Grad Socks

I'm excited to announce my sister graduated college! YAY ELLIE! 

For those who don't know me in person, I have two younger sisters, currently 24 and going on 22. My sister Ellie is the middle sibling and graduated with her bachelors degree from UC Davis. 

Obviously we didn't have a traditional graduation as we are in the middle of COVID19 but we hosted our immediate family and Ellie's boyfriends family over for grad. 

It was amazing. This was so much better than sitting in the heat for hours like we did at mine. This was low key and fun in our backyard with snack and drinks, my nanny baby, and a quick virtual graduation. 

As this was such a big occasion I knit Ellie a pair of socks to commemorate, what was even better is that they are her school colors! All UC's have some combo of blue/yellow or gold as the colors. This yarn was given to me by a co-worker and friend from the yarn shop. Her mother had purchased the yarn in Switzerland and knew she was never going to knit with it. 

Ellie was very pleased with her gift and her graduation:) 

Garden Patch

It's summer time and that means self-striping patterns! Garden Patch was inspired by the fabulous garden my parents and many other people all around my small town have planted. I love seeing the small tidy rows of plants and raised garden boxes, all of these are reflected in the new design!

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: 

Panel A is worked on the first 32 stitches, Panel B is worked on the second 32 stitches.

Panel A	Panel B
Round 1: Knit	Round 1: Knit
Round 2: Knit	Round 2: K1, P1
Round 3: K2, P2
Round 4: K2, P2

Repeat panel rounds until you have reached preferred leg length.

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.

Scales Shawl

This shawl was so much fun to knit and a little harder to design. My method for designing is writing everything by hand first and then translating it to the computer. With this shawl I thought I wrote something wrong in my notes and changed it, come to find out that I messed the whole beginning repeat up!

Thanks to my amazing and patient test knitters I was able to move my repeat around. They found so many errors and corrections I wouldn't be able to do it without them! 

The only thing my family could agree on with this shawl is that it looks like scales; mermaid scales, fish scales, snake scales. Didn't seem to matter what kind so that is how the name came about. Welcome the Scales shawl to All Knit Up Designs portfolio!

Scales is a DK weight, mock cable, asymmetric triangle shawl that is so squishy! I knit mine with Yowza by Miss Babs and I love this yarn! I've got quite a few hanks of this amazing yarn hanging out in my stash and I knew that I needed to design a shawl that used a single skein.

This simple mock cable works great with variegated yarns to make them shine! My testers used solid colored yarns and the pattern stands out so well, click HERE to see the testers projects. I would suggest a yarn that has some drape to it and that will block out, this shawl essentially is 2x2 ribbing. If you choose to use a synthetic you will have to steam block the shawl to make it lay flat. 

Happy Knitting!

Sierra

Reverse Socks

My newest sock pattern is out and it's full of texture! Reverse Socks is an easy to memorize two row repeat that my testers just couldn't get enough of. The pattern is addictive and looks good with so many different types of yarn!

I knit mine in a neon speckled yarn that really showed off the texture but I had testers knit them in variegated, solid, and gradients and they all looked great! Reverse was written for cuff down and has four different sizes, 60-72 so they will fit a variety of people. 

As always with socks I suggest something with a bit of nylon to it (for strength) but you definitely don't have to if you prefer a 100% wool sock. 

Happy Knitting!

Sierra

Meridian Hat

I have a new pattern out and it's a hat! Meridian Hat is a companion piece to the Meridian Shawl that came out last fall.

Each design features an easy to memorize braid cable that looks complicated but is only four rows! the Meridian hat was knit out of Shalimar Yarns in their Breathless base which is a Merino, Cashmere, & Silk blend. This fingering weight yarn was so nice to knit with! The FO has amazing drape and feels so good but still enough structure that the cables show well and the hat hasn't stretched out.

I would personally choose to knit something like this in a solid or semi-solid. Almost all my test knitters went the opposite direction and chose variegated and they look amazing! You can check out their projects here to take a look at their ideas.

You can pretty much pick any kind of fingering weight yarn and have a great project. I would advise against a full out self patterning or 100% cotton (not enough memory), but have a stash dive and take a look!

Ellie's Birthday Socks

My middle sister is turning 24! Each year we comment on how old we are, which makes my parents even older. To me it's even more astounding when my siblings hit certain milestones vs me. I'm the oldest so when the other two start getting older I'm shocked!

For the last few years for Christmas, important events, and birthdays my sisters have gotten socks. This year my sister Ellie (the middle sister) has her birthday and college graduation in the same weekend. Right now we are in the midst of COVID19 so we won't be having a graduation ceremony but that doesn't mean that this is any less of an achievement or any less important.

This yarn is one I picked up in Port Angeles WA when my mom and I went to visit a couple of years ago. My families hope is to make this area our new home. It's lovely and way less hot than California, we are taking a trip up again for 4th of July.

This is my basic vanilla pattern, not one I've written out but if you take out any of the patterning from my sock patterns you have my vanilla sock.

Happy Birthday Ellie!

Duplo Socks

I love simple and easy to memorize patterns (kind of the whole idea of my company) and Duplo Socks  definitely lives up to those expectations. Duplo Socks are a basket weave variation that works with so many different dye styles!

I designed the socks in a variegated yarn but had a variety of dye styles from the tests. I loved the ones that were done in a solid so the pattern really popped. I think the only dye style I would probably not knit these in is a self-patterning. 

I think both the pattern in the sock and the pattern in the yarn would hide each other. You won't get the full effect of the self-patterning yarn (which is amazing) but you also won't see the work that is put into the pattern. 

This pattern is an 8 stitches repeat so the cast-on sizes are 56, 64, and 72. There really isn't an easy way to add or takeaway stitches for this one. 

Happy Knitting! 

Sierra 

P.S. As always, this pattern is set up with a 'Pay What You Can' scale, meaning there are coupons codes to use on Ravelry that set the cost from 4.99-7.99. This means that the knitter gets to decide what to pay and makes my patterns more accessible while also giving me a fair wage. If you have any questions about this pay se-up please send me an email at skreun1@gmail.com