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

 

My crafty British life to date

Have been back in the UK ten weeks already. If you're new to my blog I'm from the UK but have been living in Houston, Texas for the last six years (teaching crochet at my wonderful local yarn store Nimblefingers there for the last four). Now I'm back! Mrs Persuasion, Fay from the Crochet Circle Podcast, has asked me to organise a blog hop for the upcoming Crochet Sock Along she's running with Claudia from the Crochet Luna Podcast (for more details see this page) and my kids started school this week so it's time to reincarnate the blog and record my accompanying podcast. 

I have been seeking out crafty folk since I've been back, finding my tribe, that kind of thing. We have an old-fashioned haberdashers, Sew and Sew, which has a selection of wool, in the village where I live (see, I can call it wool not yarn). Very handy. I pop in for a little natter when I can and for the odd purchase. Bath is just 12 miles away so I've managed to visit the fabulous Wool Bath for a squish on a day trip with my kids. And my parents live just twenty minutes from Dundee and the marvellous Fluph store so I've been to visit Leona there. I just can't not go when I'm in Scotland.

There's a very active yarn addicts Facebook group for my local postal area. They have a regular meetup at a local café so I'm making friends there. I've also found another group Bristol Knititiative run by students from the University of Bristol. They make bright blankets for the homeless. I do need charity crafting projects in my life. Next week another group starts up at my local pub. I'll be there with my crochet and a cheeky pint of West Country cider!

And perhaps the most exciting of all - I attended my first British fiber fest - the Southern Wool Show in Newbury earlier this month. I had the most FABULOUS day meeting up with loads of until now virtual friends - including dear Helen, crochet designer and blogger at Making at Number 14 who I ran the Back To School Crochetalong and Blog Hop with last year and fabulous Fay (Mrs Persuasion again) had a stand at the show selling her amazing craft accessories Knit It Hook It Craft It. I also attended a drop spindle class run by the amazing Fiona from A Little Bit Sheepish. Now I can spin! It was the best day ever!! 

I'll be back, next week, on September 15th with the first of the Crochet Sock Along blog posts - my tips on how to make crochet socks. Start psyching yourself up for all things sock! 

Listen to the Audio Podcast

Stash Busting, Grannies & YouTube

The great thing about writing my blog & recording my podcast monthly rather then weekly is that I have so much content - too much in fact. Here's some of the best bits... The year has started out with me firmly focused on stash busting. This year I'm going to be even better at it than usual because I have Lynne Rowe's Use it or Lose it campaign running for the whole year. I love "-alongs" that go on for the whole year. There is less pressure of a deadline. Some of the rules are a little harsh like removing a pattern from a magazine only if you have stash for it and otherwise giving the magazine away. I just can't do it so I am modifying the rules (I'm a master at modifying to suit) and Lynne says that's OK fortunately. So I am keeping the entire magazine if it contains more than a single pattern and even for the single patterns I'm pulling out I'm kind of optimistically imagining that I have exactly the right stash yarn to suit. Once you get started it's almost addictive. I've got through all my magazines now and I'm putting them into categories in a folder - crochet patterns are sorted into garments/accessories/other and I also have other craft projects and techniques.There are more details on Lynne's blog here on how to take part and chatter in Lynne's Ravelry group. There's also the hashtag #UseItOrLoseIt2018 on Instagram. Lynne sent over a helpful image of how to handle those magazines. Give it a go. Decluttering is very liberating.

Still on the theme of shifting some of my huge yarn collection, the ultimate stash busting project has to be granny squares. And rather conveniently this week the Granny square CAL or crochetalong has kicked off. Yay! It's hosted by Rosina of the Zeens and Roger podcast. I plan to make motifs for a poncho or garment of sorts and also at least one huge granny square blanket to donate. My lovely Yak and Yarn group make products to give to local charities. There are details here on Rosina's blog, chatter in her Ravelry group and a hashtag of course #GrannyCAL18 on Instagram. I found this amazing magazine dating from 1974 while I was decluttering. This one I am keeping unless Rosina really wants it!

The most exciting thing that has happened this year so far ... I've started making instructional videos for YouTube. I am a teacher and I've thought for a long time that this is what I should be doing. I've only got one up there so far so don't get overexcited. My inspiration has been my 11 year old son aka SnakeBoy Dude who recently started his own channel.  I'm recording short clips showing how to crochet different parts of a sock - toe, foot, heel... and so on. I'm using the pattern I wrote last year for my class that I taught at the Houston Fiber Fest: The Leftover Crochet Sock. It's a small toe up sock designed to cover some of the key techniques. I think I'm into double figure subscribers now. Go me!

I hope the start of your year has been fabulous. Are you going to join me in the Use it or Lose it Campaign and/or on the Granny CAL? Do let me know what you thought of my first video too. Have a wonderful month y'all and I'll be back here on the first Friday of March. In the meantime you can find me doing my crochet thing on Instagram, Twitter, Ravelry and Facebook as Craftyescapism. 

Listen to the Audio Podcast

Pattern Release: The Leftover Crochet Sock

My own pattern The Leftover Crochet Sock is now available for purchase. Please note that if you're searching for it on Ravelry it's called "The Leftover Sock" because the word "crochet" is a keyword. This is what I found out when I submitted my pattern name last week. I'm such a newbie! But I'm still calling it the Leftover Crochet Sock anyway. I launched the pattern this weekend at the Houston Fiber Fest from the Inner Loop Dyeworks booth (lovely Beth at Inner Loop Dyeworks gave me yarn support - beautiful Valentine and Electric Blue sock yarn).

I designed the sock for the class that I taught at the Fiber Fest on Crochet Sock Techniques so that it wasn't just me talking for two hours straight. Although I am sure I could probably ramble on about the back story of my crochet sock addiction for two hours and show them my sock samples and tell them all about the best designers etc......I used some very simple sock techniques in my pattern - short row heels and extended single crochet stitch. It's small and very quick to make. It comes in three sizes: 6-12 months, 1-3 years and 3-5 years. And I've called it the Leftover Crochet Sock because you can use up your leftover sock yarn - if you're anything like me you have leftover yarn and it's a problem!!

I need to say a big thank you to all the people who helped me get this pattern out. There are A LOT of people who go into producing a pattern. First Marie Segares for her Creative Yarn Entrepreneur podcast for telling me the proper way to do things in the Designing and Publishing Patterns mini series... And my super tech editor was Sam of A Simple Melody She was wonderful - and I really thought I'd picked up every little error and typo after reading it a approximately a million times but no - she pointed out a lot of mistakes and also made suggestions. She also checked it again after my test crocheters had tried it out Diane, Ilse and Cat. Diane went above and beyond taking step by step photos for me to give out to my students, without me even asking her to. Diane did get me into all this sock business though - she was the one at my Nimblefingers workshop who said she wanted to learn crochet socks... And then I had to get it looking pretty so Leah made it into a very good looking pdf.

I am running an introductory half price offer on my sock for a month until July 25th - it will be 50% off if you enter the code #houstonfiberfest2017 So if you fancy using up leftover sock yarn, have a little person in mind to make it for and are OK with a written pattern why not try it out and buy now

Hope you have a wonderful week. I'm going to do a write up of the Houston Fiber Fest for next week's blog so be sure to come back then!

Listen to the Audio Podcast

Hoston Fiber Fest is THIS Week!

Houston Fiber Fest starts THIS Friday June 23rd. I am SO excited!! I am going to be there on Saturday primarily visiting vendors and squishing their yarn but also hanging out with people and obviously I'll be there Sunday afternoon for the class I'm teaching.

Lester The Fiber Fest Mascot

Last year I attended just one day but I stayed for seven hours. I felt I had to get around as many vendors as possible so that I could record a really comprehensive audio review for Fay at the Crochet Circle Podcast. It was an amazingly fun day and I just can't wait to do it all over again!

This year I'll be spending some time at Inner Loop Dyeworks Booth #17 with Beth Bower. Beth is a fabulous indie dyer and she very kindly provided me with yarn support for the small crochet sock pattern I designed for my class. She even let me choose my colors and custom dyed them for me! Amazing! Thank you Beth - I'll see you on Saturday with my sock samples!! I'll be launching my sock pattern from her booth. It's called #theleftovercrochetsock because it's baby/toddler size and you can make it with leftover sock yarn once you've made an adult pair.

The meet up tables are back again this year so I will be at the crochet meet up table on Saturday at 12 midday.  It's a really fun way to meet new people who are into the same thing as you. Well obviously we're all massively into yarn but there are meet ups for spinners, weavers, stitch marker swaps and so on. Here is the meet up table schedule. And I'll also be meeting up with a group that I've joined very recently the really fun Houston Fiber Friends. It's going to be the best weekend ever!

Anyway have a wonderful week y'all and let me know if you're attending any fiber events over the summer. And do tell me if you're going to be at the Houston Fiber Fest so I can look out for you!!!

Listen to the Audio Podcast

Book Review - Step into Crochet

Working in a yarn store is just too tempting at times. The sweet owner, my boss Chris, knows about my passion for crochet socks so it took me all of three seconds to purchase Step into Crochet by Rohn Strong when she handed me the newly arrived copy.
I am a big Rohn Strong fan. I first discovered him last year when I bought his book New Methods for Crochet Socks and this led to me to join his Facebook group Crochet Sock Addicts! I took part in his July sock CAL (crochetalong). And on that CAL I made the first pair of crochet socks that actually fit me. I didn't know before I started trying to crochet socks that I have a wider than average ankle and I had to customize them for my feet.

Rohn also has thick ankles and the first pair of socks he crocheted didn't fit him either. He wrote Step into Crochet to help people crochet socks that fit by teaching them "all there is to know about crocheted socks". And the book does just that. There are four chapters covering technique at the beginning of the book before you even get to the patterns. These chapters cover measurement, gauge, sock construction, stitch choice, heels, toes and cuffs and yarn choice. My favorite page has to be "Top five ways to adjust patterns for a custom fit". So helpful for me with my nonstandard feet!!

When I buy books I do tend to go for the ones that cover technique being a teacher it helps me with my students' questions. The patterns are almost secondary.However the patterns in this book are wonderful!! There are eighteen, grouped into Simple, Textured and Cabled, Colorwork and Lace. The three Textured sock patterns in particular are calling to me. They are gorgeous. I feel a little intimidated by the colorwork socks - but I've decided to work up to them. I really like the fact that each pattern gives details on what kind of heel and toe construction is used. I think one of the best things about having a collection of sock patterns is going through them and trying out new types of construction. Then you'll find out what your personal favorite is...

I would highly recommend this book. Rohn told me it took two years to write and he crocheted every single sample. It has taken me three months to design and write up one basic small sock pattern so I'm extremely grateful that he's there sharing all these tips and producing such amazing designs for us!!

Have a great week y'all. And leave me a comment about your crochet sock experiences below. I'd love to know!

Listen to the Audio Podcast

The Anatomy of a Crochet Sock

The class I'm teaching at Houston Fiber Fest "Crochet Sock Techniques" is just four weeks away so socks are in my dreams and dominating my life right now.

I happily knit socks years ago merrily following the pattern without thinking too much. But it's being different being a teacher. They ask you questions. Helping a workshop attendee in the yarn store with their socks I realized I had no idea what turning the heel entailed or what exactly a gusset was. I only had the vaguest idea of how a sock was actually constructed. So when one of my longtime students wanted to learn to crochet socks I had a duty to find out and so the pursuit of the ultimate crochet sock began.

I have made a color-coded sock for my class as a teaching aid. I got this great idea from Karen Whooley's fabulous pattern book "I can't believe I'm crocheting socks". I finally cracked crochet socks with the help of this book. And I now know where the elusive gusset is. My demo sock is the basic cuff down version and each part is a different color - cuff, leg, heel flap, heel turn, gusset area, foot and toe. It's going to be very helpful.

And my crochet sock fame has spread and the lovely Claudia of the Crochet Luna Podcast in California asked me to be her "resident crochet sock expert" earlier this month on her new Ravelry thread "Sock it to me" - how cool is that? - so you can join me over there if you'd like to show us your socks or chat about the merits of different heel constructions and the like... How fun!

And if you're near Houston Texas I know there are still places on my crochet sock class on June 25th. I'd love to meet you in person! Grab your spot here.

Here's the Audio Podcast

 

Designing crochet socks

I've probably mentioned already that I'm teaching a crochet sock technique class at Houston Fiber Fest on 23rd June. Oh yes, I'm going to be famous! I decided to design my own small sock which can be completed in the two hour class to introduce my twelve students to some of the techniques. I could have asked a designer for permission to use one of their patterns and I will definitely be recommending patterns from designers that I have made and loved but I do enjoy a bit of a challenge.

 

My main focus has been teaching rather than designing....oh and the odd bit of blogging obviously here on craftyescapism.com And I have written a few simple patterns for my charity crochet group Yak & Yarn before but have yet to publish anything officially.

I really didn't know where to start but after listening to the seven part Crochet & Knitting Design & Self-Publishing Mini Series by Marie Segares on her wonderful Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Podcast show I felt ready.

It has however taken me weeks to finally send the design off to my tech editor. Partly this was due to the pattern writing process itself. I started off writing and making one size and picking up my favorite hook for socks but after my test crocheter said she wanted to make a toddler sock I had to get into gauge and grading. Things then became a lot more complicated. I was finally happy with my design and made the small size but couldn't help tweaking it a bit. Then I thought I'd make the largest size to see how much yardage I needed and figured out my stitch count was out on my small size. Argghh!

Then I was distracted by other unrelated crochet projects - CALs and test crocheting that I really shouldn't have taken on but I have no self control whatsoever. And then of course there is the rest of my life when I am not doing anything crochet related! I do wonder how designers manage to get a whole book of designs out. It is an incredible feat!

I'm working on the content of my class so if you have any questions about crochet socks please do let me know. I will endeavor to answer and it will be super helpful preparation!!  

Here's the Audio Podcast

Teaching at Houston Fiber Fest this June

I have hit the crochet professional big time! My proposal to teach a class at the fabulous Houston Fiber Fest was accepted. Yay! I have been teaching for around three years now, the last two and half at my local yarn store, so I thought it was time for a little challenge.

 

Last year I attended the Houston Fiber Fest for the first time. In fact, it was my first time ever visiting any fiber fest. Places are spread out in the US and with young children there isn't a lot of gallivanting around for me. Anyway, even though it was my first fiber fest ever I did manage to record an audio review of the event and it features on episode six of the superb Crochet Circle podcast around 40 odd minutes in.

I will be teaching crochet sock techniques. If you read my blog regularly you'll know that I was a little obsessed last year about finding the ultimate crochet sock pattern. Here are my blog articles on the topic if you missed them:

• The hunt for the ultimate crochet sock begins
• The crochet sock pursuit continues
• A serious case of crochet sock startitus
• Self-sabotaged socks (includes my completed socks - hurrah!)

The event takes place June 23-25 at the Berry Centre in Cypress, TX. It is truly yarntastic and well worth attending even if you're not one of the special twelve attendees who gets to hook socks with me! Check out the Fiber Fest website, Ravery group and Facebook group. Shall I meet you there?

I daresay you may see crochet socks popping up on my Instagram and Twitter accounts in the near future. I'm @craftyescapism if you hadn't guessed! Have a fantastic week y'all!

Five reasons to join a CAL

This month I've been taking part in a fun Crochet-a-long (CAL): the Crochet Guild of America CGOA Layers of Texture Infinity Scarf by the wonderful Marie Segares. And I thought I'd tell you the reasons why I really love being part of a CAL group.

But first, here's a definition of a CAL from 25 Crochet Terms Defined on Kathyrn Vercillo's Crochet Concupiscence blog:

CAL: As the name suggests, this is a project in which a number of people each crochet the same pattern at the same time, often from different locations. It’s a great way to gain a sense of community while crocheting and to create some deadlines for yourself.

1. Improve your skills
My main reason for joining a CAL is to learn a technique that I don't already know. I'm always looking for ways to build my skills. The Infinity Scarf is made in intermeshing crochet which I've never tried before. This technique is also called interlocking crochet and it's very similar to double filet crochet too. Last month I took part in a crochet sock CAL by Rohn Strong in his Crochet Sock Addict group. (I've been a little obsessed with mastering the crochet sock this summer! If you've been following my blog you'd know about this!)

2. Get help if you're stuck
In a CAL you have an opportunity to ask questions. My current CAL has a Facebook Group and a Ravelry thread for this. If you're too shy to ask questions, you are quite likely to find your answer looking at the issues that other people had and the solutions they found. It's also a valuable experience for me as a crochet teacher to see what difficulties people have and how they overcome them. It helps me support my students better when they get stuck. 

3. More likely to finish your project
Another reason to join a CAL is that you are more likely to actually finish your project. Seeing other people post their progress photos is wonderfully motivating! I was having such a hard time finishing a sock (I kept starting new ones) but last month's sock CAL did the trick. The CAL has a deadline that everyone works to. 

4. Being part of a group is fun!
I love the camaraderie of being a part of a group of people who are into the same thing as you are! It's fun to share your photos and see how other people are doing, look at their color combinations, like and comment on each other's progress...

5. And there are prizes too!
Everyone who finishes by a certain date goes into a prize draw. The haul for the CGOA CAL is pretty impressive. I'm not sure if one person gets the whole lot or several people get one prize each. Of course, rather inevitably, I've seen a book that I'd like to buy among the prizes (Indispensable Stitch Collection for Crocheters: 200 Stitch Patterns in Words and Symbols by Melissa Leapman published by Quarto Group)

Here's a super article on how to find and join your first or next crochet-a-long by Marie Segares on her Underground Crafter blog. Why not give it a whirl?

Self-sabotaged socks

I have self-sabotaged my latest pair of crochet socks - July's Bluebell from Rohn Strong's 2016 Sock Club by carefully swatching but then putting the wrong sized, too large, but similarly colored hook in the project bag and then getting on a plane from Edinburgh to Chicago and making almost a whole sock without realizing my mistake. Arrgggh! Here is the resulting still wearable, extremely cozy but tad too large sock #1.

I was introduced to a brand new stitch - linked double crochet which seems to lend itself well to sock construction. It's as stretchy as double crochet but dense like single crochet and makes quite an attractive horizontal ridge. The yarn is WSK Western Sky Knits - another wonderful hand-dyed marvel purchased at the Houston Fiber Fest. How I do love scrummy yarn from indie dyers!

And fantastic news - I actually managed to finish TWO pairs of socks since I wrote about my serious case of crochet sock startitis. Writing that article somehow spurred me onwards to completion.

My FIRST ever pair of completed crochet socks are Cabled Socks by Karen Whooley.  As a crochet sock newbie her extremely clear instructions helped me get my head around sock construction for the first time. Thank you Karen for showing me the way!

 

My second completed socks are Ribbed Socks by Rohn Strong, a crochet sockalong for July in his Facebook group Crochet Sock Addicts. Being part of a Crochet Along (CAL) motivated me to keep going.

I've written more notes about my completed crocheted Socks on Ravelry: Cabled Socks and Ribbed Socks if this is of interest.

I have now developed quite an addiction to crochet socks and I'm feeling ready to start asking family members for their foot measurements! I remember joining the sock club thinking - "one sock a month, surely I won't feel like making them as often as that..." but I've found crochet socks to have just the right amount of challenge, to be the most portable of projects, quick to complete and the resulting handmade sock is so pleasing!

I started the summer looking for the ultimate crochet sock pattern and have discovered there isn't just one pattern but many and perhaps the ultimate crochet project is a sock, well for me anyway!

A serious case of crochet sock startitis

I have developed a serious case of sock startisis. In case you're not familiar with the term here's the Urban Dictionary definition:

Startitis: noun - Repeatedly starting new projects while still having multiple uncompleted projects.

 

Melanie is plagued by startitis. She frequently starts knitting something new rather than finish her other incomplete projects.

 

 

 

I am definitely making great progress on my summer mission to find the ultimate crochet sock pattern and I'm learning SO MUCH about socks but I now have five socks started but not completed. It feels a little excessive.

Sock #1 is the Survival Socks pattern that appear in an earlier post of mine The Hunt for the Ultimate Crochet Sock Begins and I'm working on this with one of my students in the weekly workshop I run on a Friday at my local yarn store. And I'm almost there. It's a toe up design and I'm just finishing off the cuff ahead of my student so that's fine. 

Sock #2 is the current most popular sock on Ravelry coincidentally called the Ultimate Crocheted Sock (with an -ed) by Dorothy Hardy. This time the pattern called for an extended single crochet stitch and I just LOVE how stretchy this stitch makes my sock compared to single crochet. However, still being the sock novice I need photos really and there was an error in the pattern which threw me a bit. And something odd happened with my gauge - the sock is huge. (I have since discovered that I need to make the sock 1/2 inch to 1 inch smaller than my foot circumference because this stitch will stretch.) #2 has been abandoned.
 
Sock #3 is above. It's from Karen Ratto-Whooley's absolutely super book I Can't Believe I'm Crocheting Socks which I bought recently. It's the cabled sock and I'm using Premier Yarns Wool-Free Sock Stripes yarn in the Phoenix colorway purchased from Hobby Lobby. I had intended to make a basic sock from Karen's book. She has both cuff-down and toe-up basic sock patterns in the books. But all of my sock stash is in fingering / sock weight and the patterns call for DK weight. It would be more sensible to start with thicker yarn and a bigger hook and work down to fine yarn so I can see the reason for the yarn weight choice. The basic sock patterns have extremely good photo tutorials with differently color coded parts of the sock. Looking at these I was able to visualize exactly what happens at different parts of a sock. For the cuff down pattern there is the cuff, leg, heel flap, heel turning, gusset, foot and toe. SO helpful!

The most recent socks that I've started #4 and #5 are not entirely my fault because I am working to someone else's deadline - Rohn Strong has a July sock crochetalong (sock #4) and also started a sock club this month (sock #5) which I couldn't really resist.

Well better get back to the socks..... Hope your week is going wonderfully!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The crochet sock pursuit continues

I've dedicated this summer to the pursuit of the ultimate crochet sock and with my first sock underway I decided to source more patterns that I could try out.

My first port of call was the Craft Yarn Council Certified Instructor's Program private Facebook group. Students, graduates and teachers all frequent this group so there are some extremely knowledgeable folk on there. My wonderful master crochet teacher, the always helpful and super friendly Barbara Van Elsen suggested I try Karen Whooley. I put her on my list.

 

Looking on Amazon.com I discovered Karen had written two crochet sock books. I ordered the first one I Can't Believe I'm Crocheting Socks published by Leisure Arts. What a great name! And then I looked for the most recently published crochet sock book. Crochet trends change and techniques do tend to improve over time.I found New Methods for Crochet Socks by Rohn Strong which was published by Annies' Crochet, another reputable crochet brand. 

Checking Rohn out online I discovered he is a Craftsy instructor teaching Crochet Socks: Essential Techniques Sold! I placed my order. Coincidently, one of my favorite American crochet podcasters Mary Bird was interviewing Rohn that same week. Socks came up A LOT in the interview and Marly is always great to tune in to so it is well worth a listen!

Rohn had also just set up a brand new Facebook group Crochet Sock Addicts! with a July Sock CAL (crochet along). What perfect timing! There is actually a scientific name for this phenomena when one thing leads to another "correlated novelties".

 

So while I was waiting for my two books to arrived I started on my second crochet sock ..... pictured above is the gauge swatch already underway.

Until next time, hook on everyone!

The hunt for the Ultimate Crochet Sock begins!

One of my lovely regular workshop students, who doesn't knit, told me recently that she had always wanted to make crochet socks. Around this time I discovered the marvelous Crochet Circle Podcast which I reviewed a few weeks ago here. Fay and Lynne, the hosts of Crochet Circle, mentioned another British podcast Crafternoon Treats so I had to check that out. Binge-watching back episodes of this podcast, I found out about their sockalong which started with a free crochet sock pattern Survival Socks by Elin Stoodley so I chose this to crochet along with my student.

We had to do a bit of conversion to create an American version of the pattern.  For foot size add 2 to UK sizes to get US sizes and for UK double crochet (dc) read US single crochet (sc). I'm British and even after four years in the US still have to rely on the Craft Yarn Council's conversion chart to change mms to American sizes for hooks and needle size.  

The pattern is really well written and I appreciated the photos in the survival sock pattern A LOT! When you're a novice sock maker you may not be able to exactly visualize where a gusset goes. I've only knit cuff down socks before and crocheted slippers so I really needed the visual. I've decided I like the toe up design very much so I can try it on as I go along. 

 

My gauge swatch was a bit off height wise so I had to modify the pattern a little before starting out. My foot widens as it goes up so I had to customize the sock with increases before the heel and then decrease before getting to the cuff but that's fine. Feet come in all different shapes and sizes and I'd expect some customization. My student's sock fits her well. The photo shows where we are with the survival sock so far... We're make good progress!

I've already started on crochet sock pattern #2. The hunt for the ultimate crochet sock continues! I will update you on how I'm getting on here on the blog. And I'm tagging my hunt with #ultimatecrochetsock on Twitter or Instagram if you're on either of these. (I'm craftyescapism on both.)

And if you have any crochet sock stories to relate, I'd love to know in the comments below...

Before you go though, have a little listen to the latest episode of The Crochet Circle podcast: http://thecrochetcircle.podbean.com/e/episode-4-a-crochet-journey/. It made me laugh SO MUCH when around two minute in, Fay and Lynne started talking about my review. I wasn't ready for that! I've got to meet those ladies in person someday! They are so fun!

 

 

Summer of Socks and Sporadic Blogging

My children are on holiday now (our summer vacation is 11 weeks long here in Texas - woah!) so my weekly blogging schedule may become a bit more sporadic over the next few months. I'm going to try my best to still write weekly but just in case put your email in the box top right and I'll let you know when there is a new post. We have our annual jaunt to the UK to visit family and friends in July and a fun summer road trip planned to North Carolina in August - a new state for us. And I have a couple of research projects to juggle too (my day job - amazingly crochet is only my side gig).

 

Strawberries for bunting evoke memories of British
summer time. Pattern from Simply Crochet issue 18

And I have a summer project - I have made it my mission to find the ultimate crochet sock pattern. I have knit several socks over the years and there is now such wonderful sock yarn out there I don't see why us crochet lovers should miss out on all the fun. And socks are really portable when you're travelling - another good reason for the sock choice. I will be writing all about my quest here on my blog.

My summer of socks progress is already underway on my twitter and instagram accounts so if you're on either of these I'm @craftyescapism on both. I've adopted the hashtag #ultimatecrochetsock despite the advice of my eleven year old daughter "mum, never ever use hashtags."

And if you have tried crochet socks, have a good pattern to recommend, anything crochet sock related really.....you know what to do, write a comment below or get in touch on twitter or instagram.

And in the meantime .... hook on!