Pine Point designs: On the Needles

My friend, Dot (Rantala Rags) gave me some sock yarn for my birthday. It's 75% superwash wool and 25% polyamide by Regia. I love the colors. This will be the second pair of socks I've made using self-striping yarn.

Like the last pair, I'm doing the toe-up version. I decided to do the short row toe and heel shaping. It had been a long time since I'd done any short rows, so I dug out my instructions. I recall that I didn't like the look of the last method I used so I went on line and did some research.

Do you know how many different ways short rows can be knitted? There's the wrap & turn, the Japanese short rows using safety pins, and the yarn over method. And of course there are variations of each of these methods, too.

Craftsy.com has a free mini-class on Short Rows taught by Carol Feller which I highly recommend for anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of constructing short rows. I didn't realize how useful short rows can be in projects other than socks. My final choice was to follow Donna Druchunas' instructions from my Craftsy class, Knit Original Toe-Up Socks.

I had planned to make the toe for the second sock and then load them both on the circular needles so I could knit both socks at the same time. However, I also decided to switch to a larger size needle after making this first toe using size 1US needles. After the toe shaping was complete, I switch my needles to size 2US bamboo because I prefer using the bamboo. I'm knitting enough to test the size and last night I slipped this sock on my foot and it seems to fit just fine. I think I might continue and complete this sock before starting the other one.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out Judy's blog (Patchwork Times) to see what others have on their needles this week.