The average pair of socks requires 100 grams of yarn, give or take a bit. If you want to knit striped socks that will skew how much yarn you need. If you want to stick to the 100 grams, you can obtain two 50 gram balls, each a different color and work stripes of equal size for the entire sock (think rugby shirt). In this manner the two colors will be used evenly. However, if you want to be creative and do a sock mostly one color with narrow stripes, that will skew the amount of yarn needed. You will require a larger percentage of the 100 grams to be in the main color and a smaller amount in the contrast color. This is where one says, “no problem, I will just use that bit left over from the last pair of socks for the stripes”. But, are you sure you will have enough yarn for all the stripes on both socks?
Enter the fraternal twin. When I want stripes but I want to use the two colors that I have and not worry about playing chicken with “leftovers”, I knit the pair of socks as “fraternal twins”.
The stripe pattern is the same. All the blocks of color are the same size. I just reverse the colors. In the photo, the finished sock has Rapscallion Jelly as the main color and Adventure Sprinkles as the contrast color. The sock in progress uses Adventure Sprinkles for the main color and Rapscallion Jelly for the contrast. Two 50 gram balls of yarn used equally for a very fun pair of socks.
Who said socks had to be identical?
Knitting details:
Gauge is 8 stitches to the inch on 1.5mm needles. (I am using ChiaoGoo circulars and a 40 inch cable, my personal favorite). Sock Bandit has a tight twist and is a bouncy sock yarn.
Pattern is my own recipe for perfectly fitting socks.
first attempt at neckline, a few rows of garter stitch
The red and white striped sweater is finished, except for the final fitting session. The last task on this sweater pattern was to pick up stitches around the neck and work three rows of garter stitch. I did this. It did not look neat. So I took a photo, for comparison purposes, pulled all the knitting out and contemplated the sweater. I believe the purpose of the three rows of garter stitch at the neckline was to connect the neckline visually with the garter stitch border at the bottom edge of the sweater. I thought that a rolled edge, with the knitting rolling to the “right” side of the sweater, so the purl side was visible would be visually similar to the the bottom of the sweater, providing continuity of design. I began by picking up the stitches around the neck, beginning at the back of the neck. I was more interested in picking up stitches evenly and not allowing any small gaps then in picking up the exact number of stitches noted in the pattern. I ended up with slightly more stitches. I worked six rows of stockinette and bound off using a stretchy bind off. I am very happy with the result. But will reserve final opinion until I see the sweater on a body. Hopefully, the neckline will lay flat and drape as intended.
final neckline, six rows of knitting, creating a rolled edge, simple and neat
Wires and pins and a considerable amount of time, but the result is worth it
The famous red and white striped sweater has been blocked. When knitting sweaters the instructions will usually say seam and then block to measurements in schematic. If I think blocking will make it easier to seam, I block first. This sweater was a combination of knitting in pieces (front and back were knit flat) but the sleeve stitches were picked up from the seamed front and back. Once both of the sleeves were knit I could lay the sweater out flat and block it easily. Blocking made it much easier to seam the sleeves and the sides. Once all the seams are done and ends woven in, all that remains is to pick up the stitches at the neck and work a few rows to polish the neckline. Why have I not yet finsihed the neckline? Because this new yarn arrived. Bright colors, machine washable baby yarn and I just had to try it out. It was almost a compulsion. What better way to test a new baby yarn then to knit a Baby Surprize Jacket (BSJ)? Soft yarn, intriguing pattern, OK, I have knit the BSJ previously, but the result always amazes me. Stay tuned.
BSJ in Baby Bandit, color is Frolic, a bright green, the computer monitor does not due it justice
Sweaters take time. No matter how you do it, top down or bottom up. Sweaters are large swaths of knitting. And at some point you end up knitting 12 or more inches of the same thing. This is a cropped sweater, super easy. Knit the back, knit the front and sew the shoulder seam. Pick up stitches and knit the sleeves. Sleeves, long sleeves are 19 inches of the same thing. I like stripes and it does mean one must focus so that all the stripes are the same. At least three times I have had to frog back a row because I was more focused on the movie than the knitting and the red stripe was suddenly three rows wide instead of two rows. The second sleeve has seemed to go on for infinity. I think it looks long enough and when I compare it to the first sleeve I am only half way done. I knit for hours and I still have several inches left to knit, a knitting condundrum. I have compared to the first sleeve, I have counted stripes and I have measured. There are still 4.5 inches of sleeve that must be knit.
