IS #60: Socks for Everyone!

Posted on February 15, 2014 by shoelaceswitcher

If I had to choose a sock philosophy, I think mine would be this: socks should be simple, enjoyable, portable knitting. I don’t deny that socks are a great canvas to explore fancy stitches and intriguing architecture, but more often than not, I just want to knit a simple sock that I can pick up and put down with little fuss.

BMFA Socks That Rock Lightweight, colorway X-Mas Rocks. Click for pattern page.

My recently-reformatted free sock pattern, Ribby Holiday Socks, fits this bill exactly. Plain vanilla (all stockinette) socks don’t usually thrill me because I need a little something for my brain to do, and having all that stockinette broken up by some ribbing every few rounds gives me an easy way to keep track of repeats and make sure my legs and feet match exactly in length. (The keen-eyed might notice that the stitch pattern is the same one used in my Giving Comfort hat. Matching set!)

SizeChart

To make this sock pattern widely accessible, I’ve provided a size chart that describes the finished foot circumference for four different sizes at four different gauges. This means this pattern can be used to knit socks for practically everyone, fitting small feet (6″ circumference) to large feet (12″ circumference) depending on yarn/needle/gauge/size choice. All you’ll need is a gauge swatch and a measuring tape and a perfect fit should be easy to find. Finally, for those who are new to sock knitting, this pattern also contains a photo tutorial explaining in detail how to pick up stitches from the heel flap for the gusset. I really love that a few knitters on Ravelry have used my pattern for their first pair of socks, as that is exactly what I had intended when I wrote it.

Photo copyright unionjgirl. Click for project page.

Joanna over at The Knitlit Twit cast on some Ribby Holiday Socks as her first pair of socks for a Ravellenics project. I love the pretty pastel yarn she’s using, as it reminds me of spring and works nicely with the stitch pattern. (She’s also running her first marathon tomorrow, wish her luck!)

Photo copyright rgd18. Click for project page.

A friend from college, Rivkah, also used my RHS pattern for her first sock ever! Her version is a great example of what the stitch pattern looks like in a more semisolid yarn.

Photo copyright aknittermom. Click for project page.

Theresa is another knitter who produced a really great pair of socks on her first try! I like how the yarn choice makes this pair feel autumnal and moody.

Photo copyright hessp. Click for project page.

Finally, I had to feature hessp’s socks because I love the name of the project: ‘Too Brain-Dead to Think Socks’. Perfect! I love it.

So if you’re not a sock knitter yet, I hope I’ve convinced you that my Ribby Holiday Socks pattern is totally within your grasp. I think it would be a perfect choice for the #SocksWithSarah KAL that’s been going on lately, as well, because truly — sometimes simple is best.

IS #58: Comfort Everywhere

Posted on February 1, 2014 by shoelaceswitcher

Happy Saturday, everyone! This IS post is coming to you later in the afternoon because somehow, I found myself out of the house pre-8 am for a yoga class… which has never happened, especially not on a weekend. It was lovely, though, and a very zen way to start the day.

Giving Comfort, click for pattern page.

This week I’d like to talk about my free hat pattern, Giving Comfort. It’s a simple, chunky weight beanie that is perfect for charity or gift knitting and especially useful in the dead of winter. It’s been getting lots of favorites and new projects on Ravelry lately, so I thought it would be a good place to start with the pattern updates I’ll be releasing over the next couple of weeks. With my new logo, I’ve changed the layout of my patterns to something I think is easier to understand, space-saving, and more pleasant to read

Since the pattern has over 260 favorites and 97 projects on Ravelry to date, I thought I’d choose a few of my favorites to showcase here. Above is peggatha’s version, knit in a gorgeous, long-striping hand-dyed Icelandic wool. It reminds me of a tropical sunset, which is a pretty great thing in the middle of winter. And she donated it to charity, too, so it’s even sweeter.

I also love the yarn that Jellybean21 used in her version, aptly named ‘Comfy Rockstar Hat’. There’s something badass about those black/grey/purple stripes.

Beadbijoux used the same yarn as in the previous hat, Loops & Threads Charisma. Those long color repeats really punch up the fun of the hat, I think. And is anyone surprised I love one that is blue/green?

Cinderga was an early knitter of this design and I remember feeling so pleased that she liked it enough to knit 4 of them at once! I believe these hats were also donated.

Last but certainly not least, AnnaW’s version is just too cute not to share. The pattern is sized from child to large adult, and the child version looks like it fits this little fella perfectly. I especially love that she used handspun yarn, the simplicity of the design makes it great for yarns that might be irregular in thickness.

I hope you enjoyed perusing some of these fabulous projects! Giving Comfort is my go-to hat pattern and I hope it becomes yours, too! What’s been inspiring you lately? Leave a comment below and share.

Dissipative Release!

Posted on January 22, 2013 by shoelaceswitcher

Drumroll please… here’s my new design for the Malabrigo Quickie series: Dissipative!

The large size is a long cowl that can be wrapped twice around the neck or worn scarf-like. It uses less than 2 skeins of Malabrigo Twist and is designed to play nicely with variegated colorways.

Dissipative beaches are composed of fine sand with gentle slopes that cause high energy waves to break in a spilling, washing motion over the wide beach face. I tried to mimic this idea in this cowl, which begins with long, undulating waves of a contrast colorway that wash their way up onto the textured shoreline of the variegated main yarn. And get this: the reverse side of the textured section is even called ‘sand stitch’, is that perfect or what?

The pattern includes a small size for a more standard cowl as well as a little trick for knitting garter stitch in the round without purling, in case you’re anything like me and love garter stitch but hate purling. It can be purchased for $5.00 through paypal by clicking the button below, or it can be found on Ravelry, Craftsy, and (soon) Patternfish.

BONUS! Since it’s my birthday this week, I’m running a promotion on Ravelry for 28% off (not like that’s my age or anything…) the price of any and all of my patterns when you enter the coupon code ‘bdayweek’ at checkout. The coupon is good through Monday 1/28/2013. I hope you enjoy!