Third Round Pattern Specs

There has been a huge amount of speculation as to what the next pattern will be – cables, lace, fair isle.  From where we sit, Felicia and I, I’ve got to admit that it’s all hugely amusing.  Perhaps because we all come to knitting from different backgrounds, the techniques that some are looking forward to are the ones that other knitters dread.  What some find simple – others find extremely challenging.  Without giving anything away, it’s safe to say that, at some point, we’ll each be faced with a sock detail that gives us pause.

The next pair of socks requires 2 skeins (260 metres (280-ish yards)/skein) of yarn. This probably sounds like a lot of yarn so here’s a little clarification.  The designer used Painted Yarns (by the late Virginia van Santen) and she actually used 2 hanks of this yarn with plenty left over.  The sock was designed with a varigated yarn in mind but a solid would probably work just as well. 

The needles will be 1.5 (2.5 mm) and the gauge is 7 stitches/inch.

There they are, the specs for the next sock.  We’ll send the rest of the details to you this coming Wednesday between 7 am and 12 noon (our time).  We’ve pondered the release date for the next round quite a lot and we really hope that this little game doesn’t screw up anyone’s holiday plans. We would never want to inferfere with religious observance. With that in mind, we have been watching the discussion to get a sense of how people felt about this and it seems as if most of you want to keep the competition moving along – so we will be happy to oblige. 

Round 2 Is Done!

It’s official.  The last spot in Wendy’s Division has been decided.  Look at Tezzcan’s socks!  Aren’t those colors fabulous?

Mad Cows for Everyone!

Today we have some great news for all of the cheerleaders out there.  Jennifer Young, the designer of the first pattern used in Sock Madness is generously allowing us to share the pattern with everyone right here! 

This will not be the case with all of the rounds because, as you may be aware, we made a deal with the designers to allow them to control how their patterns are shared beyond their use in Sock Madness.  I know that one will be distributed by the designer’s local yarn store and I suspect that others may be sold on the designers web sites.

As you may have seen in the flickr group, there have been many great color and pattern combinations already.  What can you come up with?

Mad Cow Socks 

(click above for download or read on)

By Jennifer Booker Young

jenniferteacher@gmail.com

Materials:         2x 2.5mm circular needles

                        1x 50g skein solid sock yarn

                        1x 50g skein variegated sock yarn (1-3” color repeats)

                        tapestry needle

Toe-up

With solid color (S) fish tail cast on 8 stitches. Knit around one time.

Rounds 1-3- *kfb, knit across. Kfb, k1* both needles

Round 4 and even rounds- knit

Rounds 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, and 17- *kfb, knit across. Kfb, k1* both needles (56 stitches)

Note- This is a stripe pattern, so simply adjust stitch count as necessary to fit your size and gauge. This will fit a
US Women’s size 7.5-8.

Begin stripe pattern:

Rounds 1-4- knit variegated yarn (V)

Round 5- knit solid yarn (S)

Round 6- Knit V

Rounds 7-10- Knit S

Repeat pattern 6 times or to fit.

Working only on the heel needle:

Row 1 (WS)- purl across, do not work the last stitch, slip it to right needle, move yarn to back of work, slip it back to left needle (yarn should be wrapped around the stitch), turn.

R2 (RS)- knit across, do not work the last stitch, slip it to right needle, move yarn to back of work, slip it back to left needle (yarn should be wrapped around the stitch), turn.

R3- purl across, do not work the last previously worked stitch, slip it to right needle, move yarn to back of work, slip it back to left needle (yarn should be wrapped around the stitch), turn. There should now be two wrapped stitches at this end of work.

R4- knit across, do not work the last previously worked stitch, slip it to right needle, move yarn to front of work, slip it back to left needle (yarn should be wrapped around the stitch), turn. There should now be two wrapped stitches at this end of work.

Continue in this manner until there are 9 wrapped stitches at each end. Continue several more times if you prefer a deeper heel.

Begin heel turn.

Row 1 (WS)- Purl across unwrapped stitches (10), at the first wrapped stitch, pick up the wrap and purl it together with the stitch. Wrap the adjacent stitch once more and turn.

Row 2 (RS)- Knit across unwrapped stitches (11), at the first wrapped stitch, pick it up and knit it together with the stitch. Wrap the adjacent stitch once more and turn.

Continue in this manner until all wrapped stitches have been picked up and worked.

Leg-

Working in the round once again, work stripe pattern in reverse.

Rounds 1-4- knit solid yarn (S)

Round 5- knit variegated yarn (V)

Round 6- Knit S

Rounds 7-10- Knit V

Repeat 4 times.

Cuff-

R1-10- k2, p2 rib

Bind off loosely. I bind off two stitches then pick up the bar between the second and third stitch (i.e. the adjacent bar) and bind it off around to create a stretchy top.

Top Down

With solid (S) yarn, cast on 56 stitches. Join being careful not to twist.

Cuff- R1-10- k2, p2 rib

Leg-

Rounds 1-4- knit variegated yarn (V)

Round 5- knit solid yarn (S)

Round 6- Knit V

Rounds 7-10- Knit S

Repeat 4 times.

Working only on the heel needle:

Row 1 (WS)- purl across, do not work the last stitch, slip it to right needle, move yarn to back of work, slip it back to left needle (yarn should be wrapped around the stitch), turn.

R2 (RS)- knit across, do not work the last stitch, slip it to right needle, move yarn to back of work, slip it back to left needle (yarn should be wrapped around the stitch), turn.

R3- purl across, do not work the last previously worked stitch, slip it to right needle, move yarn to back of work, slip it back to left needle (yarn should be wrapped around the stitch), turn. There should now be two wrapped stitches at this end of work.

R4- knit across, do not work the last previously worked stitch, slip it to right needle, move yarn to front of work, slip it back to left needle (yarn should be wrapped around the stitch), turn. There should now be two wrapped stitches at this end of work.

Continue in this manner until there are 9 wrapped stitches at each end. Continue several more times if you prefer a deeper heel.

Begin heel turn.

Row 1 (WS)- Purl across unwrapped stitches (10), at the first wrapped stitch, pick up the wrap and purl it together with the stitch. Wrap the adjacent stitch once more and turn.

Row 2 (RS)- Knit across unwrapped stitches (11), at the first wrapped stitch, pick it up and knit it together with the stitch. Wrap the adjacent stitch once more and turn.

Continue in this manner until all wrapped stitches have been picked up and worked.

Foot-

Resume stripe pattern in reverse:

Rounds 1-4- knit solid yarn (S

Round 5- knit) variegated yarn (V)

Round 6- Knit S

Rounds 7-10- Knit V

Repeat pattern 6 times or to fit.

Toe-

Round 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13-  *k1, ssk, knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1* both needles (total 28 stitches remaining)

Round 2 and even rounds- knit

Rounds 15-17- *k1, ssk, knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1* both needles

Three needle bind off or
kitcheners stitch remaining stitches (8 per needle).

If you have not knit socks before:

A photo tutorial of the cast on is here (http://www.knitty.com/issuewinter02/FEATtiptoptoes.html), simply scroll down.

A photo tutorial of short row heels is here (http://www.thedietdiary.com/blog/lucia/554).

(Short row heels are knit the same way toe up or top down.)

A photo tutorial of a leg cast on for two circular needles is here (http://www.az.com/~andrade/knit/twocirculars.html).

A photo tutorial of a
kitchener stitch (for top down socks) is here (

http://www.purlwise.com/2004/04/lily_theyre_don.html#more).

 

Savor the Moment

Here’s your daily update.  It’s 8:33 pm right now and we’re still waiting to see who the final player to advance in Wendy’s division will be.  I said no pressure yesterday and I really meant it. Winning is nice but, as this competition has shown, it’s not everything.  Enjoy the experience and, when one of you finishes – we’ll all be really happy for you.

Monday Update

It’s 8:48 pm right now and there is still one match-up left to be decided in Wendy’s division.  Go Tezzcan and TNTknits!  All eyes are on you.  No pressure though.

News Flash!

Once again, Stephanies’s Travelling Sock Division is the first to fill. What a way to start round 2!

 The rest of the bracket standings follow:

At 10:51 am

Cat’s Soaring Sock Division: 6 finished

Nancy’s Traditional Sock Division: 4 finished

Wendy’s Toe-Up Sock Division: 4 finished

Mad-tini Close-ups

We’ve been watching the discussion and the progress shots. We saw a few false starts, a little confusion and huge first night progress. We think that the addition of the progress shots is helping a lot and, based upon them, we have a few things that we want to mention.

What you’re looking for on the leg is a spiral – not a stripe. It’s a little harder to describe the correct cuff. To me, the finished rib looks like a 1×1 rib that has been stitched accross but I’m sure there’s a better way to describe it.

There are many progress shots that show it correctly done so we chose a few where the yarn and the photography make it really clear. Check these out.

Additionally, Karin (our designer) was kind enought to post a closer shot of hers yesterday.

If your spirals and ribs look like these then you’re on the right track. We hope this helped.

Pattern Two–Mad-tini Socks

Pattern Two has been released…and it’s one of my favorites. The sportweight yarn makes these socks very quick and easy to knit up. The twisting stitches keep things interesting and the Eye of Partridge Heel makes a nice transition between the foot and the leg.  You’ll also find the cuff to be a new and interesting take on the typical cuff ribbing.

For many months I had been conveting Claudia’s Red Wagon. Every time Hillary and I would go to a fiber festival, I’d look for it, but to no avail. Then for Hanukkah, she surprised me with it. I was so happy. Something about the red and green colors spoke to me. Usually, red and green scream Christmas to me and I stay away from that color combination. But in the Red Wagon, it works. The planets must have aligned because the very next day, Karin submitted the Mad-tini pattern. One look at it and I knew my Red Wagon was destined to become Mad-tini.

So often, I have trouble finding patterns that really show off varigated yarn. I spend hours trying to match yarn and pattern. I can completely relate to those of you who are frustrated with having yarn requirements for SM, but not knowing exactly what they’ll be used for. Trust me on this one, the twisting stitches in this pattern really allow the variagation in the yarn to shine through.

The pattern is well written and describes length in terms of inches—number of repeats should not be an issue here! One thing you’ll notice in the pattern is that some of the notation is not standard US notation. It’s the UK notation. Since it’s always interesting to learn new things, we decided not to change the pattern, but rather to introduce everyone to the different terminology. So, for those of you unfamilar with the terms in the pattern, here are the stitch equivalents:

WRN (Wool Round Needle)= YO (Yarn Over)

PWS=Purlwise

You’ll also notice that this pattern has been distributed in pdf format. We do listen to your comments and want everyone to be able to access the pattern. If you don’t have Adobe Reader on your computer, you can download it here for free.

And now here are few words from Karin Bole, the designer:

Hi All!

My name is Karin Bole, I’m the designer of the Mad-tini pattern. I haven’t been designing for others very long, but I’ve been knitting and designing for myself for years! I like to knit a variety of things but socks are my favourite. They’re quick and portable and also a great way to try new stitches and techniques.

Mad-tini was inspired by some yarn I had on hand. I think many of you would agree, it isn’t always easy to find a pattern that works with handpainted or variegated yarns. I was also looking for something quick, that’s how the sportweight was chosen.

I think all the elements I was looking for came together in this sock and I hope you all will enjoy knitting it!

Best, Karin

http://pointeshoespunkrockandpurl.blogspot.com/

Socks and Notes

Hey there!  It’s nice to see the Mad Cows keep popping up in the Flickr group. 

Here are a few more that caught my eye.  This is a pair that Lady Knitterly finished.  I really love the rich colors in these.  They remind me of cranberry sauce. 

Here’s a very springy pair of Mad Cows that Mary posted.  The yellow background with the rainbow stripes make them so bright and cheerful.  Let’s hope that the the weather takes a cue from these socks and we can put all the snow and the ice behind us soon.

Victoria (Yarnatic) liked the pattern so much that she used her “down time” to knit a second pair but this time she went toe-up.  Aren’t they wild?

I see that you are all busy choosing the yarn for your next pair of socks.  If you are going with Claudia’s like Felicia did, then you should note that the yardage listed in the previous post about the specs is probably pretty accuarate.  Since the yardage on Claudia’s is 235 yds ( is that right?) Felicia had to order a second skein to complete the pair of socks.  She says that she has about 90% of that second skein left though.

I hope that helps!

Get Your Needles Ready

The next pattern will be sent to you all this Thursday afternoon.  As we said in an earlier post, we’ll be giving you a window for the pattern releases and this time it’s between 4pm – 10pm.  As always, we’re going by our time here in Northern Virginia.

The yarn for this pattern is Sport Weight, preferably variegated because it’ll show off the pattern well, but any color will do.  The spec’s call for 330 yards/301 metres.  The designer used Yarntini and Felicia used Claudia’s handpaint.

The needles for this sock are US size 2’s and the gauge is about 7 stitches/inch in stockinette.