I’m the Soxophone Player. I live and farm at Spruce Haven Farm near Meaford, Ontario. (You can visit my farm store here.)
Spruce Haven is a sheep farm and we carry our own line of wool – Meaford Wool. I knit socks using my own hand dyed yarn as well as other artisan yarns.
I do this with three antique sock knitters that were made in the mid 1800′s. How cool is that ! There was a very steep learning curve for me – it took me 14 months to get a sock that actually resembled a sock!
On my blog I’ll show the different yarns I’m knitting, and how the socks came out. From time to time I’ll also give some tips on using the antique sock knitters, other snippets of life on the farm, and maybe even some pictures of my companion Jesse, a Golden Doodle.
First, thanks for commenting on my blog. It is always nice to hear from someone who reads it.
Doing that would certainly take away the most labor/time intensive part of the process.
As for your question on winding yarn from the skein winder directly onto cones using the cone winder:
1. The yarn on the skein winder is still wet from the dye pot and needs to be left in skein form and hung to dry.
2. The yarn is doubled and needs to be separated into single strand balls before being wound onto the cones.
I have thought to try dividing the skein into 2 separate balls before dyeing, but am a little concerned that each ball will dye differently, even though they are being dyed at the same time. I won’t know for sure until I try it though, will I? And even if they do dye different, will it really be noticeable?
I’ll soon try that and will post my results. Wish me luck!
Hi, Love what you are doing, it has is really made me want to make socks full of character and colour. So much so i have received my order today for opal and fortissima yarns and have plans for more! My questions are – when you make socks with a contrasting heel and toe, where do you change the yarn colours and how!
kind regards
chantal
I do all my colour changes at the 6 o’clock position as you face your csm. For striping, this puts the join/colour change in the least visible position. And when the colour change is for heels and toes that keeps the splicing well away from the increase/decrease stitches of your short rows which save some complication.
I blogged about colour change (splicing) on my old blogspot site:
http://soxophoneplayer.blogspot.com/2007/10/aint-it-splice.html
Within the past 4 months I purchased ann early 1908 EG—after any trials and tribulations, someone mentioned your site…it is fantastic! I learn something every time i read you. Is there any special trick ti identifying correct tension?
No special trick for tension that I know. Just trial and error and keeping notes. It may be easiest to play with only one brand and weight of yarn to reduce the variables while you learn. Although even different colours of the same yarn may require different tension settings.
Lovely, lovely website!
I have been knitting socks on my Legare 400 for almost 10 years.
I noticed that you had an article posted of your favorite hems for socks, but am now unable to find it!
Would you mind directing me to the article? I used your search engine to no avail.
Thanks so much in advance,
Martha Shea
Janesville, Wisconsin
Hi Martha…. it’s probably this post: http://soxophoneplayer.com/?p=322
I’ve been looking for a way to have the post titles show in this category…. doesn’t seem possible with the template I’m using.
I love your CSM blog posts — they’re informative and interesting and very useful.
I’m finally getting the hang of my Autoknitter after a year of love and hate, and am finally working on finishing details, rather than just making a complete sock without dropping any ribber stitches. I’ve noticed that all of your socks have perfect toes — have you blogged previously about what pattern you use for the toes? I keep ending up with one too many stitches on one side of the toe, and I really want a perfectly symmetrical toe with even short rows.
Thanks so much for providing all your thoughts and experience as a resource to others! It’s so helpful to me and many.
Here’s a post on toes I did way-y-y-y- back in my blogspot days. This is only one way of course. Typically my toe is just another heel (unless I’m doing a square heel).
I’m not sure what you mean about ‘one stitch extra’ ie where that stitch is located.
Let me know if that old blog post steers you in the right direction. If you are doing a different style of toe the blog post probably won’t help.
One key point in the way I do the short row heel and toe – the last decease row is also the first increase row….ie on the last decrease, going from left to right, I raise up the first needle I will hit (my final decrease) AND I also lower that 1st raised needle on the right side (my first increase). But if the heel is working for you, the toe should also???
This may just be me, but I can’t find a link in your response.
Anyway, right after I asked, I sat down with fierce concentration and managed to produce a symmetrical toe, for the first time. I hadn’t worried about exact symmetry on the heel, because as long as I made enough rows to turn the heel it was fine, but the toe is a little more visible. It was a triumph!
I will still eagerly await the link, though, because I’ve learned so many little tips and tricks by reading your blog — like weaving in the beginning end right on the machine, rather than afterward with a tapestry needle. Brilliant!
oops…..
http://soxophoneplayer.blogspot.ca/2007/07/heels-and-toes.html
Hi! Love your blog, wondering if you can help me make a decision. I want to make a pair of leggings for my little guy (3 months old) and am searching for a suitable yarn. Some fun colours are great, but most of all has to be soft and warm for baby. Also I think I can get away with using my current cylinders (the smallest I have is a 60), but do you by chance know of anywhere that sells cylinders for Creelman’s? Most of the websites out there are, I hate to say it, very unhelpful. A smaller cylinder would be great for these itty bitty projects. Thanks in advance!
Have you tried Pat Fly at http://www.angoravalley.com Her cashmara yarn is soft, soft, soft. Either the laceweight or sock weight should work for you. The sock weight on the 60 cylinder ought to be ok. With the lace weight you’d almost want to work on a 72.
Pat also has odds and sodds of equipment available (and needles). I gather its an ever evolving inventory, but you could ask about cylinder for your Creelman.
Have just found your website, and what a lot of info….. Its GREAT. Thank you.
My question is- Do you know where I can get a copy of the Verdun 47 manual? Can’t find it anywhere……..
Thank you
JoAnne
I’ve never seen a verdun manual. But angoravalley.com has a bunch of other csm manuals online. The Legare 47 is very similar to the Verdun 47 and that is the manual I used.
I stumbled on your blog whilst looking for info on sock machines. I ended up spending the last couple of days reading through your first blog and found it very uplifting! I love all Jesse’s antic’s and reading about your sheep. What a wonderful life you lead and you are such a good writer that I felt like I was reading a well loved book!
Thanks for visiting Shirley!