Santa stocking

Have been working on the Santa stocking for my cousin been in bed most the last few days.  So it is making a little bit of progress.  The one on the right is the one I am trying to match color wise. I think it is pretty close.  My tension so far is pretty close to that of the original sock I am copying.  But we will see what happens when I get to the intarsia part the color work area of the socks hanging and the Santa body.  I have not done much intarsia so in my knitting it is very much a week point for me.

 As to the color matching

• My cream is a little light in color but that could  be age of the old wool.   
• My red is a brighter red also could be age.  
• My green is more a blue green that has nothing to do with age I just had a hard time matching that color and the skin tone well I purposely made that a tiny bit darker less pink more peach also for that part since so little is used it is tapestry wool.

• The angora part the beard that is not coming out as close as I would have liked it to be.  But since the store only had one type of angora I had not a whole lot of say in that part of the yarn choices. 

Because of the intarsia color work the pieces is knit flat then joined in the round after the green section is done.

Portuguese socks wanted

Need help I want to find out about Portuguese style hand knitted socks.

The things I want to know are

• What size needle is usually used ( I think size 000 or 0000)
• Stitch count per inch or centimeter
• What type of thread or yarn and the type of content ( I think cotton but since that doesn't have much give I assume the stitch count has to be almost perfect with not stretch or a tiny bit small help please)
• In American ( English) terms if possible please I only know a tiny bit of Portuguese my grandmother never taught her children to speak it so as a grandchild I only  know little bits and pieces
• If you know of this and have images please share me 
• why the color scheme of red and yellow 
• how one starts the cuff ( i can tell is is stockinette stitch with a picot edge then stockinette again) but how long is that area
• how one does the spiral toe ( have a pattern that I hope will help me with this)
• on average how many rows in the cuff before picot edge turn
• is the cuff knit closed while knitting or is it stitched afterward
• is there elastic in the cuff
• ... anything any one can help me with to learn to make these

Any and all information is greatly appreciated

My family has its roots in the Portuguese culture and life. ( Azorian to be exact) I want to add this to our lives since I now live so far away from where I started the the little Portuguese community I grew up in.  Little bits of all things Portuguese make me happy I am very much interested in making these for my little family.  They are traditionally worn by female since there are four of those in my family it will keep me busy.

These obviously below are not adult human size just mock up someone did or for small children.  But there are some photo of some adult humans do wear.

 None of these are not my photos not sure who to credit but this is the style I am looking for.  These below are life size

 

There is a current piecework magazine article in it but not enough detail on the process.

Oak leaf Stockings

I do not get to work on these too much.  They are my carry around with me project that I do while I am sitting in carpool waiting for my kids or at  doctors office and things like that.  They have made a little progress from the last time I posted about them they had not even come to the heel turn yet.  Now I have done that and am doing increases to go up the calves.  I am combining several patterns to get these socks but all are free on the Internet so it made it nice.  I have 7 balls of this yarn (red heart stardust) so I am hoping I will get either thigh high stockings or actual tights.  But we will see the balls of yarn do not seem to have much yardage on them usually I would think seven is  a lot not not so much with these.   They are fitting perfectly so far.  Yes your eyes are not deceiving you those are pull-tabs I am using as stitch markers I was working on some pull tab chainmaille and could not find my stitch markers when I switched to my knitting so since these were handy I used them they actually work kind of well for this project but i do not recommend them.  Sorry for the ugly back ground that is a carpet at the school I was sitting there during choir practice and decided I wanted to see how they were fitting.  So yep ugly carpet.

lace stockings

This pair of stocking went from the top down... wish I had done them the other way and made them into tights.  Once again these are warn with garters.  I have a ribbon woven through the top of this set as well.  It helps so that the garters do not put so much strain on the knitting it pulls on the ribbon so they do not wear out as fast.  I really like these stockings they came from this book.  The first time I wore them was on a Sunday to church one of my friends told her daughter at church she was going to ask me where I go them as she wanted a pair of them they looked worm and had a nice texture. 

Then later when she asked she said I might have known you made them  figures.  She then said I guess i will not get a pair then as I am a crocheter and not a knitter. I would have said the same thing a few years back till I taught myself to knit.  This was one of the main purposes I learned to knit was to make warm stockings as I can never find some I like.  They are 70% wool 30% nylon encase you are curious.

whitby tall stockings

This is a pair of stockings I made back in August of last year but since I have had computer issues on and off they never got posted.  So i figured now is  a good time to get caught up on a few posts that should have been posted long ago.  Item I have made but you have never seen.  In this photo they are on the needle still and I had just made an eyelet round.   But they have been cast off and are finished.  there is a pink ribbon woven into the top of the stocking to help hold them up.  I also use garters to hold them up.  Here they are shown folded over at the knew but they actually are an above the teen stocking.

When I was making these I would work on them in the car while waiting for my kids to get out of school during car pool.

I call these my mismatched matched socks.  I bought the yarn on clearance the store only had a few skeins and well they are not the same dye lot.  At a dollar a skein  I did not care and they keep me warm.  Original pattern was from the top down. But I like working from the toe up so when I run out of yarn I can either make the cuff a different color or just finish the sock where I am or if I have more than the pattern calls for make the socks longer. I have never reversed a pattern before so this was a first. I also used two skeins of the same pattons yarn but different dye lots (on purpose bought them on clearance for one dollar). I figured if I goofed up well at least it was not an expensive mistake. At 90% the way done and I did run out of the yarn which I expected two since the pattern calls for. Three colors and four skeins. But not an issue I just switched to a skein of cream I also bought for a dollar. So now I have a pair of mismatched matched socks. I did not try to make the pattern repeats match I think it it fun and funky that way and since they are different dye lots they truly do not match one to another color wise but who care under winter boots of under jeans in cold Utah winters I sure don’t I made them for a learning experience and I made them for warmth both of which came out perfect. Oh yeah when one skein ran out the other did not for two more rounds and because these are purposeful mismatched sock I just let it do that. If I had followed the pattern and made it in fair isle but with two colors not three I would not have had the wide white band at the top but I did not care about that as that lands at the knee and looks like I did it on purpose which I did in a way. The pattern works backwards perfectly as long as you remember to increase where it reads decrease and visa versa. So I assume it works perfectly forward as well. My daughters are already trying to steal the socks so I guess others like them too. I did this as an experiment but was a no brainier project so it was an easy knit.

Oak leaf stockings

start of oak leaf stockings, originally uploaded by sunshine's creations.

When I was a little girl I lived in the country on many acres of land with my grandparents. Recently that old home was torn down by the new owners sad but that is life. Parts of the house I grew up in were over 100 years. So it was a historical house that is no more. The property was full of real big beautiful oak trees that I loved playing under. I am making these stockings in memory of those trees and the color I chose was a reminded to me of the bug houses that lived on those trees.

It took me awhile to find a pattern for the oak leaves that I liked. Once I did find one it was in French and had some pretty unique symbols in it  nothing like translating knitting from one language to another oi painful. I had to frog these socks four times to just get to this point. But now I know how to make this pattern and could not be more pleased with them. I have since found some other versions that incorporated acorns may add those to the back of the stockings or may make another set with them. The yarn I am using is Red Heart Stardust in orange (but the colors are actually orange with hints of red, yellow and purple). It is machine washable and discontinued. The fiber has a little sparkle in it too which I like reminds me of due on the leaves. Since I am incorporating multiple patterns together to make this item I hope it comes out OK as I am also winging it a ton too.

Green sock progress

Here is my progress on the Mayan green lace stockings I am making.  Progress is going slow.  We have been pretty sick for the last two months at our home from sinus infections, ruptured ear drums, bronchitis ....  It is all I can do to get a good nights rest these days.  But some things have been made some I never took photos of while my computer was crashed.  But I will continue to post some of the projects I have been making some progress on.  I still hope to have enough yarn to make winter tights if not I will end up with a nice pair of socks all the same.

Turned one heel

I have taken the socks off of one needle for a while I only wanted to deal with one of the set of heels at a time since I have never done it this way before.  Now that I have one done I will do the other then put them back on one set of needles again.  Since I am making this up as I go there is no right or wrong just what ever I want to do.  I was hoping to have real tall stockings or even tights but now I am thinking that was wishful thinking on my part.  Not sure I have that much size 5 pearl cotton left to do that.  But as my Vova said over thanksgiving  I could always just have a different color where people will not see it.  Hummm ............that is a thought but not sure I am going to do that.

Stockings

I have been working on about 12 projects I am not allowed to share.  I have been helping a fellow blogger test some patterns for her up and coming book.  When the book is published I will post photos of what I did.  Till that time it stays under wraps.  I have had a little bit of time to work on my stockings.  OK those of you that knit out there I am wanting to make these into winter tights a few questions if you have the time to answer I would appreciate it. 

1. how bad does pearl cotton ( size5) stretch and loose shape with wear (if it does is it unsuitable for tights  I don't want the e to look like elephant ankles and knees)
2. is cotton a bad idea for tights but fine for over the knee stockings
3. A good source to figure out what measurements I need to make stockings/ tights so I can get the rest of my math going I have the foot math figured out till past the ankle the increase  and decrees part of the calves knees and thighs is what I am needing the math for I know there are formulas for the high and width rations in association to gauge of knitting I just want to know where are the key points to measure the numbers and such I will deal with.

I am almost to where the heel area begins wish me luck.

I am working on the tam the graphics for the leaves and such I am trying to due on the computer and it is giving me a little bit of an issue hope to have that done soon.

Toe-up socks

I found this cone of Mayan Green yarn at a thrift store a long time ago.  I know it isn't to old because of the labels that are in it but I liked the color and at 1.00 who could go wrong.  Crafted with pride I think is only been on labels in my life time so not to old.  I do not know the company if any one knows from this label let me know as I like the yarn and would love to get more in other colors yes I know at the real price not the thrift store price.
label reads
Heirloom
3/14
ART #1025
MAYAN
GREEN 25
847202

I had a real hard time photo graphing this color it looks like a rich turquoises green but didn't come out that way in photos.  Looks to be 100% cotton not sure how they will wear in boots but this is an experiment so here I go anyway with that in mind.

I didn't know what to do with it when I didn't knit that tells you it was over a year ago when I found it.  Now I have this idea to make a pair of stockings using it.  I have not decided yet if they are over the knee or if I am going to make them into a set of winter tights will have to work that out as I have never done either. This is a sort of winged pattern meaning I am making it up as I go so we will see how it goes together.  When I get the second sock to the same length as the first one I am going to put them on the same circular needle and just work it that way from here on out, yes two balls of thread have to be used.

Christmas stocking done

I have finished my first christmas stocking. Not sure how many Iw ill make in life but at least three becasue I have two others started. I have included 1 photo with my 10 year old daughters hand so you can see the size of the sock.

Turned heel and inside

I turned the heel last night in class.  Funny thing was that is where she told us to be at the end of last weeks class for the starting of last nights class. I was the only one there.  I didn't even work on mine all week till yesterday.  The heel has the knit stitches twisted on purpose to add a textured look to the piece in that area.

Oh well that is how it goes started two other socks will show them later they are the copies of the ones from my youth.

I am including the inside of the sock because my cousin Ann likes to see the back side of work.  So there you go.

Christmas Stocking

christmas stocking, originally uploaded by sunshine's creations.

Here is the progress I have made on my Christmas stocking. I did most of this today as I have class tonight and was supposed to have it to this point. Which this morning was at the same place it was when I posted about it last. Not to bad for one days work.

Knitted Christmas Stocking

This is a stocking I started last nigt for a class I am taking at a local yarn and knit shop.  My family use to have lots of stockings made by the nuns in the area where I grew up.  I am wanting to learn how to make stockings so I can copy those old patterns.  The ones the family has are in serious need of repair.  That won't happen but I hope to at least be able to make a new set of the ones from my childhood so that my children can have them.


This one is fair isle but the ones from my youth are not they are the back and forth time.  The name for that escapes me at this moment but i think it is intarsia.  I may end up using this stocking as a Christmas gift for my children's school teachers but we will see.

More Sock updates

I am at the toe part have torn it out a dozen times. See my Vavo has a bigger foot than me and she lives in another state so I have to try and work this out without trying it on her. My foot is a size 9 ladies. So this looks real long to me but it isn't it is the right size. There are 18 more rows for the toe shapping then this one is done and one to number two that is the trick to make them match that will be the hard part on the second one.

Sock update

I have decided this first set of socks if for my Vavo. She is 95 years old and has a very old house with drafty windows and her feet get cold. I asked her if she wanted these when done her responce made me smile. " It isn't a matter of do I want them I need them". So because she needs them they are happily hers when I finish them. I hope she likes them. I am about half way done with the first sock these are going to be anklets as she has really never liked socks as they hit funny on her legs so these won't hit her legs and should be good that way. I think the hard part on this sock is done took me a while to figure out the heel as the pattern had a few details missing that it assumed you knew and now I do a the hard way terring out and reknitting several times for 3 hours solid till I figured it out. The next one should be a ton easier.

The start of socks

I have wanted to make knitted socks for years. Actually I want to make over the knee socks and lace knitted tights. I figure those will have to wait till I know the basics of sock. As I assume there is tons of shaping that has to be learned with making tights and socks that go over the knee. So for starters here I am 5 needles cast on and most of the ribbing done on one sock. You know the problem when I teach myself something new is that I go full out on it for awhile so I can get the hang of it so expect to see a lot of knitting for a little while. But I do all things in phases I like something for a while then I get board of it and go to something a else and so on till I make a full circle. This morning I taught my self how to cast on to 4 double pointed needles and then I taught myself how to use that mass of needles to actually knit. I called this mass of needles the scarey looking torture device this morning. Seriously that thing can cause some serious damage if it wanted too. The next project after these is a hat for my husband that has Jolly Rogers all over it.