[Edited] Basketcase socks - needle numbering trouble?

#1

Hi all,

I’m knitting my second pair of socks (having done the first pair using Silver’s Sock Class), and have been able to sort my way through this new pattern more or less pretty well. (And learned a new skill - picking up a dropped stitch - which I’ve now been able to use several times in this adventure.)

But I’m having trouble sorting out which needle is which, and how many stitches I should have on each needle now that I’ve picked up all of the stitches. I realize that the total number of sts that I should have will depend on how many I picked up, which probably will differ from person to person. But a ball park figure at this point would be fine…!

Pattern: http://web.archive.org/web/20021202182927re_/www.magma.ca/~vanmac/basketca.htm (I’m knitting on three DPNs - with the fourth as my working needle.)

Specific section of the pattern that I’m stuck on says:
[B]Pick up one stitch in each of the slipped stitch loops along the other side of the flap. Knit 6 stitches. You are now at the beginning of the round (the middle of the heel).

Knit to the last two stitches on needle one*[I][my asterisk here][/I], SSK. On the instep needle, K2tog, knit to marker, knit Row 2 of instep pattern, knit to last two stitches, SSK. On needle three, K2tog, knit to end.[/B]

*This is the first mention of needle one that I’ve seen referenced in the pattern.

I’ve spent time this evening looking at the pattern as it’s linked, as well as the Ravelry version. Maybe instep needle should have 18 sts (because that’s how the instep pattern will be worked)? The marker now sits between what I think is needle one (which has 27 sts) and the instep needle. Needle three has 28 sts. Total sts = 63.

That doesn’t seem correct, though, as I look further in the pattern, which says that I should be decreasing the gusset, and ending up with 15 sts on needles one and three, for a total of 60 sts (which means that needle two/instep needle should have 30).

Argh.

Can anyone shed light as to how many sts the “instep” needle should have? Maybe I can just evenly divide from there and get back to the business at foot. (Because it’s a sock…get it?)

Sorry that this is so long. :sad:

Thanks, as always, for the helpful advice from other knitters! Hope I’ll be able to return the favor one of these days…!

#2

Your instep needle should have 30sts…You Cast on 60 and the heel sts are worked over 1/2 of those sts.

On the Divide for heel it has you placing 30sts evenly over 2 needles or on a stitch holder (these are the instep sts) :thumbsup:

You will have more than 30 sts after picking up the Gusset 'cause you will have to decrease back down to 30 which is where the 15 on each needle. :happydance:

#3

I have found that I don’t need to keep track of which number my needle is until I am done turning the heel and ready to work the gusset and instep.

What I do is take a small piece of paper and below needle 1, safety pin a one… and so on.

When you were working your heel flap you slipped the first stitch of each row you were working to make the large loops that you would later pick up and knit to start the gusset and join it to the instep. On most of my socks (because they are for my youngest daughter) I work 60 stitches. After I am done working the gusset I have 30 stitches on the instep and 15 stitches on the other two needles. The first needle to the left of the instep is needle number 1 with 15 stitches, then needle number 2 with 15 stitches, and needle number 3 has 30 stitches. This is after you’ve picked up and knit and worked your reductions to get back to your 60 stitches.

When you are working your gusset, it’s a very simple thing that I didn’t get until I had a pattern that had me put my needles in an order that clicked the light on in my head. One thing to keep in mind is that on your instep row, you will ALWAYS knit straight across with no reductions. On needle number 1 you will K1, slip st, kn1, PSSO, this begins your turn in your gusset. Depending on your pattern you will do this every or every other row. You knit to the end of that needle. On Needle number 2 you will knit to the last 3 stitches on that needle, then K2tog, k1 and that is the beginning of the curve for the gusset for that side. Then knit straight across needle number 3 (your instep). When I get done with the reductions I have 30 stitches on my instep needle, still, and 15 each on my 1st and 2nd needles.

I’ve followed some very odd sock patterns, some wound up looking like I was knitting for a club foot or person with severe injuries to their feet and ankles… and I’ve found that some directions for working the gusset are written by people who have no idea what a gusset is. I’ve also followed video directions that, no matter how closely I followed stitch by stitch, never worked out the way they had in the video.

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas I made a ton of ankle socks by just working the heel flap, turning the heel, working the gusset and continuing to the toe reductions and grafting (I still epic fail on grafting but I’m working on it.)

I love socks. They are quick and everyone can always use socks. I wish you much luck and hope my lengthy dissertation helpful.

#4

That makes sense to me.

Since I have 63 sts now (not exactly sure how that happened [still learning to p/u sts, is my guess!], but that’s what I’ve got), it doesn’t look as though I’ll need to decrease for very long (!), so that shouldn’t be hard to sort out.

So if I have 30 sts on the instep needle, and the instep pattern is for 18 sts only, I’m thinking that I can knit six, then follow the instep pattern, and then knit six again for a total of 30 sts, and that will center the instep pattern.

Yay! :cheering:

It’s such fun to watch a sock come into shape. Can’t wait until I finish this one so that I can see if I can make the second sock do the same thing. And then to see who they will fit (as my gauge is still on a learning curve, too)!

Thanks again! Happy knitting to you all, too!

#5

Let me know how it turns out. I sometimes have an extremely hard time explaining methods in an understandable way. It was why my lab notebook was always so thick, I was always so afraid I’d forget some vitally important step, so I was always adding in instructions in the margins. I know I could never be a pattern writer, that’s for sure.

I’d love to see your socks when you’re done with them.