Chapter Six: Book Review and Something New on the Needles
SOCKS À LA CARTE - COLORWORK
by Jonelle Raffino & Katherine Cade
Recently, my friend challenged me to knit up some socks with her, using any pattern that involved colorwork. I attempted a perfectly good pattern called Self Important Socks, but failed miserably.
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| The circled rows are the ones that had the problem. |
For some reason when I got to the flower rows (see photo above) the stitches came out too long. Now, granted, I was trying to keep the strands loose (and it worked well in the ribbing section) but you'd think that as I was knitting I would have noticed the laxness of the stitches.
Since I wasn't liking the colors I chose, I didn't want to fix it, so I unwound everything and scrapped the project.
Not to be deterred, my persistent friend loaned me a book to help inspire me. And what an inspiring book it is!
Socks A La Carte is a series of three books: Socks à la carte Carte, Socks à la carte 2 "Toes Up," and the one I'm enjoying right now, Socks à la carte "Colorwork"
This book is bursting with colorful pictures! There are many ways to be inspired. First, there are complete sections with instructions and pictures of cuff, body and foot patterns, to include several different kinds of heels and toes. (Note: all socks in this book are cuff-down.)
Then there's the fun section, the flip pages. With a whopping 20 choices for each of the flip sections, the combinations you can make are endless. The authors have limited all patterns to three colors, and used the same three colors for the flip pages, so you can really visualize what the sock will look like given the combination you create.
In the photo above, I created a combination randomly, but wouldn't it make a fine looking sock?
Finally there's a photo gallery of socks that have been knit up according to other peoples' inspiration for color and pattern combination. I like this section best of all.
Although many of these are not "vanilla socks," the pattern instructions are very clear, and beginning knitters are given specifics for even more resources online.
If you're a sock knitter you will enjoy having this book in your library.
♕ ♕ ♕
Will I make a mess of things? We can only wait and see.
Since I wasn't liking the colors I chose, I didn't want to fix it, so I unwound everything and scrapped the project.
Not to be deterred, my persistent friend loaned me a book to help inspire me. And what an inspiring book it is!
Socks A La Carte is a series of three books: Socks à la carte Carte, Socks à la carte 2 "Toes Up," and the one I'm enjoying right now, Socks à la carte "Colorwork"
 |
| ©Jonelle Raffino and Katherine Cade |
This book is bursting with colorful pictures! There are many ways to be inspired. First, there are complete sections with instructions and pictures of cuff, body and foot patterns, to include several different kinds of heels and toes. (Note: all socks in this book are cuff-down.)
Then there's the fun section, the flip pages. With a whopping 20 choices for each of the flip sections, the combinations you can make are endless. The authors have limited all patterns to three colors, and used the same three colors for the flip pages, so you can really visualize what the sock will look like given the combination you create.
In the photo above, I created a combination randomly, but wouldn't it make a fine looking sock?
Finally there's a photo gallery of socks that have been knit up according to other peoples' inspiration for color and pattern combination. I like this section best of all.
Although many of these are not "vanilla socks," the pattern instructions are very clear, and beginning knitters are given specifics for even more resources online.
If you're a sock knitter you will enjoy having this book in your library.
♕ ♕ ♕
NEW ON THE NEEDLES
So yarrrrr, I have a thing for pirates (especially ones named Jack Sparrow), so I chose the "Skullie" pattern from Socks à la carte Colorwork. I cast on and knit a 10 row, 2k 2p ribbing, and after a couple of stockinette rows I'll get right into the color chart.
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| Ready to start the body of the sock. |
Will I make a mess of things? We can only wait and see.
♕ ♕ ♕
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| Currently $9.40 at Amazon |
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Thanks for your comment! It'll be posted as soon as I see that you're not selling something. ;)