Help with lace sock pattern?

How-to Questions
1

Hi!

I’ve been working on this sock pattern:

http://knitty.com/ISSUEsummer08/PATTspringforward.html

It’s my first adventure into lace knitting and so far its gone well but now I’ve reached the instep and have been assaulted by confusion and a suspicion I’ve done it wrong (even though so far it [I]looks[/I] right).

See, the lace pattern is 11 stitches but it [I]uses[/I] 13 because of the decreases. For the instep, I have a slight problem in that I cannot get the stitches to stay at the correct number (36) while working in the lace pattern?

Any help’d be appreciated!

2

I looked at the pattern pretty closely and have a couple of comments.

You say, “the lace pattern is 11 stitches but it uses 13 because of the decreases”. The decreases in the lace pattern itself do not cause the lace to use 13 stitches but only 11. Or are you talking about some other decreases somewhere? You must have been working the lace over 11 stitches on the cuff because 66 will divide evenly by 11 but not by 13.

Just outside the lower left hand corner of the box that the second picture (the one below the chart) is in it says, “The 36 stitches on needle 1 and 2 will be held for instep.” I see the 36 stitches mentioned there but I didn’t see anywhere where it actually had you work over 36.

In the section “Gusset” at the end of the 1st paragraph it says

86 sts: 25 sts each on Needles 1 and 4, 23 sts on Needle 2, 13 sts on Needle 3.
And the next paragraph goes on to say:

While working instep, maintain first st on Needle 2 and last 2 sts on Needle 3 in stockinette st, while working the other sts on these needles in Lace Pattern. Sts on Needles 1 and 4 are worked in stockinette st.

If you divide the stitches up that way, 25 on needle (ndl) 1, 23 on ndl 2, 13 on ndl 3, and 25 on ndl 4, and then do what it says in that next paragraph it never has you working over 36 stitches. You will have 33 stitches that they didn’t designate for stockinette stitch. 33 works correctly for your 11 lace repeat to be worked 3 times.

I’m not real clear on all the parts of a sock (I’ve seen those diagrams where they divide a sock up like a half of beef and I always get bogged down. :slight_smile: ) but I think the instep is the part of the foot on the top, opposite the arch of the foot and after you have worked the heel.

On that part of the sock you are keeping most of the stitches in stockinette and doing the gusset decreases along the edges of the stockinette and maintaining the center (of the top of the foot) in 3 repeats of lace, whose number is not messed with in this part.

3

I am still completely baffled, I’m afraid.

The bit I am on is… K3, yo, k1, yo, k3, ssk, k2tog. So if I were to work on just 11 stitches, I would knit three (3) then yarn over (using 1 stitch, giving me 2). 4 stitches used so far. Knit 1 (5) and another yarn over (6). k3 (9). Then ssk, using 2 stitches and giving me 1 (11), and k2tog, bringing total stitches to 13, not 11. I can’t work out where I’ve botched it?

On the leg, it hasn’t been divided equally but the difference in width on that part of the leg is so small I thought it had perhaps been intentional…

4

K3, yo, k1, yo, k3, ssk, k2tog.
This string of instructions only uses 11 stitches. I see where your problem is. A yarn over doesn’t use any stitch, it is a manuever done between stitches entirely. I have seen one set of instructions on how to do a yarn over that says to bring the yarn to the front and then knit the next stitch, as though that next stitch is part of the yarn over. But it is not and it will create havoc with stitch counts in patterns if you make a yarn over use a stitch. :frowning:

K3, yo, k1, yo, k3, ssk, k2tog
. K3 (3 used), YO (none used), K1 (total 4), YO (none used), K3 (total now 7), ssk (uses 2, total 9), K2tog (uses 2, total 11).

To do the yarn over between knit stitches as it is used in both these places simply bring the yarn to the front between the needle tips, that’s it, that’s the yarn over. The stitch after it just holds the YO in place. The yarn over itself is just that extra strand over your needle when you bring the needle to the front.

I’m not sure what you should do about it at this point.

5

Thank you, that explains a lot. Must’ve misinterpreted the how to do the yarn over wrong when I looked it up…

It’s a quick pattern so I don’t mind just unravelling. I’ve already tried doing it three times now, even though this is the furthest I’ve got once more can’t hurt! In the end, it’s all practice. This isn’t even good sock yarn XD
.
Besides, at least the heel turn was successful!

6

I’m like you I have started many projects over more than once. Luckily we like to knit huh? :slight_smile: You’re right it is practice and you learned something important that will help you with future projects.

Very cute sock. I’ll be looking forward to seeing the finished project in the gallery.