More short-row socks

And another pair has gone into the donation box.  This one was knit on 2.75mm needles with 6 ply ONLine Supersocke Wellness II Color.  I really like this colorway, but the eyes didn't like it all that much.  The leg is knit back and forth sideways and closed with a 3 needle bind-off on the outside of the sock.  Then stitches are picked up for both the heel and the foot and the cuff.  The cuff is different from the pattern shown in the booklet since I needed to make the leg longer.  I added the stockinette and garter stitch sections.  I also made the 2x2 cuff longer.  The pattern is again by Ulrike Brueggemann from "Twist-Socken stricken" or translated "Knitting Short Row Socks."

 Oops, I just noticed the little gap.  Will have to fix that.

 



By the way, that dirty white stuff is snow piled up from plowing.  It's not quite as high now as when I took the photos. 

Knit on, merrily!

More socks

I have always a car project going; these are usually socks.  It keeps me from being too much of a backseat driver.  These are called "Voeges Indische Rauten" or "Voege's Indian Diamonds."  Somehow I came across it on the Internet.  A search shows that the pattern has been knit multiple times, but no one seems to know who Voege is.  The pattern exists of a chart only.  Each pattern repeat is conveniently 15 stitches, so a 60 stitch sock is easily knit. If you don't like yarn overs, you can knit the yarn overs through the back loop on the next row, but be warned:  it will most likely take another repeat to make it fit the average foot.  The pattern is easily memorized, so it's ideal for knitting in places where charts are not convenient.  As the chart symbols are in German, here is a translation for those who would like to download the chart. 

1/2 = purl 2 tog.
1/3= purl 3 tog.
U = Yarn over
O =  purl
-  = knit

I used hand-dyed sock yarn in an antique gold color.  Dyer, as always, is my daughter Angela.  Needle size was 2.25 mm.  Recipient will be a youngsternin one of the two Kazakhstan orphanages to which the founder of Motherless Child Foundation delivers each December about 500 pairs of socks. Face Book link is here .

Cuff, heel and toe to your liking. 

Knit on Merrily!

Third pair of short-row socks

 

This pattern is called Criss-Cross (Kreuz & Quer).

Yarn: ONLine Supersocke 100 Flower Color and some deep purple hand-dyed by daughter.

Needles: 2.25 mm

Recipient:  All three pairs are designated for the Kazakhstan orphanages.



 

 

 

Knit on, Merrily!

Second pair of short-row socks

Name of socks: Auf den Wellen or On Top of the Waves by Ulrike Brueggemann. 

Yarn: Regia World Circus and Regia 4 ply

Needles: My trusted inexpensive metal needles, size 2.25 mm

The white in the windshield is a reflection of snow. The piles are now officially taller than 5'2" (i.e. me) and it all fell in February.  Geesh enough already. 

 

 





Knit on, Merrily!

Short-rows, short-rows everywhere

I found a German sock pattern booklet on Amazon called "Twist-Socken stricken" by Ulrike Brueggemann, or in English "Knitting short-row socks." The booklet contains 15 patterns and the instructions can only be described as "pithy" which is probably true for most German patterns.  Instructions for each pattern are contained on one page with the second page containing a photograph.  I can only say I've been smitten although I dislike knitting short-rows.  Short-row patterns do not lend themselves to charts and I am a chart-person. For some reason, I get addled with written out instructions, but I am plowing through them come what may.  It's a good thing I am not obsessive-compulsive, or I would never get any of these socks finished.  The other problem with short-row patterns is that I have difficulty adapting these patterns to various sizes, so all of the socks I am knitting from this booklet will go to the Motherless Child Foundation which provides children in three Kazakhstan orphanages with warm hand-knitted clothing. 

Here is the first pair of socks knit from these patterns.  The name of the socks is "Leichter Einstieg" or "Simple Beginnings." Each pair is knit with a multi-colored and a solid yarn.

 



 Knit on, merrily!

Opossum playing "possum"

Look what we found by the back door last night.  We've long suspected that we had an opposum living under the back stoop.  I think we now have proof.  Poor thing played dead when we opened the door to let the dog out.  Of course once we saw it, the dog was told to "tie a knot in it" until the poor creature disappeared about a half hour later. That's really wet snow falling on him.

Obligatory Annual Snow Photos

We didn't really have much snow to speak of until the beginning of February in this part of Michigan, but the bills for snow plowing the driveway have made up for it this month.  We  have also not spied any deer this winter; they usually hide in the woods during these months, and I'm not going to trample through the hip deep snow to find them.  The wild bunnies, however, have been active having decided that our old rabbit shed was the perfect winter hide out. So without further ado, be bored with my winter photographs.

   

And we have sun!

 

As far as knitting content is concerned, I have been busy with knitting short-row socks after finding and, of course buying, a German knitting booklet on-line.  I am finishing up the third pair today; so hopefully, I can take photos tomorrow and then do show-and-tell.

 

Knit on Merrily!