Monday, July 21, 2008

Garter Stitch Heels and Toes

Another pair of car pool socks are finished. I just realized that this is the third pair in a short time frame that is an orange/yellow color. I had no idea had so much of these colors in my stash. I'll have to pick a different color out for the next pair.

This pair of socks is very similar to the other I usually knit. They were knit toe up with a short row toe and heel with a simple pattern up the instep and leg. the main difference is that the toes and heels are knit in garter stitch instead of the usual stockinette.

The results are that the heels and toes are slightly thicker. I imagine that they might wear a little better than plain stockinette, but I haven't had a chance to really wear them much to determine if that is true. The other nice thing is that I didn't have to pick up any of the wrapped stitches to prevent holes from the short rows. I still did double wraps , but not having to pick them up made everything a little easier.

I liked the design idea of the pattern. There is a panel of 1x1 ribbing running up the back and front of the sock with a section of stockinette on either side. I made slight modifications to the pattern, but mainly because I used a heavier weight yarn and larger needles. I loved hoe the heels and toes turned out and I can see using that idea on other sock patterns.

Project Info
Pattern: Garter Toes by Karen Harper from Knit Front and Back (on Ravelry)
Yarn: Hello Yarn; Fat Sock
color: Marzipan; 2 skeins
Needles: addi TURBO Needles - US# 2.5 (3 mm)
Notes: The socks are 46 stitches around. I also added several rounds of 1x1 ribbing at the top of each sock.

10 comments:

Deb said...

Lovely - I really like the look of the garter stitch toe and heel; must try. *runningover to ravelry to "fave"!

Monika said...

What a lovely colorway! I like the garter stitch heel and toe. Have to give this a try someday.

Annalea said...

Just popping in to say "Me too!" I've seen garter heels and toes, but haven't been able to find a pattern yet for them. Thanks so much for the recommendation. If I EVER get the pair of socks done I'm working on now, I'm going to cast on for these.

Or maybe I won't wait . . . ;o) lol

IrishGirlieKnits said...

You must be loving the carpooling!! The socks are so bright and pretty! Great pattern too!

bockstark.knits said...

geez, how do you get all of this done? I am constantly amazed! This one is another pretty one!

Anonymous said...

I really like that garter stitich for the toe and heel. I'll have to try it. Carpooling is working out for more reasons than being green.....

turtlegirl76 said...

I LOVE the yarn you used. The pattern looks simple, yet fun. A great way to show off beautiful yarn. Love the heels and toes. Lemme know how they wear. I have sisters who are rough on their socks.

Zonda said...

Neat pattern!! I too am curious how the toes/heels wear! Pretty colorway!

Dave said...

Very nice, and what a cheerful colourway!

My current pair, and my last pair, actually, use a garter heel, which I quite like. I'm on the fence about the toes, tho. :-)

kathy b said...

so lovely IM about to embark on my first garter heel but I have 48 stitches and the you tube video I watched has many more. How do I determine the number of stitches for the heel and do you always leave 5 stitches unworked in the middle??
HUGE thanks