We blame Mrs. Pickles

Last week, we made the rounds of the Needle and Thread Network (as usual) to check on all the other Canadian crafters and we were really excited to see what Mrs. Pickles was up to. She's working on a block called Whirlygiggle. Now, if the name didn't grab you, the block would. Simple but there's movement about it. It just struck our fancy.

our Whirlygiggle Block - 9 inches square - ready to stitch

We decided we'd like to try it, too. We don't know how Mrs. Pickles put hers together but we thought we'd like to try to strip piece the fabric first because we're just in the mood to zoom right along. No fussy piecing for us today.

We want to make a baby quilt. Twelve 9 inch blocks with some borders. We like scrappy and we want it to be a little bit ... different. Not traditional colours. And it needs to be unisex. So ... off we went! In true CoCo fashion, we just dove right in!

First, we drew out the block (or our version of the block with apologies to Mrs. Pickles).

We put our 6 x 12 inch ruler on the drawing and put a piece of masking tape along the slanted seam line. We put another piece of masking tape to mark the bottom left corner of our 5 inch square. (This leaves us 1/4 inch seam allowances to end up with the 4 1/2 inch components ... 4 of them made the block.)

Next....what size strips will we need?  We measured and found a pair of 3 1/2 inch wide strips, 24 inches long will make the 4 components of one block.

We laid the ruler over the strip pieced set and cut up the right edge of the patch and across the top.

Then we turned everything upside down and aligned the ruler so that the 90 degree corner lined up with the previously cut corner and we finished cutting out the 5 inch squares. We cut 3 more the same way and stitched the 4-patch together. That's it. They went together really fast and they're accurate!

Thanks, Mrs. Pickles, for the inspiration!

~ Happy W.I.P. Wednesday, everybody!

What a heel!

Back to the Corduroy Roads Socks ... Are you ready to turn the heel? (Click, click. Is this thing on? Anybody out there?)

There are 60 stitches on the needles of the large size sock and 54 for the small size. The good news is that we're going to knit the heel flap on the next 30 stitches for both sizes.

K2 with main colour yarn. Pick up contrasting yarn and move it to the front of the work. P2 with contrasting yarn and move the yarn to the back of work. Continue K2, P2 pattern until 30 stitches have been worked, ending with K2.

To make the knitting easier to handle, divide the rest of the stitches evenly between the 2nd and 3rd needles.

Turn the work. The heel flap is worked back and forth on the 30 stitches on the first needle. P2 with main colour yarn. K2 with contrasting yarn, wrapping the yarns around each other to avoid a hole. Remember to keep all the floats on the wrong side of the work.

Alternate both rows until 24 rows have been worked for the large size OR 20 for the small size. Be sure to work the first stitch of each row. Don't slip them. Break the contrasting colour yarn , leaving about 10 inches to weave in later and continue knitting with the main colour yarn.


Now, for the heel cup:

Row 1: K19 stitches, SSK, Turn
Row 2: SL 1 purlwise, P9, P2Tog, Turn.
Row 3: SL1 purlwise, K9, SSK, Turn.
Repeat Rows 2 and 3 until all the stitches have been worked.

Outside

Inside

Pick up 23 (19 for the small size) stitches from the edge of the heel flap, knit across the instep stitches and pick up 24 (20 for the small size) stitches from the other edge of the heel flap. Knit 5 of the heel stitches and slip the remaining 6 stitches onto the first needle. All rounds begin at the centre of the heel now.

Heel Gusset:

Rnd 1: Knit to last 3 stitches of first needle. K2Tog, K1. Knit across instep stitches (needle 2). On third needle, K1, SSK, knit to end of round.
Rnd 2: Knit
Repeat these 2 rounds until 15 stitches remain on needles 1 and 3 (for both sizes).

We're back to 60 stitches for the large size and 54 stitches for the small. There's not much left to do now. Check back on Thursday and we'll finish then. Let's do something different tomorrow. Too much of the same thing tires Grandma Coco right out.

Where'd the drawings go?

Good question. We haven't done much drawing for weeks now. Or cookies. There just aren't enough hours in each day. Sigh.

This week, the Illustration Friday prompt is "hitched" and that made us think of a drawing we did years ago.  Maybe 1999? or 2000? We've kept it in our portfolio because we really like it. We thought we'd drag it out today.

Raccoon Bride  - Copyright   ©  2012 Cheryl Coville

~ Cheers!

Shake a leg!

Thanks for comin' back. This knitting with friends makes the work go faster. We'll have the second sock done in no time.

Today we're going to knit the leg of our Corduroy Roads Sock. We're finished the ribbing and we have 64 stitches on the needles for the large sock OR 56 on the needles for the small sock.

After the cuffs, we've switched back to our 3mm  (US 2 1/2) Brittany Birch double points to knit the leg which we'll knit completely in stockinette. Just knit every stitch with the main colour yarn. You can break the contrasting yarn, leaving 10 inches or so to weave in. We need to reduce the number of stitches we have on the needles so for either size reduce 1 stitch somewhere in the next round by knitting 2 stitches together. (63 stitches for the large size OR 55 stitches for the small size)

Continue to knit until the work measure 3 1/2 inches (large size) or 3 inches (small size) from the cast-on and reduce another stitch somewhere in the next round by knitting 2 stitches together. (62 stitches for the large size OR 54 stitches for the small size)

For the small size, just continue knitting until the work measures 7 inches from the cast-on and wait for those of us knitting the large size to catch up. We'll turn the heel together.

For the large size, continue to knit until the work measures 4 1/2 inches and reduce another stitch somewhere in the next round by knitting 2 stitches together. (61 stitches)

Again, for the large size only, continue to knit until the work measures 5 1/2 inches and reduce another stitch somewhere in the next round by knitting 2 stitches together. (60 stitches)

Continue knitting the leg of the large size until it measure 7 1/2 inches from the cast-on. We have tried to ensure that one ball of yarn will be enough for one sock. We had some yarn left-over when we made our first sock. Not much. However, if you want to risk another 1/2 inch of leg length, we think you might just get away with it. If, however, your foot length is longer than the 10 inch long foot we're aiming to fit, you might just want to stick with the 7 1/2 inch long leg. If you're prepared to buy a third ball of Paton's Kroy Socks FX yarn, you can make the leg as long as you like. We, on the other hand are too frugal for that.

So here we are, ready to turn the heel. The large size sock has 60 stitches on the needles and we've got 7 1/2 inches of leg and cuff knitted. The small size sock has 54 stitches on the needles and 7 inches of leg/cuff.

Come back Monday and we'll begin the heel flap.

ARRRGGGHHHH!

Remember Darren McGaven in  A Christmas Story? That 1983 movie? He did the best foul-mouthed pseudo-swearing we ever heard. He grumbled and swore at the furnace that never worked right and yet no actual bad words every left his lips. We felt like that yesterday as we sat in the dentist's office knitting ... and knitting ... and knitting. A scheduling mix-up left us with plenty of time to knit. So, we worked on the cuff of the Corduroy Roads Socks and when we thought we had nearly enough, we held the second sock up to the first and ... there was certainly something amiss. We did then what we should have done at the beginning. We looked at our notes. Oh. Yeah. We had cast-on with 3.5 mm needles and worked the cuff with them as well. Oh, yeah. Now, we remember. So, we ripped back while we did our (quiet) Darren McGaven impersonation.

So, if you're following along on this sock journey ... right now, you should have the Tubular Cast-On completed. Switch immediately to 3.5 mm (US 4) needles and carry on. If you're just starting, feel free to START with 3.5 mm needles. Ours are Susan Bates pink metallic needles that we've had for decades. We love them, too. They're so distinctive we can tell at a glance, Yup, those are the 3.5 mm's.

Let's recap.... For the large size, Corduroy Roads Socks, you'll have 64 stitches on the needles and for the small size, you'll have 56 stitches on the needles. You are set up in a K2, P2 ribbing and you have completed 6 rounds (of the Tubular Cast-On tutorial).

Now, we'll continue with the ribbed cuff which is done in Corrugated Ribbing. It is simple but very attractive. Knit the knit stitches with the main colour of yarn and purl the purl stitches with the contrasting yarn. Keep all the floats on the back. That's pretty much it. Here's a photo of the inside of the tennis socks we knit for Mr. Coco. See the floats? They need to be relaxed and not pulled tight. Corrugated Ribbing is a little less elastic than regular ribbing. That's why we're using a slightly larger needle. That is also why the floats shouldn't be tight.

So, here we go....knit 2 with the main colour yarn. Drop that yarn and pick up the contrasting yarn (leaving the tail behind the work) and purl 2 stitches, returning the contrasting coloured yarn to the back of the work. Pick up the main colour and knit 2 stitches, etc. Keep going round after round until you have 2 1/2 inches of ribbing for the large size or 2 inches of ribbing for the small size.

We hope no swearing will be required ... pseudo or otherwise. The ribbing shouldn't take long so we'll move on to the leg of the sock next ... say, Saturday? It's a date. 

~ All lady-like language, all the time! (Mr. Coco, why are you laughing?)

Tubular Cast-On Tutorial

Or, at least ... How we duz it here in the Kingdom!

There are so many nifty ways to ... we were going to say "skin a cat" but you know how we feel about cats ... so we'll just say "to DO things". There are so many Cast-ons and Cast-offs and so many different ways to increase and decrease or to turn a heel or shape a toe on a sock. That's one of the reasons knitting is so much fun. It's such a pleasure to find new techniques and learn new skills. The right technique well-used is an elegant thing.

The Tubular Cast-On that we use can be found all over the internet. We don't claim to have thought it up. We think whoever the originator was, she or he was a genius!! We have tweaked the process in a way that suits us and that's the process we're going to share with you today.

This Cast-On gives a lovely stretchy edge that is perfectly suited to the cuffs of socks and we use it a lot. After today, you will, too.

This cast-on starts with a provisional cast-on. Using the waste yarn, crochet a chain of about 40 stitches. We're using a worsted weight yarn so the stitches will show up better but we would generally use the same weight of yarn that we're casting on with. Just be sure you use a good contrasting colour.

On the back of the chain of crochet stitches, you'll see a line of regularly spaced loops. Knit into the first loop with your knitting needle, picking up a stitch of your sock yarn (main colour).  Wrap the yarn over the needle in a Yarn Over then pick up another stitch and make another Yarn Over. Continue picking up stitches and making Yarn Overs in pairs until you have 31 pairs for the Large size or 27 for the Small size.

Pick up one more stitch and then, instead of a YO, wrap the yarn around your thumb as if you were doing a regular long-tail cast-on but slip it onto the needle without knitting it).

It will look like this when it settles down onto the needle:

Next, arrange the stitches on 3 double-point needles. We like to start back at the first stitch we picked up and slip them deliberately....1 knit stitch, 1 YO, 1 knit stitch, 1 YO, etc.  Arrange them so there are 8 pairs of stitches on each of the first 2 needles. (1 knit stitch and 1 YO make a pair).

Join in a circle and start to knit in rounds.

Round 1: The first stitch you see is a knit stitch. Knit that stitch. Slip the next loop (which is a YO) WITH THE YARN HELD IN FRONT. We slip stitches purl-wise. Continue knitting each knit stitch and slipping the YO's with the yarn held in front all around.

Round 2: The first stitch you see is the knit stitch. This time, slip that stitch WITH THE YARN HELD IN BACK. We slip this stitch purl-wise. Purl the next stitch. Continue working your way around slipping the next stitch with the yarn in back and purling the following stitch.

Don't worry if there's a bit of a gap at the point where the rounds start. That will sort itself out later.

Repeat these 2 rounds once more.

Round 5: Now for the part where it gets interesting!! Knit the first stitch, drop the second stitch off the needle and knit the third stitch (OR as we like to do....knit the first stitch, insert the tip of your needle into the third stitch, ignoring the stitch in between. Knit that 3rd stitch and when you slide it off the needle, allow that unknit stitch to go, too.) Scoop up that dangling stitch with your left-hand needle and purl him. Purl the next stitch. Now you have 2 knit stitches followed by 2 purl stitches, in that order, on the right-hand needle. Continue all the way around re-grouping the knit and purl stitches. You'll have the start of a perfect K2P2 ribbing.

Work one round in K2P2 ribbing for insurance and then just remove the waste yarn. Sometimes it will slide right out once you unzip it correctly. Sometimes, you have to snip it out Very Carefully.

That's how you make a 2x2 Tubular Cast-On.

For the purposes of the Corduroy Roads Socks, we introduced the second colour in Round 5 where we separated out the 2 knit stitches from the 2 purl stitches but there is no real need to do that. You can start your corduroy ribbing in the next round. We just wanted to explain why our socks will look slightly different.

If you're like us ... and not exactly what you'd call a "quick study" ... you'll want to make up a cheat sheet and keep it in your knitting bag. We seem to need to refer to it each and every time we attempt a Tubular Cast-On but it is absolutely worth it.

So, that's enough for today. Tomorrow, we'll continue on with the corrugated ribbing. We hope you found this helpful.

~ Spreading Joy and Knitted Elegance throughout the Kingdom!

PS....You will have a total of 56 stitches on the needles for the small size or 64 stitches for the large size.

Spinning our wheels

It's a grey day in the Kingdom and we're feeling a little grey ourselves.

First of all, we made these lovely beads and a particularly lovely button but when we went to assemble all the supplies we'd need for a bracelet, we don't seem to have coral beads in the right shade. Darn! We know excactly what colour we want. We will have to set this project aside until we can find some ... Stall #1.

We are also working on a tutorial for a Tubular Cast-On for the Corduroy Roads Socks Knit-along. (Starts tomorrow, if you'd like to join us.) However, we've had some rather enthusiastic help from our lovely (and curious) assistant and as much as we love to have her on our lap ... Stall #2.

We have a couple of irons in a couple of fires artistically-speaking but we can't really talk about them just now ... Stall #3.

So, instead, we'll get to some of the housekeeping we should have done already. We are very lucky to have had some very good testers for our recent patterns. One of them is Kate who, unfortunately, doesn't have a web presence. She made up Duetta for us and used her very fancy sewing machine and the basic yoke template from the pattern to create her very own crazy quilted yoke. Although Kate doesn't have a baby in her life right now, she doesn't lack for imagination and that is how this photo shoot was born.

Kate's Duetta

Annette also tested Duetta for us. You can find Annette online at her blog In Stitches and Seams. Annette's Duetta used the instructions and template to paper piece the yoke. What a great job she did!

Annette's Duetta

As usual, when people complete one of our designs and send us a photo to show on this blog, we like to send them out a little thank you gift. This time, we're sending out a file that can be printed on a home printer to make a gift tag to give along with the sweater. When we print it, we cut watercolour paper to 8 1/2" x 11" and feed it through our printer just like any other paper. The file will print 2 cards on one sheet. You only have to follow the instructions and cut on the horizontal lines and score/fold on the vertical lines. There's room on the back of the card to put laundering instructions and the whole inside of the card is blank so you can write your good wishes.

What's with all the blue Duettas?

And that is it for us today. Be sure to check out the other Canadian craftspeople on the Needle and Thread Network to see what they're up to. And be sure to join us tomorrow as we begin the Corduroy Roads Socks Knit-along.

~ Busily spinning our wheels,