Thinking about crocheted socks a little more

Recently, Interweave Crochet has featured crocheted socks, especially a design very similar to the Better Mousetrap Sock that was in their Knits magazine a few years ago. That pattern intrigued me when it came out, and not long ago, I made one sock each out of the same yarn using the Better Mousetrap concept and my own toe-up standard pattern. I rather like the look of the vertical one better. While I prefer the look of the vertical sock, I do not like the process of making it so much -- I had to restart the sock three times before getting the gauge right. Working a sock vertically requires having the gauge right, from the start, or the heel won’t be in the right place. Working the sock from the toe up is much more forgiving because you simply measure and make the hole for the afterthought heel when you get there. Both socks are made with a chain-2 net stitch, using a 3mm hook and Patons sock yarn. On the toe-up sock, I use a more solid stitch for the heel and toe: alternating single and double crochets, working the single into the double of the previous round, and the double into the single. The fabric for the two socks looks different because the toe-up is worked in rounds, and the vertical sock is worked in rows.

Standard Body Measurements

Following a pattern for a crocheted garment can be tricky because gauge is tricky in crochet. You might match the stitch gauge but not the row gauge. You might want the fabric to be looser or more firm than what you are getting by following the pattern. You might very well be using a different yarn than the pattern indicates. There are lots of factors.

So, knowing what kinds of measurements are involved can be really useful. And it turns out that there are size charts out there that include a lot more information than just the bust/chest measurement that we usually depend on when buying ready-made garments. The Craft Yarn Council has pages on their website with this information. Here are some links:

http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/sizing.html

The kinds of information shown on this page and listed in the body charts

(http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/babysize.html

or

http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/childsize.html

and there are charts for women and men, too)

give you a clue of what kinds of measurements to look for, for example, with making doll clothes, too.

These charts are handy tools in my information kit.

Flat tube purse idea

Being a girl, I am always searching for the perfect purse concept. For a while, I really liked an origami-style structure, starting with a flat piece that I folded and stitched into a tube, then added gussets and straps. The bottom of the purse was not as sturdy as I would like, though. Then I noticed that a number of interesting designs are basically some manipulation of a flat tube, or envelope.

I started with a sample with a kit for a felted purse. The yarn is worsted weight, and I used a 5mm hook.

Once I had a flat tube (stitched in a coil, in what I call bag stitch because it is sturdy and not stretchy, which also works for plackets on sweaters), I formed a base by seaming the bottom corners. This base is asymmetrical.

This left an open tube that was a bit goofy, so I basted that shut on the outside and inside before running it through the washer and dryer for felting.

I wanted to see how much the wool would shrink/felt, and the answer turned out to be, “A lot.” Now I know. But it is really sturdy and essentially waterproof.

Made a couple of flowers from the leftover yarn and added the zipper that came with the original kit, and the result is both useful in my everyday purse and also a meditation of what I want to try next.

For my next variation, I am using a DK weight yarn and a 4mm hook for an everyday purse.

A Great Online Resource

I rarely keep yarn labels after I finish using the yarn they describe. Sometimes that leads to problems. Recently, I needed to wash a sweater, but I just could not remember whether the yarn was machine washable. Since I did remember the name and brand of the yarn, I Googled it. That's when I found Yarndex.

Yarndex is an online database of yarns, including discontinued lines, that allows you to search by name, brand, fiber content, color, or texture. When you find the yarn you are looking for, it gives you the label information, and, if available, a photograph of the yarn. Truly a wonderful resource, and well worth keeping bookmarked!

Making Variegated Yarn Work For Me

Many needleworkers have a love-hate relationship with multi-colored yarns. We love the interplay of colors. And it's nice having yarn that does the work of creating visual interest for you, rather than having to focus on a pattern stitch. At the same time, though we hate that the colors have a tendency to pool...

This is a hand-dyed ribbon from Mountain Colors.

Notice the splotch of navy blue around the center left.

...and stripe and that the pattern of the variegation changes as we change stitches or do shaping. Here's another hand-dyed yarn--worsted weight.
Notice how the even striping on the upper part (worked in the round)
is interrupted when I started doing shaping in rows.

Here are some ideas for making the most of variegation while avoiding its drawbacks:

• Try stranding with another yarn (solid or tweed). Stranding a variegated yarn with a solid or tweed, especially if the solid is a little fuzzier than the variegated, is a good way to minimize striping and pooling. It draws attention away from the "stripy-ness" of colors and adds something consistent throughout the fabric to unify all the colors. It can also be used to emphasize your favorite color in the variegated yarn. If you use a strong solid color that is at least as thick as the variegated, it can make the whole thing look like a variegated tweed. Muted colors or bi-colored tweeds combined with bold variegateds make the variegation more subtle and muted.
  
  This is the same variegated as the second one pictured above. This time, it's stranded with another worsted in solid red. You are looking at the top of a ribbed, baby-sized, watch-cap. The red worsted matches the red in the variegated perfectly, allowing the variegated to spiral, despite the decreases at the top.
  
  On the left, you see a variegated from Missoni, knitted on its own, in seed stitch. Notice how high-contrast it is. The hat on the right, is the same yarn stranded with a Cascade 220 green and black tweed. The tweed really tones down the contrast.
  
• Make the fabric compete with the colors. If the yarn is going to stripe horizontally, using a simple ribbing will create a strong vertical line to draw your eye in the opposite direction from the variegation. In knitting, the purl side of the fabric draws attention away from color and towards texture, so using a stitch with lots of purling can also break up the effect of variegation.

This sweater was knitted in Noro's Kochoran (a bulky) and Joe Galler's Peruvian Tweed (a DK).
Note how the vertical movement of the body's pattern stitch and the ribbing distracts the eye from the stripes of the Kochoran.
Nothing interrupts the stripes on the sleeves, which are in stockinette.

• Try striping with a solid. Alternating between solid and variegated yarns is a great way to include the interest of variegation without allowing it to take over. Using thin stripes of a multi-colored yarn doesn't give that yarn enough space to establish a real pattern. Alternating thin stripes of variegated and solid can also mimic Fairisle work with a minimum of effort--especially in crochet.

Two sock yarns in alternating stripes.

Two Mountain Colors variegateds (including the one in the first photograph in this post) striped with four solids in crochet. Here, each yarn only gets one row per stripe.

In this crocheted sweater, the background color is done in double crochet, with stripes done in single crochet net (sc1 in the ch1 below, ch1, sk1).
The variegated yarns are the bright blue and the green (which is tone-on-tone).
The use of variegated yarn in this sweater works with the pattern stitches involved to mimic the effect of Fairisle knitting.

Variegated yarns can do a lot to add depth and interest to your work, whether in knitting or crochet, but you have to play with them to find techniques or combinations that are flattering both for the yarn and for your project.

Following up on PC's post...

Practical Crocheter had some great ideas for handmade gifts this holiday season. The great thing is making your own can save money too! Here are a few more ideas:

• A set of coasters (preferably cotton or wool). These are great for hostess gifts too, and they don't require you to know much about the recipient's tastes.
• Going with the cup theme, you can make a sleeve for a travel mug. For extra insulation, make it a bit big, and then felt it. These are great for people who love having something warm in the morning, but don't want to burn their hands or put a bunch of paper in the trash!
• To make something really special, but inexpensive, get a ball of thread and start making snowflakes! Little snowflakes can be attached to earring findings or made into necklace pendants. Several little snowflakes strung together can make a choker necklace or garland. Of course, larger snowflake are lovely on a tree or in a window. Just don't forget to starch them to make them look nice!

If you have young people in your life, they might not be so excited about receiving handmade gifts, but if you show them some neat things to make, they may be interested in the gift of your time! For children, consider making "gift certificates" for free needlework lessons. When combined with a treat at the local coffee shop, such a gift can make a tween feel very grown up.

If you want to make something for a young person, you may also consider having something other than what you make be the focal point. For example, the amulet bag to hold an iPod (as Practical Crocheter suggested) might be better received if it also contained a small gift card for downloads. It may seem silly, but giving handmade gifts alongside more mainstream gifts is a good introduction for people who don't know to care about things handmade.

Happy Stitching!

'Tis the season!

Have you looked at the catalogs lately? With all the manufacturing gone overseas, we are living in a great time for handmade gifts! Flipping through some magazines and catalogs, I find myself muttering, “I could make that -- I could SO make that” a lot. If you have already hatted and scarfed everyone you know, have you tried slippers, wrist warmers, and washcloths? Flat little envelope purses, just big enough to carry your music and earbuds, with a strap to make it an amulet purse around your neck, are silly-easy to make and can help use up little bits of fabulous yarns in your stash.

The best way to have a fabulous stash is to buy only yarns in colors that speak well to you. If you buy only yarns you really like, your leftovers will be gorgeous.

Make sure the product is gift-worthy by paying attention to finishing details, like tucking in the loose ends.