my first vanilla socks, pi camisole, esther jacket, my honey vest | podcast ep. 12

Hi, I’m Rebecca, a knitter based in Toronto, Canada. This podcast episode 12 where I will share one FO (my first pair of vanilla socks!) and progress on some WIPs including my first summer project on the needles.
Chapters
0:00 Introduction
2:05 FO: Soxploration Shadow Wrap Heel
11:08 WIP: Esther Jacket
15:46 WIP: My Honey Vest
19:56 WIP: Pi Camisole
23:45 Acquisition: Arctic Knits Book
27:04 Acquisition: Nettle Soft DK
29:45 Outro
FOs ✨
1) Soxploration Shadow Wrap Heel Socks - Earth Tones Girl
Yarn:Unknown Fingering Weight Yarn and Lang Jawoll
www.ravelry.com/projects/hipk...
The Chilly Dog Anatomy and Fit Comparison of 3 Top Down Sock Heels
• Anatomy and Fit Compar...
WIPs ⏳
1) Esther Jacket - Petite Knit
Yarn: Wool of the Andes Worsted (Shade: Almond) and Drops Kid Silk (Shade: 42 Almond)
www.ravelry.com/projects/hipk...
2) My Honey Vest - Wool and Beyond
Yarn: Istex Plutolopi (Shade: Ivory Beige), Mominoki Finnwool (Shade: Milk Tea) and Artfil MericanaDK (Shade: Copper)
www.ravelry.com/projects/hipk...
3) Pi Camisole - Creadia Studio
Yarn: Oenling No 11 (Shade: Alabama)
www.ravelry.com/projects/hipk...
Acquisitions 📥
1) Arctic Knits Book - Weichien Chan
www.ravelry.com/patterns/sour...
2) Ancient Arts Yarn - Nettle Soft DK (Shade: Paperweight)
ancientartsfibre.com/products...
Let’s Connect 💌
Instagram: / hipknithooray
Ravelry: www.ravelry.com/people/hipkni...
Email: [e-mail]
What I’m Wearing 💗
Pi Camisole - Creadia Studio
www.ravelry.com/projects/hipk...
My Measurements (for reference)
Height: 163 cm / 5’3”
Bust: 84 cm / 34 inches
Foot: US 8 or EU 39

[@huckthex-dog3174]

For sock blocking - I really only block my socks when they are first finished so they look nice for photos. Every other time I run them through the delicate cycle in the washer and then lay them on drying racks to dry out (or even low in the dryer for about 20 minutes and then onto the drying racks). For me this brings them back from being stretched out by the blockers or after I've worn them.

[@hipknithooray]

Good to know! I’ll try adding mine into the last few minutes of a dryer cycle the next time I do laundry and see if they shrink back 🤞🏼

[@ngozi230]

13:31 what you can do prevent the cinched in look is you can still use smaller needles for the ribbing but add increases (if working top down) to the first row of ribbing. (maybe add like 5-10 increases, depends on the gauge). By adding the increases it counteracts the cinched effect because of the extra stitches at the ribbing. If working bottom up you would do the reverse. You would do the ribbing first in smaller needles, add the extra 5-10 stitches when casting on, then add decreases when working the first row of regular stockinette. Decrease the same amount you added on. For example if you added 6 extra stitches while casting on then decrease 6 stitches. Evenly space out the increases/decreases This is lengthy lol but hope this makes sense!

[@Stitchesinstem]

I love your Esther jacket! Can’t wait to see it finished

[@jla110661]

I never use sock blockers. I just lay them out to dry and smooth them down as they are dying. I can see their usefulness for opening up lace or showing ribbing of better... but I just don't find them necessary. My foot does the work.

[@MariaMatita]

Thank you for your comment! I was wondering whether to buy sock blockers, since I haven't used any up to now and I did feel ok about that, but it seemed one of those necessary tools to have.

[@hipknithooray]

Ahh super helpful! I’ll keep that in mind for lace and textured socks And same - it’s one of those tools that I thought I needed so that’s why I got a pair long before I even started sock knitting. Now I wish I didn’t or maybe got a slightly smaller size instead

[@thriftythreader5998]

I’ve been advised to use combination knitting to improve stockinette or ribbing when working flat. That’s where you purl by wrapping the yarn in the opposite direction, using less yarn and tightening up the stitches. On the return row, you’ll need to knit through the back loop to untwist the stitch.

[@hipknithooray]

Totally forgot about this! I’m thinking about frogging back and redoing now 🥴

[@moniquem8093]

Nice to see you are back, you were missed, enjoyed watching your podcast, thanks for the sock ideas, my socks are always so loose on the top of my foot that they could fit a horse, almost gave up knitting socks, lol, when did sock knitting become so complicated> my mom used to knit socks for us kids, no pattern needed,lol I bought the fish lips kiss heel pattern and to answer your question, it is not really a pattern you have to create your own sock pattern doing a ton of math, it was such a turn off for me, never made it, I just want a simple sock that fits me, that is narrow on top of my foot,

[@cynthiaread3250]

I have just used Addi Trios for my last pair socks, the same pattern you used, and I liked them too. I do not like magic loop. What I did at the changeover of needles was.. knit to the end of the needle then slip the last four stitches just knitted back on to the left needle, then change needles and you are already into the row so you avoid the changeover tension issues. It sounds a bit messy but after a few rows you do it quickly and you are not putting a needle down at all. I didn't do this during the shadow wrap shaping or the toe decreases. Cynthia in Uk

[@magicksecrets]

Good to see you back, Rebecca! You look absolutely gorgeous and glowing (from your trip i guess) Honey vest is not looking small from outside perspective and I think it also grow with blocking and the borders will add so much! I hope it will be up to your satisfaction in the end

[@darlenedavis3585]

Your first vanilla socks turned out amazing. I love Earth Tones Girls shadow wrap heel. Can’t say yet, either, how the stockinette heel lasts compared to the slip stitch heel flap but it’s very popular so hopefully fine. I love the souvenier yarn you received from KnitCity. It’s beautiful and I’m sure you will treasure it. Your other WIP’s are wonderful too. Just pick away at them and by fall they could be finished or very close. Great podcast.

[@femmeknitted]

As far as socks go: if you ever wanted to try the heel flap and gusset again you could just do a shorter heel flap (less rows). That way you have less stitches to pick up for the gusset and therefore less decreases to do. It helps you end up with less room in the heel for people with shorter insteps :) Short row heels are really easy and quick to do though if you want to stick with that but I know you mentioned you were worried about the durability of the heel.

[@QueensYarnBoutique]

Your Esther Jacket is looking great! 🧶

[@woollyheron]

Hey Rebecca! I'm so inspired by your podcasts - always ending up with a couple of new items in my Raverly favorites. Thanks! 😃

[@hipknithooray]

Aww thank you!! ☺️💗

[@s.aliciawarren4283]

Ahhhhh Cong Coffee!!!!! It’s the best!!

[@LindaNixon-ws4ge]

I use Chaiagoo red lace 9” circular for socks. Love it.

[@LizCanKnit]

I read a tip that helped me with the flexiflips, etc. Don’t tighten up too much on the first stitch when going to the next needle, just gently snug it to the needle, then on the second stitch pull it good and snug. That eliminated my lines in the socks.

[@deyaneria]

i smiled when you said about the heel not being right. I've had the same issue with my heels slipping. You might want to try a v-heel.

[@ReganLlouise]

I have size small sock blockers from knitters pride/knit pro (I wear a US womens 7.5, 8.5" foot circumference) and I don't have this problem-- the blockers are slightly smaller than my feet. I also pretty much exclusively use superwash sock yarns so I don't think that's the problem? I would measure the circumference on the foot on the sock blocker and compare it to your own foot- socks are ideally a little smaller than feet in circumference so maybe the sock blocker is just stretching out the sock. If so, getting a smaller sock blocker (or not using one at all) and smooshing to fit the smaller circumference should take care of it. Those sock colors are gorgeous!

[@patriciahall8733]

Sock blockers definitely will stretch your socks and make them too big. Socks really don’t need to be blocked. But if you don’t use super-wash yarn with nylon, they will wear out basically the first time you wear them if you don’t use a very small needle. I use a 000, 1.5mm needle and 76 stitches. I have very small feet, woman’s size 5 shoe. I have socks that I have knitted at least 10 years ago, wear all the time and have never had a sock gotten any holes in them.

[@exshawknits]

Superwash will spring back if you tumble dry 😊

[@jimmydoesknitting]

I'm very curious about how that honeycomb vest blocks out. The stitch grows a lot.

[@patticacciabaudo1303]

Have you tried doing a combination purl stitch in your 1 by 1 ribbing? It certainly helps the look of mine.

[@corteofs]

There are a few good sock knitting classes on Craftsy with great tips on our to customize

[@aliciamartin5516]

I have the same observations/questions about sock blockers. I like the way they for pre block and then the sock blocker makes them just a touch too big. I am still newish to sock knitting so i don’t know if i just have a narrow foot and the blocker is too big for my specific foot shape. Or is this normal? Should I make a size smaller sock? Should it trying to find a more narrow blocker? Curious what you learn

[@kerstinhoyer4526]

I have the same problem with blocking socks. Sorry I don't have a solution for you, but I'm curious if anyone else has one. 🙂