Started Falling Leaves in STR Waterlillies
Started: May 4, 2006
Pattern: Knitty's Falling Leaves
Yarn: Socks That Rock Waterlillies (light weight)
Needles: Addi size 1 (two circulars)
First let me say I wasn't looking forward to toe up socks. The idea of using "waste yarn" to cast on and then grafting together sounds like a big pain in the ass. Recently someone on one of the sock lists I'm on pointed out Judy Becker's Magic Cast On for Toe Up Socks from the most recent issue of Knitty. This is absolutely brilliant! If this hasn't been "discovered" before this women should get some kind of Nobel Prize for knitting! It is so easy and it looks just like the toe has been kitchnered closed.
So the sock is going fine except I think it is going to be really big. The sock is based on a lace pattern that is a 12 stitch repeat. So if it is based on 72 stitches rather than the 64 I would usually cast on. In order to make it fit better I've decreased some stitches on the sole. This might work out well enough for the instep and sole but I'm not sure how it will effect turning the short row heal and I will definitely have to increase to go back up to the 72 stitches around the ankle to do the lace pattern around the whole cuff.
Anyone have any thoughts on this? I'm not really looking forward to frogging and giving up this pattern especially since I've done the work for getting to this point with two socks.
posted by Bridget @ 8:54 PM
3 Comments:
Yowsa, tough call. The pattern calls for 10 (!!) sts/inch...
The only problem about decreasing the # of sts on the sole is that you will just have to increase them back for a roomy enough short row heel, and you'll need to maintain the 72 sts on the leg to keep the pattern set (as its all around the leg)... which may be loose if 72 is already loose on your foot (ass-u-ming that the circ of the widest part of your foot = leg below the ankle).
You *could* omit a lace panel, making the stitch count 60 instead of 72... perhaps keep 3 panels (36 sts) on the instep, reduce the sole to 24 sts (the panel will be dip into the sole portion more than normal, but I don't think it will affect the actual sole part). Use only 5 panels of lace on the leg portion, the original 3 from the instep and 2 from the sole portion-- 60 sts. It is a little more snug than your usual 64, but as its lace you can block it out (will want to anyway to show off the pattern).
The only problem with this is the heel "cup" may not be deep enough with only 24 sole sts to work with? I'm not familiar enough with short row heel construction to offer good advice (I've only followed short row heel pattern instructions before, not confident in modifying them...)
Hm.
Good luck, I hope you get some good advice! :)
About a toe-up toe--try the Turkish Cast On on, too, it's great.
The pattern is calling for 10 st/inch? Really? Then I'd drop down to a size 0 and go from there.
Oh I see, they're calling for 10spi over pattern. It probably pulls the stitches in a bit. But, if you did go ahead and drop down a needle size now, then the sock should be smaller the rest of the way up. Then you could use the larger needle if needed for the heel. Then change back to the smaller for the leg as necessary. A pain, I know, but less so than ripping out what you've got so far.
Just a thought.....
You know, the size 1 Addi really isn't a size one, don't you--I think the 1 Addi is 2.5 mm, which is what the pattern author calls for for the next size up sock. Yep, just checked--it is a 2.5 mm. Definitely drop your needle size down. No fudging with the number of stitches that way. The pattern is meant to stretch, so even on the smaller needle, I don't think you'll have trouble getting it over your heel. You can try it on as you go and fix it if you see yourself running into trouble.
The pattern author says the sock is intended to fit snugly to get the pattern to pop out when worn, so you definitely don't want it too big.
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