Playing with Puzzles

I just wanted to try out this puzzle embedding script, so I've used a photo of my cat, Molly. I thought it might be fun to post knitting photos in a puzzle format from time to time.

Odds n' Ends Socks

Here's a photo of my current WIP, socks for myself made from the odds and ends of sock yarn that I've collected over the last couple of years. The yarn is a mixture of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn, Opal sock yarn, and Confetti sock yarn. The pattern is one that I concocted over the last few years to fit my ever swelling ankles and calves.

I'm doing both socks at once on 2mm Brittany Birch dpn's. I started with a star toe, the body of the foot is done on 72 stitches for 7 inches. I did stocking stitch on the bottom of the foot and a 2x2 garter rib stitch on the top of the foot. Then I did a garter stitch short row heel on 40 stitches.

When I finished the heel, I started doing 2x2 garter rib on all of the 72 stitches. I did this for 2 inches then did an increase row making the pattern a 3k x 2p garter rib (90 sts.) At 5 inches, I increased again for a 3x3 garter rib and that's where I'm at now.

I plan to continue in the 3x3 garter rib until the socks reach 8 or 9 inches, then I'm going to use 1x1 ribbing until the socks are long enough to reach my knees (or until I run out of yarn).

Knitting for Rugs or Mats

Now that I have recorded the Preface and Introductory Chapter, I will skip through the book, highlighting the knitting patterns and other interesting tidbits. The book does cover crochet, tatting, netting, point lace, braiding and embroidery, as well as knitting but, as I am not proficient in these other needlework arts, I will just work with the knitting.

"KNITTING, FOR RUGS OR MATS OF ANY SIZE. p.11

The wool which is to form the raised work is cut in even lengths; to cover a mesh with a groove, to admit the scissors, is the best way. The needles and material for the foundation must be proportioned to the article intended to be made. For a hearth or carriage-rug, the needles should be 8 or even a larger size. The material---fine, soft twine, or the coarsest woollen yarn---almost as coarse as moss yarn.

For an urn rug, the needles must be from 12 to 15, and the material the coarsest sewing cotton, very fine twine, or coarse strong, woollen yarn.

Set on the number of stitches you wish. Knit a row.

For the row at which you insert the wool.---Knit a stitch; take the wool to be worked in, in the left hand; put it round the foundation material, (which is held in the fingers of the right hand) close to the right-hand needle; put the ends even together, and draw it under the right hand needle, to the front. Knit a stitch, pass the wool back again, under the right-hand needle---then take another piece of the wool, and proceed as described above; repeat to the end of the row, then knit a plain row, and repeat the instructions given above for inserting the wool. For a hearth rug, the wool to be inserted should be a least four times double."

Now that I've gotten that little set of instructions proof-read, I will try to interpret them in wool. I will work on this over the next few days and post some photos as I go.