The best laid plans...
Often go astray or some such drivel. This time the best laid plans just plain blew up in my face. And I realized it about 10 rows before finishing this "well planned sock".
I had been busy working on the two needle sock pattern, this time in a fingering weight yarn - On Your Toes Bamboo by SR Kertzer. I have one done, and am just finished the cuff on the second. But let's go back to that fated first Bamboo sock. I planned and I planned and I planned this sock out. Really. I pored over Barbara Walker's Stitch Treasuries - all four of them - until I found what I thought was a great pattern for this yarn. Bamboo yarn is sort of droopy, and this stitch pattern was mostly garter with an interesting rib texture. You can see it here on the cuff photo (from the back). No droopage here. Sock stays up, even on the skinny plastic leg. Looks nice, doesn't it?
Then I choose a good firm dutch heel. Still looks pretty good.
I used a short row toe method so there wouldn't be any seaming at that crucial point of a sock. The joining of the top to the bottom is clearly visible here. Or maybe it isn't. It's pretty much invisible actually. The join is where the stitch pattern and the stockinette portion meet. To execute the join was quite simple - on the purl side, it's a purl 2 together, on the knit side it's an SSK. But back to the sock. Nice shot of the toe and instep. Sock still looking good.
About 10 rows before the join (bottom of cuff to top of instep), it hit me. Really hard! Grafting the two parts together would show, in a terrible way. Grafting offsets the stitches by half a stitch and the pattern direction would not flow. See - looks like Dr Frankenstein sewed it up.
I tried to twist the stitches, I tried to graft in pattern, I tried not to give up. But partway through the 8th or 9th attempt to graft it invisibly I gave up, and just closed the gap. I will wear the socks as this one is very comfortable, and I will chalk this whole mess up to experience. The second sock is a little better planned. The grafting will take place at the top of the heel and the bottom of the back of the cuff. It won't show at all. I have the cuff and about 10 rows of the instep done.
Wondering why the cuffs are so short? Garter stitch eats up the yarn faster than Purrl can. The first sock weighs a hefty 52 grams, so I'll have to break into a second skein to finish the second sock. Guess I didn't plan that well either. No worries, though. A pair of side to side socks can be made with less than a skein of bamboo, and that's where the leftovers will be used. Watch for the pattern release soon. I'll be looking for test knitters - let me know if you want to try it out.
I had been busy working on the two needle sock pattern, this time in a fingering weight yarn - On Your Toes Bamboo by SR Kertzer. I have one done, and am just finished the cuff on the second. But let's go back to that fated first Bamboo sock. I planned and I planned and I planned this sock out. Really. I pored over Barbara Walker's Stitch Treasuries - all four of them - until I found what I thought was a great pattern for this yarn. Bamboo yarn is sort of droopy, and this stitch pattern was mostly garter with an interesting rib texture. You can see it here on the cuff photo (from the back). No droopage here. Sock stays up, even on the skinny plastic leg. Looks nice, doesn't it?
Then I choose a good firm dutch heel. Still looks pretty good.
I used a short row toe method so there wouldn't be any seaming at that crucial point of a sock. The joining of the top to the bottom is clearly visible here. Or maybe it isn't. It's pretty much invisible actually. The join is where the stitch pattern and the stockinette portion meet. To execute the join was quite simple - on the purl side, it's a purl 2 together, on the knit side it's an SSK. But back to the sock. Nice shot of the toe and instep. Sock still looking good.
About 10 rows before the join (bottom of cuff to top of instep), it hit me. Really hard! Grafting the two parts together would show, in a terrible way. Grafting offsets the stitches by half a stitch and the pattern direction would not flow. See - looks like Dr Frankenstein sewed it up.
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