Sock continued...

As we left it before, the sock pseudo hem had been completed. Next we knit another 30 rows or so for the main part of the foot. Eight stitches from each side are then put aside for later grafting. If I were hand knitting this I would use stitch holders and then use Kitchener stitch later but the machine knitting guide suggested knitting manually for three rows in a contrasting colour.



Here's the result on the left side.

I used pink DK weight cotton which was a bit bulky later on. I also refused to cut the yarn and then used the other end of the mini hank on the right hand side resulting in a spaghetti of yarn when I was trying to finish the seams.

Manual method:

The relevant needles are pulled forward into rest position. The latches are opened and the new yarn placed inside.




Um, here is where it went a bit wrong. Time to bring in the chamomile tea.





Things have picked up here. Only one needle should be manipulated at a time when manually knitting. It is very simple and can give an even result if you are careful (not like me).

Eventually, the 16 side stitches were all on scrap yarn and the front of the foot was knitted. This was all pretty uneventful.



The toe and heel are formed using short rows. I love doing these when I knit by hand so was interested to see how it would look on the machine. After a couple of false starts (and a suspected incorrect diagram in the book) I ended up with the situation below. There are four live stitches in the centre and all of the other stitches have been "wrapped". You can see the extra loop on the needles.





The stitches are reintroduced and then the sock continues. Here it is boasting of it's beauty whilst being heelless.

Noblin plus points:

Overall, the knitting was quicker than knitting by hand.

Noblin negatives:

However, you then have to seam the hem, graft the heel to the leg and seam the sides of the foot. The stripes don't match up (no problem if you're using solid colour yarn).

I was pretty tired and grumpy on Friday night when I was doing this and remember at the time thinking, no way is this sock getting a mate. I was also disappointed with the shape. The sock came out very long and thin so I'll need to deviate from the suggestions in the book. I managed to graft the heel and mattressed stitched most of the seams without too much difficulty/pain so if I am desperate to make socks in the future, I'll consider using the machine.