Friday, April 25, 2014

Socks-Take 5 Coffee Roasters

Ravelry notes:(login needed)  (3/28/14) 100th Project My husband has been so enthusiast with my retirement, and knitting, these last two years, that I thought it would be fun to knit him a pair of socks as my 100th Project.  Again, I have many projects on many needles, so we’ll see how quickly these knit up. I’ll get off the computer, and cast on!
(3/30/14) These are looking great, but without even knowing the recipient, my husband said, “I think I’d like  them better as blue socks with brown stripes.”  I guess I’ll be knitting two pair! 

Let me share the results of this color study with you! 

The Socks-Take 5 Coffee Roasters have a slight variation to the stripes in the Socks-Take 5 and Socks-Take 5 Fruit Stripe.  The brown and teal pair was worked with 5 rounds of brown, and 3 rounds of teal, with contrasting elastic/cotton.  Where as the teal and brown pair was worked with 5 rounds teal, and 3 rounds brown, with contrasting elastic/cotton.  We prefer "the blue" pair of socks, but you'd probably enjoy both.  
Seaside Coffee House
Socks-Take 5  Coffee Roasters
Marilynn Blacketer '14
The Socks-Take 5 work well in superwash wool blend.
The Take 5 ribbing is fun work, and the socks can be knit in just a few days making them the perfect gift or accessory. This may be considered an intermediate level pattern because knowledge of sock (and stitch) construction is helpful.

Finished size: about 7” flat, stretch 10”circumference, leg height about 10”
Gauge: 8 stitches = 1” Adjust needle size, and row count to match gauge.

Materials:
Yarn: mcA and mcB superwash wool blend in fingering weight, CC cotton/elastic blend, or CC superwash wool blend in fingering weight, and 2 yds of waste yarn in a different color

Photo: KnitPicks Stroll, Coffee Shop Hand-Painted; 75%Superwash Merino Wool/ 25%Nylon; 462yards/100g;    KnitPicks Stroll Tweed, Thrist Heather 65%Superwash Merino Wool/ 25%Nylon/ 10%Donegal Tweed; 231yards/50g;    KnitPicks Dancing; 41%Cotton/ 39%Wool/ 13%Nylon/ 7%Elastic;  253yds/50g(discontinued)  One pair of socks size medium seems to require 75g/350yards.

Needles: Size US#2, 16”and 24” circular needles or size US#2, and/or set double pointed needles
tapestry needle, stitch markers

Resources: Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles by Cat Bordhi
KNITTING circles around SOCKS by Antje Gillingham
Learn to Knit SOCKS by Edie Eckman

Abbreviations: CO=cast on       k=knit       p=purl       k2tog=knit 2 stitches together    Rnd/s=round/s       sts=stitches      mcA = main colorA      mcB=main colorB      CC= contrasting color

Special Stitches: Take 5 Ribbing Coffee Roasters
Rnds 1-5: with mcA, * Knit 3, purl 2; repeat from * to end
Rnd 6: with CC, * Knit 3, purl 2; repeat from * to end
Rnds 7-9: with mcB, * Knit 3, purl 2; repeat from * to end
Rnd 10: with CC, * Knit 3, purl 2; repeat from * to end

Directions: The directions are written for adult size (small, medium, large) in parentheses, and working with 2 circular needles. (notes are in italic) Make two socks.

Cuff:
Use the long-tail cast-on method, with size #2 needles, with mcA, cast on (75, 90, 105) stitches.
Place marker & join together by knitting first stitch being careful not to twist,
with mcA, * K1, k2tog; repeat from * to end. (50, 60, 70) sts
Rnds 1-5, 7-11: with mcA, * K3, p2; repeat from * to end
Rnds 6, 12: with CC, * K3, p2; repeat from * to end

Sock Leg:
Rnds 1-5: with mcA, * K3, p2; repeat from * to end
Rnd 6: with CC, * K3, p2; repeat from * to end
Rnds 7-9: with mcB, * K3, p2; repeat from * to end
Rnd 10: with CC, * K3, p2; repeat from * to end
Repeat rnds 1-10, working leg to the desired length, ending on rnd 9, set up for heel and foot.
                                                       (7”, 8”, 9”) from CO

Instep and Heel set up:
(If working with cotton/elastic yarn, cut CC.)
With mcA/CC as established, [K3,p2](4,5,6)times, k3; instep stitches. (23, 28, 33)sts instep
Drop mcA/CC yarn, and with a strand of different colored yarn knit across heel (27, 32, 37)stitches.
Drop colored strand, pick up mcA/CC, and knit across heel (27, 32, 37) stitches once more. After this work instep as established, and knit sole; the heel will be put in later. (Next round, as established, you're ready to work/continue with mcA.)

Instep and Sole:
Work instep as established (If cotton/elastic yarn cut, continue as 5rnds mcA, 3rnds mcB), and knit sole until sock measures from heel (colored yarn) marker: (4.5”, 5.5”, 6.5”) for desired length.

Toe:
Rnd 1 & odd rounds: with mcA, * K1, k2tog, knit to the last 3 stitches on needle, k2tog, k1;(instep)
repeat from * to end(sole) (4sts decreased)
Rnd 2 & even rounds: with mcA, knit
Continue until (13, 14, 13)sts remain for instep, and (17, 18, 17)sts remain for sole.
Work 2 more rounds: K(13, 14, 13)(instep), k1, k2tog, knit to last 3 stitches on needle, k2tog, k1(sole) 
With (26, 28, 26) stitches remaining, cut 18” yarn, and work Kitchener Stitch to finish the toe.

Heel:
Carefully slide the (27, 32, 37)sts below(sole), and (27, 32, 37)sts above the colored yarn(leg) to needles. Carefully remove the colored yarn.
Attach mcA yarn, knit a round, and pick up one stitch at the beginning and end of the needles. (You'll have (29, 34, 39)sts on each needle, and this will help avoid “holes” on the heel sides.)
Now work the heel the same as the toe.
Rnd 1 & odd rounds: with mcA, * K1, k2tog, knit to the last 3 stitches on needle, k2tog, k1; repeat from * to end (4 sts decreased)
Rnd 2 & even rounds: with mcA, knit
Continue until (26, 28, 26) stitches remain.
Cut 18”yarn, and work Kitchener Stitch to finish the heel.

Finishing: Weave in tails. Make second sock.

This pattern is available on marilynnsgardenknitdesign.blogspot.com.
pattern pdf Socks-Take 5 is available on Ravelry. (login needed)
Copyright 2014, Marilynn Blacketer. All rights reserved. 4-25-14
For pattern support please contact: marilynnblacketer@gmail.com

Here are photos of the process:

With  KnitPicks Stroll, Coffee Shop and Thirst  superwash wool yarns, (and some stash KnitPicks Dancing elastic/cotton), I was ready to start the Socks-Take 5 Coffee Roasters.
I'd completed the cuffs, and worked on the legs of the socks in tandem.  I'd work 10 rounds of the sock marked with the green clip, then work 10 rounds on the other.
With a strand of a different colored yarn, I'd knit across the heels.  Then I worked the Take 5 ribbing across the insteps and knit the soles.
It was time to work the Kitchener Stitch for the toes.
 I used size US#1 needles as I picked up the stitches for the afterthought heel. You can always use smaller needles to pick up stitches. The gauge is set as you work the next round with the needles appropriate to the project.
Socks-Take 5 Coffee Roasters were finished.  I counted the markers to count the days.
I got a good night's sleep.  In the morning, I  started the teal and brown Socks-Take 5 Coffee Roasters.
This pair seemed to work very quickly, and I was ready to work the Kitchener Stitch for the toe.
While setting up for the heel, round 9 of this pair, happened to coincide with the Take 5 ribbing as brown.  This was not a problem as I knitted with a strand of a different color to mark the placement of the heel, but  I found picking up the stitches in the rib in the dark color (the purls being particularly troublesome) quite challenging.  If needed to solve that problem,  I would work the instep as established (teal), and knit across the heel (teal) just one time. Then I'd follow the directions for working the instep, and knitting with the strand of a different color to set up for the heel.
I was ready to work the Kitchener Stitch for the heels.

Both pair of Socks-Take 5 Coffee Roasters were finished!
The weather was pleasant!  I walked to Seaside Coffee House, and took photos.

This pattern is available on marilynnsgardenknitdesign.blogspot.com.
pattern pdf Socks-Take 5 is available on Ravelry. (login needed)
Copyright 2014, Marilynn Blacketer. All rights reserved. 4-25-14
For pattern support please contact: marilynnblacketer@gmail.com