Hello!
Later on, I’ll take you to the place that has this milk pail saying ‘Open, Welkom’ at its entrance, but first of all some sock talk.
Unlike most of the socks I knit, the Garia Socks I started last weekend are knit from the toe up. I cast on for the toe using Judy’s Magic Cast-On, a technique someone in my knitting group taught me years ago. Most of the sock knitters among you will be familiar with it, but in case you aren’t here is a video with Judy herself explaining it clearly. It’s very simple, really, once you get the hang of it.
After the toe, the sock is turned inside out and is worked that way to just below the cuff. Why? Well, this way most of the stitches in the knit-and-purl stitch pattern are knit instead of purled, which makes for easier and more enjoyable knitting. Such a clever idea!
This is what the sock looks like while I am knitting it:
And this is what it will look like turned right-side-out later:
The magic is not just in the toes and in knitting the socks inside out. It’s also in the magic loop method I’m using, worked on a long circular needle.
The heel uses German short rows, also knit inside out.
A very enjoyable and cheerful summer knitting project, these socks. I’ve taken some of the pictures with a summery bunch of flowers as a backdrop…
… picked from the pick-your-own flower garden I’ve taken you along to before. It’s just a short bicycle ride from our home.
And it’s always such a joy to visit, especially towards the end of summer, when our own garden is looking rather tired. Everything is still growing and flowering so abundantly that the paths are hardly visible anymore.
I’ve composed a small gallery of flowers in the colours of my sock yarn (click on images to enlarge).
Like a butterfly, I fluttered from flower to flower, collecting pictures instead of nectar (but that’s where my likeness to a butterfly ends 😉).
Thank you for reading and have a lovely weekend! xxx
Glad you like knitting these socks, I thought it was a clever construction as well. The colors in the yarn are very pretty!
I fell in love with the yarn colours straightaway, although they far from what I usually choose. It’s an interesting sock to knit.
Pretty socks!
I’m not well-versed in toe-up socks yet. I’m familiar with the method but haven’t actually knit a whole pair that way yet. It might be time to learn!
How lucky for you to have a flower farm so close. Nothing is blooming here because we’re in drought, but one of these days, we’ll see color again!
It’s very, very dry here, too, and there is a hose-pipe ban. I don’t know how the flower garden lady does it – our garden looks parched. And about sock knitting: I knit most of mine cuff down, too, but toe up is useful if you’re not sure how long you can make the legs with the amount of yarn you have. And it’s also nice to try something different now and then.
Nifty socks! Toe up is still a “stretch” for me to get the heel placed for good fit. Any tips to offer??
I love the flowers!! It makes a lovely summer stroll.
Well, I’m not overly enthusiastic about the heel on this sock, if I’m honest. It’s on the small side, and what’s lacking compared to my standard Dutch heel socks, is the gusset. Without a gusset the fit around the instep will never be as good. This Garia Sock pattern does indicate how many centimeters the heel is going to be, though, which is really helpful. I tried the socks on, measured them from time to time, and when I had the specified 5 centimeters left from the knit sock foot to the middle back of my heel, I started knitting the heel. This way I got a good fit. Hope that makes sense. Ah, flowers – one of the great joys in life!
Two of my favorite things… gardening and knitting!
Both require patience, and though I’m an “I can’t wait” sort of person, both of these hobbies teach me to work on this virtue!
I will try the toe-up sock pattern. The technique is most interesting as you’ve demonstrated. This will be a “stretch” for me, but I’d like to try it. I usually use one pattern to knit socks, so i need to branch out a bit.
I’ve been growing David Austin roses for four years, and that has been a steep learning curve for me, but this summer, I’m finally seeing some positive results of practicing patience and providing these roses the necessary nutrients and water on a consistent basis. New, healthy canes are finally appearing, and I’m ecstatic!!
Yes, it’s the simple things that bring pleasure.
Many thanks for such an inspiring post. Please know how much I look forward to them.
Oh, David Austin roses – so, so beautiful. Are they scented? How lovely that they are beginning to send out new canes. I hope you’ll enjoy the toe-up socks. It’s good to learn new things. It can bring some frustration at first, but will hopefully bring satisfaction at mastering something new, too. And thank you for your message – I always love hearing from you.