Guess I haven't crocheted for a while. I just had a stab at a pattern someone was having trouble with and my hands had forgotten how to work! Oopsie.

On the knitting front, socks 6 and 7 again have a tightish shallow ankle part. But this time I haven't ended them off. I have increased 4 stitches and will knit more rows.  The tightness might also have had something to do with the sock I tried on still being on the needles. They will be lovely and warm when I get them done though. I estimate another 2 hours work and they will both be done. I was working in time last night, not rows. Worked much better.

I'm using 3.75 needles. I don't think they make 3.50.

I have bypassed the provisional cast on and used the long tail instead.

Instead of purling I utilised backwards knitting which worked much better.

I picked up 16 (not 18) stitches when I needed to from the first loop of the LTCO, and made the last DWS stitches 17 and 18.

Have no idea how any of the above will change the sock.  Picture shortly when I do a bit more.

Original with provisional cast on line^

LTCO with picked up stitches on sock 6

I finished the 5th sock, the first of the other recycled jumpers ones last night. Tried it on. And its too tight! The foot part is ok, wearable. But the line that wraps around from the end of the heel joins is uncomfortably tight, and the ankle is too short when its stretched out. I don't think that that yarn with 3.25 needles is the best combination using the formula 7.5/4/36/18/8 @ 4.5 SPI. I am thinking I will go up a needle size for another one, and work on a 5 SPI x 3.25 guage for another. I refuse to undo this one. Its a learning experience after all. If those don't work, then I guess I'll try a cuff down method.

I'm still not sure which method I prefer, though I think I am leaning toward the toe up. Every sock is a different size. The two toe up ones have the same size foot, but the ankle part is different. The two top down ones are just differently sized. Must take a bit of practice to get two the same. Oh well, practice makes perfect I guess.

they fit nicely, and with using the EZ stretchy bind off its not too tight. I think I need to knit at a tighter gauge though coz they twist up. But then again, even store bought socks twist around on me.

I had been having an issue with the joins in the yarn. Remember it was recycled and I didn't bother redoing the knots. So on the last sock, when I came to a join I yarned over (anti clockwise) immediately after the join, then on the next round, I knitted the yo and next stitch together.  It made for a tighter color change.

The end of the W&T heel sections where you were supposed to knit the last double wrapped stitches left holes on the first sock, so on the second one I DIDN'T knit the DWS with the slipped stitch, but picked up the DWS and made a stitch with them. Decreased on the next round though. Someone, somewhere suggested picking up a stitch, rather than knitting the DWT as one.

I am working on the next sock, also toe up with the new jumper. That also has joins, but no color changes. Not sure what the manufacturer was doing with the jumper coz that had joins everywhere. I'd understand the running out of yarn joins, but some were like every 10, 20 rows.

Pics later after they are washed.

I have finished a pair of socks - is not exactly a perfect pair, but I still did it. These were made from the body of the jumper I bought. The left one is top down, the right is toe up. I am still deciding which method I prefer. The right one is bigger/longer. Not sure if the left is smaller or what. The right fits better all round, but I didn't do the stretchy bind off so the top is a bit tight. They are lovely and warm to wear to bed though.

I was checking Novice Knitters and wondered about what 'style' I use for knitting. Its not the English Lever Style. And its not Continental. Its also not *entirely* English. Maybe its Australian :P

This is how I hold my knitting. Yep, the yarn goes across my middle finger, and there are no wrappings. I hold the yarn with the last two fingers for the tension.

Another view. (it wasn't easy to take these myself) Thats the heel of the last sock by the way, with a stitch marker I made myself. .

I bought another jumper to undo, again wool and acrylic blend. More a 'sock yarn' color, but not um, straight yarn. Picture is a bit dark, but anyway.

2nd toe cap. Purple is the crochet chain 

Lovely neat side seam. It even impresses me. 

This ones not so good. ^ 

Two socks, start of one toe up, the other completed top down. ^ 

Not sure what happened here. The lumpy parts [where the blue joins the yellowish] are where the chain was. Maybe I stretched the stitches or something? It might wash out.

Other two socks.  While all of them have 64 stitches, the top down look wider. This may be because I've worn them. I'll check after washing.

I finally have it going.

That tutorial I found was a great help, even if it did the short rows differently. I think the name [being toe up socks] is a slight um...well, causes confusion (misnomer?). It seems to imply that you start said sock from the very end of the sock itself - at the part where you kitchener the top down ones. When more correctly you have to make a toe cap, then add on to it. There are one or two patterns out there that I have found which truly start from the tippy toes end. These utilise the Figure 8 Cast on and the Turkish Cast on.

working back down the other side. Yellowish (its really tan) yarn is the provisional cast on.

first side showing the crochet chain.

I have started working on the second toe cap with the spare 2.75 needles, coz you only need two needles at this stage.