Category Archives: Patons

Tweaking Size Small on 72

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A few posts back I blogged about mid-calf socks I knit for DW with Patons Cotton Stretch.

She was happy with them (so she said) but I thought there was a little more fabric in the toe than I like to see. Also, she tried them on right after I made them and the leg did size down almost an inch in the first wash.

I added a dozen rows to the leg, which after washing put me at the right place.

For the toe – recall that I would normally knit Size Small (Ladies 5.5 – 8ish) on the 54 cylinder, but I knit these on the 72, with a rib, to all for the wider part of the calf.

Usually, when exiting a rib in preparation for a toe, I stop the ribbing 5 rows before the end of the foot – whether in true ribbing or mock ribbing – and go to full stockinette, knit 5 rows, then knit the toe. Part of switching to full stockinette is to make an easier job of kitchener stitch on closing, although I have done kitchener into a rib and its not really that much more complicated.

The change I made to narrow the toe in this pair – I kept on ribbing right up to the point of starting the toe . Instead of quitting 5 rows earlier, I quit only 4 rows earlier and then started my toe.  When I stopped the yarn carrier in the 6 o’clock position to prepare for knitting the toe I switched out the ribbing needles remaining on the instep onto cylinder needles, BEFORE raising the back needles in prep of knitting the short rows.

So my foot is 4 rows shorter than ‘normal’ and I begin the short rows. BUT when I get to the yellow marks on the cylinder that signal the end of the decrease rows, I keep decreasing for 4 more rows – so I end up with 2 more needles raised on both the left and right side.

By decreasing 4 extra rows my foot is actually now the ‘normal’ length, and the toe comes to a narrower end – 12 stitches wide instead of the 16 stitches between the yellow marks.

My increases then are done as usual, with the exception that there are 4 extra passes, ending up at the red marks where a toe would normally finish.

When I lower the back needles for the final pass, I’m in effect doing one row of stockinette for my finishing round, which then sets me up for an easy kitchener session.

Here you can see the size Small sitting on top of a Size Medium that was knit also on the 72 cylinder at the same tension – but in full stockinette. The lower sample is Fortissima Cotton Stretch.

So finished pattern for size Small, Cotton Stretch on 72 cylinder with tension set for ~12 rows per inch:

  • Topper – 1 x 1 rib for 20 rows (then switch needles to 3 x 1)
  • Leg – 90 rows 3 x 1 rib (then switch out rib needles on instep)
  • Pre-heel – 20 rows
  • Heel – regular short row
  • Foot – 56 rows (bottom is stockinette, instep continues in 3 x 1)
  • Switch out remaining rib needles.
  • Narrow Toe – with short rows decreasing until 12 stitches remaining)

I haven’t tried this with mock rib instead of rib yet, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work – I’d do the topper in 3 x 1, 40 rows,hang hem and than carry on. And remembering to pick up stitches when switching out a stitch from mock rib to stockinette.

Fortissima & Patons Cotton Stretch

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Some more reprise knitting from stash of Fortissima Cotton Stretch.

41% Superwash Wool  39% Cotton  13% Nylon  7% PBT Polyester (Elastic); 460 m/100g; wash and dry on gentle cycle.

The above pair is colour # 33 Papaya, knit in size Large with the 72 cylinder on the Verdun 47.

And the below pair, is colour # 29 Orchidee, also in size Large.

I’ve been doing a LOT of knitting with the 72 cylinder. Even the size Small socks I’ve been knitting recently I’ve used the 72, with a rib, instead of my faithful 54 slot cylinder that long time followers will recall has been my mainstay!

My 72 cylinder is ‘almost’ ready for a cleaning… so I decided to keep knitting until it stalls (from excess yarn-cucky in the slots) then take that knitter downstairs and put the 54 in its place – which is my sturdiest table, in front of a window looking out over my beloved farm.

Each of my knitters has its own stand, but I’ve become more ‘particular’ about where I knit.

Having said that, I’ve been fooling around with my NZAK (New Zealand Auto Knitter) between bouts of repetitive stash bashing knitting, and the NZAK of course is on its own stand.

I’ve really used this knitter very little but have determined a special purpose for it, which would be lace weight knitting with the 84 slot cylinder. At the moment, I’m knitting swatches at different tensions to find my bearings. And I have to keep reminding myself that the tension knob, like a NZ toilet flush, rotates in the opposite direction. My God, its astounding how little it takes to confuse me!

And by way of another distraction I’ve knit myself a pair of cotton stretch boot socks.

The Patons Cotton Stretch is same %’s as the Fortissima, but with Cotton and Wool reversed. Oddly. the Patons label says hand wash, dry flat while the Fortissma (which does specify Suerpwash for the wool) is a toss-in-the-washer-and-dryer.

I guess I should try a Patons pair in the dryer and see what happens. I’ve always washed them in the machine on delicate.

The above pair is colour # 31135 Mineral. Size Large, extra long legs for my barn boots, knit from two never ending 50 g balls.

I swear, the Patons Cotton Stretch should be renamed Dr Who Yarn. It’s like the phone – looks normal on the outside but goes on for bloody-ever on the inside.

Alternatively, it could be renamed The Miracle of Loaves and Sock Yarn.

(I shouldn’t be complaining about yarn that goes on forever, but really, my objective for the past few months is to bust my stash down to a dull roar.)

I usually wear 100% wool for farming socks. In fact, usually worsted weight, even in the summer as my feet are very sweaty and the worsted weight really sucks up the moisture. But truth be told I don’t farm as ‘hard’ as I used to, so I’ve decided to try a pair of the cotton blend and see if they keep my feet dry enough when doing lighter chores. And also, it will be good to field test, literally, the durability of the yarn in rubber boots.

Patons Cotton Stretch

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Knit from my (never-ending) stash: Patons Cotton Stretch in colour #31242 Olive.  41% cotton 39% Wool 13% Nylon 7% Elastic, 218m/50g; Hand wash, dry flat recommended.

I’ve never washed these by hand – always on delicate cycle – no problems, including a pair I have that is several years old and has been through the machine many, many times. I’ve never tried them in the dryer.

These are for DW who is updating her sock drawer for spring.

The first pair is my ‘regular’ sock length, size Small, but knit on the 72 cylinder instead of the 54. The yarn is fine enough and I wanted to try the different gauge and see how it played out for her ladies’ shoe size 6.

I did a 20 row 1:1 ribbed topper, then switched to 3:1 ribbing for the leg up to the pre-heel, then ribbing up to the last few rows on the top of the foot. The fit appears to be good.

Personally, I think the toe could be a little snugger, but overall I’m happy with it.

That having been done, DW also wanted a longer pair. She has a particular skirt that is just below the knee. She wanted a pair of socks shorter than knee highs, but longer than ‘sock socks’.

So this pair comes about bang on the middle of the calf – or about 3″ (40 rows) longer in the leg than the first pair.

You know, this yarn goes on for ever. I still had lots of yarn left over from a 50g ball per sock. I haven’t tried it – but wouldn’t be surprised if I could get an entire knee sock from one flippin ball.

My only issue with this (and any cotton/elastic) yarn is that it requires some extra time rewinding into a cake without generating rat nest tangles. I wind quite a bit slower, and at the beginning I’ll pull ‘a wad’ out from the center and unravel it before winding, and I feed the yarn between my thumb and forefinger of the left hand while I wind with the right hand, to make sure to catch any of those little loop knots that can form. It probably takes me an extra 5 minutes per wall to rewind. (Used to take much longer until I got my technique refined and put on my ‘patience hat’).

A major plus with the elastic yarn, combined with the ribbed leg – no need to fiddle with tension going from the wider mid calf area to the ankle/pre-heel. No bagginess and everything fits snug as a bug.

Kroy Stripes

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Here are two more of Patons Kroy new stripes colourways:

This is Sweet Stripes, and I’ve done the heels and toes in Kroy solid Lime (as I call it).  This pair is sized Medium +, knit with the 72 cylinder on the Verdun 47.

And this pair, also Medium +, is colourway Sultana Stripes, with heels and toes in Lilac.

And, here is a pair of size Large in the Sultana Stripes and Lilac:

Even with knitting the heels and toes from a different ball, I was unable to get a complete Large sock from a single ball of Kroy.

I did get the Medium + socks from a single ball per sock (+ heel and toe from separate ball) leaving a small left over.

The left overs were enough to complete my size Large socks, so I didn’t have to dip into an extra ball.

Kroy Stripes

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Here is one of the new Paton’s Kroy striping sock yarns.

This latest edition Kroy colourway is Sporty Stripes.  My little stash, courtesy of an emergency yarn run by E, is mill ends.

The balls are 152 m/50g; 75% Wool 25% Nylon; machine wash and dry.

Here is a Kroy solid colour that makes a good accent:

I don’t see a published name for this one … I call it tangerine.

The two colourways work well together in this pair of size Medium socks, knit with the 54 needle cylinder on the Legare 400.

Kroy is a traditional 4 ply sock yarn, so a wee bit heavier in gauge than many of the newer sock yarns. I set my tension 1.5 quarters of a turn looser on the 54 cylinder, and shorten the foot on a Medium from 60 to 55 rows.

Kroy seems to get some bad press here and there, but I find it a respectable sock yarn. Not as fancy as the real artisan yarns to be sure, but a fraction of the cost, good and varied colourways, few if any knots, and one of the easiest balls to rewind for use with a sock knitter.

The repeat in the pattern is quite long in this colourway.

(And I just noticed that I’ve got the pattern going in opposite directions in the two socks!)