The beauty of hand knitting is that if a particular part of a pattern does not work for you, it can be modified. There are many different ways to knit sock heels. There are many different feet. This works out well. If you want to read more about the genesis of this Sock Heel book series, please continue reading ».
Dutch Heel eBook
$2.50
This “generic” heel generally fits any foot.
German Heel eBook
$2.50
The extra garter stitch edge to the heel flap helps eliminate saggy gussets and provides a snug fit.
French Heel eBook
$2.50
This rounded heel is perfect for those who are sensitive to tags, snags and lumps.
Welsh Heel eBook
$2.50
This is a very hard-wearing heel that leads the knitter on quite the adventure along the way.
What’s better than a Knit-a-Long?
A Knit-a-Long where you can listen to the book the pattern is based on!
That’s right! This Friday on CraftLit and Just the Books we begin Jane Eyre and how will we celebrate? By beginning the Jane’s Ubiquitous Shawl Knit-a-Long—the pattern by Erica Hernandez featured in What Would Madame Defarge Knit? (vol 1).
We all know this season is—ahem—filled with craftiness, and so we’ve planned for this KaL to be taken at a slow and steady pace—just the way Jane would have wanted us to. So don’t worry if you feel you have too much to do. We do too, and we have a suspicion that a little down time listening to Jane Eyre and gradually knitting Jane’s shawl may be the breath of calm you’re looking for in this busy season.
Soon, Volume 2 of WWMDfK? will be out and you’ll find more yarny numminess from Erica and many other talented designers. For now, though, you can order the first book, grab the eBook, or purchase the single pattern starting Friday via Ravelry and get ready for our leisurely Knit-a-Long.
Well, I’m not releasing a new podcast—though I’m prepping Jane Eyre RIGHT NOW—so instead I’m releassing a new pattern!
My husband recently sent me links to the three videos I’ve loaded below. He said “for the boys” in his email but, seriously, how could I not attack these? I did a quick “knitted flexagon” web search and found that no one had yet made a pattern for this (though you can find oh-so-cool pillows and kaleidocycles video and pattern) so I made my own!
October 21st is the birthday of the instigator behind the craze (Martin Gardner) so knit up a passel (while listening to Flatland) and spread the word of his genius (and the genius of a number of other quite-bright kids).
These can be knit with any yarn, at any gauge, with any needles (that fit your yarn). As long as you have a neutral and three other colors, you’re golden. Photo-instructions for sewing and folding and provided.
In the winter, my feet are always cold. Until they aren’t any more and I want to take my socks off, but if I do my feet get cold.
You’re sensing the problem, no?
And in the winter, do I get pedicures?
No I do not.
It’s not for a lack of vanity—it’s how cold my feet get after they come out of the water!
At MDSW I saw this gorgeous yarn and it absolutely SCREAMED Holly Golightly to me. I actually may have squealed a little bit… but I’m not sure.
Regardless, I started looking at stitch patterns that made me think of New York circa the Breakfast at Tiffany’s movie (not the book, though I loved the book) and found one that reminded me of the old Lollipop building at Columbus Circle (not the new one–ew). Add that to the hot-cold-foot-problem and…
My solution! The Holly Golightly flip-top socks knit in the AMAZING yarn from Dragonfly Fibers (Super Djinni, how do I love thee?)
This is the companion book to the How to Knit Socks (which is top-down). As soon as I finish the toe-up-with-flap book I’ll put them together in a bundle too.
In 2009, I taught at the first Sock Summit. In my class I covered how to knit the heels listed below in any gauge, yarn weight, or needle size. Students left with sample heels, worksheets for future use, and a clear understanding of which heel fit them best. Below are links to eBooks which teach you each heel.
I’m now teaching the same class (with more heels!) online (see links in left sidebar).
Chances are you’ve knit at least one of the heels in these books in some pattern somewhere. When you click on a heel link below you will be taken to a page that includes a photo of the heel and some description. That way you can purchase only the heel instructions that are unfamiliar to you, giving you the chance to find your perfect heel! If you are so inclined, there is also a book that compiles all of the heels together in one book—coming soon!
Each eBook has detailed instructions from heel flap to the end of the gusset. There is also a “speed sheet†at the end of each eBook which is a worksheet you can print out, thus giving you all you need to substitute your perfect heel into any sock you knit.
As with all of my other eBooks, links are live to take you to tutorials or helpful sites. If you have any questions or problems, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Dutch Heel eBook
$2.50
This generic heel generally fits any foot.
German Heel eBook
$2.50
The extra garter stitch edge to the heel flap helps eliminate saggy gussets and provides a snug fit.
French Heel eBook
$2.50
This rounded heel is perfect for those who are sensitive to tags, snags and lumps.
Welsh Heel eBook
$2.50
This is a very hard-wearing heel that leads the knitter on quite the adventure along the way.
This sock came to me all at once one night about 22 days before the Hunger Games movie was released. I remember sitting there, turning to my husband and saying, “Holy Cow! I have to make a Hunger Games Sock Pattern!”
He looked at me patiently and said, “Okaaaaayyyy..”
I think he’s used to this sort of thing from me.
I knew exactly what I wanted: über cushy replaceable sole, toe-up construction, instep seamed to sides for lacy-breathability as well as functionality, arrowhead lace, three-strand cables down the sides, and a secret pocket to stash your throwing knfe.
Or house keys.
I’m really proud of these suckers and enjoy wearing mine with heavier-than-you’d-expect-for-handknit-socks shoes and boots. I imagine I’ll get some use out of these this winter when we’re supposed to have a “real” winter (unlike the long Fall/Spring we had this year). I hope you like them too. You can add to cart the *extremely comfy socks for $6US.
Cheddar
I love this little guy. Like everyone I come across, I love amigurumi—a lot. But I felt like the Creepy Cute Crochet
had the corner on the market for detailed instructions and cute awesomeness, so I stuck to knitting for my critter.
I also had been thinking for a long time that CraftLit needed a mascot—(Cheddar will be coming with me to Dallas, I think)—but I didn’t want to make the pattern pricey since I know not everyone who listens to CraftLit is loaded. I priced the smaller Wensleydale similarly for the same reason.
I hate seaming so I worked hard to create a little fellah that didn’t need any seaming. I’ve since learned that some folks prefer to make their ears and arms and tails separately and actually LIKE sewing the bits and bobs on. I think Penny on Ravelry has made some alternate instructions if you’re more the latter than the former. There are some really cute variations listed over at Ravelry.
I love that. And you might too if you add to cart your own Cheddar pattern for $3US.
Ruff
This article of clothing, especially for Cheddar, is free for you to download now and can be seen in the picture above.
Wensleydale
I love this little guy!
Cheddar needed a buddy, so I made him one. Knit in a tube—with a similar start to Cheddar—his increases create a flat-ish base and a nicely curved top.
A link is provided to an Etsy store where you can get the fabulous litle safety eyes (thank you, Penny!) which I think really help “make” this buddy.
I like double knitting. I like doing the same thing with weaving (two layers at one time) but that’s a different sotry. I think I like double kniting for the same reason I like knitting two socks at a time on two circs—when I’m done, I’m DONE.
This little guy was born of necessity: Christmas. Well, Christmas and teaching a class in double knitting. If you’ve never knit both sides of a bag at the same time, you’re in for a treat. This little, easy-to-learn-on bag is forgiving and quick to knit. I made a slew of these for Christmas last year and am currently panicking about what to do for this Christmas since I can’t really do this again.
I needed to do something with my handspun. I have (ahem) a fair amount of small amounts of my yarn lying around here. It’s like living in a yarn store for The Borrowers. So I pondered and considered and dreamed and finally thought of a pattern that wouldn’t care if my early yarn was uneven—a feltable dryerball!
If you’ve never experienced a dryerball, lemme tell you—it’s nifty. Put some essential oil in there and you’ll never need Bounce again (unless you use the sheets to keep the mosquitos at bay).
The pattern was easily adjustable to a pincushion… so I did!
I really REALLY hate having hair on my neck when it’s not long enough to hang down my back. I love banana clips for two reasons
they keep the hair off of my neck
I can let my hair grow without paying any attention to it (which makes it seem like it grows faster under the Watched Pot theorum of hair growth.
This was fine and dandy when we lived in Arizona, but Virginia has winter. Not much of one last year, but still. If my ears are cold, ˆ am cold (under the transitive property of YourMomToldYouThatYouLose88%OfYourBodyHeatThroughYourHeadSoYouShouldHaveListened). I needed a hat—one that would fit over my hair clip, and I needed one fast and I needed it cheap.
¡Voici!
I love this little bonnet! I also love that it’s a cheap and easy way to learn to steek (if you’ve never steeked before, you’ll need far less Scotch to wind yourself up to cut an 8$-skein-of-yarn-2-nights-of-knitting than you would on the $140-of-shetland-five-months-of-knitting project. Nuff said).
Instructions and pictures are included with all of my patterns so if I have something odd (double knitting, steeking, knitting a ball in the round) I have the how-to right there in the pattern. Need to get your hair off your neck this winter, just add to cart for $4.
So today’s post doesn’t go back to the age of the dinosars, but it does go back to when I was teaching in New York.
After our evacuation on 9/11, a few teachers and I taught a bunch of our students to knit and we donated what we made to Women in Need shelter and the Bowery Mission. Many yarn companies and publishers stepped in to support us with donations which meant the world to us (SoHo Publishing, Elizabeth Eakins, and Patternworks, being the three names I recall most on support packages). It was very VERY good for all of us to have a purpose and a goal and a Thing We Could Do to Help Others.
And one of the others we wanted to help was our Principal.
She lost her sister in the attacks and so the kids and I took turns knitting her a giant Wedge Shawl (you can see why we wanted to give a little something back to her if you take a look at Story Selection #1 here). I’d made a bunch of these shawls—they’re easy, reasonably fast, and very, very comfy to have around you. She was pleased, I think.
I think I learned this pattern originally from our LYS, but since then I’ve added to and modified it a bit–which is what you see in the Wedge Shawl pattern I have on Ravlery. You probably could do this in any yarn at any gauge, but I’ve usually gone with worsted and 13US or 15US. It’s good mindless knitting and when you get the turns down, you can do it in a movie theater.
Ask me how I know.
My latest version was for my eversobestest friend in Los Angeles (the one we will stay with during the surgery). Soon I will post pics of her with her gorgeous daughter and their new shawl.
* * *
A couple of years ago, while I was finishing edits on the first Defarge book, I was contacted by an old high school friend (She’s not old. I am.) who was interested in doing a blog hop for the holidays called A Dickens of a Christmas Blog Hop.
It was fun and I learned a lot, contributing free A Christmas Carol podcasts (staves 1–2 and stave 3 and staves 4–5) and this little hand-warmer design—The Cratchette. Thing 2, of the Ear-Surgery-Sale is the model for the Dickensian picture you see in the pattern.
Please, Sir, can I have some more?
I had little free time, what with finishing the book, so I knew I needed a quick-to-knit-mitt that would be very, very warm (because honestly, poor Bob Cratchit!). This is what I came up with. It’s pretty darn simple and a few knitters on Ravelry have found even more ways to modify it and make it sing. It makes for an easy and fast Christmas giftie. So there it is! The Cratchette.
And who knew that in the middle of posting about my patterns I would be having a surprise sale!
I planned these posts before we found out about Thing 2’s surgery but it’s timed out well because all of my Raverly Store patterns will be 10% off through this Sunday, August 26, 2012 (some are free no matter what, too!). So if you want a Cratchette or a Wedge Shawl pattern, please start with the sale link if you’re within the deadline.
And if you haven’t already, please sign up to get my free newsletter to get links to sales and new patterns as they’re released.
Way back a long time ago, oh, way before you were born, missey, I knitted up a little envelope for Thing 2’s teeth as they shuffled off the mortal coil known as his mouth and alit on a pillow. Those little buggers went missing easily under his pillow and the little knitted envelope seemed to help keep the teeth easy to find—plus he liked it. I thought it was such a durn useful thing that I would just hop on Excel and make up a little chart and send it out to the world. I figured one or two people would get it and it would make them smile and knit little pouches for their loved ones and lo’, the world would become a good and happy place.
Well, about 300 people have downloaded it so far and the world still seems like the same old world to me, so I thought maybe I should shine the pattern up a bit and re-release it to all y’all and see if we can’t get some goodness and joy to spread around a bit more.
You can download it now and it won’t cost you a cent. Knit it at a tight gauge so the teeth don’t squeeze through the stitches.
Please post pictures though that link back to the pattern on Ravelry. I’d love to see how you modify it and make it all YOU. That’s the fun part.
* * *
Another time back in… oh… 2007/2008 maybe? I was part of a few Harry Potter Sock Swaps. I still have the socks I received (the Revenclaw stripy socks are particular favorites of mine). I was having a heckuvatime figuring out what to knit because the name I drew was for someone in Hufflepuff.
Hufflepuff.
Yellow and Black?!
[groan]
And a badger?!
And then I thought, WAIT! I know! I can knit the Huffl and epuff across the back of the socks and again across the front of the socks so when your feet are together they say HUFFLEPUFF… and maybe I can work a little badger in on the back of the heel.
Thus were the Hufflepuff socks forged.
I blogged about them quite a bit back then and afterward turned the posts into something like a running blog document. Later I cleaned it up a bit more and added my new toe-up-sock-with-a-gusset-and-flap instructions from my sock heel class (see left sidebar). Now you can download a reasonably polished piece of work also free for the taking. It’s not as detailed as the newer sock patterns I have, but it’s followable and I had a fun time knitting them. I hope you do too.
My son needs surgery.
Not planned surgery but that kind of kick-in-the-gut surprise surgery that is halfway between, sure okay and It’s An Emergency.
The Long of It If you’ve followed my blog or podcast since 2005-2006, then you know that my younger son was born with Microtia—a not-as-rare-as-you’d-think condition that gave him a very small ear and no ear canal on the right side, but a working middle and inner ear.
Here’s the cute lil ear he was born with
Here you can see the difference in size between his right (Microtic) ear and his left.
Back in 2008 we had Medpor surgery and I blogged about it here (and will blog updates there on this adventure, too). With Medpor, a surgical plastic form is placed and covered with a skin graft and then it magically (really, it looks like magic) molds itself to the form ¡et voilá! Insta-ear. It’s amazing. Later we had a canal added and, yes, he can hear now on that side.
This is the miracle ear before his canal surgery.
However. At some point that plastic frame started to poke out of the back of his ear. We only caught it at the beginning of this month and I let the surgeon know last week. He let me know we had to get into surgery asap or—and this is the scary part—if the plastic has been exposed for too long they will have to Remove It And Start Over.
We’re happy to see our surgeon again (he’s fabulous) but it’s the difference between a 2-1/2 hr surgery and an 8-1/2+ hr surgery. Plus if we start over it means more skin grafts, another 115 stitches, and recovery right as school is starting. I know you parents know how much your heart aches when your child is in a new-school situation (which he is, knows no one at the new school) and that it’s even worse when something about your child is “different.” We’re hoping the bandages from his surgery will be off and his swelling will be down so it won’t be too bad.
* * *
So why am I writing about this here on my knitting blog?
Because we need help.
Working from home and taking care of the kids has made it impossible to try to track down a “real” job (plus, finding jobs for teachers with 10+ yrs of experience is a tad tricky in this economy) and four people on one income in the third most expensive area of the country has been…ah… challenging. Nonetheless, from my home office I’ve been blessed to be able to write patterns, edit and design for the Defarge books, teach online classes (sign-up links are in the left sidebar), teach around the country, and offer extras to my Subscriber-Supporters over at my CraftLitpodcast. It’s been nice, but it’s not a living. And making “a living” would have made this surgery thing a lot less scary.
Friends in LA and the good people of CraftLit and Cooperative Press have helped us with gifts of housing and airfare, but I’ll still need to feed the kids, purchase Thing 2’s post-surgery meds, and get to and from the surgery while in LA (not to mention the further specter of going through a whole replacement surgery). So, to raise funds for the trip and any other “surprises” that get thrown our way, I thought I’d host a sale and more! (Thank you, Tara!) There are lots of ways to help that get you something nifty, too! For example, you could:
Grab a knitting pattern! All of my Raverly Store patterns will be 10% off through Tuesday, August 28, 2012 (some are free no matter what, too!) and get my free newsletter to get links to sales new patterns as they’re released.
Pre-order Volume 2, What (else) Would Madame Defarge Knit? (get it hot off the presses later this year—the designers in that book will benefit too! Yay!).
Buy a table (or forward the link to someone in the DC area who might need one).
Or, if you’re looking for a new way to promote your business to a literate, funny, extremely nice group of crafty people, perhaps you’d be interesting in sponsoring the podcast?
Or, if you prefer the straightforward approach, you can simply
to the cause.
And even if you don’t purchase any patterns or become a sponsor, I want to thank you for heading over here to see what’s going on. If you’re willing to Facebook or Tweet this page to anyone who might be interested in the above I would deeply appreciate it. All I can offer as a thank you is my free podcasts—and for non-knitters you’d probably prefer Just the Books, the sister show to CraftLit (all the lit with none of the craft), in case you might enjoy sticking a good book in your ear when your hands are busy doing something else. Gulliver’s Travels starts at episode 249 both on Just the Books and CraftLit and we’re almost at Part IV (the final part). If you start now, you may catch up before we’re home from the surgery!
And the next book is Jane Eyre.
Regardless the reason, here you are. You came and read, and for that I am truly grateful.
Right now I’m particularly grateful to the many pattern purchasers (hope you enjoy!) and also for the direct support of:
Andi
Shannon
Kate
Erica
Renee
Kathleen
Stephannie
Annie
Alasdair
Elizabeth
Anna
Jaala
Hunter
Donna
Elly
Hayes
Jane
Susan
Jessica
Joanne
Kathy
Kate
Fiona
Sydney
Jennifer
Kristine
Jillian
Kate
Helen
Lorelei
Amanda
Sarah
Sally
Victoria
Elseline
Dee & Mike
Julia
Elesha
Carmen
Dixie
Nicola
neil
katrina
Rebecca
Phyllis
Janet
Kimberly
Cassandra
Virginia
Pauline
Lauren
Heidi
Deborah
Diane
Catherine
Duranee
Anne
Laura
Merrie
Lisa
Lauren
Linda
Rebekah
Scott
Ulana
Alison
Kitty
Katie
Thomas
Cassandra
Laura-Lynn and Phil
Catherine
CraftingGrandma
Marjorie
Kelie
Zoya
Bill
Pam
Joseph
Shannon
Sasha
Linda
Sarah
Gretchen
Lene
Heather
Sonia
The early responders made me weep with relief last week when the light at the end of the tunnel looked like an oncoming train.
You who have joined in this week have let me sleep at night. Truly. Thank you more than I can say.
I could run out on the street and grab a stranger and give them a big ol’ hug, I’m so happy happy happy.
I just finished the Super Secret Shrug thing for Defarge-3 (Defarge Does Shakespeare, for those keeping score at home)! Yes, Defarge 2 has yet to come out (though it’s in pre-orders) but we’re already hard at work on the next book in the series. We’re also still accepting submissions for Defarge Does Chaucer and Defarge Does Sherlock, iffin yer interested.
So this shrug. It all started with Taming of the Shrew. If you’ve been lucky enough to find the DVD of Shakespeare Re-told then you might have see their Taming of the Shrew. Masterful. Just lovely. The actress who you may only know as Moaning Myrtle and an occasional face in a costume drama is Kate and she is transcendent as the shrew. If you’re a fan of Warehouse 13 then you’ll recognize Bianca as HG. Marvelous. (And I’m not even going to get into the genius James McEvoy (yummy) as Macbeth-as-Gordon-Ramsay. Yikes!)
Anyhow. The shrug.
Bianca has this marvelous shrug. Diaphanous lace. Just stunning. When the DVDs first came out there was some chatter on the ‘net about who designed or where it came from or whether there was a pattern… then nothing. Radio silence. Zombieland.
Well, darn it, I wanted that shrug.
So I made my own.
It’s different, as I didn’t even try to match the lace pattern. And it’s my own construction (though, seriously, how many ways can you make a shrug?!). And it’s with Dragonfly Fibers’ stunning Ruby Ruby in Super Djinni instead of green mohair lace—but it all started with a dream.
And when I thought about telling you about this and how happy I was with how it came out, I also thought, “you know, I’ve actually written a bunch of patterns now, and most of them just kind of happened. Almost accidentally. So I’m going to launch a grand re-opening of my pattern shop and give you special dealies as I go. I hope that will be fun and lighten the load a bit as we head into Autumnal knitting. We hear it’s going to be snowmageddon here again this winter, so I’m stocking up on wool and patterns now.
Look for the first installment of my first pattern later this week!
Right before I left on vacation I had a FABULOUS phone call/CraftLit interview* with Sally Holt (she of the genius KnitCompanion ® app) and Lucy Neatby (she of knitting genius)—and then I had to shut up about it.
It almost killed me.
But now the secret is out and I can share this joyous news with you! I’m giddy with excitement and I’m here to tell you that after you take a look at the Lucy Neatby—Collection One app, you will be giddy, too.
This ground-breaking app for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch combines a collection of Lucy’s patterns together with her wonderful Learn with Lucy video series. All packaged in the patent pending KnitCompanion ® platform to provide highly interactive knitting instructions. The techniques covered in the videos are linked directly to the steps of the pattern that need the techniques so you can knit with confidence because Lucy is by your side. All patterns are setup with easy-to-select options for sizes, motifs, and other options. We think of it as an electronic pattern book on steroids!
You could make a one-time donation (with the button above) or you may prefer to sign up as a Subscriber-Supporter (and receive all sorts of ongoing audio goodies from the folks who work on CraftLit). Either way—donate once or as a subscriber—you’ll be put into the drawing. If you win, but don’t have an Apple device, you can gift the app to a friend—then make them hand over said device on-demand!
And even if you don’t donate, please leave a comment here. Lucy and Sally will see it and I’m sure they’ll be excited to see what you think about their new and awesome app!
*The interview will go live on Episode 264, August 10, 2012.
For interested Book-Only lovers, I recommend subscribing to the Just-the-Books option. There you won’t be bothered by knitting and crochet pattern freebies, you will just get the marvelous audio bits.
If you like to knit or crochet, consider subscribing to the CraftLit feed and you’ll get even MORE exclusive goodies for free and before everyone else gets ’em. (Current freebies include Cheddar, Wensleydale, and Holly Golightly!)
Important—please click the “RETURN” link to complete your subscription process and sign up for your extra fun bits!
Important—please click the “RETURN” link to complete your subscription process and sign up for your extra fun bits!
MamaO is Heather Ordover, author, designer, mother and knitter... not necessarily in that order. You can get posts from this blog sent directly to your inbox by signing up below, Follow her on Twitter and Like her on Facebook if you're feeling friendly-like. Follow @MamaO
How to Knit Socks eBook—
Dutch Heel eBook
German Heel eBook
French Heel eBook
Welsh Heel eBook
I love this little bonnet! I also love that it’s a cheap and easy way to learn to steek (if you’ve never steeked before, you’ll need far less Scotch to wind yourself up to cut an 8$-skein-of-yarn-2-nights-of-knitting than you would on the $140-of-shetland-five-months-of-knitting project. Nuff said).
MamaO is Heather Ordover, author, designer, mother and knitter... not necessarily in that order. You can get posts from this blog sent directly to your inbox by signing up below, Follow her on Twitter and Like her on Facebook if you're feeling friendly-like.
Visit HOrdover's Craftsy Pattern Store »
