Socks…(gusset)

Hello
I have now arrived at the gusset section of the Tin Can Rye Socks I am attempting to make and I think I have messed up somewhere.

As far as I know the heel turn went ok. I managed to pick the stitches up along the first edge (although actually I don’t think I put the yarn through as I was supposed to)

The wording of the pattern then threw me and I got completely confused (as opposed to just a bit confused as previously).

The wording is ‘knit in pattern across the top of the foot’

Does that mean knitting the stitches that are on hold too?

I think things must have got twisted somewhere as I now have the cable with some of the stitches on crossing under and over. Not sure whether pictures will help you to work out what I have done but I will try.

My only consolation is that a) I can start again on the other sock and see if I can work it out on the next one then go back and b) I have a knitting lesson booked on Wednesday that I can take it along to for guidance… these two hopes are helping to avoid the aforementioned throwing the knitting across the room!

Here are some pictures

I have no idea if anyone could make sense of this from those pictures. The last picture is the (badly) picked up switches on one side.

The first one shows how I seem to have attached one section.

Also aware there are some gaps etc but aiming for overall completion with this (increasingly disastrous) first attempt which may well end up being started over

Thank you so much!

I think what I have done is knit across the on hold stitches, thinking that was what was meant by knit across the pattern, when I was just meant to knit across the bit above the heel to get to the other side and pick the stitches up there.

I don’t know how to undo my mistake now as the needles are all tied up in the wrong places…

I think I have now resolved this by tinking back to where it all went wrong (after I picked up the stitches) and am now attempting to start again from there…

OK, tinking back is good. It looks like you’ve solved it. Good going.
I was going to suggest moving some sts to another needle, maybe a dpn so that you could shift the position of the main needles. Yes, you need to pick up sts on the other side of the heel flap. Work in pattern across the top of the foot was referring to the held sts. Once you’ve picked up sts on the other side of the heel flap you should be able to continue in rounds to knit the foot of the sock.

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Tinking back is good.

I can tell what happened because I have made the same mistake. I often use two circular needles at the same time. I have picked the wrong end of a circular and worked the wrong way when picking up (or working) stitches from another source. I have marked your first image to show one way to work it. The end marked blue should be used to pick up the stitches.

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I inevitably have the same problem with two circs. AAARRGGGHHHH!!! I was so glad when I found out I could do a heel flap style sock without knitting the actual flap and then having to pick up the stitches on the sides of it. If anyone’s interested it’s from this pattern. Luckily I learned to do it before I ever knit a heel flap and having done it once or twice I’ll avoid it from now on. It works cuff down too.

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Ah, thank you so much all. I’m afraid I have ended up tinking back AGAIN as after resolving that whole problem I ended up knitting a load of garter in places where it should have been stockinette but for some reason kept blindly going even though it clearly wasn’t right… I am getting very good at tinking and perseverance if nothing else!

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That’s just what it takes. You’ll get this to work, I’m sure and the second sock will be much easier!

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Everyone who has never done this or something similar raise your hand. Waiting. I see no hands.

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It’s so lovely having your support in this. I would definitely have quit by now if I had not found this forum. Thank you so much

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Being good at tinking is possibly the best skill a knitter can have. I can remember the little happy butterflies I had when I managed to tink a k2tog, a bind off, a cable cross… I’ve had many a time when I’ll tink 200 sts rather than pull my needles out. I use life lines but if they are not proactive life lines I always get them in the wrong place shifting between rows.

Can’t help with socks, they are not in my skill set.
But cheering you along and looking forward to seeing this sock!

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Hello all
I thought I would update you…
It was going so well. I had got right to the end of the toe decreases and I was counting the stitches, ready to contemplate grafting the toe, when I realised I had dropped a stitch about 8 rows down… No… Now what I should have done was waited for my knitting tutorial that evening and asked the lady to show me how to pick up stitches but I didn’t I pulled it out right down to the stitch. Which was fine if disheartening. The only trouble is, in the process, I lost where the markers were placed for the decreasing rounds and I still can’t, for the life of me, work out where they are supposed to go.
At the moment I hate this orange sock. I have no intention of making another one the same and also fear I may walk away from knitting. Though I bought some pretty pre-patterned DK sock wool at the knitting lesson shop and am contemplating starting again now that I supposedly have some idea what to do. The temptation to quit forever (or at least for a decade) is very strong :sob:
I guess the obvious moral of the story is that when you frog a load of stitches you mark where the markers go…
If anyone can point me in the direction of where those markers were I may attempt to finish it, for my own sense of completion, but no way am I making its partner sock at this point!
Thank you :pray:

Oh no!
Really sorry to hear you dropped a stitch, frogged, lost the marker placement!.. aaghhhhh!
There is always a heart sinking moment when kne has to rip back, from my experience I would say once you start knitting again the feeling will pass.
Really no help with socks, someone will help you though. Make odd socks, they are a fashion statement.

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Oh, I hate it when this happens! Don’t let it put you off knitting however. It’s frustrating but it happens. You’re not the only one.
There’s even a tutorial for these socks. Down at the part about the toe there’s this:

“Lost your markers? Not to worry. To set-up for to work the toe you’ll want your stitches to be divided in half. Half of the stitches will be at the top of the foot, with the garter panel in the middle, and half of the stitches will be at the bottom of the foot.”

Here’s a link to the tutorial with a photo of what to do. See about 1/5 of the way down the page.

Think of this sock as a test knit if you’d like to move on to the new yarn. It’s worth every bit of effort just for that reason. Later you may well come back to it and make the second sock.

Oh, and the missing stitch 8 rows down might just have been tied off to its neighboring stitch. Also here’s a helpful technique should you ever have to rip back again, a lifeline.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPc0ns8hby4

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Thank you so much both and all who have replied previously. You have been so very reassuring and again it has meant I have carried on rather than stopping. I got my pretty new sock wool out and did a tension sample and it looked so pretty and you’re right, Creations, the feeling did pass! Knitting aside, I do feel I am learning important things about not giving up here. And you’ve honestly all been the reason I haven’t stopped. Thank you :blush:

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Having a yarn you like is a great motivator.
Good to hear the swatching went well.
This forum is great isn’t it, I have learned so much here.

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This forum is wonderful :heart:
I even just looked at my almost finished giant orange sock again and actually put it on my foot and tried it on inside my hiking shoes. It has the potential to be a useful, even liked, part of my wardrobe and customised to my strange shaped feet too. I realised I was ‘scared’ to try it on in case I pulled something out (which sounds ridiculous, I know) but now I have tried it on I feel much more free about the pattern
I was wondering if there may be a way to narrow down the foot earlier than the toe decreases suggest. I have a very very small little toe so my foot gets narrow closer to the mid foot (on one side only!) Is there a way to better follow my foot? That would be so great and I actually feel brave enough to try anything this morning!

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Yay, sock knitter! That’s so good that you can see the orange sock working.
Yes, you can make decreases earlier than the toe decrease. Space then out along the foot somewhat like top-down sleeve decreases. You can always adjust these patterns to fit your needs.
Try the sock on as you go to make sure the decreases are shaping the sock as you prefer.

Thanks salmonmac. Would it be k2together to do the decreases, or?

You could do decreases on either side of the top of the foot, the instep. I’d place them slightly more toward the center top of foot so they’re not at the edges where they might irritate when worn. You could use k2tog at one side and ssk at the other side. It’s your preference as to which dec at which side.