart for her. I have been meaning to read this for years, and am glad I read it now. Being middle aged, it has a lot more to say to me about long term affection than it would have done in my early twenties.

On Chesil Beach
Ian McEwan

This short novel is a quick read but very intense. It focuses on two newly weds and what had brought them to that point. It made me think of the stifling sort of upbringing my parents would have had, and the way that things were not discussed, moods were portrayed by silences or body language and in this novel it not about what has happened or what has been said, it is all about those feelings left unexplored, those words not said that would have brought about a result a thousand times more different than it did.

That appeals to me greatly and really interests me. I was left brooding over that point i.e. the things left unsaid and the arguments left hanging over you when just a few thoughtful words on both sides could bring about such a different ending. It is amazing how two people very suited to one another can meet in the first place, and then more amazingly that two people meant for each other, can have a breakdown in their relationship based on resentment for things not said or explained and they may spend a lifetime apart even though they were so well suited in every way. It seems to me that when you talk to older people reflecting on their life, they will often brood over the things that could have happened, rather than what actually did. Anyway, this novel is thought provoking but I would not say it was a really enjoyable or light read.

I have just started reading The Eye in the Door by Pat Barker and I am enjoying it more than the first novel, Regeneration, in this trilogy set in World War I.
More on that when I have finished it.

Free Patterns Republished

For those who were trying to get hold of former Magknits patterns, the Erssie Knits designs included in this unavailable website are now available from the new Knotions magazine website and are still free to download. Knotions includes articles and tutorials as well as very useful technical information and tables of standard sizes.

However rather than bookmark or queue patterns I would advise to download and keep, in your own files and that way you can avoid losing anything you like in the same way as Magknits patterns. Although I do think that Knotions is going to be here for a very long time!

Bee Hat and Booties

This former Magknits pattern, it republished in the magazine Knotions and can be downloaded FREE from their website patterns section

G8 Caps

These hats for mother and daughter first appeared in Magknits and are republished in the magazine Knotions and can be downloaded FREE from their website patterns section

These booties first appeared in Magknits and are republished in the magazine Knotions and can be downloaded FREE from their website patterns section
The Fair Isle booties, actually match Erssie's Easy Beanie below

Erssie's Easy Beanie
Knitting Pattern GBP £1.50
(Fair Isle Beanie)

Size Baby 3-6mths+

Yarn: Any DK wool rich

The knitting pattern for these beanies includes a 2 colour and 3 colour version. For a matching pair of booties, free to download from the Knotions magazine website see Under One Skein above

Socks

Lots of them. For some reason most of my recent designs have been for socks. From simple stocking stitch (stockinette) to complicated Fair Isle or even Intarsia type patterns.

I have done a fair amount of shopping around for sock yarns and these are sock yarns I have tried in no particular order

Regia Crazy Color 6ply (wool/polyamide)


2 x 50g is enough for 1 pair of socks, or a baby hat and socks (or mittens)
Knits up on 3mm - 4mm as sportsweight

What is it good for? Knits up quickly in self striping colours and is a sports weight, that is between a 4ply and a DK. It is good for baby socks/booties and even baby hats and mittens or little sweaters



What is it not good for? Not good for those people who want control over their sock colours or want to do specific Fair Isle patterns. Remember, that however unusual your socks are to you in this yarn it is hugely popular with over 300 projects on Ravelry. If you are a designer, unless your design is very unique in shape then expect your project to look much like a lot of others. Not a bad thing if you are a knitter though, or making a gift for a non knitter.

Regia Mini Ringels (wool polyamide) 4ply/fingering 2 x 50g enough for one pair

What is it good for? It makes mini stripes in bright colours. The stripes are no extremely defined as there are other streaks within the colours as well as the mini stripes. Good for teaming up with black toes/cuffs/heels.

What is it not good for? It isn't going to be good for those wishing for very defined stripes. Probably not good for men's socks, it is fun for you to knit such bright colours but he isn't going to wear it. Stripes do not work evenly for heels and toes so teaming up with a solid/plain regia or other sock yarn is a good idea.

SWTC TOFUtsie 4ply/fingering weight 100g enough for one pair of socks

soysilk/wool/cotton/chitin

What is it good for? - An anitbacterial soy silk/wool and chitin (crab shells) mix. Good value and quite mad colourways. There is an online group to support a sock club and if you join you get a free pattern per month. These socks are incredibly soft to knit and wear and very easy care. I shove mine in the normal wash each week and they do recover.

What is it not good for? Well, the old pooling is a problem. When I used 2.5mm needles if the skein had 4 shades in it, 2 fall on one side and 2 on the other. However that is totally corrected by going down to 2.25 needles or smaller. it has been designed to make stripes of bold colours at a guage of around 8sts/inch. SWTC have introduced some semi solid shades, that knits up to a tweedy colour.

Sweet Socks For Sugar Free Feet by Erssie Major
Knitting pattern available includes sizes S/M/L
£1

I designed my diabetic socks in this yarn
It is soft and antibacterial and quite an unusual mix of soysilk and cotton. Although I was not totally in love with the yarn on the skein and had problems pooling on a larger gauge, once I went down to 2.25mm or less (size 1 or 0 US) the stripes played out evenly and then.....I wore a pair of my socks, washed them, abused them and wore them again and thought they were one of the best yarns I had used and closest to thin socks needed for summer as I could get. You can buy my pattern from Ravelry, or you can email me directly for a free copy if you have a diabetes or another medical condition affecting yours or your recipients feet. The pattern is only £1 and is very simple to keep it non marking and is perfect for a beginner.

Here are some swatches of some of the yarns which come in bright self striping and more subtle semi solid tweedy shades.

Opal Neon (wool polyamide) 4ply/fingering 100g enough for 1 1/2 pairs

What is it good for? It is quite good value if you want to use the leftovers, as one ball is more than enough for ah adult pair of socks so if making multiple pairs there is usually enough left for one more sock if you've made a pair. The Neon colours are very bright in daylight, and girlie sock colours unless you have an adventurous male. On 2.25 needles there is little pooling. The yarn is a joy to knit with as it has a coating making it quite stiff but less splitty. Don't be alarmed by the feel of German sock yarns, they do feel brittle on the skein but soften up after one wash.

What is it not good for? Probably not good for a males. Not brilliant for intricately textured or lacy patterns where you wish to show off your skills. On needles of 2.5mm or above, there is more chance of pooling although this is still much less than other types of yarn.

Lorna’s Laces 4ply/fingering and sportsweight 2 x 50g skeins is more than enough for one pair of socks in either weight

What is it good for? A good luxurious but medium priced yarn and you can get 1 and a half pairs out of 100g
If you choose the Flamingo Stripe colourway, about 20% of profits go to Breast Cancer charities as well as you making your socks to help your own causes.
There is a huge amount of choice in solid and variegated shades that are always up to date and fashionable. I get mine from Get Knitted What is it not good for? Availability in the UK is somewhat limited or you have to wait.

Fyberspates various sock yarns from Pure British Wools

Photo/Sock courtesy of Noblin Knits

What is it good for? A British company, contact Jeni and see what she can do to help out with custom dyes. She has a range of different shades of hand dyed hand spun yarn. She stocks some of the online companies as well as having her own website. I have used some Blue Faced Leicester mix in a rich purple (loved it) but I especially liked my variegated shades of autumnal colours in a merino and Tencel mix. She runs a well supported sock club and is always adding patterns.

What is it not good for? Ranges offered are not as permanent as bigger companies as it is much more sensitive to supply and demand. The tencel mixed sock yarns do have a lot of softness, but they have less elasticity.

Artesano Hummingbird DK sock and 4ply fingering weights

What is it good for? Lovely rich tropical colours in stripes that do not seem to pool whatever the gauge. Good for baby clothes and bed socks or slouch socks, and good value too.

What is it not good for? Alpaca alone is nowhere near as hardwearing as an everyday sock yarn although they are free from nylon or other synthetics. Artesano themselves recommend the yarn for special socks, bed socks or slouch socks rather than socks to be worn every day inside shoes.

Artesano 4ply -100% superfine alpaca 4poly/fingering
100g should be enough for one pair of socks

What is it good for? Lots of solid shades. Artesano did design this type of spun yarn to make shawls, garments with lightness and fluffiness so it is perfect for crochet garments and it is so luxurious and soft. At £3.30 for 50g it is luxury at an affordable price. Good for Fair Isle patterns as the fluffiness hides any stranding of yarn. What is it not good for? This yarn is going to be too delicate alone for every day socks so I recommend either knitting a Fair Isle heel and toe, like Norwegian stockings or double up the strand and go down a needle size for strength. Adding nylon is an option but see below re this.

Austermann Step (Skacel)
4ply.fingering sock yarn Wool/polyamide with Jojoba oil.

What is it good for? Impregnated with oil that lasts for about 46 washes. Quite good for men’s socks with self patterning stripes.

What is it not good for? A tiny bit more difficult handle than other sock yarns. A lot of companies put a coating on the yarn to help stop it splitting whilst knitting and it washes out in the first wash to make socks softer but these socks already have oil in them so are soft to knit but the yarn splits easily. Use blunter needles e.g. Clover dpns if possible.

Socka: Especially Big Mexiko or Limbo

What is it good for? in a quick knit 6ply. They have Fair Isle stripes of a Mexican or S American style and have the same properties as the Regia Crazy Colour above

What is it not good for? Not suitable for uniqueness of design if using for very plain garments. There is little choice or variation on how the colours play out.

Good Places to look for sock yarns

Lorna’s Laces website
The Woolly Workshop (good range and next day delivery if you get it early in the day and RM deliver on time) (very reliable and a good range of Lorna’s Laces there as well as Opal, Fyberspates and others.
Get Knitted
Web of Wool website

Tips for socks for swollen feet are
Use large needles for the cast on edge 3mm or more Keep ribbing at top very small e.g. about 5 rows K2 P2 Keep all over stitch very plain e.g. stocking stitch

Keep the leg fairly short, so foot is covered but ankles are free

Knit a very deep heel flap, that will give a larger heel/ankle circumference Leave a wide toe, most wedge toes get you to decrease down to quite a point and that is not necessary.

You can knit more rows than required for the toe to get the length, then leave at least one third of your stitches on needles and use Kitchener seam for smoothness

Use a non wool, or slippery type of yarn like a silk or soy silk and perhaps a cotton element. they breathe well but are also softer

Wear shoes a couple of sizes bigger than necessary (even then you can get into difficulty, I wore my shoes into the evening last night and they got stuck on my feet and I thought I was going to have to cut the shoe off!)