Storm

By Diane Mulholland

Your first handspun socks are a special triumph. The marathon spinning of the yarn (is it really thin enough?) the endless plying, and then knitting and knitting, hoping the colours will come out the way you planned when you first dyed the fibre.

These socks, like all my handspun garments, didn’t behave quite in the way I expected. But I’ve realised that this is the true wonder of using a yarn you have created yourself. Dye, spin and knit your socks and you will discover that they too are a masterpiece, no matter how far they stray from your original plans.

Photographs: Diane Mulholland

Size
Women’s (Men’s) average
Shown in smaller size

Requirements
100(125)g dyed or undyed Blue-Faced Leicester fibre; 2.75mm/80cm circular needle, or needles for your preferred method of knitting in the round; Crochet hook and smooth waste yarn for provisional cast-on; Stitch markers (optional); Yarn needle.

Dyeing Equipment:
Disposable roasting pans; acid dyes; plastic cups; measuring spoons; aluminium foil; vinegar; dishwashing liquid.

Tension
7.5 sts = 2.5cm(1 inch) in stocking stitch

Pattern Notes
Instructions are given for spinning and dyeing the fibre, however, it is assumed that the reader has some previous experience in these areas. You can by all means use pre-dyed fibre, or even a commercially spun yarn if you wish.

The short row toe and heel are worked using a yarn-over method. Bringing the yarn forward or back before making a stitch creates a yarn-over pair, these pairs are worked in the second half of the short rows to close any gaps along the sides of the toe.

The simple moss stitch pattern has been chosen to draw the eye upwards along the sock, without distracting attention from the lovely subtle striping of the handspun yarn. The ribbed structure is important in a handspun sock as the yarn has a tendency to be rather less elastic than commercial sock yarns.

Abbreviations
yo – yarn over (the loop created in the paired stitch)

The standard Inside Loop abbreviations can be found here.

Dyeing Instructions
The fibre is dyed in tops form to create a yarn with wide stripes. Use acid or natural dyes designed to dye wool fibres. Always follow safety procedures when dyeing and protect your health with gloves and a dust mask.

I find I can comfortably fit 50g of fibre in each pan, it will depend on the size of your pans but avoid overcrowding them as the dye will take unevenly.

1. Put a drop of dishwashing liquid in each pan and half-fill it with water. Lay the fibre in the pan in a zig-zag fashion (lengthways for wide stripes like in Storm, crossways for narrower ones) and press it down into the water. Leave to soak for half an hour.

2. When fibre is thoroughly wet, drain off some excess water and mix your chosen two colours of dye in plastic cups according to manufacturer’s directions. Add vinegar if required to set the dye.
* I used Landscape dyes for the Storm socks in ‘Sun Orchid’ and ‘Wombat’.

3. Pour dye over fibre covering half of the tray with each colour. The striped roving is formed as the fibre zig-zags back and forth through each colour. Press down gently to ensure the dye spreads over the fibre and leaves no white patches.

4. Cover the tray with foil and seal the edges, place in the oven at 150 degrees Celsius for 1 hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before removing foil or disturbing fibre.

5. Rinse gently using a wool rinse such as Eucalan, and press out as much moisture as possible in an old towel. Allow to dry thoroughly before spinning.

*Note: I dyed a small amount of fibre in the Wombat colour only to use for the toes and ribbing on the Storm socks.

Spinning Instructions
Split the roving very carefully lengthwise into four equal strips, mark the first end of each strip with a clip or peg and be sure to start from the same end each time when you spin.

When plied, the colour stripes on each single will match up creating a striped yarn. Human error, and the impossibility of splitting absolutely perfectly, leads to the portion of overlap at the edges of each strip creating a soft transition from one colour to the next.

Use a high ratio on your wheel, at least 11:1, and spin a fine, even z-twist single of around 32-36 wpi.

To create a bouncy, durable sock yarn, overply the yarn slightly. As you ply, check the amount of twist by relaxing the yarn. It should kink up a little rather than hanging evenly.

Finish the yarn by plunging alternately into hot and cold water and whacking the skein against a cupboard door. This treatment will absorb the extra twist you added and add bounce and durability to the yarn. Hang to dry and wait patiently to cast on!

After finishing, yarn measures 18 wpi. If your yarn is a slightly different weight, use a larger or smaller needle to obtain correct tension.

Knitting Instructions
Toe:
Using waste yarn, crochet a chain of around 32(35)sts. Join main yarn and pick up and knit 28(32)sts in back loops of chain.

Row 1: k to last stitch, turn
Row 2: yb p1, p to last stitch, turn
Row 3: yf k1, k to next yo pair, turn
Row 4: yb p1, p to next yo pair, turn
Repeat rows 3 and 4 until 9(11) stitches remain between the yarn-over pairs.

To complete toe:
Row 1: yf k1, k to next yo pair, k 1st stitch of pair, slip next yo pwise and slip first stitch of next pair kwise, return slipped stitches to left needle and k2togtbl
Row 2: yb p1, p to next yo pair, p 1st stitch of pair, p2tog (next yo and 1st stitch of next pair)
Row 3: yf k1, k to next yo pair, k 1st stitch of pair, slip next 2 yos pwise and slip first stitch of next pair kwise, return slipped stitches to left needle and k3togtbl
Row 4: yb p1, p to next yo pair, p 1st stitch of pair, p3tog (next 2 yos and 1st stitch of next pair)
Repeat rows 3 and 4 until the final k3togtbl, there will still be yarn-overs at the other end of the needle.

Commence working in the round.
Unzip provisional cast-on and knit across the resulting 27(31) live sts, m1.
Next round: k3tog (last two yarn-overs), k to end of round.

Instep:
Commence pattern
Round 1: *p1, k1tbl, k1, p1, k1, k1tbl, p1(2)* repeat from * to * 2 more times, p1, k1tbl, k1, p1, k1, k1tbl, p1, knit to end of round.
Round 2: *p1, k1tbl, p1, k1, p1, k1tbl, p1(2)* repeat from * to * 2 more times, p1, k1tbl, p1, k1, p1, k1tbl, p1, knit to end of round.

Repeat these two rounds until 5cm/2in short of back of heel.

Heel:
The heel is worked in the same way as the toe, over the 28(32)sts of stocking stitch on the sole of the foot.
Setup: *p1, k1tbl, k1, p1, k1, k1tbl, p1(2)* repeat from * to * 2 more times, p1, k1tbl, k1, p1, k1, k1tbl, p1, k0(1).
Work short rows as for toe, beginning with Row 1.
After the final k3togtbl is worked, recommence knitting in the round as follows:
Next round: *p1, k1tbl, p1, k1, p1, k1tbl, p1(2)* repeat from * to * 2 more times, p1, k1tbl, p1, k1, p1, k1tbl, p1, k0(1), k3tog, knit to end of round.

Cuff:
Round 1: *p1, k1tbl, k1, p1, k1, k1tbl, p1(2)* repeat from * to * to end of round.
Round 2: *p1, k1tbl, p1, k1, p1, k1tbl, p1(2)* repeat from * to * to end of round.

Continue in pattern until 3.75(5)cm/1½(2)inches short of desired length.

Ribbing: *p1, k2, p1, k2, p1(2)* repeat from * to * around.
Work a total of 14(18) rounds of ribbing.

Bind off as follows: k2, *slip 2sts back to left needle, k2togtbl, k1, rpt from * to end. Draw yarn through last stitch.

About the Yarn
Blue Faced Leicester fibre is perfect for socks as it is soft and springy and makes a lovely durable yarn. Check out Fyberspates for a range of fabulous hand-dyed colours or natural white to dye yourself.

About the Designer
Diane Mulholland had the good fortune to grow up on an Australian sheep farm and a love of all things fibre-related is a natural result. A long way from home now, she tries her best to fit as much wool as possible into her tiny London flat. Read about what she’s been up to on her blog, Needles on the Move.

Email Diane