Toddler socks, finished and in progress

Ah, love the toddler socks. (Hate taking pics of said toddler without a flash!) :)



Toe up toddler k2 p2 socks
(Thanks to Simple Socks: Plain and Fancy!)
Started: July 26, 2006
Finished: July 29, 2006
Opal Krokodil colorway #31
US 2.5 (3.0mm) dpns, 4
24 grams total

This was the leftover yarn from my "recent" Yarrow ribbed socks... I knit them toe up using Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' book Simple Socks: Plain & Fancy to make sure I used all of the yarn. My bumblebee's foot is 5.5" long and 6" around (blocksocks!), and I used the Susanne's ebony US 2.5 (3.0mm) 4" double pointed glove needles and got 8 sts/inch. I ended up w/ 48 sts total for the foot & leg, knit the instep with k2 p2 ribbing for 5" and started the heel (which made a foot of 6" in length... I usually make the toddler socks without negative ease but with ribbing on the instep, and a little longer in the foot for my ease in getting them on a squirmbot and making them last a little longer on ever-growing toes), then a k2 p2 cuff til the yarn ran out.

I'm awfully pleased at how quick they were. I haven't knit a pair of toddler socks in a long time, since I like to use dpns for them but the 7" ones just feel gigantic on the tiny socks and I've been avoiding it-- so the 4" are awesome. I am now wanting a pair of Susanne's ebony double points in US 1.5 (2.5mm) 4" length. I liked the sharper tip of the Susanne's, too... I didn't hurt myself with it (finger pushing knitter!) but I found it helpful when doing the somewhat awkward p3tog tbl for the short row heel & toes.



I also really liked the dpn length since the socks were so portable, more than any others ever. I put the tiny ball of yarn in my back pocket and could even slip the little sock on needles back there (and I didn't really worry about snapping the solid ebony needles either, but I didn't sit down or anything!)... I took it to Ikea (Ikea + Sat afternoon crush of bodies = panic attack time for me, the sock got worked on a lot as I avoided the crowds as much as I could), and to a park while little man played and I was bowled over. Smells like victory! :)

I liked this pair so much I started another...



Wyvern (toddler sized!) sock
Started: July 29, 2006
Koigu (kpppm), color P323 101
(not sure about the colorway #/dyelot)
US 0's (2.0mm) dpns, 4

Like I said, I was trying to ride the "glove length" needle wave and tried swatching the koigu on the US 2.5's, but the fabric was too open for my taste. My next choice were my US 0 Brittany in 5", nice length.

Note: "were."



2 needles bit the dust. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I mean, should I really be trying to knit with 2mm wood needles in the first place? Incidentally, I knit the foot of my left leaning cloverleaf sock on these needles, they were bendy but I didn't break them then. I wasn't doing anything weird or anything, thry both broke during the knit plain rounds of the instep pattern... too much decrease action makes britt a brittle needle. I've already emailed Brittany to have them replaced... though I don't see myself using them much in the future if they are.

I used the 48 st CO again, toe up with the same PGR method, and am using Marnie's "S" sized directions for the instep (26 st repeat), with 22 stockinette sole sts. Since I'm using such smaller needles and was getting 8 sts/inch in stockinette in the brittanys, the difference will fit the little one's tiny feeties. I did have a change in gauge when I switched out the needles though-- the metals are resulting in 8.5 sts/inch. Shouldn't be a problem though, its at the heel where I switched out. I will have to try this one on him when its done and see if I need to change the CO for the 2nd sock though, adding a few sts to the sole or something.

The pattern also pulls in so the fit should be good across the top. I am using a new (to me!) m1 increase I read about on Knitter's Review Forums-- lift up the st below the live st on the left hand needle and place on the L hand needle, knit this new st thru the back loop. No holes, and it results in an interesting "line" of sts when worked on top of each other in succession/EOR (I'll take a pic of this later). The KR link discusses places where it can be used appropriately, as it affects the subsequent fabric.

The colorway may be too dark for this pattern... something to think about as I choose a yarn for Theresa's Here There Be Dragons socks... Yahaira sez dragon skin socks are hott and all and seeing these Wyverns work up again, I'm closer to making a pair of the HTBDs for myself with that superman heel and toe. (I also bought Eunny's Chuck's Cabled Socks pattern, I'm still debating the colors though, that one will be on the back burner of the brain a bit.)

Back to the metal dpn grind :)


(bradyphrenia said in my flickr comments that she thinks I knit a lot of socks... where I bow to Alyssa's 6 PAIR she knit in JULY!!) :)