Applesauce Socks

Some know and some don't that other than designing, I'm a nanny! I nanny so I can financially support myself to eventually be a full time designer. Why do you need to know this? For the name of this pattern! Originally the name was going to 'Criss Cross' but once that came to mind, the next jump was 'Criss Cross Applesauce' that's when I realized the name needed to be Applesauce. My own kind of personal joke and my two jobs intersecting. 

The first iteration of these socks had the criss cross all around the sock and they really weren't stretchy enough. So I ripped out (which hurt my soul a little bit because they were past the heel) and started again. I added the garter to the back so that the sock would have enough stretch to go over peoples heels but it also doesn't knit as 'long' as stockinette stitch does. When you are finished with the sock the garter sucks down a littler further than the criss cross does. Once I washed them I didn't have any trouble.

The yarn used is a merino nylon blend tonally dyed to show off the stitches. Any wool/nylon blend of sock yarn will work. My testers used a variety of different dye styles you can see them here on Ravelry. You can try using a 100% wool fingering weight but I like having nylon in them for some strength. 

Happy Scrappy Shawl

I knit a ton, as if that wasn't obvious to everyone. Along with all that knitting comes and incredible amount of leftover yarn and I really enjoy figuring out ways to utilize them. 

Happy Scrappy was born out of my obsession with 'dropping the fringe' and working with my leftovers. This amazing shawl was created all from my scrap bin! I used ~220 grams of all different bases of fingering weight and knitting just two rows with each color. (Link to Ravelry and Payhip)

If you don't have enough scraps to have such variety (yet), pick two skeins from your stash and stripe them, or purchase one solid color skein to stripe with your leftovers. 

While this shawl was designed for fingering weight it would be so easy to size up! You would knit a worsted weight version and all you have to do is change your needle size. (I would recommend going up to a US 8) 

I can't wait to see your combos! 

Slipped Up

It's summer time and that means self-striping patterns! Slipped Up came to mind when I really wanted my stripe changes to show. This design features a double slip stitch that really allows you to see the contrast of the colors. I didn't want to the socks to be too tight so I knit stockinette across the back half of the sock. Happy Knitting! 

Yarn: 437 yards / 400 meters fingering weight yarn 

Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5mm (Needle Ambiguous, you can use your preferred sock knitting method i.e. DPNs, Magic Loop, 9 inch circulars, two circulars.)

Pattern uses Modified Eye of Partridge Heel Flap and Wedge Toe

Gauge: 32 stitches by 32 rows = 4 inches/10 cm in stockinette

Size: Women’s Medium size foot: US 8.5 / EU 39

Notions needed:

Two different stitches markers (One each for A and B)

Darning Needle for Kitchener and weaving in ends  

K: Knit

P: Purl

P2Tog: Purl two together

K2Tog: Knit two together

PW: Purlwise

KW: Knitwise

SSK: Slip, slip, knit

SM: Slip marker

WYIF: With yarn in front

WYIB: With yarn in back

----

Cuff: 

Cast on 64 Stitches and join in the round, being careful not to twist. Place a marker at the beginning of the round, if preferred.

Knit 2, Purl 2 for 18 rounds and in the last round of ribbing place marker B at half-way.

Leg: 

Round 1: Knit until you reach a color change

Round 2: * Slip 1 PWYIB, K * repeat to 1/2 way marker. Knit to the end. 

    On the next round slip the slips again and knit the knits. Each slip will have been slipped twice. 

Starting heel flap. (You will be working flat on half of your stitches) 

If you want to use a contrast heel please start using contrast yarn.

Turn work with wrong side facing, you will be working back across the last 32 stitches.

Row 1: Knit 3, Purl across

Row 2: Purl 3, * K1, slip 1 knitwise with yarn in back * repeat to last 3 stitches, K3

Row 3: Knit 3, Purl across

Row 4: Purl 3, * slip 1 knitwise with yarn in back, K1 * repeat to last 3 stitches, K3 

Repeat these four rows eight times total (You will have 16 Garter Bumps along the edge.)

Starting the heel turn

Row 1: Slip 1 PW WYIF, P16, P2Tog, P1, turn

Row 2: Slip 1 KW WYIB, K3, SSK, K1, turn

Row 3: Slip 1 PW WYIF, P4, P2Tog, P1, turn

Row 4: Slip 1 KW WYIB, K5, SSK, K1, turn  

Row 5: Slip 1 PW WYIF, P6, P2Tog, P1, turn

Row 6: Slip 1 KW WYIB, K7, SSK, K1, turn

Row 7: Slip 1 PW WYIF, P8, P2Tog, P1, turn

Row 8: Slip 1 KW WYIB, K9, SSK, K1, turn

Row 9: Slip 1 PW WYIF, P10, P2Tog, P1, turn

Row 10: Slip 1 KW WYIB, K11, SSK, K1, turn

Row 11: Slip 1 PW WYIF, P12, P2Tog, P1, turn

Row 12: Slip 1 KW WYIB, K13, SSK, K1, turn

Row 13: Slip 1 PW WYIF, P14, P2Tog, P1, turn

Row 14: Slip 1 KW WYIB, K15, SSK, K1

(You should have closed all ‘gaps’ and have 18 stitches from the heel flap and turn)

Cut contrast yarn (if used) and pick up and knit with main color.

Gusset:

Now pick up and Knit 16 stitches along the heel flap (one stitch for every garter bump) 

Once you’ve picked up the first side of the gusset, pick up one extra stitch in between the gusset and top of the foot (This helps close up any small hole between gusset and foot)

Place marker A after picking up and knitting the stitch between gusset and foot.

Work pattern across top of foot, place marker B.

Now pick up and knit one extra stitch between the top of the foot and the next side of the gusset, pick up and knit 16 garter bumps from heel flap. (You now have 84 stitches on your needles, 32 from marker A to B, 52 from marker B to A.)

Knit one round plain (no increasing/decreasing, follow pattern at top of the foot)

After knitting this round, stop three stitches before marker A.

Round 1: K2TOG, K 1, sm, work in pattern to next marker, sm, K1, SSK, continue to round 2.

Round 2: Knit to marker, sm, work in pattern to next marker, sm, knit to three stitches before marker A. Continue to round 1.

Repeat these two rounds until you have 32 stitches left between marker B and A

Foot:

Continue working in pattern across top of foot and knitting along the bottom until foot length measures 1.5 inches less than desired length.

Toe:

Start toe decreases three stitches before marker A (When knitting in the round becomes uncomfortable, switch to Double Point Needles)

Round 1: K2TOG, K1, sm, K1, SSK, Knit to three stitches before next marker, K2TOG, K1, sm, K1, SSK knit to the end of the round.

Round 2: Knit entire round

Repeat these two rounds until sock measures length of foot. (Stitch count will be determined by the length of your toe box.)

Complete the sock with a kitchener stitch.

When finished with the kitchener stitch, weave in all ends and wear with pride! Blocking makes your socks look amazing but is not necessary.

Dillon Shawl

Hi Knitters! 

I have a new pattern out and a lot to say about it! Dillon is my newest creation I've unleashed to the knitting community, it's on Ravelry, as well as my e-commerse store. 

If you don't know/haven't seen, Ravelry has updated their user interface and layout. They did this quite quickly and many knitters have had adverse health effects from it. There has been reports of migraines, losing/blurred eye site, and seizures. I don't feel comfortable with Ravelry as my only platform with the way they are handling/not handling this. I'm introducing Payhip as another platform that will host my pattern PDFs. Right now I only have a few patterns up but I will have the rest of them up by the end of July. 

If you don't have access to your patterns you have already purchased from me on Ravelry please email me at skreun1@gmail.com and once I confirm I'll email you back a copy of your pattern. Please don't go into the comments of this post to rant about the detriment to peoples health not being true. It isn't your body, you don't get to comment. Now to switch gears...

Dillon, is a great stepping stone to two-color brioche! This shawl utilizes the same corrugated garter technique that many two-color brioche shawls use (here is a link to a blog post about a shawl I knit a few years ago that uses the technique.) 

I would recommend high contrast yarns for this project. I started out with the most gorgeous variegated combo and a solid that pulled colors from the variegated. Did not work. You couldn't see the corrugated effect at all! So when you swatch for this project, swatch in the corrugated garter section not just regular garter. I had a variety of bases that were used by testers (wool, wool/silk, synthetic) and they all worked great! Just make sure you have enough of the yardage discussed below. 

I used 420 yards of my first color (orange) and 600 of the second (blue) so if you have some of those fabulous 600 yard shawl skeins this would be the perfect project to combine with a single skein! I also really encourage following the slipped edge instructions diligently. This is how you achieve that nice crisp edge. I hope you love it as much as I do! Can't wait to see your color combos. Happy Knitting! - Sierra