Knit Along :: Show and Tell

Just off the needles: socks for Emmeline. I started this pair last winter and had to put them aside because I developed pain in my right thumb. Last week Em said, "Mom, when are you going to finish my socks?" I was stalled in my writing and desperately wanted an excuse to do something else, so I pulled them out and got right to work :- ). 

Emmeline's socks are knit from an old ball of Opal sock yarn from my stash. The color is "Good Morning City". (The toes, heels, and cuffs were knit from some leftover orange wool I had on hand.) I knit the socks from the toe-up on two circular needles using my go-to "plain old sock" pattern modified from Wendy's classic Toe-up Sock pattern. Here's how I do it:  Begin with Judy's Magic cast-on, 16 loops per needle. Round 1 needle 1: knit 1 make 1 knit until 1 stitch before the end, make 1 knit 1. Repeat on second needle. Then knit a round without increasing. Continue alternating these two rounds until you have 32 stitches per needle / 64 total stitches. Work until 2" less than desired foot length. Work short row heel (I like Happy Knits no wrap - no gap method for short-rows. Try it and see what you think). After finishing the heel you may want to pick-up a stitch or two between the "live" stitches to ensure that there isn't a little hole at the place where the heel joins the leg of the sock (be sure to decrease these stitches on the next round so you have 64 total stitches). Work around all 64 stitches until leg measures 1" less than desired length. Work 1x1 ribbing. Bind-off loosely.

Also pictured above is my favorite knitting bag/basket, given to me by my husband for my birthday last year. It was purchased on Etsy. This bag is so well crafted--I love it! It is a bucket-style cloth bag that has a drawstring top to keep everything safe. It even has a little zippered accessory pouch with a see-through panel.

I just started reading Alice Hoffman's, The Red Garden. It's really intriguing. The novel is presented as a series of stories spanning three hundred years. The setting is a small Massachusetts town that has a mysterious garden where only red plants can grow. This garden ties all of the characters' lives together. I picked it up at the library after seeing it on The Knitty Gritty Homestead's knit along post last week. That's what I love best about Ginny's Knit Along--so many great book recommendations and project ideas.