Monday, February 22, 2010

Strawberry fields forever

There will be summer again - soon.
Weight - 162 gram in total. No idea with regard to weight per color.
Note - these are not the tiniest socks I’ve made- 98 stitches is a lot. If you don’t knit as tight as I do - you may have 3.5 strawberries on the first row - i.e. then you can go down 6 stitches on each side to 43. Another alternative is to have slightly less stitches on the sole - going down to 45 or 43.
Gauge: the sole - stripy part measures app. 10 cm /4 inch when lying flat. Measured in pattern 41/42 rows equals 10 cm length (measured over the strawberries.
Dominant - when making the soles - make sure to keep the same color dominant. I have red/green dominant. Since I keep both strands in my left hand, I keep the red/green closest to me to have this as dominant.

Needle 2 of course and yarn is Wollmeise 20/80.
Knitting instructions:

Note this is not a pattern but a description of my knitting.

Socks are knitted toe up. Cast on 15 on each needle using Judy’s magic cast on.
Increase on every second round - Knit 1, increase on knit till 1 left, increase 1, knit 1. Repeat on needle 2 - 4 stitches increased. Next round no increases.
Cont till 41 on each needle.

On next round start pattern AND at the same time increase 8 evenly spread on each needle = 49 stitches on each needle. Make sure to make the increases when knitting with white - then they will be close to invisible. The reason for the increases is to avoid a to large toe. The pattern make the fabric tighter than when knitting plain st stitches. So if I’ve continued the normal increases the toe would have “bubbled up.”
Knit two repeat of the strawberries.
On first round of the third repeat, start increasing for heel. Knit 24 on the sole side. Increase 1 IN the same color as the 24th stitch, the next stitch should be in contrasting, then increase one more in the same color as the other increase, the next is in the same color.
Next round - do not increase, but knit the middle stitch in the other color compared with the color from the last round

Next round, increase 2 stitches. From Now on the increases shall always be after the first increase and before the last so you get a V marked with a stripe of two stitches in the same color on each side of the V. The stitches in between thereof shall alternate color on each row.
Continue such increase on every second row AND at the same time on the 4th round and on every 4th round - knit till 1 stitch left before the first 2 V stitches, k2 together with the v color, knit the other v stitch and then increase one inside of the v. Knit till the next 2 V stitches. Immediately before the 2 stitches increase 1 more (inside of the V), knit the first V stitch, and ssk the next and knit with the V color. What you are doing is to move 2 stitches from outside of till inside of the V.
The reason for doing that is that the V shall reach each side of the heel - making the heel cap inside of the V and the remaining stitches - on each side - side stitches of the heel.
On the sole side repeat 4 rows - increase inside of the V on 1 and 3 and move 2 stitches inside of the V on row 4. In total 12 stitches - 6 on each side shall be moved inside the V. In addition 18 shall be increased.
Depending on the instep - the increases might have to be on each 4th or 3rnd round on the last red section.
I started the short row for heel after finishing the red on the third row of strawberries - 7 1/4 inch - 18.5 cm. For me this is an important design element because I wanted to have a green heel and wanted the colors to alternate red green red green. If your foot is tinier you might consider starting the strawberries prior to finishing the toe increases. If your foot is longer - knit a few additional rounds of white before starting the strawberries.
Heel; On last red round. Knit top, knit the first 18 stitches of the sole and stop between the 2 red V stitches - one for the side and one for the sole.
Change to green and knit across the V as the stitches comes - i.e. white on white- green on red At the same time knit the first red the next to ssk knit till 3 again on the V counting the one red knit 2 together with green knit 1 turn. The first two and last two are with green, the other stitches are knitted with the other color compared to the row before.
Alternate these to rows for 3 times. Thereafter decrease 2 for each row - also the purl row
Cut both strands.
The heel consists of 41 stitches - picked up on both sides as well as increase some in the middle. Make sure that the middle stitch continues being the middle stitch. I do increase 4 more or less mid back on the heel to make it more comfortable.
Knit one row with green. The 41th stitch shall be knitted together with the first side stitch. Do not purl the first stitch. Purl the next 39stitches. The 41st purl together with the side stitches. Make sure that the first and last stitch -1 and 41 continues as a chain up at each side of the heel. Never knit /purl the first stitch.
On row 3, 5, etc. Turn, do not knit first, knit next, one loose of, knit next - i.e. only knit every second stitch. Keep the strand at back. Knit the last stitch together with the first side stitch.
On every purl row, continue as described above.
Continue till all side stitches are decreased into the heel.

Leg: Front - follow chart. Back- make sure that mid back continue being mid back. Set up - 2 white 7 green (of which 2 is within the pattern of the first flower) 2 white 7 green 2 white 7 green 2white 7 green 2 white 7 green 2 white.
Note the red on the flower chart is white on sock and the white is background red/green
Next row back is set up for cables. The first 4 and last 4 are cable stitches. They are always knitted in the same color - so one part of the cable is white and one part green/red.
Row two, held the 2 white in front, knit 2 green, knit the two white, knit 4 green, here starts the white on first flower. Cont knit till you have 4 left, make another cable however this time, put the 2 green on a spare needle in back knit the 2 white and then knit the two green.
On first rows of flowers there are two flowers. Continue knitting the first rows of flowers on back.
Note - the yellow are made with intarsia on the round. If you don’t knit that style, knit those white and embroidery on the yellow.
The cables are made every 4th row. However - at the same time, as of the second cable you start reducing stitches on the flower side and increase stitches on the strawberry side. On the strawberry side knit white until they fit in pattern.
This is made as follows. Increase one before the cable, make the cable, decrease one immediately thereafter. Do the same at the other side.
NB I did do a decrease/increase on every second row at on the 4 last rows of the first flower repeat and on every second on the last flower repeat.
The second flower row consists of one flower placed between the two first. Continue cabling and moving stitches until you have 7 rows left on the last flower. Then increase/decrease as often as needed to have left the last tree middle stitches when the last flower is finished. I did do the increase/decrease on every row for the latest rows.
You should now have finished two repeats of the strawberries as well as 2 repeats of the flower. Note that you might need to knit one half additional round to achieve this.
Knit one round white except for the mid cable stitches. As from this round the round starts right of the cable. AT the same time increase the cable stitches to have 3 white 6 green 3 white and in total 100 stitches.
Knit one round green except for the white cables.
Cont. with cabling but now on every 6th round. Make one repeat of the flowers. Finish up with one round green except for the white cable.
Now start ribbing in white. First round plain st. st. Next round 6 knit 4 purl. After 6 rounds, knit the knit stitches red and purl the purl stitches with yellow for 4 rounds.
Then 6 white wounds.
Change to green, continue for one round and change to knit one knit one purl. After 3 rounds, make a set up round for sewing off all stitches using the so called Italian method.

5 comments:

  1. Beautiful socks, really. Your work impresses me.

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  2. These socks are amazing. I hope you have some way to wear them so that they can be appreciated!

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  3. Så utrolig stilige sokker, knallfine...
    Kjolen din ble lekker og figuren din kledde den godt ..

    Ha en fin kreativ uke :-)

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  4. Så sommerlige og fine sokker! :)

    ReplyDelete

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