Stripe Me Up

I finished the prototype of my new sock design just over a week ago.

It achieved its purpose

Proved that the double stripe technique worked
My idea of only applying the stripes to two thirds of the sock didn't look as good as I hoped
I had a much better idea of how long I needed to cut the strands
I knew that I don't really like the variegated yarn for the stripes
I knew to use the same weight yarn for the colourwork
I solved the mystery of the difference in strand lengths - I am pulling the yarn tight on the first stripe of the needle
And I still have a perfectly wearable new pair of socks :)

So on to the next version - double stripes all round. And another lesson learned - the double stripes are at a tighter tension than the rest of the sock and while this did not make much difference when I was not striping all the way round it made a significant difference now. Half an inch and slightly less stretchy made for a tight sock for me but perfect for 'Small'.

So that was 'frogged' and on to working on a pair of 'Medium' sized for me. Maths done, pattern updated and cast on again. And my calculation for strand lengths is pretty accurate but I have added a little contingency in to the pattern (better slightly too long than too short).

Really pleased with how they turned out. And unlike my other 'stripe' sock patterns these can also be made cuff down. I wouldn't recommend two-at-a-time but I already have a tester lined up who wants to try :)

Scratching My Head

After yesterday's post I have filled all my testing places! I put an appeal in the Budding Designers group - not sure whether that was what drummed up responses. Anyway, yesterday evening within an hour of the first new response I had 4 more testers on board :)

And now to the sock...
I got as far as turning the heel last night and have completed the gusset decreases this morning. This is a good point to measure how much of each contrast colour I had used so far to determine how much the stripes on the back of the sock will need.
They should all measure the same within reason - they have all done the same number/placement of stitches. I had started with equal lengths... But no!
Okay, one was thicker than the other two so possibly would have used slightly more. This strand had used the least (91 inches). The other two strands were the same brand (98 inches and 107 inches). A variation of 16 inches from least to most!

I have cut the strands for the back of the leg based on the worst case scenario. I may have had a complete mental aberration on step 1...

Summer Scarves and Socks

I was trying to make an effort to post more frequently again, but time just seems to fly by.

Nearly 2 weeks in Malta for scrabble last month unsuccessfully defending my Malta Open and European Open titles - I came third and second respectively, so not a total disaster. (Unlike my BEST match on Saturday).

Visitors when I got back over the long weekend of the Jim Clark rally. We were very lucky with the weather for a change - glorious sunshine so everyone was outside in the garden rather than crammed in to the sun room for the barbecue. This may have been the last rally after the unfortunate turn of events.

Garden needed some TLC and still does, but it has actually been too hot the last few days!

And knitting...

I took the new scarf design I was working on to Malta but very little progress was made. Too tired when we got back from playing, and the two days off we had were easily filled with other activities.

But I knuckled back down when I got home and completed version 1 (Iolair-iasgaich - osprey):

and immediately started on version 2 (Iolaire - eagle) - thinner and longer with different placements of the cables and lace:

I wrote the second version up first as it was the easier of the two, and the charted instructions are currently being tested. A little disappointed that I have had no takers for the written instructions - lots of 'love' on the post. Maybe it is the time of year - school holidays, hot weather...

I finished writing up the other one yesterday. For something that was so easy to design and knit, it was amazingly difficult to write up the pattern! I am now torn about putting it in for testing at the moment because of the lack of testers for version 1.

And now I am back to socks...

Started working on the prototype of my third variant of stripes to use up left overs. I am still trying to come up with a name... currently Stripes - The Final Frontier. If I come up with a fourth stripes variant they would have to be Never Say Never Again...