Update and Question
Happy Tuesday, everyone.
Alyson, your stocking is gorgeous. I’m thinking when I’m done with this first pair, I’ll have to knit one in a variegated of some sort.
And, Caet, I’m so with you on short rows. I like the way the heel looks now that I’m done, but picking up TWO wraps was often… well, I did a lot of frogging. And there are these fuzzy little loops where I split stitches. Now, I went back and un-split the stitches, but the yarn was still frazzled in the process. It doesn’t look bad, it’s just evidence of the struggle.
This is a real education. I’ve never done toe-up socks, I’ve never done socks that required shaping. Suddenly, I have a question. I finished the first heel and did my 12 rounds leading to the calf shaping (not a great photo for detail, but these are for my sis-in-law, whose foot is 2 1/2 sizes smaller than mine, so I can no longer model it, now that there is a heel in place)…
…where I’m supposed to do 108 rounds of Chart E. My question: am I supposed to work the chart pattern all the way around (on both needles), or just on the calf side of the stocking?
posted by Marin
alyson said,
April 17, 2007 at 6:24 pm
I’m so glad you asked that question! I had the exact same one, and I emailed Marnie about it – she gave me a fantastic response that I’m happy to share. It’s specific to the chart I was working (chart E) but the placement is the same no matter which chart you’re using – you use the middle lace pattern repeat. Here’s Marnie’s response:
First, place a life line. If you do have to rip for any reason (and it
happens to the best of us) it’s much easier to rip to a life line than to
have to deal with all those yarn overs and decreases.
Now, the chart goes up the center back of the stocking. So, since you are
doing the medium, you have 6 repeats total. Chart E starts by working around
either side of that center back repeat. If you worked the cuban heel, the
center back is above the point of it. If you didn’t work the cuban heel,
it’s the center of the three repeats that align with the bottom
(stockinette) of the instep portion. Make sense?
As you work up the chart, the center repeat always remains untouched. As
your increase on either side, the chart grows wider, but when you have
enough stitches to create a full repeat on each side, it starts back at just
the center repeat.
As a suggestion, plan to move the stitches around and resituate them until
you have enough to work on a circular (I’m assuming you are using DPNs). I
would do this each time I added a whole repeat. I also made sure you use
visually distinct markers on both sides of the increase repeats, so that I
would always know they were coming.
Hope that helps!!
antim said,
April 18, 2007 at 7:47 pm
You’re a lifesaver!
I was actually looking at doing all three repeats in the chart pattern, so I would have been off a little there too.
I actually do all my socks on two circs — it’s usually less math and thinking (and no good ever came from thinking) — and I think that will serve me well here.
Thanks!