|
A Little
Sock Project for You!
Isn't this just too cute?
It seems that
everyone around me either had or are awaiting the birth
of their babies. It's always a dilemma for me on what to give as gifts.
I like to make all my gifts and I want them to be unusual so this is
what I came up with. Now how many of your friends have one of these?
As an alternative you could get a copy of the baby's footprints or
ultrasound picture and use it instead of a little sock but I do have to
say that the sock is always a big hit.
I hope you enjoy my
project!
Materials:
-
Deep frame your choice
of size. I used a 5X7. You'll want it deep enough to hold the sock.
-
Small knitted baby
sock. Your choice of size and color.
-
Glue gun and glue
sticks.
-
Patterned scrapbook
paper for background.
-
Baby themed scrapbook
stickers
-
Anything else you want
to decorated the frame with i.e., ribbon, beads...
-
Knit baby sock. It has
to fit the size of the opening where you intend to put it.
-
Cut patterned
scrapbook paper to size of inside of frame, (where picture goes).
Glue it to the back of frame.
-
Glue baby sock to
background paper.
-
Stuff some tissue into
the sock to give it a 3-D effect.
-
Now for the real fun,
sticking the stickers on the frame. Stick them wherever you wish on
the outside of the frame. If you have room, you can also stick some
inside the frame. Add ribbon, beads, baby buttons, etc. if you wish.
Voila! A frame to
remember. Be sure to sign your work of art!
|
Eye of the Partridge Heel
The twisted slip stitches make the colors pop. Don't you think?
While I'm working on a sock project, I
keep my trusty notebook by my side and write notes as I go along. It's
amazing the things you learn as you go along knitting a pair of socks.
Right now I'm working on a sock pattern called
Feather
& Fan for our
Sockamaniac Sockalong group. I usually find myself changing the
pattern and adding my own design as I go along. This project is no
exception. The pattern called for the short row heel but since I'm using
a colorful yarn, I decided to do the Eye of the Partridge Heel. The
usual pattern calls for slip one stitch purlwise. I didn't like the fact
that the stitches didn't stand out as they should in the Eye of the
Partridge so I changed it to slip one stitch knitwise. Doing it that way
twists the slipped stitch making the pattern stand out so much better. What I don't understand is that many patterns for doing
the heel flap call for Sl 1 knitwise, K1, Sl 1 knitwise, K 1 anyway but
most sock knitters slip that stitch purlwise instead for a smoother look
and straight rather than twisted stitch. I prefer the twisted stitch
because it gives more strength to the heel and creates an interesting
pattern even when you use a solid color yarn. The pattern that I'm using
for the heel is:
Gail's Simplified Eye of the Partridge
Heel
Row 1: Sl 1 purlwise, *k 1, sl 1
knitwise,* repeat from * to * end.
Row 2: Sl 1 purlwise, p to last stitch, k 1.
Row 3: Sl 1 purlwise, sl 1 knitwise, *k 1, sl 1 knitwise,* repeat
from * to * last 2 sts, k to end.
Row 4: Repeat Row 2
Repeat these rows till heel flap is about 2 1/2 in or desired length.
I'm very happy with the way the heel came
out using this pattern. My advise is, don't be afraid to experiment.
Look what happened to me. I created a much nicer heel pattern. Don't
always concede to the written directions. Try adding different
techniques to the heel and toe. I'm going to add the Star Toe to this
pattern for a little more excitement.
|
|
Controlling Yarn Tails
Hey! Don't throw away those
bread bag thingies. You can use them to control your yarn tails or use
them as mini bobbins for intarsia knitting. Now how's that for
recycling? I'm sure that would make Al Gore proud! LOL |
Row Counter for
Circular Needles - How?
As a sock knitter,
you know that many patterns require you to keep track of your
pattern rows. Well how are you going to do that except to carry
around pen and paper. Well not me so I came up with this idea.
Leave a long tail after casting on then tie a row counter to it
and voila! Your row counter stays with you. No need for pen and
paper.
By the way this
wonderful sock blocker is from Chappy! You can purchase them
from her website
|
|
Roving Bag
While I'm spinning I
somehow either get caught in the roving or step on it without knowing
and end up with a break. Being the inventor like my Dad was, I came up
with this idea for holding my roving so that it wouldn't be on the floor
within reach of my Poms or my feet. What I did was purchase a plastic
gift bag (not paper) then I got one of those hooks from 3M that sticks
to a surface but releases when you pull the strip of sticky stuff down.
Off it comes without leaving any residue or removing paint or wallpaper.
I don't want to ruin my beautiful wheels so this is what I used. I stuck
it to my wheel, attached the hook and hung my bag full of roving. Works
great! |
Coming Untangled
Do you like to knit
two socks at a time but have a problem with the yarns getting
tangled from the two balls of yarn? This is what I did... I got
a gallon zip lock bag and sealed it down the middle using my
freezer bag sealer so that I now have two separate pockets.
Works like a dream! |
