No, not really…
In September and October I spent 4 weeks cycling in Spain from Barcelona to Malága. Naturally I had to bring something to knit – something small.
I brought no patterns, only 2 pairs of bamboo double pointed needles and 4 balls of sock yarn.
I practised double knitting and made a pair of striped wrist warmers – easy as pie! – and a pair of lusekofte-inspired ankle warmers.
I also made a striped hat, a wannabee slouchy striped beret. I coudn’t find anyone willing to model it so I had to use my teapot. #FAIL
Anyway… cycling is good for you and knitting is good for you, hats can be given to charity or even used as a tea cozy, so keep knitting and try some double knitting!
Wet-felted, toe-up socks a.k.a. November Slippers
It’s November, it’s cold and it’s raining. I prefer to stay indoors and keep my feet warm and dry. So I knit felted socks-cum-slippers for everyone in the family.
One Size
You will need 100% wool (*not* superwash) – for this pair I’ve used double Kauni Effekt yarn – and a set of double pointed needles size 7mm.
These socks are knit from the toe up.
The size of the finished slippers depends on the wool, your knitting tension, the washing machine. Experiment! It’s fun!
Cast on 24 stitches using this cast on technique, knit one row, then increase 4 stitches on every other row until you have 48 stitches on the needles
Knit straight up until the foot is as long as your underarm or at least longer than your foot
Turn the heel using short rows
Continue knitting straight up
Knit 5 rows of garter stitch, 5 rows knit, 5 rows garter stitch
Cast off losely – except for the last 3 stitches
Knit an icord, 12-15 rows, bind off and attatch it to the inside of the sock 5 rows down
I recommend knitting two socks at a time.
Tighten the cast on-stitches at the toe, weave in ends.
The socks should be huge…
Felt your knitting:
The socks go into the washer with a pair of jeans or some other piece of heavy clothing. The jeans will give the knitted wool a good beating so it gets quite dense. If they’re not dense enough, or small enough, wash again.
Try the socks on before letting them dry. Make sure they are wide enough at the top – you can stretch them while they are still wet.
I got asked ‘How *DO* you knit two socks at a time?*
It’s very low-tech – I simply use two sets of double-pointed-needles and two balls of yarn.
I start one sock and when I’ve finished the first part (the toe-increses if it’s a toe-up) I start the second sock and knit the first part of the second sock.
Then I switch between knitting the corresponding parts of the first and the second sock until they’re both done.
This way I don’t have to make notes or try to remember details from the first sock when I knit the second sock. Yes – I know I could follow a pattern. But I can’t, can I?
I have tried the magic loop method but it doesn’t suit me… but it might suit you!
Happy knitting.
