I’ve made some progress on Thebes’ kilt hose. I knit on the plane ride which really helped pass the time.
The yarn is Brook’s Farm and is a joy to work with. The pattern was going along great until the heel. It started looking suspiciously too small for Thebes’ ankles. I tried it on him and the ankle and heel area was too tight.
Now I could rip back and take out some of the decreases. But that ruins the triangle/arrow pattern that runs down the back leg. Thebes says he doesn’t care about that but I just don’t think I could let that go. So what to do?
I tried to think of other ways to alter the decreases but can’t figure out a way to do it. The ribbing and decreases are designed to fit in with the back of the leg design. It’s looking more and more like I have to frog the whole sock. Argh! I hate toe down sock patterns! This is the second time I started a toe down sock only to have it not fit. That’s what happened with my Noro socks.
Speaking of Noro socks, while the kilt hose sit in time out I’m working on the Noro sock. I altered the pattern to go toe up and so far it’s fitting perfectly. I think I’m gong to stick with toe up patterns from now on.
Ugh, what a pain! I hope you find a solution that doesn’t involve too much frogging.
I hope you don’t have to frog the whole thing! Could you work some increases into the front of the leg at the same time you are keeping the decreases at the back?
when I make top down knee length socks, I measure the leg…Four measurements: 1) the circumference under the knee (or wherever the top of the sock is going to be), 2) the circumference at the wide part of the calf muscle, 3) the circumference around the ankle and 4) the length you want the sock to be: just under knee to the ankle or whatever.
Now divide the length of your sock into thirds…starting at the height you want the sock to be, and ending at the ankle where you would divide for the heel and top of foot.
I knit the first third of the height “even”, on the sts cast on for the width of the leg as high as you want it (say 16 inches). Pretend we’re knitting at 5 sts/inch, you’d need 80 sts.
Figure out how many sts you need to make the ankle width the right size (say 8 inches) Again, at 5sts/inch you would need 40 sts at the ankle.
During the second third (of the height of the sock), I decrease every other row at the end and beginning of the round (which makes the decreases be going down the middle of the back of the leg) to get from 80 sts down to 40 sts., (the measurement for the ankle).
For the last third of height, knit even on the “ankle number of stitches”.
When it’s the correct height for the leg in question, divide for and knit the heel.
I have never had any problem with the fit of socks made from the top down.
Hope this helps. I’d be happy to show you at a meeting sometime, but I’m sporadic in attending.
What a drag about your sock
Anna and Olivia-Thanks! I don’t want to frog it so am attempting to alter the pattern and do short row heels and ankles. Hopefully it will work.
Jillippi-Thank you for all the tips. Next time I start a top down knee sock I will look at your directions first!