Madder Ribbed Socks complete

The first pair of socks for the Nancy Bush Master's Study are complete!  Yay me.  This pair is the Madder Ribbed socks from Knitting Vintage Socks.  Done in Mountain Colors Bearfoot, colorway "Yellowstone"  on two Addi Turbo Circs, U.S. 1.5/2.5mm.  I've worn them already and found that the mohair does make me itch.  I was hoping to get away with it on my feet, but alas, no more mohair or Bearfoot sock yarn for me.  Although I'll keep wearing these.  I'll just keep them on for short periods of time.

 

The toe is the "pointed toe" and it is indeed pointy.  I actually really like this toe shape, as it conforms nicely to the shape of my toes.  As you can see below, I sort of have pointy feet.   The decreases are done four per round, equally interspersed throughout the round, with a few rounds knit plain between the decrease rounds.  It creates a very long toe.  The instructions tell you to start the toe shaping 3.5 inches prior to the desired foot length.  The only problem I have with this is that on my foot, the decreasing starts at the widest part of my foot, making it a bit tighter than I might like.  But I still like the interspersing of the decreases rather than doing them on either side of the toes.

And the heel.  This is the Dutch or Horseshoe heel.   It is worked on half the total stitches, plus one "seam" stitch, which, on these socks, is a purl stitch down the heel flap that then is done as a garter stitch when turning the heel.  I'm not quite sure what the point of the seam stitch is, but it does look interesting and doesn't change the feel of the sock.

I also must point out that this is one of the first times I've knit myself a placket heel and they actually fit my feet much better than the short-row heel.  Go figure.   

But having worked so few placket heels, I have little to compare this to.  It is comfortable, looks lovely and was easy to work, so two thumbs up.

I'm quite pleased with these socks.  The color of the yarn is gorgeous.  They fit well, and I enjoyed the ribbing variation.  They are a good, basic and well-written sock pattern that work particularly well for variegated yarn, if, like me, you prefer your variegated yarn to not be used for lace, but find plain stockinette a bit boring.  They'd be a perfect beginner sock pattern or if you need some mindless sock knitting.

Comments

[Angela]

They look great! I agree, placket heels fit me better too. I've only knit one pair of socks with placket heels and they fit me the best. If only I could figure out how to do a toe up sock with a placket heel..

[Steph]

Beautiful socks indeed! But now I know not to try the Bearfoot, I'm certain it will be itchy on my skin too. Maybe you could get some thin silk lining socks to get more wear out of them? I think I've seen those at outdoor stores.

[blossom]

beautiful socks! so nice to be able to knit socks in those various ways through your study! looking forward to see your second pair!

[gleek]

oooh, i love that style! too bad they're itchy :(

[grumperina]

Beautiful socks, and really great photos on this project! I think the variegation of this yarn is perfect for this type of project, exactly for the reasons you point out. Enjoy wearing them, even if it's for short periods of time :).

[Agnes]

I love the colours! It's a pity that mohair and you don't go along well. I like the heels too ... they are actually more comfortable than short row heels ... more cushions (according to husband).

[kris]

ooo, they are beautiful! glad to see a fellow pointy-toe ;-) i'm not sure what the deal is with that seam stitch either. too bad about the mohair - i always wear thin, thin socks under my handknitted ones anyway so i have no probs with my bearfoot socks.

[yahaira]

They are beautiful and show off the yarn perfectly. A great start to the master program indeed. You better get something you can wear under these, it would be a shame to only wear them in short bursts.

[adele]

GORGEOUS! That colourway is fantastic!

[Zarah]

Beautiful! Maybe you can find a worthy recipient who won't be so itchy!

[marichan]

Your socks turned out beautifully - the colors are so deep and rich. I'm sorry about not being able to wear the mohair, I hope you can still enjoy them!

[Lolly]

Purly, beautiful work on the socks. I like this toe and the special heel - your closeup pics are great. Thanks so much for sharing. ;)

[Mary]

Beautiful socks. The pattern works very well for a variegated yarn. I am intrigued by the pointy toes (speaking as a non-pointy toed person) and the heel construction is interesting too.

[Sockbug]

Oooh. Bummer to hear about the Bearfoot being itchy. I have a couple of skeins to use here. Socks look great, but they are too pointy for my Fred Flintstone toes, LOL!

[Karma]

Well, it seems that you picked the perfect combination of great basic sock and fabulous yarn. Beautiful result with unusual toes! :) So glad they fit you just right. Enjoy!

[jacqueline]

what a pity about the itchy mohair content...although i can understand completely what you mean. even plain wool socks can make my feet itch.

they look great though!

[di]

would you believe I bought this book today? For my mum though, not me. Although I will be taking copious "notes" before I send it to her for her birthday...
These look fabulous! (alhtough I'm muttering to myself: "where the heck does she find time to knit so much so quickly?"...)

[joy]

The colors are gorgeous! Shame about them being itchy. The toes are very interesting, and might just be thing I need coz I've got pointy toes too! :)

[Janet]

Very nice socks! Love the colors especially in the simple rib. For Angela - I think there's a pattern out there called "You're Putting Me On" that's toe up with a heel flap. Is that the same as a "placket" heel?

[Stephanie]

Wonderful. I love the pattern and the yarn. I wonder how my feet will react to my bearfoot. I guess I'll just have to knit some socks and see.

[Carolyn]

They look fantastic. The toes are really interesting! I love the heel too.

[Dana]

Cool socks! Is there a decorative stitch on the toe as well? Too bad they are a little itchy. Maybe Eucalan would help, I dunno. Cheers-

[Beth S.]

They're just wonderful. And it makes me really happy to hear somebody who usually knits short row heels say something nice about the lowly flap heel (which I love.)

As for the toe shaping, on your next pair like this, try starting the decreases when you're just past the widest point of your foot. When I knit socks for myself, I don't start the decreases until my little toe is completely covered! This sounds odd, but the resulting toe fits my foot much better.

[nona]

I'm following your lead and starting on my own mini "Master Study". I'll be knitting the 4 simple ribbed socks from Nancy's new book, Knitting Vintage Socks. I love how the 4 pairs of socks each have a different toe and heel.

[margene]

Nancy is a sock goddess. I always defer to her ideas as she just knows it all.