My "Ravely Queue" button sits next to my "Ravelry Homepage" button in my browser toolbar. I sometimes often hit the wrong one. Yesterday, when accidentally trying to queue my own homepage, I saw this.
And a couple of you sneaks have even queued it!
This would be tremendously flattering if it wasn't so undeserved. Los Monos Locos are really just a bunch of modifications to Cookie A's Monkey Socks that I wrote down so others may benefit from my research. So, I wrote one of the weirdest emails I've ever written to Jess, asking to be listed as the "designer," so that I can edit the pattern page to make sure that it's clear that it's not a discrete pattern.
But it got me to thinking. I do have a couple of ideas for sock patterns. I'd eventually want to knit one pattern in a specific yarn that I don't have in my stash, but I can work out the pattern in any finger weighting like this badness I still have lying around. The second idea would be an intarsia motif, and maybe a series of them. I don't have the yarn for those, though. And never you mind that I have never done a single stitch of intarsia. Details. Pshuh.
I've been pushing these thoughts aside so I can just get through my current projects. And let's face it, my life is about to get crazy for a bit. Yet there sits that Ravelry pattern page with my name on it taunting me like a plate of dark chocolate brownies.
And don't I owe you that heel thing first anyway???
Oh That Heel Thing
Though I have not revealed the magical, toe-up heel technique that will change the way you knit socks, I am still working on it. I spent about an hour with an engineer friend of B's, after which he declared that my problem would make a good math paper. See, this is serious stuff here.
So I went back to Google for more research, and I even emailed Lauri B of Toes and Heels fame, because she wrote the pattern for 60 sts. Unfortunately, the email bounced back. Yesterday, I made first contact with a math major who knits to see if she can help.
Here's what I do know. The cuff-down version of the heel is called "the strong heel" named after the designer who published it in the Fall 2003 issue of Knitter's Magazine. The Knitter's pattern is for a 64 stitch sock. One Raveler noted that the only hint for resizing that sock was to use multiples of 4.
I've already figured out the directions for a 64 stitch toe-up sock (embedded in the above mentioned "pattern"), but I want to know how to do the heel in all possible stitch counts. With some time and a lot of paper to make my weird charts, I could work it all out for a handful of common stitch counts. However, I will always feel bad for that one person that is knitting something atypical because that atypical person is often me with my tiny, nubbin feet.
What do you think? Would you be OK with a table of numbers that would account for common sock stitch counts? It's possible that the math forumula may never happen.
So I ask you this: what are the common stitch counts for socks? I'd like to do a range to account for a couple weight of yarn.
Nothing to See Here
Back to Ravelry... Aside from updating my Ravelry projects page as progress happens (haha! That's a funny one!), I'm banning myself from Ravelry until I finish something that I set out to knit this Summer. The new forums are like drugs. It all feels good until you wake up and realize that it's already dark outside, you forgot to each lunch and you are still in your jammies.
Seriously. I have unknit more than I have knit. Sad state of knitting affairs at Casa O'Postraphe.
I haven't joined Ravelry yet... See my blog for my delimma and a little advice??
My Falling Leaves have 48 stitches total (12 front, 12 back) but I'm using a yarn that's a little thicker than sock weight, but doesn't seem quite DK yet. I'll be updating my progress soon.
If you need to seek another opinion on your heel (although i don't know the original formula), I can take a look and do the math thing for ya... After all, I am an engineer who thinks knitting from charts are more natural than reading instructions...
Posted by: jennsquared | July 27, 2007 at 07:09 AM
Congratulations on winning the Summer of Socks week 5 contest!
Posted by: E to the M | July 27, 2007 at 07:35 AM
I'd go in multiples of four. If someone is using an atypical stitch count, they can just add one or decrease one to "typicalize" the heel. :-)
Posted by: Dave | July 27, 2007 at 09:02 AM
Yes, those Ravelry forums can suck a person in for sure. I was away for a few days and that helped get me off the hourly checking drill--my goal is to stick strictly to the pattern/yarn/project end of things...
Posted by: Heather | July 27, 2007 at 09:10 AM
Ravelry can become a black hole - a very friendly and fun black hole, that is :)
Congrats on the win!
Posted by: Lolly | July 27, 2007 at 09:12 AM
Congrats! Ah, the wonders of Ravelry!
No suggestions from me - you know more than I do!
Posted by: tiennie | July 27, 2007 at 02:33 PM
I have 8,842 people in line ahead of me to get into Ravelry, so I'm safe for a while ;). I agree with multiples of four for the sock heel. Also chiming in to congratulate you on the SOS link contest win.
Posted by: Jean | July 27, 2007 at 02:34 PM
Very cool that you want to be a designer. :) You have so many great ideas. :)
Posted by: Jennie | July 28, 2007 at 02:53 AM
Ravelry is wicked. I possibly spend more hours on there rather than knitting at the moment. Especially the forums. I am such a lurker, see things that I like and then add them to my ever growing to knit list. Sigh.
How funky about Los Monos Locos though. People must like your variations :)
Posted by: Laura | July 28, 2007 at 09:15 AM
Thanks for the hints and well wishes!
Jenn: When I can grab a bit of time, I'll send you the info that I have. Meanwhile, I'll "chart" in 4 stitch increments. Who knows, maybe a pattern will emerge or something.
As for Ravelry... I'm off the wagon already. Sigh!
Posted by: Jen | July 30, 2007 at 05:06 AM