Swatchless

So….I’ve finished another project! Hopefully I’ll get organized to mail these soon.

Small Fox Socks:

2.5mm needles, 100% GEORGA wool, 100 g blue, 100g green. Undyed Kroy held doubled 50 g. scraps of orange, peach, black and brown for fox motif

Pattern Notes: Figure of 8 cast on 16 sts in blue.

Increase every alternate row to 56 sts.

*Knit 1 round white, Knit 8 rounds green, Knit 1 round white, Knit 8 rounds blue*

Repeat from * to * once

Gusset: Increase every alternate row maintaining stripe pattern (green, white, blue, white, green, white)

Heel: Put center 28 sts on one needle. *Knit in blue to the last two sts. K2tog. Turn. Purl to the last two sts. P2tog.* repeat from *to* until 10 sts remain.

Pick up and knit 9 sts from each side of the heel (28 sts on needle). turn.

*Purl heel stitches until one st. remains. Purl it together with a gusset stitch. turn. Knit heel stitches until one remains. Knit it together with a gusset stitch. turn.*

Continue from * to * until all gusset stitches have been incorporated.

Leg: (60 sts in round). Continue knitting in striped pattern for two more repeats.

Knit 1 round white, 1 round blue, 18 rounds white, 1 round blue, 1 round white

Cuff: K1 P1 for 15 rounds. Cast off in ribbing.

Fox Chart: work in duplicate stitch. Leave one row of white on top and bottom of chart.

These socks are to replace THESE socks that were lost in the mail.

Have you seen my pattern for Olympic Red Mittens yet?

Happy Holidays Everyone!

I have been looking for a project that could be finished quickly.

Something that with minimum effort would give maximum results….

And it has to be festive.

I decided that it would have to be a TINY project.

One that is small enough to fit in a little glass ball, and hang from my Christmas tree.

Instructions….Just in case you are in the mood for some tiny festive knitting

Mini Striped Sock (toe-up)

With 2.0mm needles and laceweight red yarn cast on 8 sts (figure of 8 method)

Knit in round increasing at either side of the toe every round until 16 sts in round

Knit in alternating red and white stripes (I did it so there were 5 white stripes)

Make a short row heel in red

Continue knitting up the leg of the sock (16 sts in round) in alternating red and white stripes (I did it so there were 7 white stripes)

Knit 4 rounds of K1P1 ribbing. Cast off in ribbing.

Mini Mittens (make 2 and put on string)

Cast on 10 sts in the round with white

Knit 3 rounds white

Knit 1 round red

K1 red K1 white around

K1 round red

K1 round white

put two stitches on spare yarn for thumb

Cast on 2 sts over thumb hole

Knit 5 rounds.

K1 K2tog until 2 or 3 sts remain. Draw yarn through remaining sts and pull tight.

THUMB: pick up 2 sts from scrap yarn, and 2 sts from above thumb.

Knit 3 rows on those 4 sts.

K2tog twice

Pull yarn through sts, and pull tight.

Santa Hat:

Cast on 20 sts in white.

Purl 3 rounds white

Knit 6 rounds red

Decrease. K3 K2tog until 3 sts. remain.

Knit remaining 3 sts in white for 3 rounds.

Cast off. Tie tail yarn around where the white joined the red to make it look like a pompom.

Festive Knitting: (sticks and strings)

Cast on 10 sts in white. Knit 4 rows. Knit 4 rows green. Knit 4 rows white.

Transfer stitches to round toothpicks that have been cut in two.

Wrap up the ends into small balls of wool (use a half hitch to secure the ball so it wont unwind)

suspend from both ends of needles.

What should come next???

Note: Glass balls were purchased from Michael’s Craft Store.

Have you seen my pattern for Olympic Red Mittens yet?

Ossama! He was our tour guide in Jordan, and from the first smiles on the bus, I knew that it was going to be a fun 5 days together. From impromptu Arabic lessons on the bus, to stories about the different archaeological digs, and stories about his own family, Ossama added a personal touch to our tour. He spent time with all of the group, getting to know each of the 14 of us, and asking us about our countries and lives.

fashion lessons on the bus

Even though he has been to all of these places so many times before, he presented each historical site with enthusiasm. He showed us through Petra, pointing out things that we would never have noticed on our own. He showed us around the Wadi Rum desert in the footprints of Laurence of Arabia. It was that night, camping under the stars in the desert that we got to really appreciate his sense of humour. Thanks Ossama to being on scorpion patrol!

At the end of the trip, we exchanged contact information, and have continued to be penpals over the last few months. I’m glad to have made such a nice friend in a far away land. I’m learning so much about the everyday life of a tourguiding nomad!

To thank him for his fantastic tourguiding, I made him some lovely wool socks for his birthday….but they got lost in the mail (which makes me quite upset).

the missing socks

So, Ossama….I’m sorry that these haven’t found you yet. When you are in Amman, take a close look at the footwear of those around you. Let me know if you find these socks walking around somewhere. You’ll know they are yours….they have a “small fox” on each sock.

(for the knitting geeks out there: Socks were knit cuff down, and fox sewed in afterwards with duplicate stitch)

I was asked tonight for a basic sock pattern. This isn’t how everyone knits socks. I know my grandmother shudders at the thought of knitting from the toe up rather than from the cuff down. I know others who learned knitting socks toe up and will probably never knit them cuff down. I’ve done both, and I find this method easier to explain, and more practical to knit.

Benefits of knitting socks from the toe up

1. you can try it on as you go and make sure it fits you
2. you can use up all your wool…making the leg of the sock longer or shorter is easier than changing the length of your foot!)
3. nobody will ask you what you are making….they should be able to tell it’s a sock.

*progress pictures will be taken when I knit another sock*

Basic Socks (Toe Up Version) Socks that are knit to fit!

Materials:

• sock yarn (100g) split it up into 2 balls (50g each) before you start–one for each sock!
• 2.5mm DPNs-double pointed needles (set of 4)

Skills: knit in the round on DPNs (tutorial) , figure of 8 cast on (tutorial), Kfb increase (youtube), picking and knitting stitches (tutorial), K2tog decrease (tutorial), SSK decrease (youtube), K1 P1 ribbing (youtube), cast off (tutorial)

My basic sock recipe (written from memory, please let me know if you get stuck and I will clarify)

Casting on

Using figure of 8 cast on method, cast on a total of 32 stitches (16 on each of two needles).
Divide the stitches so there are 16 sts on needle 1, 8 sts on needle 2 and 8 stitches on needle 3.

It is a little hard to manage at this stage since there are so few stitches and so many needles. Be patient though, knitting socks from the toe up is easier to modify so it fits your foot.

Increasing at the toe

Row 1: Knit all sts.
Row 2: begin toe increases (you will end up with 4 new stitches at the end of the round)

• Needle 1 K1, Kfb, K to last 2 sts, Kfb, K1
• Needle 2 K1, Kfb, K to end of needle
• Needle 3 K to last 2 sts, Kfb, K1

Alternate between rows 1 and 2 until the toe of the sock fits over your toes nicely. This is usually somewhere around 60 sts depending on the yarn, needles, gauge etc. Don’t sweat it though, as long as it is big enough for your foot, that is what matters.

Knitting the foot
When your sock can cover your toes nicely, stop increasing. Knit every stitch around and around and around and watch your sock grow!

Knit until the sock goes up to about the middle of the arch of your foot (the longer the foot, the longer this will take. I am jealous of those with dainty feet…but I digress)
Increases before the heel
Row 1:

• Needle 1 K all stitches
• Needle 2 K1, Kfb, K to end of needle
• Needle 3 K to last 2 sts, Kfb, K1

Row 2: Knit all stitches in the round

Alternate between row 1 and row 2 about 12 times.

Pardon my mathiness, but you’ll be creating a right angle triangle with the perpendicular sides running along the floor and up your leg, and the hypotenuse going along the top of your foot. Your goal is to have the side of the triangle that is going up your leg be about 1.5 inches long.

Setting up for the heel

You need to shift some stitches around before you make the heel. Currently needle 1 is holding all of the stitches for the top of the foot, and needles 2 and 3 are holding the stitches for the bottom of the foot, and the sides of the foot (the triangle stitches).

1. Slide half of the stitches from needle 1 (the top of the foot) onto needle 4 (the empty one).
2. Shift the triangle stitches (the ones that you increased) from the ends of needles 2 and 3 onto the ends of needles 1 and 4.
3. This leaves a much smaller number of stitches for the heel (probably around 30 stitches, depending on gauge etc)
4. Put all of the heel stitches on one needle.
5. We will now call the heel stitches needle 1, and needle 2 and 3 will be the ones holding the stitches on the top of the foot.

Ok, that probably sounded difficult.  I promise you that it is easier to do, than it is to write down.  You should have about 30 sts on needle 1 (heel), and about 60 stitches split evenly between needles 2 and 3.

Knitting the heel flap

Working back and forth on needle 1 only

Row 1: K1, SSK, K to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1

Row 2: Purl all stitches

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until about 6 stitches remain.

Turning the heel

Pick up 12 (or so) stitches from the SSK decrease side of the heel. Knit the heel stitches, then pick up and knit 12 (or so) stitches from the K2tog decreased edge of the heel flap. (it should be about 12 stitches, but could vary based on your gauge. Just be sure that you pick up the same number on each side)

You should now have about 30 stitches on the heel needle.

Another bit of rearranging stitches (here we go again….moving stitches around!)

Slip the first half of the heel stitches onto needle 4 (the empty one). Slip the “triangle stitches” that we had moved earlier, onto the end of needle 4.

Slip all of the “top of the foot” stitches onto one needle. This should leave the remaining “triangle stitches” on another needle ready to be knit.

Pretty soon this will look like a sock….I promise!

Finishing the heel

You have just knit the heel stitches, and have not knit the triangle stitches on the needle to the left.

Turn the work (the wrong side will be facing you)

Row 1: Purl until one stitch before the triangle stitches. Purl the last heel stitch together with the first triangle stitch. Turn the work

Row 2: Knit until one stitch before the triangle stitches. K2tog with the last heel stitch and the first triangle stitch. Turn the work.

Alternate Row 1 and Row 2 until all of the triangle stitches have been incorporated. You should be back to almost the same number of stitches that you had in the foot.

Knitting the leg

knit in the round until the sock is almost as long as you want it.

Making the cuff (you need an even number of stitches….increase or decrease to make it so!)

K1 P1 ribbing in the round for an inch or two.

Cast off loosely, and sew in the two ends.

Put on that sock….march around proudly….then cast on for a second one

Christmas is around the corner, and I’m making top secret gifts. In the mean time here are a few of my favourite FREE patterns for knitted gifts that don’t take TOO long to create.

Pictures link to pattern pages.

What are your favourite gifts to knit? leave links in the comments. I’d love to try some new patterns this year.

Hats:

1. Fake Isle2. Shedir3. Thorpe

Mittens:

4. Snowfall Mittens (I know the designer!)

5. Give a Hoot Mittens

Scarves:

6. Man (or anyone) cowl 7. Noro Striped Scarf 8. Counterpoint ScarfMiscellaneous:

9. Bunny (origami AND knitting!)

10. Christmas Stocking

I’ve joined a new blogging group for the month of December. You’ll still be hearing all about my knitting and crafts, but through the lens of my past year. It’s important as one year closes to reflect on what was accomplished, and learned, and experienced over the past 12 months.  This begins the  “BEST OF 2009 BLOG CHALLENGE”

This summer I went on the trip of a lifetime. A friend (who will be known as Captain) and I met up in England, and flew to Amman where we started our tour of Jordan and Egypt. We decided to tour the Middle East on a whim, a decision made when Swine Flu was rampant in Mexico (our planned destination), and travel plans needed to change quickly. Visiting the desert in the summer is not everyone’s idea of fun. We did need to have siestas to avoid the 45 C heat of the midday sun

Amman, seen from the citadel

We saw Amman, a busy modern city, and then saw Jerash a city with the most amazing Roman Ruins!

Jerash, Roman Ruins

Jordan is famous for Petra, the city carved from rock by the ancient Nabatean people. We spent a day exploring Petra, and I would like to go back to see more of the sights. We met friendly bedouin people who sold us trinkets and gave us tea. If you go to Petra, be sure you go on the “Petra By Night” tour, and let all the noisy tourists walk far ahead of you. The silence and stillness of the smooth walled canyon is magical.

With stars above, and ancient stones beneath lit only by candles, you forget that you are moments away from a busy world. Time stands still. You want to walk towards the end of the canyon, to see the large carved facades that are so famous, but you don’t want to really get to the end of the canyon as it is also a magical part of the experience. Captain and I took this tour, but the rest of our group decided against it. Their loss!

Also in Jordan, we floated in the Dead sea (an absolutely amazing experience!) It’s what I imagine being in a “jolly jumper” would feel like….you can’t touch the bottom, no matter how hard you try

Dead Sea Float

We also camped overnight in the Wadi Rum desert under the stars.

It was so hot in the desert that I stayed with several group members and knit in the shade of an overhang all afternoon. As the sun set, we all sat together and watched the sky and sand as the colours changed. The reds faded to purples, the stars came out, and in the distance we could hear our dinner being prepared back at the camp, cooked in an underground oven.

Eating the best food we’d had in Jordan among happy tourists, fun tour guides and a very friendly sheikh was certainly memorable. I didn’t want to sleep that night because the sky was too beautiful. Deserts are places where you can certainly feel how small you are in a big world, like a single grain of sand or a single point of light in the vastness of the universe. It is a place of beauty-a different beauty than I’ve experienced at home.

Crossing from Jordan to Egypt, we camped on the beach at the Red Sea and I experienced snorkeling for the first time. It is a mindblowing experience, just like what I imagine swimming in a fish tank would be like.

taken with a friend's underwater digital camera

We then climbed Mt. Sinai to see the sun set. Captain convinced me that climbing the “stairs” is the only way to get to the top (riding a camel, or walking the camel track would be cheating). The views from the top of the mountain were stunning, and it was finally cold enough to wear a long sleeved shirt!

Egypt in general was less friendly than Jordan, perhaps because we were in busy cities, or because Captain and I were traveling on our own. We never felt unsafe, but just generally more harassed and hassled. We explored Cairo (must sees: islamic markets-watch out for crazy mosque tours…we ended up on the roof without much warning at all!, coptic churches, museum of antiquities–mummies are worth the price of admission, but you can’t bring your camera inside the museum, they do a bag scan like at airports). We got good at bartering for water and taxi fare, and found out that the subway is clean and very reliable and that there are two train cars reserved for women!

We went to Giza to see the pyramids which were colossal, but crowded with tourist busses, and tourist police who want you to pose all over the place for photos. I went inside a pyramid-Captain was too claustrophobic to make the trip inside. If you go to the pyramids, be sure to get the taxi to drop you off at the tourist entrance, NOT with the “camel mafia” at the “alternate entrance”. They are very very pushy everywhere, wanting you to buy trinkets and overpriced drinks.

We took a train to Aswan, and a car to Abu Simbel (near Sudan). The temples there had to be moved when the Aswan High Dam was put in. It was a great UNESCO effort to relocate such amazing buildings and the hills they were carved into.

After our car trip and through a great deal of luck and chance we ended up meeting and becoming friends with Captain Hamada and his brother Ali, captain and crew of the felucca Flower 2 (look for them near the Aswan Moon restaurant on the corniche).

Their boat is bedecked in Jamaican flags (and maybe Canadian ones too if the package I sent ever arrived). We took several short trips with them, and later signed on for a 4 day adventure that brought us down the Nile to Edfu. We experienced such delights as bathing in the Nile (hanging on to a rope on the end of the boat so we didn’t get swept away with the current–we did lose a bar of soap!), making tea and cooking and cleaning (there is quite a ritual to keeping the boat tidy).

We slept on deck under the stars, we swam when it got too hot, sailed with the wind, or drifted with the current. Captain got her name because of her excellent skills as a captain…she learned VERY fast. The two downfalls of felucca travel are

1. it is slow, but at this point on our trip we needed some slow days….I had lots of time to work on my sock.
2. there are no bathroom facilities….so we got used to finding trees and plants to use as a toilet shelter (harder than you might think!)

Captain Ali, and Flower 2 at the shore near Edfu

socks I made for Captain to commemorate our wonderful trip. Photo links to blog post about the socks.

Our last few days included seeing the sights of Luxor (Luxor Temple, Karnak, and Valley of the Kings)

Karnak

It is amazing to wander in those ruins and feel the spirit there. The scale of the pillars and statues is hard to describe, and I imagine how hard it must have been to build it and carve it with limited access to tools and technology. There must have been an amazing abundance of slave labour! Be warned about food in Luxor…stay away from anything involving mayonnaise! There are some good English food shops that keep mayo in a cooler…trust them, and them alone (or suffer the consequences).

At the end of the trip I had finished one sock. I turned the heel in the Wadi Rum, and knit the leg of the sock on the Nile felucca. Talk about a good reason for second sock syndrome. I’m waiting for an equally exciting time to cast on for the second sock…don’t want it to be jealous of the first one!

I highly recommend a trip to Egypt and Jordan. Captain and I have blogged in more detail on the following site, and I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have–ask away!

This morning my family got suited up to cheer on the Queen’s Golden Gaels in the Yates Cup game. My brother has been a super-fan for years, dressing up in costume with another good friend of his.

superfans!

We arrived at the game a full hour early, and sat in the best seats in the bleachers. Little did I know that in playoff games, this is the ONLY time that you sit!

mystery mitten with the Queen's bands

Here’s the cuff of a mystery mitten made from the lovely red yarn I got last night at Wool-Tyme. It is quite a pre-game show….the band, and the bagpipes, the highland dancers, the cheerleaders, the dance team….and a loud cheering crowd (over 6000 people!). Yes….if you look very carefully there is a blue person close to the field. Some guys were shirtless and painted in red, gold, and blue. These two below are the superfans. They have been building their costumes for 7 years!

the superfans!

Part of my brother’s costume includes socks I made for him.

superfan socks

They lead cheers from the stands, hush the crowd when needed, and even sometimes get a chance to participate in the silly games and contests that happen between quarters. One superfan got to wear a sumo suit, but I didn’t get a good picture of that!

superfan

The game was a good one, the score was close until the very end. I don’t really understand the sport, but the enthusiasm and positive energy in the crowd made me feel like screaming along with everyone else. After each touchdown we linked arms and sang “Oil Thigh” (video from a different game). We stood for a good 4 hours, but that didn’t stop me from knitting! This is a sneak peek at a pattern that I am getting ready in preparation for the 2010 Olympics. I’ll make it available soon, I promise!

Queen’s won the game and, for the first time since 1978, are the holders of the Yates Cup. Look at the crowd rushing the field! Stay tuned for next week’s game against Laval. Keep your eyes peeled for the superfan, and the crazy knitter sitting near him.

—-

midnight update:  Mitten 1 is done!  Mitten 2 is started…stay tuned for full photo shoot and fun pattern details soon!

red 2010 mitten

red 2010 mitten

After all of the Hallowe’en fun, did you remember to change your clock?  I certainly enjoyed the extra hour of sleep (who am I kidding…the extra hour of knitting) I had last night.  Yesterday, our family dressed up to give the trick-or-treaters a scare.

the hands and faces glow in the dark

Some children yelled for their parents, others refused to take candy from those bony fingers, and others stood there telling me “I’m not scared”, “You’re not creepy”, “You’re not real”.  They can’t handle the suspense and our silence as we give them candy.  Others were masked and robed and sitting outside completely still, or operating the fog machine and strobe light.

jack-o-lantern

We went trick-or-treating at my grandmother’s house.  She has lost track of how many pumpkins she’s carved in her 94 years.  I brought my recent knitting to show her.  She was excited by some of the things that are on my needles.  She told me that she’s a swatchless knitter also because she has no time to waste anymore.

I have no time to waste either!  I cast on several projects this fall for colleagues and friends who have new babies in the family.  The babies are getting bigger by the day, and I’ve been ignoring the projects, knitting mittens instead.  Here is one project that I finished.  The pattern is Phazelia’s baby socks {Ravelink}.  It’s based on a Turkish sock pattern.  They are a very satisfying knit.  The pattern is easy to follow, and explains well how to construct the sock.  It comes with 3 different stitch pattern options, and a blank grid to design your own.  The sole of the foot can incorporate the baby’s name, or birth year too.  I think that they will make lovely Christmas tree ornaments when the baby outgrows them.

Turkish Baby Socks

And….for all those enjoying the extra hour from the time change, be inspired by these lovely tams (KnitPicks kit), which can have the clock face knit in colourwork numbers, or in cabled roman numerals.  You can even knit your own clock face!  I am not a tam wearer, and I don’t really need a knitted clock face, but I am inspired by the cable roman numerals.  Who knows where I can incorporate that into a project later on.

clock tams

feluccas on the Nile, Aswan Egypt

This summer I went on an intrepid adventure to the middle east. I visited Jordan and Egypt, saw wonders of the world, and experienced the best of middle eastern hospitality. On a particularly hot day in Aswan Egypt, CM (my travel buddy) and I negotiated a great price for a boat ride on a felucca (a sail boat historically used for ferrying goods, but now ferries tourists). We ended up having such a wonderful time with Captain Hamada and his teenage brother Ali, that we went back the next day, and then the day after that we set sail with them on a 4 day trip. We helped out on the boat with tea making, veggie chopping, dish washing, and deck wiping. We both learned how to steer the boat, but CM took to it more than I did, and earned a fake Felucca Captain License. I earned a fake Crew License. We had many adventures including swimming in the Nile on the end of a rope (it’s harder than it sounds to wash your hair while hanging on to the soap and the rope!) We saw many donkeys and water buffalo, we learned to fish, we walked through several Nubian villages, and were told that we were the colour of cheese (which is apparently a compliment).

To commemorate our journey, and to celebrate CM’s birthday, I knit her a pair of Captain Socks out of odds and ends of different sock yarns from my stash.

captain socks

Note the Jamaican flag on the boat. Hamada seemed to be a fan of Bob Marley and all things Jamaican.

felucca

The socks were knit from the cuff down. The yellow (sand) and green (plants) were knit in stripes, and the topography was augmented with duplicate stitch to make the landscape look more realistic. The felucca was done in duplicate stitch also, with french knots for Hamada, Ali, CM and me.

Nubian houses are blue

Hamada pointed out to us some Nubian houses on the shore of the Nile. He told us that Nubian houses are blue. We asked why Nubian houses are blue, expecting some cultural reason as a reply. He looked at us with a smile, and said “Nubians like blue”. I’m not sure if that is true of all Nubians, but the houses were pretty.

donkey and boat man

We saw many donkeys along the Nile during our 4 days, and although we had heard them make their funny noises, this was the first time for us to see how they actually do it. The rapid expansion and contraction of their rib cage forcing air though their throat with their mouth wide open was enough to set us giggling every time! Sometimes the beasts near the water were not donkeys, but water buffalo. The owners of these creatures would often ferry reeds from one part of the Nile to feed their buffalo. This photo shows my impression of such a boat man rowing reeds to feed his animal.

swimming in the Nile

This sock shows CM and I swimming in the Nile on the rope. Ali would often be our lifeguard, making sure we were hanging on to the rope. The Nile is a really cold fast flowing river, and we were swimming when the felucca was under sail. Hamada would occasionally yell “I’m tacking!” and he’d rapidly move the rudder to change direction and keep wind in the sails, but that would essentially leave us playing crack-the-whip, holding on for dear life on the end of the rope. We were glad that Ali was there to look out for us.

If you are ever in Aswan Egypt, ask for Hamada and Ali on the felucca “Flower 2″, and go for a ride. They are the boat with the Jamaican flag, and maybe Canadian flags too (if my mail ever got to them). Get them to cook you Bolti fish–it was the best food we had in Egypt!

My friend CM is in Belgium now; hopefully these Captain Socks will keep her warm with the memories of rash decisions and felucca adventures. Cheers Captain!