How I get a perfect fit (nearly) every time

General Knitting Questions | December 27, 2008
By Mme. du Farge

The notable exception was the Salish Sea sock (December 2007), and that was because I goofed up my arithmetic.  :-(  But it’s good now.

The sock patterns usually indicate size with small, medium, large or some variant thereof.  Sometimes they give a circumference to go with the size.  But this isn’t always just right, so here’s what I do.

I knit at least 3 gauge swatches with different sized needles about 30 sts wide and 2-4″ long.  Then I measure very, very carefully to get the sts/in and row/in on each.  Then I make a table showing what I’ll end up with in circumference for each size and how much ease I’ll have for my 8.25″ circumference foot (or the foot of the intended victim), like this (this could easily be done in a spreadsheet, but I just did it with a pencil and calculator right on the pattern):

Size     sts/in   rows/in   48 sts/ease  52 sts/ease  56 sts/ease  60 sts/ease  64 sts/ease
00       8.25     12              5.8″/-.3        6.3″/-.23      6.79″/-.18   7.27″/-.12    7.75″/-.06
0          7.75     11               6.2″/-.25     6.7/-.19        7.23″/-.12    7.74″/-.06   8.26/+.001
1           7.5       11               6.4″/-.22     6.9″/-.16      7.47″/-.09   8.0″/-.03     8.5″/+.03

I like about a -.10 ease (that’s a negative ease of 10%).  Several of these are close to that, so I look at the gauge swatches and see which one has the nicest look to it.  In this case, I decided to go with the size 0 needles with a 56-st circumference, which gave me a negative 12% ease.  Size 00 needles and 60-st circumference would have yielded the same negative 12% ease, or I could have gone with size 1 needles and a 52-st circumference.  The larger needles would knit up faster, and the smaller ones would yield a finer fabric.

When it comes to length, I just make them about .5″ shorter than my foot.

I’ve been using this method for quite some time now, and I get just the sort of fit I want every time.

One caveat:  Your gauge swatch may differ from your gauge on the actual piece, so it’s good to check your gauge after you’ve done a couple of inches.  If it’s markedly different, you can just rip it all out, recalculate, and start over - or else adjust your tension or switch to larger or smaller needles.

Frogging is not something I cringe over.  I think it’s wonderful that, unlike in the rest of my life, I get all the do-overs I like with knitting - and there are no scars, hurt feelings, or negative consequences.  A corrected mistake is indistinguishable from no mistake at all.

Mme. du Farge, the Frog Queen

Salish Sea (December 2007) sock trouble

General Knitting Questions | December 19, 2008
By Mme. du Farge

This is my first post this year…. and it’s about the sock for December 2007 - Cat Bordhi’s Salish Sea pattern.

I knitted up the first sock (started it around … oh, January, I think) - and right away I noticed it had a rather skinny ankle.  Went to try it on, and finally did get it on after a fight.  Once I got it on, it was fine.  Getting it off was another fight…..  This won’t do!

So I decided to figure the problem out on Sock 2 before ripping out.  First, I added a couple of LRincs per the instructions for a high arch (although I don’t have a high arch).  This didn’t help much.  So I ripped out the heel (and that heel flap seemed a bit long but not a problem) and added a couple of rounds on the arch expansion(”Ferry Wake” pattern).  Then I added a couple of extra increases to the wing stitches.

All these efforts were fruitless.  It’s still really hard to get over my heel.

I’m starting to think perhaps there’s a mistake in the pattern, or else that I’ve made a fundamental mistake in reading it.  Were any errata published?  Did anyone else have this problem?

I could just do the usual heel with a gusset, but I’m trying just to play it as written on my sock club socks.

Mme. du Farge
San Jose, CA

Rocking Snow Socks

Gallery | December 17, 2008
By Michele

Thought I’d share Oregon snow with the perfect socks for keeping my feet warm. I know it’s not one of the 2008 club patterns, but a sock I’ve had for a few years in Seal Rock. They’ve held up wonderfully well!Happy Oregon Snow Day! Hope everyone at BMFA central is safe and warm.

last sock club mailing

Notorious Sock Knitters | December 16, 2008
By Barbara

ck’d with BlueMoon about sock pattern hanging on the monkey bars in photo shoot of last shipment - anyone have ideas on the stitch pattern or the sock pattern itself??  Not real great at creating something from scratch-