November 11 – Remembrance Day
It’s poppy time!
Why not knit or crochet a hand made poppy or two to remember this day and those who fought so that we can be safe. Please remember, if you sell any of these handmade poppies, please donate the funds to your local Legion. This is their main source of funding.
Here are some links to free Knit and Crochet Poppy patterns:
Crochet Poppies
1: Using Black yarn Chain 6, join.
2: Double Crochet 12 stitches in round.
Change to Red Yarn
3: 2 Double crochet in each stitch (24)
DC, *(2 Treble in next stitch) repeat 4 times.DC. This forms the first petal.
Repeat 3 more times.
4: 2 DC in each stitch.
5: Change to Green Yarn. Join yarn in between 2 of the petals.
2 DC. Turn
6: Chain 1, 2 DC. Turn (3)
7: Chain 1, 1 DC in each stitch. Turn
8: Chain 1. 1 DC in each stitch. Turn
9: Chain 1. 1 DC in each stitch.
Cut Yarn and sew in all the ends.
ChiKnitters Stitch’n’Bitch
Our local Stitch’n’Bitch group that meets weekly at Chichester’s Park Tavern Pub crocheted some poppies last year. Proceeds from sales went to the British Legion – Last year our efforts made it into our local newspaper. The Observer
In an earlier article I described how to knit in the round on a Prym sock loom. I find the instructions that come with the knitting loom a bit difficult to understand, so I have adapted the method slightly. I hope that you will find this a bit easier to follow. Please let me know if anything is not clear or you need additional help.
For this sock I used Regia 4 ply sock yarn – which is quite fine so I have used a double set of loops as I cast on. For heavier weight yarns you would only use 1 loop around the pegs. I am using an E wrap stitch for knitting this sock.
The Prym sock loom is conveniently marked with the start and end positions for turning the heel. In the centre of the knitting loom you will see labels 1R, 1L and 16R, 16L (for the Medium size loom)
Once you have knit the length of the leg of the sock and you are ready to start the heel, you will be working on only 1 half of the stitches to complete the heel. So knitting from 1R to 16R and reversing back, knitting from 16R to 1 R. The remaining stitches 1L to 16L stay on the hooks, untouched until you complete the heel.
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Decreasing the Heel
Heel Row 1: To knit the first row of the heel, starting at 1R, knit as usual, wrap the yarn around the pegs from 1R to 16R and cast off. Heel Row 2: At 16R reverse the direction working your way back to 1R, wrap the yarn around the pegs and cast off that row. Heel Row 3: When you are back to 1R, then work your way back, this time starting at 2R. Wrap the pegs from 2R to 15R and cast off the row. Heel Row 4: Reverse the direction, knitting your way back to 2R. Heel Row 5: Starting at 3R, wrap the pegs to 14R and cast off the row. Heel Row 6: Reverse the direction and wrap the pegs from 14R to 3R and cast off the row. Heel Row 7: Starting at 4R, wrap the pegs to 13R and cast off the row. Heel Row 8: Reverse the direction and wrap the pegs from 13R to 4R and cast off the row. Heel Row 9: Starting at 5R, wrap the pegs to 12R and cast off the row. Heel Row 10: Reverse the direction and wrap the pegs from 12R to 5R and cast off the row. Heel Row 11: Starting at 6R, wrap the pegs to 11R and cast off the row. Heel Row 12: Reverse the direction and wrap the pegs from 11R to 6R and cast off the row.
The instructions that come with the Prym loom suggest that for the Left sock, work your way from 1L to 16L in the same fashion, but in my opinion this doesn’t really matter as usually socks for left and right feet are the same, unless you are knitting a pattern into each sock that is only on one side.
Once you have knit the heel back and forth to pegs 6R – 11R the heel will have a V-shape.
You will now do the reverse of the knitting as you did above, but increasing a stitch on either side, working your way from 6R back to 1R.
Increasing the Heel
Because you have increased rows over part of the sock, there will be a gap or hole left at the end of each row of the heel. In order to avoid this gap from forming, you will need to also pick up or carry a stitch from the next peg as you knit the next row. This is similar to passing over a slip stitch in traditional knitting.
To do this, as you work each row back and forth, pick up a stitch from the previous peg and lift it to the peg you are starting and ending on.
I find it easier to use a small 2.25 mm crochet hook to do this, rather than the pickup stick that comes with the Prym loom. Crochet Hook Size Chart
Heel Row 13:
Working on peg 6R, Pick up the loop from the back of the previous peg 5R and lift it onto 6R. There will now be 3 loops on peg 6R.
Do the same on the opposite side. Pick up the loop from the back of peg 12R and lift it onto peg 11R. Peg 11R will now have 3 stitches.
Wrap the loops from 6R to 11R and cast off the row.
(As you wrap the loop around the first peg (6R) this will now have 4 stitches on it. Cast these off until you have 2 stitches remaining. Continue to knit around to 11R – where you will have 4 stitches on the peg, knit these off back to 2 stitches) Heel Row 14: Knitting in reverse, wrap the loops from 11R to 6R and cast off the stitches.
Heel Row 15:
Pick up the loop from the back of the previous peg 4R and lift it to 5R.
On the other side of the sock, Pick up the loop from back of 13R and lift it to 12R.
Wrap the loops starting with peg 5R to 12R and cast off the stitches. Heel Row 16: Knitting in reverse, wrap the pegs from 12R to 5R and cast off the stitches.
Heel Row 17:
Pick up the loop from the back of the previous peg 3R and lift it to 4R.
On the other side of the sock, Pick up the loop from back of 14R and lift it to 13R.
Wrap the loops starting with peg 4R to 13R and cast off the stitches. Heel Row 18: Knitting in reverse, wrap the pegs from 13R to 4R and cast off the stitches.
Heel Row 19:
Pick up the loop from the back of the previous peg 2R and lift it to 3R.
On the other side of the sock, Pick up the loop from back of 15R and lift it to 14R.
Wrap the loops starting with peg 3R to 14R and cast off the stitches. Heel Row 20: Knitting in reverse, wrap the pegs from 14R to 3R and cast off the stitches.
Heel Row 21:
Pick up the loop from the back of the previous peg 1R and lift it to 2R.
On the other side of the sock, Pick up the loop from back of 16R and lift it to 15R.
Wrap the loops starting with peg 2R to 15R and cast off the stitches. Heel Row 22: Knitting in reverse, wrap the pegs from 15R to 2R and cast off the stitches.
Heel Row 23:
Pick up the loop from the back of the previous peg 1L and lift it to 1R.
On the other side of the sock, Pick up the loop from back of 16L and lift it to 16R.
Wrap the loops starting with peg 1R to 16R and cast off the stitches. Heel Row 24: Knitting in reverse, wrap the pegs from 16R to 1R and cast off the stitches.
You have now completed knitting the heel and you can resume knitting the foot of the sock in the round, as you did for the leg of the sock.
Prym Sock Loom: How to Knit the Heel – You Tube Video
COMING NEXT:
How to knit the toe of the sock.
Prym Sock Knitting Loom
The Prym knitting loom is currently available for sale in the UK. You can purchase it on Amazon UK
I purchased a Prym sock loom today. I have read mixed reviews of them but thought I would give it a try. This knitting loom is similar to the round knitting looms but it is oval in shape. It has a rubberized base and the metal pegs look like bent paper clips. With the unique paper clip shape to the pegs, there is plenty of space to pick up or hook the stitch as you are knitting the loops. There are no rough edges and I find that it is quite easy to hold in your hand, and compact and portable to toss into my purse or knitting bag to take with me. The Prym knitting loom comes with a pickup stick that looks similar to a knitting needle. I use this for picking up the stitches but have also found it handy to also have a small crochet hook for picking up different weights of yarn.
The Prym Sock Loom comes in 3 sizes ranging from small to wide feet:
SIZE
# PEGS
CIRCUMFERENCE
UK
EU
US
Small
28 pegs
26 cm
3.5-12.5
20-31
4-13
Medium
32 pegs
29.5 cm
0-5
32-38
2-7
Large
36 pegs
33 cm
6-11
39-46
7.5-13
Sock Size Knitting Chart
You can make the socks any length you like, regardless of which size of knitting loom you purchased.
This chart gives the length for foot of the sock for different shoe sizes.
EU
UK
US
Foot length
39-40
5.5-6.5
7.5-8.5
16 cm
41-42
7-8
9-10
17 cm
43-44
8.5-9.5
10.5-11.5
18 cm
45-46
10-11.5
12-13
19 cm
Knitting with this type of sock loom is very similar to spool or cork knitting. How to Use a Corker
The instructions that came with the knitting loom are a bit difficult to follow as they are written in several languages.
I have rewritten the instructions to make this easier to understand.
To knit on this loom, each loop round is followed by a cast off round. Together this makes a knitted row.
To start, For thicker yarns, loop the yarn around each peg in 2 rounds, followed by a cast off round.
For finer yarns, loop the yarn around each peg in 3 rounds, followed by a cast off round.
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I am using Regia 4 ply sock yarn for this pair of socks. Because I am using a fine yarn, I am using the Triple loop method, looping 3 rounds onto the pegs before casting off.
Looping Round
1. Place the yarn from back to front onto starting position 0, leaving a length of 15 cm hanging from the back.
2. Loop the yarn counter-clockwise around the peg 1L, then around peg 1R, 2R, 3R and so on, working your way clock-wise around the loom.
3. The first looping round is finished when peg 1L has been looped twice.
4. Loop the second round in the same way on top of the first round.
The round is finished when peg 1L has been looped 3 times.
Cast off round
Use the cast-off needle to cast off.
To do this, pick up the bottom loop on the peg and lift it up and over the peg.
After each cast off, push the stitches down the peg to adjust the tension.
Continue to cast off working your way around the loom.
To cast off Double loops, Lift the bottom stitch over the top stitch and over the peg. The peg now has one stitch left.
To cast off Triple loops, Lift the bottom stitch over the 2 upper stitches and over the peg. The peg now has 2 stitches left.
Continue working around the sock knitter, alternating between Looping and Casting off rows.
The knitting develops behind the pegs. After about 5-10 rows (depending on the thickness of your yarn) you will begin to see the knitted rows below the knitting loom. I found it much easier to control the tension once the sock had some length as I could gently tug on the bottom of the sock to keep the yarn from slipping off the pegs.
Continue knitting around until you reach the desired length for the cuff of your sock.
I am not sure if the Prym knitting loom is for sale yet in the US. If it is, could you please let me know so that I can add links for where to purchase one. Canada Karp Styles UK
Here a few other vendors in the UK who sell the Prym knitting looms. Perhaps they are also willing to ship worldwide. Knit and Sew Purple Linda Crafts
Many people associate crafts like knitting and crocheting with old ladies, however this is a stereotype which could not be more wrong. An increasing number of young people are now getting into this creative past time and are knitting scarves, gloves and even toys. Plus in this economic climate, learning a skill like knitting is a great way to save money by making home made gifts.
With the current popularity of these crafts and the variety of yarns and fun projects available, there’s never been a better time than now to take up this creative activity. If you normally spend your free time watching reruns of TV shows or playing some FoxyBingo.com online, but now you would like to try being more creative and productive, then it sounds like knitting is the perfect hobby for you.
Knitting relieves stress
After a long or stressful day at the office, there’s no better way to relax than sitting on the sofa, enjoying a cup of tea and getting on with some knitting. You’ll find that all the worries of the day melt away due to the relaxing, rhythmic and simple nature of knitting. The repetitive movements of knitting help to lull us into a relaxed rhythm because all we need to do is focus on just one task. In addition, knitting helps you to gather your thoughts and find a calm and positive state of mind where you’re not mulling over the past or fretting about the future.
Health advantages
There’s more to knitting which meets the eye. According to research conducted by Professor Richard Davidson of Wisconsin University, it is thought that practising rhythmic and repetitive movements such as knitting for eight weeks can have a positive effect on brain function and even strengthen the immune system. This is because therapeutic activities such as knitting evoke relaxation responses which can help reduce blood pressure, heart rate and help to prevent stress related illnesses.
Knitting improves your mood
In research by Dr. Barry Jacobs of Princetown University it has been discovered that repetitive movements in animals enhance the release of serotonin. In depression, serotonin levels are low but rhythmical movements such as knitting release a chemical called serotonin which can help you feel more calm and happy.
So when you are feeling stressed at work, it’s time for a knitting break!
A great way to use up some of your handspun stash is to knit flowers and felt them.
Here is an example of a waterlily that I knitted.
Felted Waterlily
The pattern came from a book I purchased from Amazon – Knitted Flowers, 20 to make.
The pattern calls for double knitting weight yarn. I substituted this for my woolen hand spun in variegated colours.
To make the flower first knit the set of outer petals in garter stitch following the instructions given.
The inner petals of the flower are knitted in a similar fashion, but slightly smaller in size.
The center of the flower is knit in a contrasting color by simply casting on and casting off. For this I used another hand spun wool yarn dyed in yellow.
After knitting the flower sections, sew them together following the pattern instructions.
Then I felted the completed flower, by putting it into a sink full of hot tap water with a bit of dish detergent. I rubbed and massaged the flower quite vigorously until it felted. I further felted the flower by dipping it into cold and hot water repeatedly.
What is a Russian join? A Russian join is a very effective way to join 2 yarn ends without using a knot. It works well on any type of plied yarn, especially when the yarn doesn’t felt, such as for cotton, linen or superwash wool yarns. It can be used for knitting and crochet. I also like to use this method for nalbinding.
How to Russian Join Yarn
Step 1:
Thread a needle with one of the yarns you wish to join.
Work the needle back through the yarn for about an inch, forming a loop.
Step 2:
Pull the thread through, leaving a loop in the yarn end.
Step 3:
Thread the second yarn end through the loop.
Step 4:
Thread the needle with the second yarn.
Work the needle back through the second yarn end for about an inch. Russian Join
Step 5:
Pull the needle through the yarn, leaving a second loop.
Step 6:
Pull gently on both yarn ends to close the loops.
You can now trim the yarn ends leaving you with a neatly joined yarn. Nalbinding Supplies on Etsy
Look for nalbinding yarns, needles, kits and yarn in my Etsy Shop.
