Freebie: BMG's Footies

Two posts in a week! Three posts in a month! You people must be ready to fall over. As a reward for your patience I offer these fun, funny-colored footies. Go forth. Make little socks that Bob Marley's Grandma would be proud to call her own.

Want a more descriptive photo?

BOB MARLEY’S GRANDMA’S FOOTIES

To Fit: Shoe size 5-6[7-8,9-10]. Photographed in size 7-8.

Materials:
2 skeins Koigu Painter’s Palette Premium Merino (KPPM) (100% washable Merino Wool), 170 yards/skein. You will have plenty of leftovers.

Size US2 (2.75mm) double-pointed needles, set of 5, or size to make gauge. Pattern knit on 4 needles, with 5th spare needle used to pick up gussets.

Stitch marker to mark round (optional)
Darning needle to weave in ends

Gauge:
14 sts per 2” in stockinette stitch on US2 (2.75mm) needles or size to make gauge.

CUFF
CO 44[48,52]sts, and distribute sts onto three needles as follows:

Needle one (N1) (half of back of sock): 11[12,13]sts,
Needle two (N2) (top of sock ): 22[24,26]sts,
Needle three (N3) (half of back of sock), 11[12,13]sts.

Join work and pm to mark round, if desired. Begin working in k1p1 rib as follows: *k1, p1* to end. Repeat for 8 rounds. Next round begin working in stockinette. Knit 5 rounds total.

HEEL FLAP
On the next round, using N3, knit sts from N1, so that all of the sts are on only two needles, with N3 (back) containing 22[24,26]sts and N2 (front) containing 22[24,26]sts. For the rest of the heel flap, you will work only with the stitches on N3, working back and forth. Begin by flipping the work around and slipping the first st, then purling across the row. On the next row, slip the first st, then *k1, slip one with yarn in back* to last st, k1. Repeat these two rows 11[12,13] times, for a total of 24[26,28] heel rows.

SHORT ROW HEEL
Still working back and forth, on the next row, sl1, k12[13,14], k2tog, k1, turn work, leaving remaining sts on left-hand needle. Sl1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn work leaving remaining sts on left-hand needle. Continue in this manner, knitting and/or purling one more stitch on each row as follows:

Sl1, k6, k2tog, k1, turn work
Sl1, p7, p2tog, p1, turn work
Sl1, k8, k2tog, k1, turn work
Sl1, p9, p2tog, p1, turn work
Sl1, k10, k2tog, k1, turn work
Sl1, p11, p2tog, p1, turn work

GUSSETS
Resume working in the round. Knit sts from N3 onto spare needle, then knit the remaining sts onto N1, so that the sts are once again distributed onto three needles. Using N1 pick up and knit 12[13,14] sts along the heel flap. Knit the 22[24,26]sts from N2. Using N3, pick up and knit 12[13,14]sts from the heel flap and then knit remaining sts from spare needle onto N3.

Work one round even, and then dec on the next round as follows:
N1: k to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.
N2: knit
N3: k1, ssk, knit to end.

Repeat these two rounds (one round without shaping, one dec round) until total stitch count is 44[48,52]sts, with 11[12,13]sts on N1, 22[24,26]sts on N2, and 11[12,13]sts on N3.

Work even until foot measures 6.5[7.0, 7.5] inches.

TOES
On the next round, begin toe decreases as follows:

N1: Knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.
N2: k1, ssk, knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.
N3: k1, ssk, knit to end.

Repeat this dec round every other round until 20[22,24] sts total remain. Then work dec round every round until 12 sts remain. Using N3, work sts from N1 even, so that all sts are once again on two needles. Kitchener live toe sts together, and weave in loose ends to finish.

COPYRIGHT 2005, Julia P. Trice This pattern is protected by copyright and available for personal use only. It is not available for sale or distribution without the author's express permission.

Where I've been

Things have been hectic here in MindofWinter world, so as a little treat and retreat, Moxie and I decided to head back to the Lake House for the week and enjoy some quality R&R and much-needed together time. Much knitting was accomplished. I was able to polish off the second of Bob Marley's Grandma's Footies in the car on the way up, and came close to polishing off my book submissions during the week. When those are done I should be able to return to my former blogging schedule. If you check out the sidebar you'll see that much knitting has been done, though little could be shared.

Once the book stuff is off my plate I'll write up the footie pattern. It's easy and fun. I can't get enough of the koigu footwear. It's cute, and perfect for lounging:

Depending on who you are at heart, either the background or foreground of this picture will peak your interest.

As much as I love knitting, I have to admit that the background has my heart, so here's another view of the dock, taken last fall when we were at the lake.

Here's another shot from the fall, to give you an idea of the bigger picture.

In my mind, Lake George is rivalled only by the most splendid of landscapes, such as our lovely Margene can claim. As soon as my world stops spinning, I'll have to gather my LG pics into an album for everyone. There's nothing I love more than seeing the wonderful places you knitters live and go, so one of my future goals is to share more of the beautiful places I've been with all of you.

Also, for those who might be wondering (::cough:: Marnie::cough::) we are also the crazy kind of people who are afflicted with the need to take our animals everywhere with us, so Moxie and I weren't the only ones who enjoyed the beauty and wonders of the lake. Here's a shot of Townie and Caia on the dock:

We brought Tuna as well, but she is more suited to the pleasures of the couch...

Believe it or not, Caia is "fishing". One of the many unique things that our sweet Caia does is spend hours on end staring into the still water at the striped bass that live beneath the dock. When one comes close, she growls menacingly, though I doubt that the bass notice this. Since the lake is still in the early morning, it is a ritual of ours to spend at least the first hour of every day on the dock watching Caia as she watches the fish. Townie does it as well, though I don't think he actually recognizes the bass for what it is. His philosophy on such things is that if Caia is involved, he'll be there participating, whether he really gets what he's participating in or not. He's an odd little cat, but nothing if not loyal. Since we're speaking of the Townie, here's another picture of the little boy:

Be vawy vawy qwiet... I'm hunting dwagonflies...."

I'll post more soon - I just wanted to let you all know that I was thinking of you and to share a bit of the joy that is a lake vacation. xox

New Wallpaper

Bob Marley's Grandma's Footies - cute, eh?

Dear All,

Since life has caught up with this Mind of Winter to the point where blogging hasn't been feasible, I thought that at the very least I could leave you with some decent wallpaper in my absence. Don't worry - this isn't goodbye for the blog or anything so drastic. I'm just working some hellacious hours and most if not all of the knitting I've been doing is for publication and therefore not sharable at this point.

The footie pictured above is one that I whipped up a few months ago from the leftovers of my sock pal's koigu. As soon as I finish the other one I'll write up the pattern to share, but really all there is to it is a little shortening up of your basic sock pattern.

Thanks so much to all of you who manage to stop by and leave notes even when I'm not posting regularly. It means a lot to me that people care about the blog (and me!) enough to check in and see how things are going. Please know that I am well, just very, very busy. It will probably take a little longer to get back to the point where my house is in order and I can resume regular blogging, but know that until then I will be checking in on all of you as well. See you soon!

xox, J