Crochet pattern for Knitting Together project

I recently came across a lovely craftivism project called Knitting Together that uses simple, knitted finger puppets to raise awareness about loneliness. This wonderful campaign is organized by The Marmalade Trust and the Impact Alliance. It launched as part of Loneliness Awareness Week last month, a national movement dedicated to opening up conversations and building meaningful community connections. I had to write a crochet version inspired by the knitted pattern.

For details of how to take part please refer back to the campaign website. 

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I have written a 4 ply/fingering weight and a DK version - perfect for using up scraps. Patterns are not tech-edited yet.

Materials: 

*Small quantities of yarn for hair, face & body plus even snaller amounts for facial features eyes & mouth. 

*3mm crochet hook for 4ply version, 4mm for DK version

*Stitch marker to mark first stitch of each round 

US crochet terms and working in continuous rounds. 

4 ply version

‐‐---‐-----------------

Start in hair colour 

Either ch2 and 8 sc into 2nd ch or 8 sc into a magic ring

Round 1: increase in every sc (16 sc). 

Round 2: 6 sc hair colour, 4 sc skin colour, 6 sc hair colour.

Round 3: 5 sc hair, 6 sc skin, 5 sc hair. 

Round 4: 4 sc hair, 8 sc skin, 4 sc hair. Round 5: 16 sc skin

Change to body colour 

Round 6 (make arms): 4sc, ch15, turn, skip 1ch, slst14, sc8, ch15, turn, skip 1ch, slst14, 4sc. 

Rounds 7-12: sc16 Round 15: Long sc16 over round 13 to create to create double thickness final round. Finish off.

Add eyes, mouth, hair as required

DK version

--‐----------------

In hair colour ch2, 6 sc into 2nd ch or 6 sc into magic ring.

Round 1: increase in every sc, (12 sc). 

Round 2: 4 sc hair colour, 4 sc skin colour, 4 sc hair colour

Round 3: 3 sc hair, 6 sc skin, 3 sc hair

Round 4: 2 sc hair, 8 sc skin, 2 sc hair

Round 5: 12 sc skin

Change to body colour 

Round 6 (make arms): 3 sc, ch11,  turn, skip 1ch, slst10, 6 sc, ch11, turn, skip 1ch, slst10, 3 sc

Rounds 7-12: sc12

Round 15: long sc 12 over round 13 to create to create double thickness final 

Finish off.

Add eyes, mouth, hair as required

Stitch to Change at The Big Flock THIS weekend!

Jon and Clare of Birdstreet Yarn are the sweetest people hosting regular wonderful "Flock" gatherings of yarn people locally for several years now. And this weekend they are going BIG - with a Bristol Yarn Festival. Whoop! Whoop! And I've organised free Craftivism workshops for both Saturday and Sunday hosted by me and four other wonderful Bristol Craftivists equally as passionate about making a difference. I am beyond excited about inspiring thirty-two people to use their craft to take action about the issues they care about. 

Stitch to Change: a Craftivism Workshop – Bristol Craftivists 

Join Bristol Craftivists for a hands-on workshop where creativity meets activism. Through knitting and crochet, we’ll explore how crafts can make a powerful statement in tackling the issues you care about.

• Who’s it for? Open to all skill levels, from beginners to seasoned crafters.

• Duration: 90 minutes

• Why join? Be part of a growing movement using craft to inspire action, raise awareness, and build a community of changemakers. 

Let’s use our needles and hooks to start conversations, spread hope, and fight for a sustainable future. Free of charge & all materials provided.

And I'm making the workshop handout available here: 

PDF handout

Accessible versions:

Plain text Word document handout 

Plain text Text document handout 

Crochet Stitch of the Week by Chat GPT - Primrose Stitch

 

Primrose Stitch Tutorial

A crochet stitch of the week by ChatGPT with a little tech edit from me for the teenage crochet club.

US terms

The Primrose Stitch creates a beautiful textured pattern that resembles a field of blooming primrose flowers. It's a versatile stitch that can be used for a wide range of projects, including blankets, scarves, and garments.

Step 1: Start with a foundation chain in multiples of 3 plus 2 additional chains for turning.

Step 2: Row 1: Skip the first two chains from the hook (counts as a single crochet stitch), then (single crochet, chain 2, single crochet) all in the next chain, skip 2 chains. Repeat this pattern across the row until you have two chains remaining. Skip 1 chain, then single crochet in the last chain.

Step 3: Row 2: Chain 2 (counts as a double crochet), turn your work. work (single crochet, chain 2, single crochet) all in the chain-2 space from the previous row. Repeat this pattern in each chain-2 space across the row. End the row with a double crochet in the last single crochet stitch from the previous row.

Step 4: Repeat Row 2 for the desired length of your project.

The Primrose Stitch creates a lovely, textured fabric with a combination of single crochet stitches and chain-2 spaces.

UK terms

Step 2: Row 1: Skip the first two chains from the hook (counts as a double crochet stitch), then (double crochet, chain 2, double crochet) all in the next chain, skip 2 chains. Repeat this pattern across the row until you have two chains remaining. Skip 1 chain, then double crochet in the last chain.

Step 3: Row 2: Chain 2 (counts as a treble crochet), turn your work.  work (double crochet, chain 2, double crochet) all in the chain-2 space from the previous row. Repeat this pattern in each chain-2 space across the row. End the row with a treble crochet in the last double crochet stitch from the previous row.

Stitches for Survival Interview in Bristol Cathedral

Jacqueline Walker interviews Tamara Gooderham about Stitches for survival the mile and a half long scarf with climate change messsges heading for COP26 in Glasgow. Listen to the Audio Podcast

Uploaded with permission by the Producer Anthea Page

This interview has already aired on BBC via BCFM Bristol Community Radio / Bradley Stoke Radio & Back Chat

More details on this Climate Action Craftivism project at https://stitchesforsurvival.earth/ 

Craftivist Project - Stitches for Survival

I've recently become involved with a craftivist project - Stitches for Survival - introduced to me by my sweet local friend Jan who runs an established group of stitching craftivists in Bristol. Stitches for Survival is a group of crafters across the UK crafting a 1.5 mile scarf of climate messages for the COP26 UN climate change conference. The length represents the 1.5 degree target to limit global warming set in the Paris agreement.

The timing feels right. We are coming out of lockdown and we need a new focus - something that really matters that uses our crafty skills, don't we?

There are several things that appeal to me about this particular project:

* The timescales are long (I don't like to feel rushed)

We will display the completed project at the COP26 take place in Glasgow in November. We have six months. And there's also an option to campaign locally with our individual and group projects in the lead up to the main event, if we want to.

*  The project scope is broad (I do love inclusivity)

Scarf panels (60x100cm) can be crocheted or knitted or sewn or quilted or woven, in other words created in any craft. And it's not just for the proficient - we have craftivists learning to crochet, knit and stitch specifically for this project. I am teaching again - YES!

* Our panel reflects what we care about (We can personalise it)

We are using predominantly green or blue materials from stash or donations to send a message that we care about the environment. That makes sense. However, the design can be our own and include letters or other decorative elements. I swim outdoors so my panel has a background of waves and I'm making a message with crochet letters. I haven't finalised my message yet.

So if this appeals to you and you'd like to get involved the website with all the details is stitchesforsurvival.earth and there's a Stitches for Survival Facebook group. And if you're in Bristol I'm a regional coordinator so email me for more details about what's going on locally tamara@craftyescapism.com

1st Bristol #stitches4survival event

Listen to the Audio Podcast

Crochet Powers Activate!

Here in the UK, it's Mental Health Awareness Week so it's time for my blog to emerge from hibernation to chat a little about how crochet helps me and include some craft related resources too. 

This year's theme is kindness. I am awful at being kind to myself and about the only regular self-care I have is crochet. The chores can wait. My craft is for me. 

With crochet, I have so many choices, not just what yarn to select from my current collection but patterns in books and magazines, my Ravelry library and favourites list... When the rest of life feels limiting, crochet is not. There's always another rabbit hole to dive into, a new technique to learn - what joy. Gosh, I might even knit something.

Crochet makes me feel strong and capable. I can do it! When I pick up a hook, I feel my crochet powers activate. When I wear something I've made, I feel fantastic. But you don't have to be proficient - I've witnessed the same kind of joy from complete beginners I've taught, delighted after producing a few rows of crochet. And when you make that first actual thing, that's recognisable as something - what a feeling!  Take it one step further and you can even make a difference in the world with Craftivism. 

I am one of the most positive people you know, a natural cheerleader, but I too have flat days and quite often these flat days join up. And it's sometimes scary not knowing when the flatness will lift and I'll be that fun version of me again. But I can still pick up my hook when I feel frozen. Crochet fits in with the flat.

Each project reminds me and connects me to cherished people and places that I love - a pattern designed by a friend, yarn I bought on holiday or from my favorite local yarn shop, making a gift for someone or crocheting for a cause. A crochetalong.... I love a crochetalong. Have you done one of those? I'm not alone when I have my hook in hand.

And then, there's the warm, inclusive community - too many to mention individually. I attended my first ever knit and natter event in a local pub in 2011, nine years ago. How fun was that to meet like-minded people and drink West Country cider!? It was a revelation! Craft retreat days, a whole day, what bliss! Attending a retreat was the catalyst to starting my own craft group. Then I have my sweet friends at Nimblefingers in Texas where I taught. Aahhh, I miss y'all. And at AlterKnit Universe in Cleeve, Somerset, where I've been teaching crochet socks since I've returned to Bristol, I've found wonderful people too. We crafty folk encourage and support each other.
In lockdown, we yarn lovers already know how to be slow. We have years' worth of stock-piled yarn in our collection, squirreled away. We are content to be at home, up to a point. Right now crochet bookends my days. It's definitely a mindful habit, all the counting, the repetitive stitches. My current projects are taking my mind outdoors: a glorious flamingo amigurumi reminding me of sightings in the wild on a road trip from Texas to Florida. A stripy tank top (oh yeah, tank tops ARE cool) made from all natural woolly wool from sheep in Moab in Utah and the Isles of Mull and Iona....

Here are some resources, in no particular order: 

5 mindful crochet stitches from the Dora Does blog

A mindful crochet/knitting exercise  on Lynne Rowe's blog
Mindful crochet with Lynne Rowe videos from Black Sheep Wools
Stitchlinks "Wellbeing at your fingertips" research

How crochet heals people from Kathyrn Vercillo's blog

craft+activism = craftivism 

Crochet Luna button badges (including Crochet Powers Activate!) UK USA 

Do let me know if you have any other helpful resources, either comment in my blog or send a message and I'll add them. Take care everyone, I'll see you out there crocheting! 

Listen to the Audio Podcast

Taking a blogging break...

Short & sweet

I promised a quarterly update - it's time - and so here I am with my three of my most popular blog items to date, which you may or may not already be familiar with. And then I go off on a bit of tangent in my usual fashion... 

1. My call to arms (or hooks)!

Read: The Craftivism Manifesto 

And related to this - A book review of How To Be A Craftivist - essential reading, put it on your summer reading list.

2. My sock crojo is BACK!

Read: Crochet Sock Resources  from a Crochet Sock Along run by fabulous Fay & fantastic Claudia.

And at long last I'm teaching again - a class on Crochet Socks at a wonderful local yarn store Alterknit Universe in October. Do get in touch if you want a place! Kim, the sweet owner, led me down the fluffy rabbit hole of spinning with a drop spindle this month for the #tourdefleece. More details on what's that's all about here.

3. Can't get Crochet Garments out of my head!

Read: Crochet Sweater Resources from the Back to School Sweater CAL run by myself & lovely Helen 

And if you love crochet garments too, join the My Crochet Wardrobe Facebook group run by super Dora Explored. I can also highly recommend Tech Editor / Math(s) Teacher guru Lindsey Stephens' very useful Body Basics book (a primer on body measurements critical to garment design) if you're thinking of designing or like me, starting to tech edit crochet sweaters. 

And a shout out ...

Two friends Lisa and Sophie have set up a new Ravelry group The Craft Bank. It's "a place for people who want to pay it forward and donate the cost of crochet patterns, knit patterns, destash yarn or provide yarn support." Such a great idea! Go check it out!

I'll be back with another little update of some sort later in the year. In the meantime, please do find me on all the social media Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and also on Ravelry as Crafty Escapism. Hope you're having a wonderful summer all! And hook on!

Listen to the Audio Podcast

Springtime ramblings - a quarterly crafty update

It's time for a blog post. I'm going to call it springtime ramblings. And my plan for the blog/podcast - it has taken me forever to figure this out - is to produce it once a quarter - surely I can manage that? And I'll make it a bit of a chatty update. Thank goodness for Instagram to remind me of what I've been up to! I've grouped my chatter under four headings - Social, Projects, Career and Other Highlights.

SOCIAL: MEETING CRAFTY PEOPLE 

I have been crafting with my regular group at a local pub every 2nd and 4th Tuesday. We are not a large group but we are getting to know each other very well. I've managed to persuade my oldest friend from Bristol to return to knitting - we lived together in a big shared house 22 years ago - and join us. I just found out another one of our group has her own Etsy shop RachsCrochetFriends for the cute amigurumi we admire at each meeting. Very cool! I also managed a new meet up last week - a lovely small group in the centre of town and made it to the January meeting of a larger more established last Monday of the month group. There are groups a plenty in Bristol to join in with and I love being part of all of these little communities of people sharing a similar love for yarn!

I took part in the International Fibre Share yarn swap for the first time in February. You need an instagram account to participate, fill in a questionnaire on your yarn preferences, pay $8 and then are matched with two other crafters - one to send to and the other to received yarn from. The minimum requirement is to send 200g of yarn/fiber by a set date. I was partnered up with two awesome fellow crafters - one in Germany @demelzathecat and the other in the Czech Republic @denisavlcak. It was really fun, you get to know each other, receive some happy mail and I'll probably sign up again.  

And I was invited by my dear friend and talented crochet designer Jo (@jojotwinkletoes) to the first Flock / South West Knitters get together in a cute village hall nearby - a day of mingling with other local yarn lovers, playing games, eating cake plus a little shopping. I'm hoping this will become a regular event. I am planning to attend Wonderwool Wales on Saturday 27th April - get in touch if you want to meet up or share a ride. It's a "Festival of Welsh Wool and Natural Fibres" and it's meant to be a really good one! 

PROJECTS: MAINLY SOCKS & SHAWLS

Since we moved back to England and the weather has cooled down I have been wearing my own handmade socks and shawls EVERY DAY. I am not exaggerating. It's wonderful to have an opportunity to wear all the yarn after six years living in the warmer Texan climate. My socks have become very popular in the last few months with my family - our first winter back in the UK for seven years. My husband actually told me to focus only on making socks, for him. It's good to feel so much in demand but I really can't keep up. On the theme of socks - wonderful Claudia of the Crochet Luna Podcast is running a sock theme CAL (crochetalong) for the whole year - yay - for crochet and knit socks. Get yourself over to the Sock it to Me thread in the Crochet Luna Podcast Ravelry group to join in the chatter. I'm a moderator there and "crochet sock guru" - ha ha! Here are some FOs (finished objects) of mine...  

From top left clockwise: Perspective by @karenwhooley 
Doppio Colosseum by @faydhdesigns 
scrappy stripe knitted Basic Socks by @winwickmum 
& Fabulous Socks! by @mrsdaftspaniel

The Ribbet Tee by @detroitknots

CAREER: TEACHING & TECH-EDITING

I will be teaching at two local Age UK Friends Ageing Better events shortly. It was so much fun chatting, crafting and eating yummy cake at the last event in mid November. Best morning of volunteering ever! I'm not teaching enough really but if I can work it around my day job and the family and the dog, trying to stay fit, and all the yarny get togethers I will... I really love teaching and hanging out with older people. And they seem to enjoy me too. We become quite giddy together - there is not always a lot of learning - maybe it's all the sugar in the cake!  

And rather surprisingly my tech editing career is now up and running. I have regular paying clients. Yay! And they are lovely to work with. And it's flexible and I can fit it in around my life. Four of the patterns I have tech-edited have now been published on Ravelry. Look at all this crochet loveliness:

Fabulous Socks by Marta Mitchell / MrsDaftSpaniel
Waking Winter by Rosina Northcott / Zeens and Roger
Aideen Wrap by Carmen Heffernan / Annie Design Crochet
Waroo by Deanne Ramsey / Addydae Designs

And I've learnt how to make crochet charts for one of my clients using Crochet Charts Stitchworks Software. It has been very fun fiddling around with this. And I have got to grips with garment grading - I"m going to be tech-editing a gorgeous crochet sweater for one of my lovely crochet designer clients soon. Exciting! And I've managed to get a page up on my website on tech-editing and teaching. Go me! 


OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

There was a Yarn bomb on College Green right by my office. What a delight! Local volunteers made these gorgeous knit and crochet hearts to celebrate the community support given to the @aboveandbeyondcharity Bristol Heart Institute Appeal. Beautiful! This really cheered me up for a couple of dreary weeks in February.

I also visited a new to me yarn store: Alterknit Universe. Oh my, it was the briefest of visits but I really want to return. It is such a gorgeous welcoming place. They have a Sunday afternoon knit group - crochet is permitted too. So tempting!

Planning to be back at the end of June with another blog post / podcast episode.... In the meantime find me on all the social media Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and also on Ravelry as Crafty Escapism. Until then happy springtime y'all!!

Listen to the Audio Podcast

Book Revew: The Art of Crochet Blankets by Rachele Carmona

Happy New Year readers and listeners!

I'm back with a book review of a new crochet pattern book - The Art of Crochet Blankets by Rachele Carmona, of Cypress Textiles. Even though I've moved back to the UK this summer, Interweave continues to send me a list of publications to pick from to review on my blog. I only pick the ones that I know that I will love and I write the review in exchange for a free copy of the book. Hurray for Interweave!! 

Back in September, several of the Sheepjes bloggers at Yarndale told me about the most amazing crochet blanket book one of their fellow bloggers Rachele Carmona had coming out soon. So when Interweave asked if I would like to review this book I was keen to find out what these amazing blankets looked like!

Rachele lives in Houston, Texas where I also lived for six years! Why didn't we meet? And I missed her at Yarndale in Skipton, Yorkshire this September, in attendance with all the Sheepjes bloggers. 

Rachele's amazing blanket designs are inspired by other art forms. They are fusion works of art themselves. She has selected influencers in six art fields (weaving, digital art, fabric design, paper cutting, cement tile and quilting) and drawn her inspiration from three works by each artist. And the resulting blankets look quite different.

The book consists of mainly written instructions and helpfully some of the more complicated motifs and borders are charted. There are also colour chart schematics too.  There are plenty of techniques to keep you entertained - puff and bobble stitches with great textures, corner to corner technique and a whole host of different clever joining techniques. But what stands out most for me from this book is the fabulous use of colour - in both the colourwork of individual motifs but also the way the colours are put together. I also very much appreciate that Rachele has included a techniques section where she shares her tips, sometimes nonstandard, for making stitches as neat as possible. This is invaluable information from a guru of crochet blankets - she has made over 300!! And she started out like many of us did with granny square blankets!

My three top picks from the 18 fantastic blankets are: 

• Color Garden - This blanket features amazing paper cut flower petals crocheted in stacked layers. They are then randomly placed (but Rachele tells you how many to make, how and where to join them together!) This design inspired by Flora by paper cutting artist Maud Vantours
• Moroccan Tile - I just love the fresh blue and cream geometric squares inspired by cement tiles by designer Caitlin Dowe-Sandes.
• Ombré Stripe This design is inspired by Tula Pink's Shoreline quilt with monochrome long colour changing yarn.  I can imagine having so much fun cutting up yarn to achieve this effect. 

All of the patterns are up as projects on Ravelry here and Ombré Stripe is coming out top right now as Rachele's most favourited blanket. If you're looking for a more unique blanket design look no further than one of these works of fusion art.

I do apologise for being so intermittent in posting but you can find me more regularly on all the social media Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and also on Ravelry as Crafty Escapism. 

Listen to the Audio Podcast

Coastal Crochet

Hello! I'm back with another blog post!  Feeling refreshed after our half-term holiday in North Cornwall with my hubby, the kids and the dog. We spent cold but sunny days hiking different parts of the gorgeous coast path, enjoying views of the dramatic cliffs, exploring secluded beaches, rock pools and caves at low tide, cooking on a Rayburn stove in our cosy cottage and visiting a number of dog-friendly pubs. We used to visit this beautiful part of Britain every year in the Fall/Autumn before we moved to Texas. It was so good to be back after seven years! Our kids can certainly walk a lot further now!

Cornwall was a very fitting location, as Socktober's SockCAL2018 came to an end, for reading, reviewing and starting my first project from Coastal Crochet, a collection of crochet patterns inspired by the west coast of the United States, written by my friend and talented crochet designer Karen Whooley. 

I first discovered Karen when I started making crochet socks and have made several of her designs, socks and shawls, since then. I won a copy of her wonderful last book A Garden of Shawls listening to a live interview with Marly Bird. I test-crocheted Moonlight Socks for Karen, she gave me a discount for her patterns when I was teaching a crochet sock class at Houston Fiber Fest and most recently she kindly wrote a post for us for our Crochet Sock Blog Hop. Karen is wonderful. I could go on...

There are 12 gorgeous projects in Coastal Crochet - six shawls/scarfs, three sweaters/cardigans, a cowl and mitt set, a top and a hat. Each project has full written instructions, charts and a helpful schematic outline.  Karen has used beautiful yarn from indie dyers, which I love. And I've met two in person (and bought their lovely yarn) Karen from Round Table Yarns is from Texas and Nimblefingers hosts a trunk show for Sabrina at Anzula.

I would recommend this book for adventurous beginners or intermediates. The designs call for lace and fingering weight yarn so give fantastic drape but are more challenging to work with. And there are plenty of fun stitches and techniques used in the projects to keep things interesting - foundation chains, post stitches, cables and short row shaping. 

When I look at the designs I can tell that they are going to look even better in real life. I don't if you know what I'm what talking about when I say this. I want them to come out of the pages. I have started the first of the designs, Perspective, because I loved the look of the short row shaping and had suitable yarn in my stash - two balls of variegated silk merino lace weight yarn purchased from Nimblefingers just before we left this summer. 

My next two projects from the book, unless I become distracted which happens so easily, would be Tidepool, a cute hat made from post front double crochets with an intriguing hidden seam and Mist, a gorgeous cardigan constructed from three rectangles. Like Karen I love simple designs that look intricate.

Do head over to Karen's website for more information on Coastal Crochet. Karen sent me an electronic version of the book for free for this review (thank you Karen!) but I also bought a hard copy of the book on Amazon.co.uk to support her marvelous work and I need it on my shelf - I'm an avid collector of the best crochet books out there.

Life is about to become very busy again (back to the day job and a side gig as a trainee crochet tech editor (!!)) so I might not be blogging or podcasting for a while but you can find me on all the social media Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and also on Ravelry as Crafty Escapism. Hope you're all enjoying Fall y'all!

Listen to the Audio Podcast

Crochet sock making tips

Hello current and future crochet sock lovers!!! This is our first blog post kicking off a series of posts for the Sock Along which starts in two weeks time on Saturday 29th September. I’m sharing some tips that I’ve learnt while making crochet socks for myself and others and also teaching crochet sock workshops. Next week we will have a post from Fay on her Knit it Hook it Craft it Blog on Yarn Choice. 

 

 

 

 

1. START THICK Try making your first crochet socks with a thicker yarn and corresponding larger hook if you're not used to crocheting with fingering weight yarn. Lightweight yarn can be fiddly to work with and if you're new to crochet socks, having difficulty with fiddly yarn and getting your head around new techniques there might just be too much going on at once.

 

2. START SMALL If the idea of a full-sized sock is putting you off, why not start with a small sock? I designed a small sock for my students at the Houston Fiber Fest last year and this pattern is available for free during the crochet along. It won’t take as long, you only need a small amount of yarn and you will learn some of the techniques required. Then tackle a full-size sock.

3.   START TOE-UP In my opinion, it’s best to start with a toe-up sock because it’s easier to try it on as you go and make changes if you need to.

4.   JOIN A CAL The absolute best way to make crochet socks for the first time is to join a crochet along. Then you can easily ask questions if you get stuck. If you’re shy about asking, it’s more than likely someone else will ask the same question you were unsure of and you will benefit from lurking around. I made the first pair of socks that actually fitted me in a CAL. We have some very experienced crochet sock makers in Claudia’s Ravelry group thread, and we are setting up a bundle of recommended patterns. The chatter has already begun in anticipation so head over to the Sock It To Me thread and join in (or lurk).

5.   READ YOUR PATTERN Take some time to read the whole sock pattern through thoroughly before you start. You need to visualize the anatomy of your sock before you begin. When I first started teaching my open project classes one of my students asked me about the sock gusset and I realized I hadn’t a clue where or what it was. I had to quickly educate myself. Karen Whooley’s first pattern in her classic book I Can’t Believe I’m Crocheting Socks are color-coded to show cuff, leg, gusset, foot and toe. What a revelation! I recreated this sock for my workshops and it is SO helpful.

6.   CHECK YOUR GAUGE. Like crochet sweaters, crochet socks have to fit well, especially if you want them to function as socks that you wear under your shoes. Your sock will be worked in the round (usually) so work your gauge swatch in the round. If you have too many stitches you’ll go up a hook size, too few stitches, go down a hook size. Hook that swatch again and check your gauge once more.

7.   MEASURE YOUR FOOT. The width is more important than the length since most patterns ask you to repeat until a certain length for foot and leg. Choose a size that is closest to your foot measurement. If in doubt, pick the size smaller than your foot, not larger.

8.   STITCH MARKERS ARE YOUR FRIENDS Use stitch markers to mark each side when working toes and short rows and place one at the beginning of your round when working in the round. Move it up each round. Sometimes I don’t have a stitch marker to hand and I think “I’ll just wing it” but no, it’s a big mistake. When crocheting in the round if you mess up you can count the number of stitches you have in one round if you have a stitch marker in the first stitch. Likewise, if you mess up you can rip back a single round to the stitch marker and try again. Without a stitch marker you’ll probably have to start from the beginning again.

9.   AVOID SECOND SOCK SYNDROME Work your socks two at a time. In other words, hook the cuff of sock 1, then the cuff of sock 2, leg of sock 1, leg of sock 2 etc. This helps you to avoid second sock syndrome. When you’ve made one sock you’ll be really excited, thinking “hurray I made a sock” but you may well have peaked and not have the emotional energy to make sock number two. Another very real danger is you are very relaxed making sock number 1 and then less relaxed when you make sock number 2 (or vice versa) and one sock ends up larger than the other. This has happened to me. The tension of your work changes depending on how relaxed or uptight you feel. You can wind your sock yarn into two balls, weighing them so that they are of equal size. Or I often just use the same ball if it’s a center pull ball, using yarn from the outside of the ball for sock #1 and inside for sock #2. It’s a bit fiddly really. Two balls work better.

10. SACRIFICIAL SOCK The first pattern you try might not work but persevere! Try out a number of patterns with different heels, toes and cuffs to find your personal favorite. Kathryn from Crafternoon Treats in one of her recent podcasts said that your first sock is often a sacrificial one! I’d agree. My first sock didn’t stretch at all. I realized single crochet (US terms) was not the best stitch for a crochet sock and made a better choice for my next pair of socks! It’s all part of the fun!

Hope you found these tips useful! I can't wait for the Sock Along to begin!

 

Listen to the Audio Podcast