Bag It! In Which Count Sockula Re-Appears

It was a dark and stormy night, when the Pharoah of Phiber, the Sultan of Sock Yarn, none other than Count Sockula, emerged after a long sleep. 

Because it was time to crochet bags, muahahaaaa.

When you think about it, a bag is nothing more than a giant, fishnetty type of sock with no heel.  So that qualifies as scary, right?

Bags are simple, E-Z crochet fun.  You can make small ones for gift bags or large ones for shopping bags.  You might even make really huge ones for laundry bags.

Here's a scary discovery.  Done with a Q-hook in the round, and worsted-weight cotton, a single crochet stitch looks remarkably like knitted lace stitch, only it's about ten times faster to work.  Okay, we concede that crochet uses more yarn than knitting.  But speed is what Count Sockula is all about.

This is a method, not a pattern.  Grab some cotton yarn.  Four ounces might do the trick.  If all you had was worsted-weight acrylic yarn, that would work, too, but the Count enjoys cotton.   

Then, select a granny square pattern.  Any granny square pattern.  We are after speed and simplicity here.

You start with a smaller hook (anywhere from a 7 to a 9) for the first couple of rounds, increasing the granny square as usual, then switch out to progressively larger hooks (10, 11, 11.5) until the bottom of your bag is the size you want.  (The bag will magically turn from a square to a round, so make the bottom a bit smaller than you think it should be.)

Now, switch to the Q-hook, pick up the yarn, mark the beginning with a stitch marker or thread, and work a single crochet in every other stitch or so, which works really well when picking up stitches in the chain-1 spaces of your average granny square.  Do not increase at this point.  You're just going round and round. With UN-joined rounds, so you really need that stitch marker.  

(There's a variation that's even looser and more lace-ish: work sc-ch 1 all around.)

Work in the round until the bag is as long as you want.  Then switch off to a smaller hook and work the handles.  You need a smaller hook because you want the handles to be a much tighter gauge than the big, loose Q-hook stitch.  I will go back to a size 7 through 10 for the handles.  

In working the handles, do this however you like; I usually work a single-crochet chain with the yarn still attached (because Count Sockula is monumentally lazy), then go back on the chain at least once with slip stitches and work them all along the length of the chain.  Or work single-crochet handles off the bag and attach later.  Whatever suits you.

Sometimes Count Sockula goes a little crazy and works the bag on a granny rectangle. Here's a good pattern:

Here's a good pattern:

In either case, the same principles apply: stop increasing when you think the bag is almost big enough.

Here we go:

 

 

 

So there you have it: bag and baggage.  Happy Halloween, muahahaaa.

My mistakes! In Which Count Sockula Talks Heels and a Toe

Gather around the fireside, my children, and listen to a sad tale of many mistakes, that you may learn from them, and not do what Count Sockula did.

Or do the mistakes anyway.  ;p

This effort was dubbed the Easter Sock, partly because I started it before Easter, partly because of its candy colors.  I might have called it the Hurricane Irene sock, since it was finished during that two-day power outage.


As I recall, it was done toe-up, in Caron Simply Soft, on 32 stitches with size 7 needles (first Bryspun double-points, then those plastic Comfort needles, finally with Prym circulars.  Yes, I switched needles.  A lot.).

I also wanted to try a closed-toe cast-on, and I think this is my favorite kind.  I dubbed it the Easter Toe, but it's also called the Bosnian, and couldn't be simpler: cast on 8, 10, or 12 stitches according to the weight of your yarn, and just knit a square, either in stockinette or garter stitch (garter used here).  Then pick up stitches all around the square until you have four needles with 8, 10, or 12 stitches each.  And start knitting your sock.  Increase as needed.  Adjust stitches on needles if you want the toe to lie square, or not, if you want it to lie as a diamond.


This was also my first attempt at a garter stitch heel, and I messed up the first one completely (though you might not even be able to tell from the photo).  This was because I was trying to do pick-method, rather than real garter stitch method.  I've learned better since, and my favorite GS tutorial is right here.


You can use this heel with either toe-up or cuff-down sockage.


This sock was taken up and put down more times than I care to remember.  It's also been my most challenging yarn - a splitty and completely ugly colorway in cotton from Araucania.  But it was a bargain!   And I'm stubborn.


This had the Easter Toe, and garter heel (one of which I messed up for a different reason, having lost count).  I used 40 stitches on #4 needles, pretty much Comfort all the way, though at one point I was doing Magic Loop with a lonnnnng Bryspun. 

I don't think you can see the heel mess-up here, either. 


But then we come to the Mystery Sock, which also took a vewy long time to complete.  

I bought a skein of this at a LYS from a bargain bin (yes, that again), but without a ball band.  Don't know the maker, don't know the fiber, don't know nothin' apart from ooooo!  Colors prettyyyy!!!!  This was probably wool, judging by the burn test, and a joy to knit, as opposed to the evil cotton sock.  It was done on 40 stitches and some ancient plastic circs in size 5.  But only having one ball of the stuff, I used an afterthought heel (and that link displays the best aftertought tutorial ever).   For the second sock I threw caution to the winds and did the old garter stitch heel.  It worked.


Ehh.  Jury's out on the afterthought.  It's good if you're not sure of enough yarn, or if you deliberately want a contrast color.  It's got its own problems, like all that picking out of stitches from the waste yarn, and having to Kitchener the heel.  Basically, it's a standard cuff-down toe, only knit as a heel.  Come to think of it, you can use some heel types for toes, and vice-versa.


Thus proving the world of socks is both upside down and backward.   More heels and toes to come.  And plenty more mistakes.

Color: In Which Dr. Inkenstein And Count Sockula Agree

Have we mentioned color?

Have we mentioned that color is what bridges the gap between the admittedly-unrelated worlds of sock-knitting and fountain pens?

(Other than the fact that we indeed once knitted a swatch using two Hero 616 fountain pens... and will no doubt some day ink a drawing using a knitting needle.)

Here is some color.

This above example of color occurs in socks, which Count Sockula knits in dishcloth cotton and other worsted-weight yarn due to the huge character flaw of impatience.


Here is more color, also occurring in the form of socks:

Who knew bloggage was such a big commitment?  

Count Sockula wrote this particular 'colorful' blog post  (which you are currently reading) some time ago and never committed it to paper, or even electrons.  It existed entirely in the imagination.   We had to start from scratch, here and now.

Dr.  Inkenstein immediately wrote a prescription for the forgetfulness malady, but it consisted of purchasing large amounts of fountain pen ink in as many colors as possible.  

Count Sockula reminded the good Doctor that there is already an ocean of ink in the house, in more colors than we can name.   Here is ink color, which has previously appeared, though as a scan and not as a photo:

And did we blog about the elusive mystery sock?   Has our memory fled to the wilds of Borneo, never to return?  What will anyone get out of all this?

The moral of this story is that we (of the split personality) like color.  We are united in color.  All those Prismacolor pencils we own are telling us something.   And that something is:

Write it down before you forget it!

You may now return to your regular reading.  x__x

Mismatch! In which Count Sockula knits more dishcloth socks

Just a lightning entry here from the Count, because I wanted to experiment with two different kinds of double-wrap, no pick-up short-row heels.

One is the garter stitch heel, ably demonstrated by  KnitPurlHunter   -- this type of heel, double-wrapping but NOT picking up the wraps--- works so well that the Count might use it to exclusion in all socks.  Instead of KPH's clicker, though, Count Sockula employs stitch markers to mark the unworked center stitches.


The other heel is the Count's own harebrained scheme: why not do the same thing of not picking up wraps,  but only use stockinette stitch!  Muahahaaaa!

And it worked.  Sort of.

Count Sockula was presented with a nice stockinette stitch heel that looked perfect on the left side of the heel (when the heel is facing the Count), but some not-insurmountable gaps on the right side.  This may have to do with stitch tension.  We shall see.

And because I wanted two different color socks, but a single yarn ball for each, I picked some Sugar 'n' Cream self-striping cotton.  Top-down, 36 stitches, worked on #4 needles for the K1 P1 cuff, switched to #6 for the heel and foot.  It's likely that for future dishcloth sockies, I will switch back to the smaller needle to work the heel.

Behold!  Cousins, all the way.  The coral-toned sock with the stockinette heel shows some green from an added strand:

Count Sockula is also beginning not to like a very pointy toe.   I pointed the toe because that meant fewer stitches to Kitchener, but meh.   I should have bit the Kitchener bullet and worked the usual 8 stitches per needle, not five.  And decreased every row after a bit, for an even blunter-toe effect.

Yes.  Mystery Sock.  On the way.  Unllikely to be finished until colder weather hits.

Dishcloth Socks! In Which Count Sockula Defies All Logic

Behold! And tremble in fear, my children!
*Lightning-flash, thunder-crack*
　
Yes. It's true.
　
　
Count Sockula makes socks out of DISHCLOTH YARN.

　
　
Because, you know: colors prettyyyyy.
　
　
And Count Sockula, as yet, is quite impatient. Quite. Sitting there squinting at size zero needles and almost a hundred stitches? Alas. Not the Count.
　
　
　
Now, cotton yarn has problems. Such cannot be denied. People have tried to warn Count Sockula off cotton yarn, and with good reason. It is in no way stretchy. It is hard on the hands as one knits. And socks made with dishcloth yarn will exxxpaaaaannnnnddddd into fishnet as you wear them. Whee. Feel the nice cool breeze caress your feet through the gaps in the stitches!
　
　
This is exactly what happened with my first pair of dishcloth sock yarn: each time I wear them, they turn into fishnets, especially the soles, which were knitted with a different cotton yarn so soft and pliable it was probably made for clothing, not dishcloths.
　
　
And they were knitted on two needles, as well. Section by section. Cuff and instep. Sole and heel. Toe. Then stitched together. What I noticed is that the thicker section, the instep, was indeed made of dishcloth yarn, and it was holding up better.
　
　
The stubborn part of me insisted on trying again. I switched to a smaller needle (a size 6, if you must know0, more stitches, and this time, knitted the sock in the round, without seams.
　
　
Not bad! Better, in fact. Like a hug for my feet.

　
　
I was on a roll! Now you will note this next pair has two different-looking heels. Count Sockula is still trying to conquer the no-wrap heel, but this heel appears to be nothing more than a pathetic little bump. The other heel was done with a flap and gusset, and looks much more heelish and fits better. But flaps and gussets can be---trying.   Count Sockula still finds the idea of a no-wrap heel intriguing. Perhaps some day, I will master it to the extent that it actually looks like a heel.

　
　
On to the latest, again done with conventional flap/gusset heel. They are fraternal twins, as are almost all my socks these days. Since I am still watching Prince of Tennis, I call them Mixed Doubles.

　
　
Of course, since these are mostly bed/house socks, they don't need to fit as well as conventional socks, but you would be surprised how well they do fit.   Go ahead.  Try a pair.   Good for padding around the house or tucking up in bed.
　
　
 Coming soon:  Be Heeled!  In Which Count Sockula Gets a Revelation.

Until then--
　
　
Muahahaaa. Behold!! Socks made from dishcloth yarn.