Fickle Steps: a new sock pattern

Fickle Steps Socks - buy pattern here

Not the most obvious name for a new design, but bear with. I’m about to entertain you with the backstory to these smart looking cuff down socks which I hope will make you smile and will give you some sort of insight into our slightly crazy ‘life with two boys’ world.

As you may know we are keen fans of walking in the Lake District and we introduced our two boys to it at a very early age - backpacking them up to summits and letting them toddle through woodland trails as soon as we could jam wellie boots onto their chubby little legs.

Fickle Steps is the name given to a river crossing - a set of stepping stones in the Duddon Valley (in the Western lakes). They cross at a broad point in the river and are usually (but not always) free from water. On this particular day we had to cut our planned walk short. I forget why exactly, but walking with young children - by then the boys were aged about 3 and 4 - had already taught us that some days you just have to cut your losses and accept that your ‘nice walk in the Lakes’ isn’t going quite as you planned. I may have forgotten the snacks!

In any case we ended up wanting to cross the river at Fickle Steps, and we hadn’t antcipated that the river would be quite so high, leaving a couple of the steps almost under water. But it was either cross, or add an extra 3 miles to our walk, which none of us were in the mood for.

Always prepared, my husband dug out rope and carabiners (don’t ask) from his rucksack and fashioned makeshift sit harnesses for the boys so that they could clip on to the steel hawser that serves as a handrail across the stones. Whilst not too deep, the river is fairly fast flowing at that point and we didn’t want to lose a child overboard.

I went first with the younger boy, step by step with him copying my moves - the mantra ‘step, balance’ was something we taught them early on when crossing rough ground. We made it to the other side without incident then turned to watch the other pair. Husband was already burdened with the rucksack though and coupled with wild failing from eldest son -always one for the drama - found himself caught off balance on a slippy rock. He ended up thigh deep in icy water whilst eldest son swung, sloth-like from his harness cackling wildly.

Thus, Fickle Steps entered our lexicon of family stories. To be brought out and talked over in the same way as the ‘day of the red ant bite’ - Harter Fell, or ‘the time mum got chased by a cow’ - Grey Friar.

I chose the name for these socks, as they look a little fearsome - with the crossed stitch detail across the cable. But really, with a bit of solid preparation work (the steel hawser across the stones) they are really fun to work, and give a very satisfying result.

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What is magic loop knitting?

Hoar Frost socks

I used to teach a class on this, and the most common response after I had run through the basics and a short demo was “oh, is that all it is”.

It really is quite straightforward once you understand the principle, but like many things it sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is.

Essentially it is another way of knitting a tube in the round, along with DPNs and small circulars. It’s just another technique - with a slightly fancier name.

All you need is a circular needle with a long cable. For socks I like to use 2.5mm needles with an 80cm long cable.

It is important that the cable be long enough. 60cm is the bare minimum and personally I find the 100cm cables a bit too long - the extra loops always seem to get in my way.

The only other caveat I would add is that the cable itself needs to be reasonably flexible. Yes, you probably could use that grey plastic one that came free on the front of a magazine once but it is unlikely to be a pleasurable experience.

HOW TO MAGIC LOOP:

1. Cast on the required number of stitches - for socks for example - 64..

2. Work 2 rows of rib (not essential but it makes it easier to join.

3. Identify the halfway point - 32 sts - and slide stitches onto the cable portion.

4. Pull the cable through the halfway point to make a long loop. Stop when the two sets of stitches are resting on the needle tips.

5. Align the stitches with the cast on edge facing inwards and the tips facing away from you.

6. Hold working yarn in right hand and slide the stitches on the RH needle back down onto the cable.

7. Insert the now free RH needle tip into the first stitch on the LH needle and work in rib for 32 stitches.

8. Once you’ve worked these 32 stitches, you’ll have them on the RH needle, with the 2nd set of stitches still on the cable. Slide them back up to the LH needle.

9. With your right hand, pull the RH needle tip away from you allowing the stitches on the RH needle to slide back onto the cable.

10. This frees up with RH needle to work across the 2nd set of stitches.

Points to remember: Once you’ve worked across half the stitches always slide both sets of stitches back onto the needle tips. Then you can pull the RH needle out, sliding those stitches safely back onto the cable. This ensures that your stitches stay in two, neat manageable halves. All you are doing is working one half of the stitches, pulling the cable through and then working across the 2nd half.

You can use magic loop to knit anything that requires a tube to be knit in the round. It lends itself particularly well to socks especially if they have a pattern as one needle will hold the plain sole/back of leg stitches whilst all the pattern action happens on the other needle. Magic loop can also be used for mitts, hats - I often use it for baby hats when there aren’t enough stitches to stretch around my cable, or indeed sleeves.

The world is your (knitting) oyster.

A different way to knit socks

How to knit a sock snake: tutorial

You’ve tried cuff down and toe-up socks, so what’s next.

How about knitting a sock snake?

A couple of years ago now I published a tutorial on how I knit a sock snake - a long tube with a toe at each end, that I snipped in half to add cuffs and afterthought heel and it generated a surprising amount of interest.

You can read the original post along with step by step instructions HERE

But why would you choose to do such a thing?

First of all it’s important to start by saying that necessity is the mother of invention. I was knitting a sock on a train journey. A pretty long journey. I had podcasts, I had coffee and snacks and I had a fun stripy sock to knit. It’s fair to say that I was in my happy place. Partway through my journey I realised that I had zipped way past the point at which I would normally start the heel and has essentially created a very long foot.

I was determined not to rip back all the pretty stripes I had had such fun knitting and so I spent the rest of the journey working out how I could create a pair of functional socks from a long tube - and this was the result.

Would I choose to do this as a default method? Probably not, but it was a cunning plan that served me well and I share it with you in the hope that one day, it might help you too.

Side note: if knitting socks where the stripes are in a particular sequence, the socks will not match but will instead be opposites with the stripes going in one direction on one sock and in the other direction on the other. I just mention it in case it’s the kind of thing that would bother you.

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What is the best way to knit socks: Cuff down or toe-up

Smackerel socks - available in both toe-up and cuff down

So which is the best way to knit socks - cuff down or toe-up. As with most things in life, as well as in knitting, the answer is: It depends.

It depends on what you want to achieve, who you are knitting for and the style of sock that you are knitting also comes into play. Both ways of knitting socks have their pros and cons.

Cuff down socks: These are often suggested as the way to start your sock knitting journey for a variety of reasons but it does mean that you have to navigate the twisty cuff and couple of inches of ribbing first before you can settle into the good plain knitting section of the leg. To avoid the dreaded instruction ‘join to knit in the round, being careful not to twist’, I have a handy tip for that.

That being said, it is very easy to estimate the leg length when you are working this way and it works for a variety of heel types. Once past the heel you can pull the sock on as needed to check the foot length and decide where to start the toe decreases. An obvious disadvantage for some is the need to graft the toe closed (not everyone’s favourite procedure) although you can get around this by knitting a rounded toe (for example).

Gift knitting - if knitting socks for others I tend to opt for cuff down purely because it’s a little bit easier to get a reliable length for the foot. There are standard foot length charts available and that tell you exactly when to start decreasing for the toe. When working toe-up there is always the slight element of chance - depending on the kind of heel you are working.

Toe-up socks: It’s often said that it’s easier to try on socks that are knitted toe-up although I have to say that I’ve never had any particular issues trying on socks whichever direction they are knitted in. Toe-up socks certainly offer a faster start and there are very few things as satisfying in my knitted life as sitting down with fresh needles and yarn, and 30 minutes later having a fully functional sock toe and several inches of happy plain knitting ahead of me.

For this reason I often start a sock toe-up as it lends itself well to travel knitting and other times when you want to knit on the go. I’ve even started a toe-up sock in the cinema before now - although I wouldn’t recommend it. I’ve been known to have a sock toe, on the needles stashed around the house in case I need to grab a quick, travel friendly project in a hurry. You never know when you might need it and there’s no harm in being prepared…right?

There is sometimes concern over when to start the heel for toe-up socks and a common mistake that people make is to have the foot too big - ie starting the heel turn too late. When deciding where to start the heel it’s always best to bear in mind that socks need a little negative ease for a good fit and so slightly stretching the sock (whether on a sock ruler on your foot) is needed to make sure that you get that all important negative ease. My advice is always to slightly stretch the foot, and then stretch it a tiny bit more. It’s very unscientific I grant you but it works for me. THIS blog post has some tips that can help.

Working toe-up, of course means that there is no tricksy grafting and once you’ve worked the leg it’s just a bit of ribbing and you’re done. As long as you make sure not to cast off too tightly then you should have a perfectly lovely sock, ready to wear.

At the end of the day, it’s horses for courses. Some people will swear by one direction rather than another but it’s what you are happy with that counts. It’s always best to be able to work both ways - just in case as these skills are never lost. And in most cases, even if you are a devoted cuff down knitter and you inadvertently buy a toe-up pattern, it’s possible to convert a sock design to your preferred method. There are only a few directional patterns that in all honesty will only work one way.

So which are you - cuff down or toe-up? Or are you happy to knit in each direction - a sock ambivert perhaps?

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Excited for October

Wearing the BOB Socks

Happy 1st October. And I'll say 'white rabbits' for luck too.

Blimey - the weather has certainly taken a turn hasn't it? The rain was absolutely lashing it down outside yesterday as I curled up to do all of my writing jobs. Hot coffee and cosy socks were definitely the order of the day.

I find I work best when I batch jobs these days and for some reason Friday has become my writing day - when I sit down to do my newsletter, my draft blog posts for the coming week and any other bits and pieces, along with usual daily journaling.

I'm taking part in #Blogtober this year - and while I might not manage a daily blog post my aim is to spruce up my blog a little and more importantly to connect with others in the blogging community.

If you are taking part please do let me know - or tag someone you know that is so that I can follow them and cheer them on too.

It's also #Socktober of course so expect lots of sock related content this coming month.

If you have any burning sock related questions that I might be able to help with please do let know.

Oh, and of course there's my self-imposed reading challenge for 2022.

I'm currently stalled on book 43 of my 50 goal so I do need to make a little progress. I'm enjoying my current read - a historical fiction novel "The Girl in the Glass Tower" by Elizabeth Freemantle but it's a bit heavy going, especially when I'm tired.

So I'll be looking for a lighter, quicker read to power through this weekend and give me a bit of a boost.

And there we are: blogging, sock knitting, reading goals (oh, and a couple of new designs)... I think we can safely say that October is going to be a busy one ☕☕☕

Tips for perfectly matched stripy socks

#SocktoberTips #2
Top tips for perfectly matching stripy socks - without the hassle of knitting 2 at a time

1. Wind yarn into 2 X 45g balls before you start - with 10g left for heels/toes. Or use 10g of contrast yarn.

2. I prefer to work toe-up as I find it easier to get a good match.

3. Work a short row heel to avoid longer rows (and thinner colour bands) over the heel. The Fish Lips Kiss heel works well.

4. If you like your socks to match perfectly look for indie dyers who sell matched 50g skeins - @muststashyarn is a favourite. And here in the UK Needle and Fred also offers this type of yarn as does Ripplescrafts, although they always teens to sell out very quickly