Stash Socks 1: Drooping Elm Leaf

I recently took a look at my stash. There's loads of lovely sock yarn that I've collected on my travels or been gifted. I resolved to use some of it up by making, of all things, socks!

As I am generally more interested in the process of knitting than the end product, I also decided that I would take the opportunity to learn some new techniques while working on these small projects.

So, taking my inspiration from the WYS Signature sock yarn in colourway Gypsophila gifted to me by my lovely friend J, first up is a pair of spring green socks with a lovely leaf lace motif.

Leafy Socks

I wanted a leaf pattern for this fresh green yarn and looked for something that would fit well for a top-of sock stitch count of 30-32. The Drooping Elm Leaf lace pattern by Barbara G. Walker (A Treasury of Knitting Patterns) fits the bill perfectly with a pattern repeat of multiples of 15sts +1 over 10 rows. I adapted the pattern for working in the round and charted it to make it easier for me to work from. (see below).

I prefer to knit socks from the toe-up so that I can measure the length fit as I go, and this suits the leaf pattern perfectly.

Pattern

This pattern is worked toe-up in the round over 62sts using the magic loop technique where the stitches for the top/front (instep) are on needle 1 (31sts) and the stitches for the bottom/back (sole) are on needle 2 (31sts). You can use two circular needles or dpns if you prefer.

The Drooping Elm Leaf lace pattern is worked over 31sts. If you need a wider sock you will need an odd number of sts (33, 35) on each needle. Make sure st16 of the lace pattern (st1 of second repeat) is the central st on needle 1. 

Toe box

Cast on 11 pairs sts using a toe-up cast on such as Judy's Magic Cast-on. (22).

R1: knit

R2: N1: kfb, k until 2 sts remain, kfb, k1; N2: kfb, k until 2 sts remain, kfb, k1(26)

Repeat these two rounds until there are 31 (33, 35) sts on each needle (62, 66, 70)

Foot

R1-3: k

R4-14: N1: k0 (k1, k2), Drooping Elm Leaf lace pattern (see chart) 2x15st, k1 (k2, k3) (31, 33, 35sts); N2: knit (31, 33, 35 sts)

continue in lace pattern until foot measures 5cm short of the final foot length.

Turn heel

Working on N2 only work a short row heel of your choice. I used Fish Lips Kiss Heel by Sox Therapist.

Leg

When heel is complete continue working in the round.

R1-10: N1 continue in pattern; N2: knit

R11: N1 continue in pattern; N2: pattern (starting on same round as N1)

Continue for desired length/pattern repeats.

K1 round.

Rib

10 rounds 1x1 rib.

Bind off loosely using a stretchy method such as Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy bind off

References

https://www.knittingstitchpatterns.com/2014/10/drooping-elm-leaf.html

https://stitch-maps.com/patterns/display/drooping-elm-leaf-2

https://www.stitchfiddle.com/en/c/shv4nd-4usw2a

Rainbow Hue Shift Afghan Blanket

Gita's 'Fishbowl' Tea Cosy

My lovely friend Gita enjoys herbal tea while she's working. She makes her infusion in one of those glass teapots made by Bodum - you know, the ones that look like a goldfish bowl! So that the tea stays hot until the last drop, she asked me to make a cosy for the pot. In particular she wanted to be able to pour her cuppa without having to remove the pot from the cosy.

I chose a bamboo/wool yarn, that I'd bought in Denmark, held double in a honeycomb brioche stitch for a nice thick insulating layer, and combined two patterns for a top-loading cosy with an integrated base:

 

Good Crieff by Coryna Blasko   and   Teapot Turtleneck by Suzanne Resaul

Kitten Mittens

I started out intending to make YinYang Kitty Ankle Socks by Inorgaknit but I thought it was a shame to hide the lovely kitty faces inside my shoes or slippers so I made Kitten Mittens instead!


I decided to give them 'flip-tops' because these days you need to be able to use a phone without having to take your gloves off. I am too old to use my thumbs for texting, mind you, so I didn't put flip-tops on the thumbs too!

The original pattern adds the kitty faces and ears using the intarsia method, but I felt this was a bit fiddly working in the round so I added the features afterwards using duplicate stitch.

Riddari - Icelandic Lopi

I bought this as a kit from https://www.shopicelandic.com/. It arrived very quickly and everything needed to knit it was there, including the needles (which I wasn't expecting). The pattern came as a booklet of several designs.

Beautiful design and colours - just what my husband wanted. The yarn is authentic, but too scratchy for me to wear. He, however, absolutely loves it and as it is definitely a top layer garment the scratchiness doesn’t seem to bother him.

Eva's Cardigan

I wanted to say thank you to a colleague for some encouragement and support, so I decided to make a little cardigan for her new baby daughter. I had some yarn left over from making Millie's Cardigan and I really liked the simplicity of Gidday Baby by Georgie Nicholson so here it is:

Dragon Scarves

Dragon Scarf is what I call a scarf that has been knitted from the Hitchhiker pattern by Martina Behm. I love the sawtooth picot edgings and have even embellished these with beads on a couple of the scarves I've made. I have made 6 to date, including 2 that were requested and are now proudly worn by my husband!

Bergere de France Ideal, Vitamine

Araucania Botany Lace with beads

Katia Air Lux with beads