Monica Knits

You may find one or more of the following twelve tips helpful for knitting fingers of gloves. Included are techniques to prevent holes and tips for fit and needle sizes. Read more ..... for tips.

Coat PlacketDesign Features: A Cabin Fever Design, this classy A-line swing coat, featuring garter stitch detailing is knitted top-down in the round with Lamb's Pride Bulky Yarn. This garment had simple, though striking styling with knitted-in I-cord front edges, and slip stitch ridges on the sleeves and on either side of the front placket. The underarms have panels that match the front placket styling. The front slip stitch ridges and center front I-cord edges accent each other and create a great focal point for the frog closures. This is a warm jacket, ideal for cooler Michigan weather. My desk at work was in a drafty area, so this kept my cozy. I completed the jacket in 6 days over the Christmas vacation.

I love the jacket and it elicits many complements, which I credit to the styling and color. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to photograph this lustrous yarn and accurately reproduce the color. It is Amethyst colored, but the red highlights don't photograph well.

Acute AngleMarkers, a larger foundation needle, swapping first and last stitches, parking idle stitches at cable center, knitting transition stitches at an acute angle, and maintaining a consistent stitch direction all serve to ensure consistent high, quality in hand-knitted socks.

Weave Yarn EndThe final steps to sock construction are illustrated: weaving in yarn ends, adding elastic to the cuffs (optional) and blocking, followed by a discussion on creating different designs from the basic pattern.

The Kitchener Stitch is an invisible, strong method of closing the toe opening. This method is also called "Weaving the Toe" or "Grafting the Toe." In preparation for joining the top and bottom halves of the toe section, the ten (10) stitches on each of the 2.0 mm circular needles have been transfered to two 1.75 mm dpns, to provide additional ease for guiding the darning needle through the loops. The yarn was cut, leaving a 10" tail (1" per stitch) which is sufficient for completing the Kitchener stitch and weaving the yarn end in.

Start ToesThe toes begin when the the sock is two inches (2") from the tip of your longest toe. Beginning with 32 sts on each circular needle, the sock is tapered with symmetrical decreases on alternate rounds for 2", until ten (10) stitches remain on each needle. Knitting the toes with smaller 2.0 mm diameter needles improves durability.

The sock is knitted in face front orientation (not in profile like the gusset) to simplify knitting instructions. The traditional decrease pattern in face front orientation is easy to remember because decreases occur 1 stitch in from both ends of each needle.

6 Gusset StitchesThe gusset, the widest part of the sock, is shaped with paired decreases on alternate rows until the combined number of stitches is again 64, 32 stitches per circular needle. Markers are used for quality control and to simplify instructions for gusset shaping. The decreases occur between the markers in the gusset area until only six (6) gusset stitches remain between the markers.

Gusset MarkersThe gusset is the widest part of the sock. For this reason, an additional 20 stitches are picked up, and decreases then worked over alternate rows as the sock tapers towards the foot and toes. Before the gusset can be worked, heel stitches are transfered back to 2.5 mm needles and the heel flap stitches are picked up. An additional stitch is picked up in the intersection of the heel flap and instep, to prevent an unsightly gap. Markers are strategically placed to speed knitting and improve quality during the subsequent gusset construction.

Turning HeelThe turning heel consists of short rows to shape the curve around the heel. The stitches in the middle are knitted, with paired decreases fanning out from the center, as the outer stitches are brought into the pattern. The travelling, paired decreases form a triangle which fits around your heel and the outer stitches form the curve. This section knits up very quickly.

The term short row, is a row in which you do not knit completely across. For the heel, it is bordered with slip stitches on either end, whose function is to visually blend stitches to form a smooth transition with the regular stitches on the ends of the row.

Heel FlapThe basic sock pattern uses a French heel--a slip-stitch, honeycomb pattern that provides comfort, fit and durability. For the heel flap, you will be working with only 30 stitches and a 2.0 mm circular needle. The stitches are worked back and forth on the single needle for a total of 30 rows. A chain stitch selvage makes it easy to later see and pick up stitches for the gusset.