Loom Knit

Sock Loom Video: His & Hers Sock Loom Set-Video 2

The next installment for the His & Hers Sock looms is here! Sorry for the delay, my computer didn't want to upload all the videos and then it took like what seem 20-hours to edit and process. 

So, what exactly is happening in this video? You will be creating the heel of the sock. In this video, you will see demonstrated a short-row heel.  Wait, wait, what is a short-row. A short-row is a shaping technique used in knitting. A short-row is exactly that, a row that is not worked all the way to the end. You will partially work the row and leave the other part unworked. As you do this, you are giving the knitted fabric new shape, creating extra room. Our heels need extra room to accommodate it comfortably without feeling squished. 

Typically, a short-row heel is done over 1/2 the pegs used for the sock. The orange sock loom has 56 thus the heel will be done over 28 pegs. Now that you have the number of pegs to use for the heel, the next part is to find out how many pegs you will short-row to create the extra room for the heel. Typically, you will divide the number of heel stitches by 3. In this case, you will have 28/3=9.33. Since we cannot, do exactly 9.33 pegs, we are going to round down to 9. So we will wrap 9 pegs on the right, leave 10 pegs empty, then wrap 9 pegs (total of 28 pegs). 

As you work the short-row heels, you will first knit from the beginning of the row to one stitch less before each end, then to two stitches less, then to three, then to four...and so on until you reach the number of wrapped stitches that you need  to create your short-row heel(you calculated this above). 

56 peg heel instructions can be found by clicking on this link.

Last part of the series will be posted next weekend! 

 

 

Sock Loom Video: His & Hers Sock Loom Set

I have received a few nudges to create a video demonstrating how to use the His & Hers Sock Looms by KB Looms. First, let's start by saying that socks are my favorite things to knit. If I only had to knit one item for the rest of my life, it would most likely be socks with cables. The set by KB Looms is labeled as His and Hers, but it doesn't mean that one has to use one or the other. Work with the one that fits you the best. I have a small foot, so for me, the Orange one works best. 

Before you get started a word of caution--if you are coming to sock looms from big gauge looms, socks are going to take you f-o-r-e-v-e-r! They are made up of teeny, itty, bitty little stitches and it is going to take a looooooong time to create a pair. How much is a long time? This is relative to how fast you are as a loom knitter. I consider myself pretty fast and I can probably do a pair of adult women socks in 2-1/2 days of knitting constantly, as in 8+ hours a day. Keep this in mind when you embark on the sock looming journey. Are they worth it? Definitely! I love to wear a pair of handknit socks during winter time. 

A bit of information about yarn for this loom--the thinner the yarn, the better. If you get yarn that is too thick, you will end up with stitches that are too dense and hard to knit. I say play around and find the yarn that works best for you and your knitting tension. I recommend using yarn with some wool content in it to aid in the elasticity of the sock--you want it to get back its shape after being worn. Note: cotton is going to be very, very hard to knit as it has no inherent elasticity. 

These looms were designed with the Knit Stitch or U-Stitch in mind. If you use the e-wrap stitch, your sock is going to be considerably bigger than what you probably need.

Lastly, although these are named  "sock looms" know that you can create more than just socks on them. You can create delicate scarves, dishcloths, mitts, little squares for blankets, and even preemie size hats. 

The video series is  3 (maybe 4) sections long. Today, you get Section 1, think of it as a Sock Loom-a-long. The sock you will be creating (if you follow the video) is a shorty sock with a ribbed cuff, short-row heel, stockinette sole, and short-row toe. Section 2 will be posted Sunday, stay tuned for section 2 and 3.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment (note: I do have a day job from 8-5pm MST so expect an answer sometime late at night). 

 

 

On Socks & Looming

The world of loom knitting is blooming and hundreds of loom knitters are joining the ranks every day. With such growth comes questions that we may have addressed before but never really put them down on paper. I have gathered the following information over the years and a lot of it came from doing the work for one of my books. I hope you find the following tables useful. If you would like me to add anything else to this document, please let me know and I will do my best to add it. 

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