Traditions Today : Sock Knitting

Step into History with Sockupied

Abbi Byrd — Tue, 07 May 2013 11:00:00 GMT

The newest issue of the eMag Sockupied is now available, and as always, it’s teeming with stunning patterns and fresh takes on sock-knitting techniques. From delicate leafy lace to colorful bobbles, there’s plenty of knitting to keep your needles clicking all through the warmer months and into fall.

What I particularly love about this issue, though, is that beneath its modern exterior are techniques and designs with an unexpected and rich cultural history. Lisa Stichweh designed the Schwäbische Socks, featuring an intricately woven pattern of traveling twisted stitches inspired by a knitting tradition from Austria and Germany. Reminiscent of Gothic architecture, the stitch patterns were used on socks in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and were later seen adorning sweaters in the early twentieth century.


Lisa Stichweh's Schwäbische Socks		Heatherly Walker's Provenance Socks

The bold colorwork patterns of Heatherly Walker’s elegant Provenance Socks were derived from French embroidery from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The scrolls, floral motifs, and fine stripes translate perfectly into a pair of everyday wearable socks.

Tracing her Hungarian roots, Laura Fazekas Halfpenny came across a knitting tradition that she effortlessly interpreted into funky modern footwear: brightly bobbled stockings worn as part of folk costumes in the small village of Sióagárd, Hungary. The costumes are heavily decorated and riotous with color. Peeking out from beneath a flurry of bright skirts are knitted neon-colored stockings with columns of tiny bobbles, worked much like the distinctive nupps of Estonian knitting. Although her interpretation doesn’t follow the traditional Hungarian folk colors, the varied color scheme reflects the multicolored nature of the costume.


Laura Halfpenny's Zokni kötés stockings.		The ladies of Sióagárd, Hungary, complete their elaborate folk costumes with unique bobbled and embroidered stockings. Photo courtesy of Művelődési Ház Sióagárd.

Whether classic or contemporary, you’re sure to find a pair of socks to suit your style in the Summer 2013 issue of Sockupied. In addition to beautiful patterns, there also are features on knitting two socks at once (including one inside the other known as the War & Peace method), cast-ons for two-color cuffs, and much more! Download your copy today and take your sock knitting to the next level.

Enjoy,

Abbi

The Brontë Sisters & the Yarn Shop

Linda Ligon — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:00:00 GMT


	Penelope Hemingway's simple stockings knitted from a pattern in the 1844 manual, The Practical Companion to the Work-table. Shown with a portrait of Charlotte Brontë.

We invited Interweave’s founder and PieceWork’s creative director Linda Ligon to share her thoughts about our Spring issue of Knitting Traditions.

I keep waiting for us to run out of stories for PieceWork’s Knitting Traditions. And I keep being confounded by the wealth of history that keeps creeping out of the woodwork. This is on my mind as I skim through the issue that just went to press. There are stories that will rip your heart out, stories that will bring back your own fond childhood memories, stories that will recall things your mother, or grandmother, or great-grandmother knitted.


Lizbeth Upitis's Usinš and Sun Mittens, based on a pair of traditional Latvian mittens in her collection.

One story that caused me to stop for a careful read-through was about knitting and the Brontë sisters. In my English-major brain, Brontë = disturbing and dour. Heathcliff and Cathy. Mr. Rochester. The lunatic wife in the attic. The sisters’ fraught, deprived, consumptive lives. There is no joy in these tales.

No joy but for the occasional character knitting by the fire with a cat at her feet. This comes up over and over again. And lo and behold, there is credible speculation that the Brontë sisters on at least one occasion took a short trip to a nearby town that had a yarn shop. A yarn shop! Did they shop there? Well, you’ll just have to read about it yourself. Read it while you tune in on You Tube to Myrra Malmberg singing the Wuthering Heights song, which is a little creepy.


	Heatherly Walker's Remembrance Socks contain stars hidden among winding cables.

If you’re not a Brontë fan, you’ll find plenty more in this issue to engage your attention, both stories and knitting patterns. You’ll find a stunning pair of Latvian mittens; lacy socks designed in remembrance of knitters in a German extermination camp who knit socks in order to survive (I told you it would rip your heart out); a retro 1930s sweater that looks perfect for today. And that’s just a taste. Knitting has been a human endeavor for hundreds of years, and its history flows on.

Enjoy,

Practical or Pretty? Socks for All

Anne Merrow — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Whether your style is elegant or rustic, thrifty or decadent, everyone gets cold feet in the winter months.

Even though the days are getting longer, our coldest months may still be ahead of us. To chase away the last of the winter chills, there are five knitted sock patterns in the Spring 2013 issue of Sockupied that will keep your needles and toes happy. One design makes perfect handknitted socks for the daintiest of fancy feet, and another is the epitome of handsome yet sensible socks.


Claire Ellen's Uloborus Socks

Dark, Silky, and Sumptuous

Claire Ellen’s Uloborus Socks are the epitome of luxurious knitted stockings. Looking for a subtly creepy spider motif, Claire actually derived the main design element from a floral pattern. Unlike the cartoonish designs she’d found, her adaptation is an exquisite and slightly macabre sock pattern with elements of delicate spider webs.

The Tencel-blend sock yarn gives a silvery sheen to the surface, inspiring the design’s name: Uloboridae are a genus of venomless spiders known for their feathery, fuzzy fine silk. They are known for lovely web decorations—motifs created by nature.

Fun and Functional


	Rachel Coopey's Bockleton Socks

Of course, socks are also practical. Rachel Coopey’s Bockleton Socks, named after a village near her Worcestershire home, are designed to use small amounts of yarn in the stranded-colorwork cuffs. The waffle texture of the garter-rib instep adds a little extra warmth. The simple four-ply yarn includes a dose of nylon with the superwash wool, which makes these socks durable—another must for the practical sock knitter. The simple geometric motifs in the knitted design are perfect for men’s socks, too.

There are three other all-new patterns as well as ideas for customizing your socks for a better fit and having more fun while knitting them. Check out the latest Sockupied for socks that will keep your feet cozy until the last winter breezes are chased away.

Cheers,

Priscilla's Armenian Socks

Linda Ligon — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 12:00:00 GMT

PieceWork has been publishing a special theme issue on knitting for several years now, and it has become an annual best seller. It has even spawned a spinoff, Knitting Traditions, likewise a crazy success. Fascination with our knitting roots seems to know no bounds.

So after seven years, you’d think all this historical knitting content would just become a blur. Not so, though. Every issue seems to stir up an unforgettable, poignant story, a technical tour de force, a wacky side trip into places we never knew knitting went.


Priscilla Gibson Roberts's reproduction of a nineteenth-century Armenian wedding sock.

The most recent issue, January/February 2013, for instance, contains an interpretation of the oldest known pattern for knitting socks. The pattern was unearthed in a 1655 edition of a general household book of recipes, or receipts. It’s plain, it fits oddly (baggy, requiring garters), but it’s such a strong link to what knitting was 350 years ago that you’re glad to know about it.

What will stand out most in my mind, though, as years go by, are Priscilla Gibson-Roberts’ Armenian socks. I will always think of it as the “Priscilla’s Armenian socks (PAS)” issue. The source sock she worked from is a very fancy wedding sock from the mid-nineteenth century. The leg is wildly colorful with floral and geometric pattern bands, the instep framed with a wide fancy border. But turn it over and you will gasp. The sole is covered in rows of tiny red birds. A flock! The effusive design work, the meticulous execution, the sheer whimsy of this sock will live on in your dreams.

I will probably never challenge myself to knit such a thing, but I can certainly imagine including that perky little bird, or a row of them, on a plain sweater. But whether I do or not, the "PAS" will be part of my knitting inheritance. I encourage you to take a look.

Cheers,

Traditional Knits for Modern Times

Karen Brock — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 11:00:00 GMT

PieceWork’s most popular special issue, Knitting Traditions, is here!


Carol Rhoades’s bead- and lace-knitted half gloves inspired by traditional German folk costume. Photo by Joe Coca.

For the fifth time, we’ve brought together the most amazing range of stories, projects, and techniques that you could imagine. As you’ve come to expect in Knitting Traditions, we’ve journeyed around the world seeking out fascinating knitters and their inspiring stories to profile, and we’ve explored the evolution of knitting techniques and traditions along the way. And, you’ll be thrilled at the 30+ projects we’ve designed for you to try out on your own.


	Ann Budd’s reproduction of the sock pattern from Weldon’s Practical Needlework. Photo by Joe Coca.

Some things I love about this Fall 2012 edition: Six really fun sweaters knit from the original vintage patterns; elegant and lacy bead-knitted half gloves inspired by traditional German folk costumes—and wait until you see the inspiration for the design! And there’s the spot-on reproduction of a lap blanket based on one owned by English poet William Wordsworth and lace, lots of lace, including a Faroe-inspired shawl, an Orenburg shawl and scarf, and gorgeous detached sleeves. And on the oh-so-practical side, Ann Budd knits up, and includes contemporary instructions for, a Weldon’s sock pattern with replaceable heels and toes!


The Lady Betty Sweater knit from the original 1924 Needlework magazine instructions. Photo by Joe Coca.

There’s so much more that makes this Knitting Traditions really special. We’ve included several articles about the pluck and brilliance of women knitters who have overcome hardship and grief and used their love of knitting to forge new lives, new friendships, and to influence generations of knitters. Meet English knitting entrepreneur and writer Cornelia Mee and Virginia Bellamy, the knitter (and poet) who patented her own knitting technique in the 1940s, and then sit near the fire with Fair Isle knitter Jeremina Colvin and her dear friend, Cowichan knitter Mary Edwards.

I just know you’re going to love the beauty and breadth of this fabulous new issue of PieceWork’s Knitting Traditions!

P.S. PieceWork’s Knitting Traditions wants you! We’d love to receive your article and project proposals for future editions. Visit our website to learn how you can be a part of the next Knitting Traditions.

Entrelac with Eunny

Eunny Jang — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 11:00:00 GMT


	River and Woods Afghan, Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2008

Editors' Note: We've invited Eunny Jang, editor of PieceWork's sister publication Interweave Knits to talk about a traditional knitting technique that has been gaining in popularity.

Entrelac, one of my favorite knitting techniques, is a powerful demonstration of how ingenious knitters can be. At first glance, entrelac knitting looks like strips of fabric woven over and under each other or perhaps individual squares that have been painstakingly pieced together. Take a closer look, though, and you’ll see that entrelac is actually worked all in one piece, without a single seam: instead, you work one block at a time, joining it to its surrounding blocks as you go with simple decreases. So nifty!


Entrelac Socks, Interweave Knits Spring 2007

“Entrelac” is French for “interlaced,” but the oldest examples of this technique come from Scandinavia, where it was sometimes called “basketweave” or “patchwork” knitting, often around the tops of stockings. It’s a marvelously flexible technique—you can knit it flat in two colors for the traditional checkerboard look or in the round to create tubes. You can use as many colors as you dare. Because the stitch uses yarn in such an unusual way, it’s a great way to show off long-stripe yarns. And you can use entrelac as a sculptural tool to shape your knitting even as you adorn it: By introducing shaping into the entrelac squares and thinking carefully about where a new square should join, you can create circular sweater yokes, hats, and all kinds of three-dimensional forms.


	Little Entrelac Bags, Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2009

Getting started with entrelac can be a little tricky, so sit down with a cup of coffee (or a glass of wine—but just one! You’ll need all your concentration), your yarn and needles, and an adventurous spirit, and cast on. You’ll see your fabric grow stitch by stitch and block by block. Just watch out—entrelac can be addictive.

For a step-by-step look at the entrelac technique, from beginner basics to shaping garments, check out Knitting Daily's new workshop, Entrelac Knitting, Basics and Beyond. I'll help you to get started and develop your entrelac skills with lace, colorwork, and other fun techniques.

Enjoy!

Eunny

Color In Between

Karen Brock — Tue, 01 May 2012 11:00:00 GMT

We hear intarsia and we think color knitting. But intarsia is also an ancient technique of inlaying pictorial mosaics into wood—a technique that was highly developed during the Italian Renaissance. We take our term intarsia from the Latin interserere, to insert or to place in between, and whether you’re woodworking or knitting, that’s what intarsia is: inserting. It helps me to understand the tricks of intarsia knitting more easily when I think of ancient woodworkers creating individual pieces of wood and laying them into a grounding piece to create a design. Intarsia knitting employs a similar technique by knitting the color motifs individually, so carrying the yarn isn’t necessary.


Anne Berk’s re-created Gordon Highlander intarsia sock from PieceWork January/Feburary 2011.

That’s appealing to me because sometimes I’m still traumatized by the memory of those wretched tight bunches of color the first time I tried stranded colorwork in the intricate design of a sweater I knit years ago. The motif was a chain of little birds, but mine looked as if they’d been strangled rather than flying effortlessly through the sky of my sweater.

As I’ve learned to overcome my colorwork challenges, Anne Berk has been a helpful guide. In her first DVD Inside Intarsia, she taught the basics, including single-strand splicing, the difference between knitting flat or in the round (yes it’s possible!), and how to read charts.

Anne also wrote an article for PieceWork’s January/February 2011 historical knitting issue about creating a pattern for a pair of Gordon Highland regiment tartan socks based on an 1846 photograph. It was a fascinating article, and the bonus was her cool argyle sock pattern that included some useful tips about knitting intarsia.

So now I’m particularly excited about her most recent DVD, Intarsia InDepth, Advanced Techniques because it takes us a few levels deeper into the world of inserting colorwork. Anne is a great teacher, and her passion and delight for intarsia infuse each chapter of this video.


	Learn how to successfully knit intarsia in the round with Anne's thorough instructions.

Yarn management is critical to intarsia knitting, and Anne deftly provides the info you need about how to manage large amounts of yarn, including useful tips for calculating how much yarn you’ll need for the various sections of any given project.

The video includes printable patterns for two projects: An iPad case that allows you to practice working a single motif and a more challenging traditional argyle sock knit entirely in the round.

Another fun segment of the video is learning to create your own motifs, where Anne offers practical suggestions and inspires your creativity.

Take inspiration from those Renaissance masters and Anne Berk and try your hand at intarsia.

Enjoy,

Folk Heels

Linda Ligon — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:00:00 GMT

When I was a kid, I always had holes in the heels of my socks. My mother would stitch them up (not proper darning, because it was a lost cause), and then later I tried dealing with it myself. I tried darning, but on the thin cotton socks of childhood, it was just too tedious. I eventually hit on the cheating method of putting tape over the holes, but you can imagine how well that worked.


Nancy Bush's Ukrainian Socks feature an "afterthought" heel.

I’ve looked at pictures of old socks from museum archives, and the heels are always ratty. It’s what you’d expect—that’s where friction is most likely to happen. Today, we knitters strand a little nylon yarn into the heels, or maybe sewing thread. If we are spinners, we make the heel yarn especially well twisted so it won’t pill and shred. Some old sock patterns are drafted in such a way that you can easily replace the heel, the toe, or the whole under-foot of the sock.

The cleverest of these methods, to my mind, is the one Elizabeth Zimmermann called the “afterthought” heel. It’s routinely used on socks from the Middle East, as well as on the kind of industrial work socks that you make sock monkeys from. Here’s how it works: Simply knit a tube sock from top to toe, but at the point you want the heel to turn, knit in some waste yarn on a number of stitches equal to half the total number of stitches in the round. For example, if the sock is 72 stitches around, knit 36 stitches in waste yarn where you want the heel turn to fall.

When your tube sock is finished, go back and slide a double-pointed needle into the 36 stitches that are above the waste yarn, and another double-pointed needle into the 36 stitches right on the waste yarn. Pick out the waste yarn. Lo, you have a yawping hole where the heel will be. Put half the stitches on each double-pointed needle onto another double-pointed needle. Can you see it? Now you have four double-pointed needles arranged in a circle, each with 18 stitches. Proceed to knit a few rounds on these four, and then decrease as if you were shaping a toe. You end up with a rounded heel sticking out the back of the stocking that matches the rounded toe on the end of it.


	Linda Ligon's Sock Monkey Sock, featured in Christmas Stockings.

When that heel wears out, you can just ravel it back to the leg of the stocking and do it all over again. You can find more precise instructions for this in the Ukrainian Sock in Nancy Bush’s newly revised Folk Socks or in my own Sock Monkey Sock in Christmas Stockings. A cool thing about this method is that, once you’ve knit the tube sock, which is pretty mindless work, you can decide to just go with it and forget the heel. Not that I’m recommending it.

Cheers,

Take A Journey with Me

Jeane Hutchins — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 11:00:00 GMT

After months of preparation, the third edition of PieceWork's special publication, Knitting Traditions, is off to the printer! While it's wending its way through the presses, I want to give you a sneak peek.

It's a global view of knitting's glorious past and present. And our journey begins in the United Kingdom and travels through continental Europe, Asia, Oceania, South America, and North America. Here are just a few of the amazing people you'll meet along the way:


Lydia Gladstone’s stockings, using the cabled designs she learned as a child. Photograph by Joe Coca.



Wearing their knitted caps (ch’ullus), these men near Cusco, Peru, have begun knitting the fine-gauge caps. Photograph by Cynthia LeCount Samaké.

*The "terrible [formidable] knitters e' [of] Dent"—these were women, children, and men who produced prodigious quantities of intricate knitting in mid-nineteenth-century England

*The unknown and unsung knitters of sixteenth-century Western Europe who adapted cloth stockings to knitting

*Lydia Gladstone—Lydia grew up in Bukovina, Ukraine; her young life was fraught with tragedy, but she learned to knit beautiful stockings while in the care of Catholic nuns in Germany during World War II

*In the Gobi desert, camels rule, so it's no surprise that there is a long tradition of knitting socks with camel hair

*Twenty-two-year-old Ann Bryant started her knitted counterpane while aboard a ship taking Ann, her family, and other immigrants from England to New Zealand in 1850; her counterpane survives

*Andean male knitters who are noted for their superior workmanship and complex designs

*Annis Holmes preserved the nineteenth-century Adirondack tradition of knitting "buff" mittens—warm, windproof, and waterproof

Each of their stories is rich. Their work is exquisite and inspiring.


“Toasty,” Beth Brown-Reinsel’s twined-knitted gloves. Photograph by Joe Coca.

There's also lots of information on the history and application of several techniques. One example is the "Toasty" gloves that take you through the basics of Sweden's twined knitting called tvåäandsstickning. And there are projects galore, including socks and stockings, scarves and shawls, a boa and muff, sweaters, gloves and mittens, a snowsuit for baby, and even a flock of sheep!


	Detail of Evelyn A. Clark’s Icelandic triangular shawl with its Arched Trellis Lace edging. Photograph by Joe Coca.

A host of today's preeminent knitting historians and designers, some from far-flung corners of the globe, contributed to this edition. Each of them is a champion of knitting's vibrant traditions.

I feel certain that this edition of Knitting Traditions will feed your own wanderlust and provide you with all the tools you'll need for your own knitting journey!

You can preorder now or look for it in stores, on newsstands, and digitally through Zinio on September 27.

Best,

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