I am a person whose mother was always knitting, crocheting, sewing or baking something! I love to look and read knitting books--the patterns are so interesting. I find that I dont often finish a project because it takes so long to knit it. I have just looked at and read through some of Helen M. 's book about Icelandic Rose Patterns. In there was the story about knitted inserts. These are lovely and I need to make some for my winter boots. But there was no patterns in the book as to how to make these inserts. I have looked on the web for inserts and insoles but have found no patterns for them. Help! Does anyone have a pattern? where can I find one?
Zoe,
See the lower right on this page from Knit Picks. Is this what you are looking for?
http://www.knitpicks.com/patterns/Sock_Knitting_Patterns__L300211.html
Best,
donna
Hi Donna,
I have looked through the knitpicks site and cannot find any knitted inserts/insoles. The pattern I am looking for is the "bottom" of socks or slippers--just the bottoms without the sides or tops. Thanks for keeping my quest in mind.
I guess I can keep on looking and/or see if I can come up with a self-designed pattern for it. After all, creative minds do knit, crochet, and quilt, right?
Are you working on a project?
Zoe
Hi Zoe,
I don't know where you can find a pattern, but the pictures of the inserts look a great deal like Cat Bordhi's basic 'footprint', an example of which (and free pattern) is given at http://www.twistcollective.com/collection/index.php/component/content/article/36-columns/65-houdini-socks.
Since you wouldn't have to cut out an opening for the leg, this seems like it would make a very cushiony insole. You would, of course, have to add your own embellishments. It's knit in the round so loose ends from color changes won't show!
Regards,
Monkeysocks
Hi Monkeysocks,
Yes, I do think this will work! and because it is knit in the round, it is doubly warm! Because I am a diabetic and live in the "winter weather" with snow, it is important that I keep my feet warm and dry. I can keep an extra dry pair in my coat pocket and change them when they are wet. Thank you! I am so excited by this. I ran off a couple of copies and am going to head over to my yarns and pick out the ones I want to make this with.
I have never made socks from the toe up, so this should be very interesting for me. Always need to learn new things!
Happy knitters never run out of yarn! Zoe
Until your post, I had never even heard of knitted insoles, but they're certainly on my to-do list now. I love small projects I can knit in the round and decorate. Hats and socks move over; I've got insoles to knit. Many thanks!!!
My Mom came over to mine for coffee this morning and I showed her the pattern I printed off for her. Well now she has an inspiration for her boots and slippers and shoes, etc. We were discussing how to start the toe up and she had decided that she is just going to put the required number of stitches on dp's and go from there. She will "stitch up the toe at the end" so I said that that would work too but that I would make mine "seamless."
Another thing we discussed was the "edge" of the insole. If you have made the simple knit slippers, along the side where the "fold" would be (where the side meets the sole) you have a purl stitch made from the wrong side. This gives it a nice edge. I think that I will incorporate that into the insole too and see how that looks. It should also keep the insole from twisting and make it more stable. What do you think?
Happy knitting, Zoe
I definitely like the idea of adding the purl edges for stability. I had considered knitting the middle of the insole a little wider so that it cupped at the sides just a bit, but was worried that it would chafe at the foot. I like the idea of the purl edges much better!
I have only knit one sock from the toe up. I didn't like the way my bind off looked at the top so I didn't make a second one. The toe-up part wasn't bad though; I just started with an invisible cast-on and 'grew' from there.
Thanks for another great idea!
Best regards,
Well after knitting and unravelling and trying again and again, I finally found a way for me to cast on this way from the toe-up. I found a video demonstration for the Turkish cast on. It is an invisible cast on. Because she knits and hold the yarns just the way I do, I found it easy to follow and the first time I tried it, it worked! It is at www.vimeo.com/6801467 I was not able to get any sound, so I don't know if there is any to be had, but the way she did this it looked easy and it was.
About the "purl" edges. Once I got enough stitches on the needles, I found that I needed to purl the stitch at the beginning and end of each needle for the bottom and same for the top. That way I got a nice turn down the exact edge of each side.
This toe-up thing is so much better than cuff-down. Now do you suppose I can "convert" my cuff-down socks into toe-ups? Just a thought, and a challange to do turn the heel "backwards". But that is for another day's inspiration.
Knitter needles take a rest at bedtime.
Thanks for the video -what a great cast on! The one I use is very easy (Barbara Walker's), but I use it so seldom that I always have to get the book out and re-learn it when I need it. I'll definitely give the Turkish one a try. It looks good, and it's easy to remember.
Most of the toe-up patterns I've seen use a short-row heel, but Cat Bordhi has a toe-up pattern that employs increases and decreases to create a gusset. The heel described by 'Fleegle' on the Knitter's Review Forums (http://www.knittersreview.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=60983) also depends on increases and decreases to create the gusset, but I think it may eliminate the heel flap as well. It, too, is on my rapidly lengthening knitting 'to do' list.
Knitter needles rest, but do knitter brains?
Knitter brains should take it easy sometimes and rest. I have come up with some real doozy projects in my dreams that I shake my head at in the morning! Inspirations have had stranger starts, I suppose.
Glad you liked the Turkish cast on. It was the only one that I didn't have to rip in order to start again. I found that it was the only one that didn't leave any holes in the work as well. I knit the continental style with the yarn in my left hand. How do you knit?
My miniature schnauzer, Lucky, always takes an interest in my yarns whether I am knitting or crocheting. She thinks that I am making something for her! sometimes I do make her a little toy or just a little square that she loves to play with and carry around.
I shall tackle a toe up sock sometime in the future too. Right now I am having fun with the insoles!
Yesterday I took out my power saw and cut down my front hedge. A girlfriend came over to help with my yardwork. We decided that that was a good thing to do instead of our walk. It was a good thing we got it done yesterday because it snowed during the night, melted today, and left everything wet!
Knit on, Zoe
But they seem like such good ideas at the time!
I knit with the yarn in my right hand, although I do use continental style when I knit Fair Isle or double-faced work. I wish I could knit continental more often, but I have some tendon damage in my left hand that makes it awkward.
Winter is my favorite time of year so, of course, I love snow. I could probably live in a snow globe and be happy, as long as my family would move in with me. (The rest of them get cold at 60 degrees.) We get some light snow in the winter here, but usually only once or twice. We're only now beginning to see the first signs of autumn. In recognition of this fact, our neighbor's little girls came over yesterday morning to borrow the rake so they could rake leaves into piles and jump in them.
I was looking at pictures of the insoles again on the web and they are so lovely. I'd like to knit a boot with some type of color embellishment, then continue the pattern on the insoles. At the rate I've been knitting lately, I could probably have a pair ready for next winter! How are you progressing with the insoles? Is your mother working on a pair also?
P.S. We only have one large farm dog. I wouldn't mind knitting something for him, but he'd probably swallow it whole.
If your dog swallows your projects, then mine shreds them prior to eating them. Have you made any amigurumis for anyone? I have never knitted any, just crochetted them.
Sorry about your tendons in your left hand. It must get tired and fatigued to hold the yarns. Do you have a tensor glove or a knitter/crafter's glove? I have seen them in magazines. I got mine in a drug store. It does make a difference in the endurance of the hand--mine happens to be the right hand. I am a hairstylist and after a long day, the hand does get tired. I do switch hands when I cut or use the clippers so my hand doesnt get so tired.
When I use a Fair Isle pattern, then I do carry my second and third yarns in my right hand. My Mom knits with the yarn in her right hand but taught me to knit with the yarn in my left hand. My grandmother knit this way too.
I have finished one insole and am going to use that for future references. My next pair will be modified from that one. Likely use smaller needles with more stitiches and make a snowflake on the top of the insole. I showed my Mom today, and she said that she has decided to knit a top and a bottom and then sew them together! I told her that I have no need to sew the top and bottom together as I am doing them the Houdini way. I ended up using only one purl stitch at each side to stablize the insole. Works well to keep the insole straight and gives a nice fold over.
Mom is working on knitting a baby outfit for my sister's step-granddaughter/son. It is the same pattern she used to knit my sister's outfit when she was a baby 50 years ago!
Yarns tell good stories! Zoe
I've never made an amigurumi, but I've seen so many cute ones. Most have been crocheted. My grandmother taught me to crochet when I was very young and I loved it, but I haven't picked up a hook in 20 years. I have wanted to knit one of the bird or fish patterns, but most are made in pieces which have to be sewn together, and I'm not very good at sewing. Almost everything I knit is seamless, either by design or by modification. I did find a no-sew pattern for knitted mushrooms (with eyes). I might make some of these for the kitchen. I also found a really cute pattern for a banana (http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-patterns-banana.html) which I want to make as a little housewarming gift for some friends. (Maybe I could knit a bunch!)
I do use a pair of knitter gloves, which help quite a bit with the cramping. My main problem is that when I bend my left thumb, my index finger bends as well, so I have to work harder to maintain good tension with that hand. When I was working my last double knit project (a star scarf for my oldest son), my left hand ached so badly that it woke me up almost every night. Fortunately, that doesn't usually happen!
I so admire knitters who can work with three colors; I have never worked with more than 2 colors at a time. I like your snowflake idea. Are you thinking of doing this with intarsia in the round or duplicate stitch? I noticed that the Icelandic insoles are knit back and forth in garter intarsia. Is your mother going to do this? I was thinking of trying the technique as a dishcloth - that way, even if it looks terrible, I can still use it. (We no longer buy dishcloths or washcloths. Everybody just uses my practice pieces.)
Your Mom knitting the baby outfit just proves that great patterns (and great knitters) really never go out of style. My mother-in-law knitted the most beautiful baby hat for my first son. I wish I had asked her for the pattern, but I didn't even knit at the time, and by the time I learned to knit, she was no longer with us. My son has long since grown up and married, but he still treasures that hat. I guess it's our family's first real knitting heirloom.
P.S. Good stories, yes, but for novels, you'll have to try the long-tale caston. (Sorry.., so sorry)
Hello again Monkeysocks,
Sorry it is taking so long to get back a reply, we hit a snag in the kidney dialysis treatments. I think we got some stuff solved. Working with the yarns and knitting stuff has really helped to ease off tensions and stress! Besides it gave me great ideas to problem solve. Does anyone else find that as well? Of course I had to redo some places in my knitting but that was ok too.
I am doing a snowflake scarf for my son. Just doing garter stitch except for the "patch" of snowflake which I am doing as knit one side and purl it back. For his girlfriend, I am going to knit a neck scarf with a snowflake on each part at the ends. I think some call this an ascot scarf. You slip one "leaf" inside an opening on the other end and it sits up against your neck around the collar of your shirt. My grandson wants a neck warmer that you just pull over your head. Probably knit him a blue one as that is the color that he likes.
I am knitting them Fair Isle style carrying the main yarn in my left hand the other in my right hand. It seems that I can keep my yarns straight that way without tangles. If I use three colors, then the main yarn is still in my left and one other around my right index finger and the third color around my middle right finger. You just have to manipulate your fingers alot but in the end the stuff is beautiful.
I tried using a circular needle to do this but I found that the yarns did not want to sit right on the needle. I switched to long straight needles and it is working just great!
Yarns on the left and yarns on the right come together in the middle!
Take care, Zoe
Copyright (C) 2012 Interweave Press, LLCUse of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms and Privacy Policy, updated March 2007
