Circular Sock Machine (CSM) – Page 2

March 3, 2016

CSM Ribbing Help

I was working on a ribbed sock for my son today, and made a couple of videos to help other CSMers.

First, my new favorite tool, the flat, bent tip needle (Bodkin needle).

I would really like one about 2 inches longer, but haven’t found it yet. This one is almost three inches long. I use it to help when I am switching to my working yarn with the ribber in place on the my circular sock machine. You need to thread the yarn into the machine and get it down into the cylinder to knit with it. This needle is much easier for me to use than a latch hook tool that is fished up from below. Check out my little video below.

Next is a video to show you how I latch up or “pick up” a dropped ribber stitch. I had a lot of experience latching them up until I got my ribber correctly timed to the machine and the yarn guide placement adjusted correctly. The only other videos I found about picking up stitches showed how to latch up a dropped cylinder stitch. So this morning when I dropped a rib stitch when transferring it to the cylinder needle, I knew I would have a dropped stitch to fix when I took the ribber off. So here it is.

December 19, 2015December 19, 2015

Cleveland Sucks Socks

These Cleveland Browns Socks were a bit painful for me to knit as a die hard Cincinnati Bengals fan. But, my love for my son (also a die hard Bengals fan) outweighed my distaste for the Browns. His girlfriend is from the Cleveland area and is a Browns fan, and I wanted a Christmas gift to give to her. Fortunately, the Browns have had a dismal record this year and the Bengals beat them both times we played them or I might not have been able to overcome the loathing enough to do it. (Mom did say she put a curse on the socks to keep them from beating the Bengals in the future). They lost to Pittsburgh once this year, but maybe the socks will bring them the luck the need to beat the Squealers Steelers in their January 3 game. I actually hate Pittsburgh more, so sorry Juliann (my sister-in-law) there are no Steelers themed socks in your future.

December 6, 2015December 6, 2015

Be Kind To Your Socks

Now that I am selling more of my Measured Steps socks, I thought I would put up a post about caring for them. I typically use high quality German sock yarns when I knit. They are a superwash wool/nylon blend, which means that you can machine wash, gentle cycle and tumble dry on the lowest heat setting if you so desire. But, I always recommend to hand wash, lay flat to dry or drape over a towel bar. I use mild shampoo and lukewarm water, let them soak in the sink while I take a shower, rinse and squeeze out water, roll in a towel and press on it get out even more water. An occasional rinse with hair conditioner is nice too. If you lay them on a heat vent, they will dry overnight. You can wear them two times before washing if you let them air out between wearings.

They should not shrink appreciably in the washing machine and dryer if you follow the instructions from the yarn company, but there is abrasion in washer agitation and tumble drying which can cause the wool to pill and look worn sooner than if you hand washed your socks. If you insist on machine washing, turn them inside out and put them in a lingerie bag to keep them from rubbing and getting snagged on things. The good thing about the yarn is you won’t ruin your socks if they end up the the washer/dryer by accident, but if you treat them kindly you will keep them looking their best and lasting longer. I also recommend not walking around in your stocking feet in the house. Put some slippers on,e specially if you have rugs (friction again). Keep your toenails trimmed to help keep the toes from wearing out. Yes your socks will eventually wear out, but I usually get 3-4 years of frequent wear out of a pair of socks made with good quality sock yarn.

November 15, 2015November 15, 2015

Friendly Socks

Today I cranked a pair of socks for a friend. I only had to start the first sock over once. That is great progress considering I restarted the first sock 4 or 5 times on my last pair. Of course I was trying to get my tension and number of rows for the foot correct so I was really sampling. I actually had two, perfectly made, complete socks that were ripped out, one too short for my foot and the other too long. I used the same tension settings today for these, but forgot the heel spring and I dropped a stitch in the ribbing that went all the way down so, since the ribbing was too loose, I just ripped and restarted. I adjusted the number of rounds I knit in the foot for a size 7.5 woman’s shoe. The yarn is unknown. My friend Karen lost the label so I have no idea of the fiber content, brand or care instructions. My guess though, is it’s a superwash wool/nylon blend. It can probably be machine washed warm on gentle and tumbled dry on low, but all sock will last longer if treated a bit more gently by hand wash (I use shampoo) and laid flat to dry. If you are a cranker interested in the details, you can see them recorded in my projects on Ravelry.

November 13, 2015November 13, 2015

Sock Hop

I have started cranking out some socks again. Above is a pair I knit for me out of Berocco Sox Corib. Now I am working with my warm German sock yarns that you can see pictured below. I bought some some collections, so they will have similar patterns within the collections, but different colorways. Some are very bright and some are more subdued and conservative. (Plus I have a new colorful collection of Opal Potpourri yarn on the way and will post those pics as soon as they arrive.) If you want a particular size and colorway, let me know and you can choose from the sets below. Normally $28 a pair but friends and family can order a pair for $25 (if paid by cash or check (ladies sizes) until the day before Thanksgiving, Wednesday November 25. I can usually have them ready within a week but will let you know if they will take longer. Shipping is not included. Men’s sizes will take longer since I want to get the ladies sizes knit first. I need to switch out cylinders re-set the machine for a larger foot size. That all takes time and I prefer to knit as many as I can on one cylinder before switching it out.) Extra large men’s feet (above size 12) may cost more if I have to use more than one ball of yarn (in that case heels, toes and perhaps cuffs will need to be knit in a solid coordinating color which I have to buy). Send me a message through the contact form here or on my Measured Threads Facebook page if you want some.

IMAG3212 — Over the Rainbow Collection (numbered from the top row left to right as #1 to #4 & bottom left to right as #5 to #8)

Hot Socks Collection (numbered from the top row left to right as #1 to #3 & bottom left to right as #4 to #6)

Morning Dew Collection (numbered from the top row left to right as #1 to #4 & bottom left to right as #5 to #8)