If you are familiar with Lucy Neatby, you would not imagine that these plain ol' socks would have anything to do with highly skilled, creative and colorful(!) Lucy Neatby. She has a DVD series and I bought the Sock techniques set on a whim. I've just incorporated a few of her basic tips in these socks.
Hoping I can spread some Lucy skill, here are the changes I made:
1. Used smaller needles (size 1, 2.25 mm) for this standard sock yarn. [I was not crazy about the feel of the smaller needles, but it did result in a lot less sag than in my previous knitted socks.]
2. Double-stranded my long-tail cast-on by doubling the length of the tail and folding it over while casting-on (she says it's sturdier, improves elasticity and helps with the cast-on tension.)
3. Slip-knit the heel flap in reverse, i.e. on the purl row. Try it! It's much faster to slip the stitch while purling the second stitch at the same time. Think of it as an incomplete purl 2 together.
4. Chimney toe in place of kitchener stitch at the toe. I can't try to explain that one, but it does work better than my previous attempts with kitchener.
Sadly, since these socks are a gift so I'll not know how much better they'll wear, but I will continue to watch and try Lucy's techniques 'til I perfect my own.
Happy knitting!
Sock specs: Kroy socks 4-ply, size 1 dpn, basic top-down sock pattern
1 comment:
Her sock ideas and instruction are fantastic. After reading "Cool Socks, Warm Feet" Lucy certainly changed the way I knit socks, too!
I think some people are turned off by the aesthetic of CS,WF. The brightly colored self-striping socks are not everyone's favorites!
How wonderful that she released the DVDs to reach a larger audience--- Her sock knitting within both media is just stellar.
Of course, a fellow SITC knitter jokingly said that my socks are soo tightly knit-- they can stand up on their own! :)
Post a Comment