Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving Free Sock Pattern Arkansas Fiber Arts Extravaganza

Dudleyspinner’s Handspun Socks

This pattern is a cuff down pattern designed for Dudleyspinner
handspun singles yarn that is 18-20 wraps per inch.  The
gauge is
7-8 stitches per inch on British size 14 needles, or U.S. size 0
(2mm) needles. I used double pointed needles that are 7
inches long.

Cast on 60 stitches with a stretchy cast on.

Work in ribbing of k 3, p1 for desired length of cuff.  The sample
socks have a six inch cuff.

Start Heel Flap
Put 30 stitches on hold. Using double strand of yarn, knit heel
flap on remaining 30 stitches, knit in stockinette stitch making
flap 3 inches long.
This makes a heel that has a deep gusset and is extra strong.

I use a short row heel that has a wrapped stitch at the end of
each row.  You will be working 5 stitches and then decrease
one stitch by either knitting two together or purling two
together. This will be the wrapped stitch and the next stitch.
You will then wrap the next stitch by putting the yarn in front,
slipping one stitch, then putting the yarn back.  If you are
purling the yarn will already be in front, so you will just slip the
stitch, put the yarn to back and turn your work, and start
knitting by slipping that wrapped stich.
When you look at the heel you will see a  little ridge will be
forming on the sides where the wrapped stitches are
decreased. This makes a nice heel that keeps its shape.
Turn Heel
Heel Row 1:  On  the right side of the heel flap, knit 17, knit two
together. (decrease 1) wrap the next stitch. To do this, bring
yarn forward as if to purl, slip the next stitch, hold the yarn in
left hand and turn the knitting over.(Turn Work) Your yarn will
be in front prepared to purl.

Heel Row 2:  Slip the wrapped stitch. Purl 5, purl 2 tog, slip the
next stitch with the yarn forward as if to purl. Turn work, putting
yarn to back to prepare to knit the next row. This wraps the
stitch you slipped.

Heel Row 3: Slip the wrapped stitch.  Knit 5, knit 2 tog, bring
yarn forward as if to purl, slip next stitch, put yarn to back
wrapping stitch. Turn work.

Heel Row 4: Slip the wrapped stitch. Purl 5, purl 2 tog.( this will
be the wrapped stitch, and the next stitch).   With yarn forward
as if to purl, slip 1 stitch, put yarn to back, turn work. (That
wrapped the slipped stitch.)

Heel Row 5:  Slip the wrapped stitch, Knit 5, knit 2 tog, bring
yarn forward, as if to purl, slip next stitch, put yarn back, as if to
knit. Turn work.

Heel Row 6: With yarn forward, slip wrapped stitch, purl 5, purl
2 tog.  With yarn forward slip 1 st. Put yarn to back, turn work.

Heel Row 7:  With yarn forward slip wrapped stitch, put yarn
back. Knit 5, knit 2 tog. Bring yarn forward, slip next stitch, turn
work.

Heel Row 8:  Bring yarn forward, slip next stitch. Purl 5, purl 2
tog. Slip next stitch. Put yarn to back, turn work.

Heel Row 9:  With yarn forward, slip one stitch, knit  5, knit 2
tog. Bring yarn forward, slip next stitch, turn work.

Heel Row 10:  With yarn forward, slip one stitch, purl 5, purl 2
tog. With yarn forward slip one stitch, put yarn to back.  Turn
work.

Heel Row 11:  Bring yarn forward, slip one stitch. Place yarn
back, knit 5, knit 2 tog.  Bring yarn forward, slip one stitch. Turn
work.

Heel Row 12:  Bring yarn forward, slip one stitch. Purl 5, purl 2
tog. Keeping yarn forward, slip 1 stitch, turn work.

Heel Rows 13- 22 continue to work decreasing one stitch on
each row, and wrapping the next stitch.

Heel Row 23:  Bring yarn forward, slip 1 stitch, knit 5, knit 2 tog.
Turn work.  This is the last knit row.

Heel Row 24:  Purl 5, purl 2 tog.  There are 6 stitches on
needle.

Heel Row 25:  Knit 6, break off second strand of yarn.

All the heel flap stitches have been worked.

Start Gusset
Divide the stitches onto 3 needles.  Put all the 30 held stitches
onto one.  Divide the remaining 6 heel stitches onto two
needles.

Pick Up Stitches
Along the gusset, pick up stitches, one stitch for each row; I
picked up 16 stitches on each side.  Put the stitches on the
needles so the half the heel stitches are on needle one, pick up
along the side of the heel flap. On needle 2, the 30 held
stitches.
Needle 3; pick up 16 stitches along the other side of the heel
flap.
Now the stitches can be knit and you will know that it is time to
decrease for the gusset at the end of needle one, and
beginning
of needle 3. At the end of needle one, do a ssk decrease, knit
the
30 held stitches. At the start of needle three PSSO. Continue
until
you are back to 60 stitches, the same number as the cuff. Try
on
your sock and if it is too large decrease a few more stitches.

Foot
Knit until your foot is 1 ½ inches shorter than the desired length.


Round Toe
Decrease R1:   *k4, k 2 tog* knit 4 rounds.
Decrease R2:  *k3, k 2 tog* knit 3 rounds.
Decrease R3  *k2, k 2 tog* knit 2 rounds.
Decrease R4  *K 1, K 2 tog*, knit 1 round.
Decrease R5 *K 2 tog around.
Break yarn and pull end through loops on needle.  Secure end.

Abbreviations
SSK : Slip two sts separately as if to knit; insert left needle tip
from
left to right through the fronts of both sts, as if they were one;
knit
them together.
PSSO:  Slip one st, knit one st. Pass the slipped stitch over the
knit stitch.

Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving Arkansas Fiber Arts Extravaganza 2014 Lacy Sock Class

Lace, the word makes me think of wedding dresses and doilies. Both beautiful but very different. Wedding dresses usually have very fine lace that is machine made most often in this century. Doilies are more often knit or crocheted. I have made a few doilies, one very complicated and a few others more random and free form. 

Knitting lacy socks is very nice because you are knitting in the round. That means that you will  have less purling in most patterns. This pattern has 4 rows and only one is purled. Purling gives the lace the nice texture, showing off the undulation made by the increase/decrease row.
Lace is made by making holes in your knitting intentionally. I am sure we have all made extra holes in our knitting without intending to. An extra wrap of yarn or a dropped stitch will leave a hole, a dropped stitch a ladder of holes, unless it is caught in time and reknit. Making lace is just doing the same thing on purpose. This lace pattern has 6 increases and 6 decreases to keep an even number of stitches.

The pattern we are using for the Lacy Sock Class at the Arkansas Fiber Arts Extravaganza  is a very simple Feather and Fan pattern adapted to a sock pattern. This is a top down sock with a very nice ribbing. A 3x1 rib is very stretchy, so a stretchy cast on is needed. This tutorial gives instruction on how to do a Stretchy Cast on    I have been doing a cast on very similar to this, I just add a  double twist to the loop before picking up the yarn. This makes a great stretchy edge for your socks. If you have thick muscular  calves from spinning like I do, the extra stretch makes sure the sock will fit comfortably without cutting off circulation in your leg. Another advantage of this cast on is the fact that you start with a slip knot and work with the ball end of the yarn, so you will always have enough yarn for the cast on. Sometimes with a long tail cast on you will run out of your long tail, or have a lot of extra wasted yarn left over. This eliminates that problem.

Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving teaches at Arkansas Fiber Arts Extravaganza, My Bio

I am teaching three classes at the Arkansas Fiber Arts Extravaganza, Hot Springs, Arkansas, September 19, 1:30 pm-3:00pm, Adding Beads To Spinning. 3:30-5:00 Free Form Crochet. Sept 20, 8:30 am-10:00am, Simple Lacy Socks.

This is a little about how I got started spinning wool, knitting, crocheting, needle felting and dying fibers.

Becoming a Fiber Artist was not something that I aspired to as a child. I was very much like my daughters in the photo, just a kid that liked to go feed the bottle lambs with my Grandma. Grandma Bosselman would have me stay over and "help" her to go feed the lambs in the barn at night. I remember Grandma  filling the pop bottles with milk, and putting the rubber nipples on them. Grandma putting on my boots, the cold ground, seeing my breath as we walked to the barn. If I promised to be careful Grandma would let me carry one of the bottles.  I remember  he smell of the hay and being greeted by the hungry lambs bleating as we came close to them.  I loved the feeling of being a big helper. I am sure that just going by herself would have been much easier for Grandma, but I would not have learned about the wonders of wool if not for Grandma Bosselman. I slept under a wool comforter in our unheated upstairs  thanks to Grandma and those sheep. Those sheep and the memories kept me warm.

I learned to knit when one of the girls in my class wore a headband to school that was knit. I loved the texture and wanted to learn. Grandma took me to Woolworths and bought me my first pair of knitting needles. A pair of size 4 Boye straight needles and a skein of pink yarn. I did learn to knit when the girl in my class taught me how. I knit straight garter stitch for many years. By the time I was in high school, my Home Economics project was a cable knit scarf and mittens knit with Black Red Heart Wool, from the dime store. At that time all the yarn was wool, acrylic was not available.

When my husband and I got our first home that needed livestock for weed control I wanted sheep. The first trip to sell the wool I purchased a drop spindle and started making my own yarn. A dye class got me started with dying wool with natural dyes. A friend taught me how to use fiber reactive dyes for tie dye T-shirts. I sold T-shirts for several years. I later took those tie dye skills and applied them to wool roving  making my signature Tie Dye Rovings in bright rainbow colors. Along the way I learned crochet, then started doing some Free Form Crochet using UFO's in my work. I hate to see all that effort wasted.

 Spinning with a drop spindle was nice, but I wanted a wheel . Another trip to sell wool and an Ashford Traveller followed me home. I learned to spin mostly on my own, with a little help from the Mother of one of our friends.  Now my herd of spinning wheels has grown to 5 wood wheels and one electric Babe made of PVC pipe. I spend my days and nights knitting, crocheting, designing patterns like the purse I designed for the 2008 edition of Interweave Felts which uses UNSPUN ROVING . 

I haunt the thrift store in my local town to find unusual toys to use to make small scrumbles. Broomstick lace, hairpin lace, small weave it type looms, potholder looms, small table looms, knittng nancy looms,  all make it into a free form afghan.

I love yarn and color, so for me playing with a bunch of fiber toys and dying yarn and fiber is a joy.

Dudleyspinner Designs a Lacy Sock For Arkansas Fiber Arts Extravaganza Dudleyspinner Tie Dye Roving

 This is the lacy sock that I am designing for the class I am teaching at the Arkansas Fiber Arts Extravaganza   September 18 -20 in Hot Springs Arkansas.  I have the first sock almost done. This has a band heel and a star toe.  I am using  Brown Sheep SY which is 80% superwash wool 20% nylon.  I am using a 2.0 mm needle or size 0.  I do hope that after washing the yarn plumps up a bit. I don't often buy commercial yarns. I am spoiled. My hand spun yarns do not split like this. I did purchase two cones of this and will be dying it up in sock knitting quantities. Personally I do prefer hand spun for socks, however if you are making socks for someone that will throw them in the washer this would be a good option.

 Close up of the feather and fan pattern. It looks good on a sock, in a scarf or afghan. A good introduction to lace knitting. The pattern will always even out, you increase 6 and decrease 6 to make the pattern. This is a simple lace, only 4 rows to remember and 3 of those are just knit!

 The star toe is a nice easy to work and adjust for fit.  The toe is divided onto 4 needles and the decrease is worked at the end of each needle. This is why I really like sets of 5 for sock needles.

My Nantucket basket that is the gremmel catcher for my Schacht spinning wheel. From S. Yarmouth, MA