Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Yarn Along

A post of my current read and what is cast on my needles ~ Inspired by Ginny over at {Small Things}

First sock done!!

I am so very proud of myself this week *grin*.
I have finally finished one of the socks for the pair I'm making for my daughter! I absolutely encourage you to try this sock pattern if you have never tried making a sock before, never used double pointed needles or are a beginner like me. I am still amazed that I could create this without anyone showing me how :)

I ended up adding 23 additional rows of stockinette stitch to the body of the foot before shaping the toe for a total of 55 rows and it worked out to make the foot eight inches in length which fits her just perfectly. For the next pair I will definitely make them a little longer so she has more room to grow but I wasn't sure how much length the toe would add exactly and I didn't want them to turn out to be too big.

Kitchener Stitch

To finish off the toe the pattern asks you to 'graft' the toe which I had no idea what that meant so I googled it and found that others were using a 'Stockinette Stitch' to close the toes of their socks by weaving the tail of the yarn through the stitches for a seamless look with no bulk which is great for kids.

I found a great little youtube video which I've added below to show you how to do the stitch if you have never seen it before. After I got the hang of slipping stitches and doing the 4 stitch sequence correctly it was quite easy and I'm fairly happy with my first try. It looks a little funny in places and it may be because the yarn that I'm using is not entirely uniform in its thickness so once in a while you get an odd pattern but I'm hoping that now that I've done it once the next toe will finish up much more smoothly!

Hopefully next week I'll have to socked feet to share with you as I'm just about to the heel on the second sock :) On the book front I'm still reading Waldorf Education ~ A Family Guide and enjoying it very much.

I can't wait to see what you all have been up to this week!

Hugs,
Rosina


30 comments:

Kaylana said...

Oh! I so wish I had learned that Kitchner stitch when I had finished my socks. It looks so nice.

I'm anxious to see your second sock. Are you getting the colors to match or are they completely different from the first?

Stay warm and cozy this week!

Cheryl said...

Nice sock. I find I get in a rhythm with the Kitchner stitch, but it did take a few pairs before I wasn't looking at the instructions for every stitch!

I had to smile at the photo with the needles still in. Recently read someone who described trying on the socks to check foot length, as the ninja maneuver. looking forward to seeing the finished pair.

Tara said...

Congratulations on finishing your first sock! It looks great and I love the yarn.

Beth said...

Congrats...you have more courage than I to try socks. I think I'm putting that book on my to-read list.
Blessings!

Anonymous said...

love the socks!! I tried learning kitchener stitch this week but it didn't look like that. the video helps because I did the first two stitches wrong. looks like I'm making another rabbit foot for my doll so it's invisible like that. :) almost done with the bunny... love the snow! I wished for that before we left on our trip. Now we are in the land of palm trees. :)

Anke said...

Your sock turned out so pretty, the colors of the yarn are just gorgeous!

Sara said...

I still have to follow instructions for kitchener, and I prefer to have NO interruptions! So, congratulations. I find that using a bigger, plastic yarn needle helps because a pointier tip makes it more likely that I'll split a thread. That can make it look a little rough.

Emily@theNest said...

Unfortunately I dont knit, but have been pleading with someone who does to knit me socks- I LOVE that yarn! And I have read the Waldorf book, it's super!

nest full of eggs said...

i've never knitted a pair of socks, i'm impressed ! & the kitcheners stitch is a good skill to have, it comes in very handy ~ i've used it many times

Gretchen R said...

I'm told the trick to socks is starting the second one right away! I love the rainbow affect!

Julie said...

Love the yarn! What is it?

Tonya Gunn said...

Congratulations on knitting your first sock!
It is something I haven't accomplished yet, but sure hope to someday.
Warm wishes, Tonya

Adrie said...

Love those colors! Congrats on the sock!

Pattycake Manners said...

That's awesome! Way to go on your first sock! And thanks so much for sharing your wisdom! I'm planning to start my first pair of socks very soon and I'll be popping back to check out your links!

Elizabeth said...

Oh your socks are amazing! I just love the yarn! I finished up a pair of socks this week as well and I love the Kitchner stitch to finish them off as well.

As for your reading choice, it is on my list. I really must get to it.

Blessings, Elizabeth

Kathryn said...

Thank you for that video, I know I'll be back to view it. The sock looks awesome!

Jarka said...

that's really beautiful yarn!!!! I love how bright the colors are! wow :)

Grace said...

Lovely. I am forwarding this to my mother in law. She is attempting socks!

nunu said...

that is a great fitting sock and i love the colorway. i used that video too - thank goodness for that video!

Anonymous said...

Yay for the video! But the rainbow made me laugh again this week! ;)

maria said...

Those socks are beautiful. I begun knitting socks for the first time just before my daughter was born and I never finished, but I came to think of that knitting a couple of days ago and have been looking for it all over the house without results. Maybe I should just buy some new yarn and check out your pattern link instead :)

Sweetness and Light said...

wow, the colors are so incredible and they look so cozy, nicely done, bravo!

Erin @ Wild Whispers said...

what great work you have done! Must be sock season on the Yarn Along, eh?

Katie said...

Rosina, you did such a great job! I wish I had the patience to knit. I've tried several times but finally decided to stick with sewing.

erin said...

Congrats on the sock!
Love the colors, just beautiful.

JoAnn said...

Hi! I came by way of the yarn along. I love the socks! My 6yo would love the yarn since she was very big on rainbow colors for her birthday this year. :)

Jess said...

Super fun sock! I love rainbow yarn.
Also, I love kitchener stitch. It might be my favorite magical knitting technique.

Elisa said...

Awesome!!! GOOD JOB!! Those are so fun looking...I'd wear them every day. I used that same video to put the sleeves on the cardigan. Gotta love the internet.

Taking Time said...

Cute!!!

Kaylana said...

Just me again checking out the video as I finish the hood on my Phoebe sweater. Yeah!!!