Technique Swapping: Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't // Casual Friday 4-46

[@JoyfulStitching]

The little bird in your thumbnail grabbed me and I want to make him :) TY for your wonderful videos. Always so informative and well done.

[@reganmartin4126]

I've been watching all of your episodes for several months now.....and have just decided that I need to start your Casual Friday episodes from the beginning! I just finished #5....and WOW.....SO MUCH GOOD INFO!!!! Right to the last minute, it was chock full of useful tidbits, helpful hints, and brilliant ideas! I am learning SO MUCH!!! And your explanations, along with your tutorial videos, are clear and concise.....I'm not left wondering, "what does that mean??" I so appreciate all of your efforts on these videos! You are a wealth of information, and so generous to share it all! Thank you!

[@suzannestrachan1318]

Happy to participate in the sock heel testing.

[@barbbuteyn8800]

I recently found your videocast and started watching. You are so informative and helpful and you are a wonderful teacher. I love the historical info you share as well as the techniques. The amount of knitting you must do to learn, try, and discover new things is amazing. Thanks!

[@elisabethkronqvist3987]

Waste management in pre-modern times is so fascinating, because people thought of ways to use everything. We may think of recycling as a very modern and green thing to do, but it's been part of sound resource management since forever. Every time I snip off a yarn end and toss it into the garbage, it makes me feel vaguely guilty. Though really, even if I saved every little bit to put into a bag of stuffing, which was the Granny-approved way, by the time I'm ready to retire from work I might have enough to stuff a very small pincushion. Two more uses for stale urine, though not textile-related: It's a very good fertilizer, so good that people were willing to overlook the obvious risks of using human waste. They knew it was risky, but it was just too good. And being so rich in nitrates, it was an ingredient in the saltpeter industry as well, used to make gunpowder among other things. People couldn't get enough of it, and now we be just flush it out of our houses with clean water. Maybe we are the strange ones after all.

[@ccpperrett7522]

Also urine is "sterile" meaning there is no bacteria in it. It is used by some peoples for soap. Ewww.😂

[@theastewart6721]

You never cease to amaze me Roxanne. They way you experiment to figure out how to fit socks is so interesting! I am nowhere near the point in my sock knitting journey to where I could test knit a sock for you. I hope someday that will change. I find it fascinating and will continue to study the different sock construction you show us. The bird is adorable! Again, another fascinating subject! Thanks for sharing with us! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!😊

[@kathydehnel6172]

I agree with Thea. I wish I could help in your test. I am knitting the same sock for the 3rd time! It's my first pair of wool blend socks. They have to be perfect. If I can't get the first sock right, I'll never be able to get the second one to match. I can't possibly duplicate my mistakes exactly! Ugh! Lol. Thank you for what you do. You do so much testing and research. What I find even more amazing is you are so good at conveying the results. You explain things so clearly. It's a talent. Happy Holidays to you and your family.

[@eastlynburkholder3559]

I like the French star toe and the spiral toe

[@eastlynburkholder3559]

Ammonia is a great grease cutter. Before detergents, the soaps in hard water had trouble with greasy stains. Modern detergents are better in hard water, but not as much different in pure soft water.

[@KAR-5011]

Your videos are so interesting! Part of any craft is learning as much as you can about the history or different applications. Your videos knock all those things out of the box, always! Thank you so much for your time and love of the craft!

[@ccpperrett7522]

I would be willing to try the heel experiment Rox.👋❤

[@olliejones3302]

I'd definitely like to try the heel experiment 🙂

[@jeant763]

I have done the little birds too.

[@Orlama55]

Hi and thanks for the very interesting video. I love learning new ways to knit sock heals and would like to join in testing yours.

[@kmpage333]

I would love to try this heel!

[@nicolelafontaine1720]

Happy T hanksgiving !

[@PurpleAlipineFlower]

I have used the rounded toe/heel for several pairs of socks that require afterthought heels. I have narrow feet and less pointy toes. I like to do more rows before starting the heel when I am doing an afterthought heel. I also don’t decrease all the way on the heel and toe, so it isn’t as deep. But I love the rounded toe it makes and I like the look/fit of it.

[@robyn3349]

Thank you!

[@alisonsmith376]

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, Roxanne.

[@roxannashively3751]

As always, really enjoyed your video.

[@daliamcclintock1491]

I volunteer…my husband has a high instep, and my feet are narrow. Willing to do either, whatever best serves you. You serve us knitters so well, thank you. If there’s a deadline, my participation may not be possible as I have 3 WIPS to finish and ship before Christmas.

[@elizabethseakins4602]

You might like the “Horrible Histories” a BBC Children’s tv series well researched and with funny songs for some historical light relief!! The sock heel looks great with that wool.

[@drewmolboski6429]

I would definitely give this heel experiment a try!

[@MaeInBelgium]

This sock reminds me of Cat Bordhi's Personal Footprints book. There, she makes a similar style of sock, with what I will call an afterthought or peasant leg, instead of an afterthought/peasant heel. I knit one pair. I did not particularly care for it, at least not without a lot of modification, because there was too much fabric at the back side of my heel.

[@sheryleclute836]

I am sort of a new sock knitter but would love to try the experiment for you. I have been playing with different size needles and stitch counts. I always enjoy your videos. Ty

[@billej-m3659]

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. For me as an avid sock knitter all those fitting issues are deeply interesting. So if you wont mind please do more videos on that topic. Kindest Bille

[@akorio21]

I would would love to volunteer! I knit my first pair of socks last year. No one in my family has an average foot and it was very frustrating to try time and again to only have to start again. Your videos have been invaluable in making socks they all love.

[@abbysinthe1860]

I just watched 'A Stitch in Time' earlier today - so fascinating. I'd also like to test your heel. I knit a lot of socks and when I knit them for myself I almost always do a flap and gusset because of how they fit my foot but I love the look of a short row heel - they're just not deep enough.

[@grannysquared7140]

I am an avid sock knitter and I love learning new techniques, especially for the heel. so far my favorites are the sweet tomato and fleegle heels. I have a fat foot so I would love to see how this works for my feet.

[@craigeroberts6557]

May I please try your spiral heel socks? Perhaps you should know that up to now I've only made two pairs of socks, top-down. So if I'm not advanced enough to be of help, that's ok.

[@gailbaldwin9249]

I'd be interested to try your new heel as an option for my afterthought heels in the machine knit socks I make. The heels I make on the machine are not deep enough to be comfortable for my husband.

[@angko-pe]

Thanks for yet another interesting Casual Friday podcast. What a sweet little bird! I downloaded the pattern and will try my hand at WT for the first time. The wraps creates beautiful details and I'm excited to start knitting!

[@theastewart6721]

Can I ask where you found the pattern?

[@RoxanneRichardson]

I linked to it in the show notes.

[@theastewart6721]

Oh geez! How dumb am I! I looked at the links and skipped right over it, lol. Thanks Roxanne! 🤗

[@wavingcat5]

I love this bird! I don’t usually want to knit creatures, but this one I do.

[@eastlynburkholder3559]

You will have many to offer. I have 91/2 narrow feet (woman's sizes) with even narrower heels and high arches. So despite the heel Bing narrow, it should be deeper. If you wanted to use my feet for a project I would love it

[@Laurie_in_Maine]

'I didn't understand what was happening at the time (although the instructions were clear)' #truth :) My M1R vs M1L at the top edge of a cowl has eyelets on the left and Invisible Inc on right. I assume I'm doing the right one wrong ;/-

[@eastlynburkholder3559]

I was trying to do a heel like yours.

[@eastlynburkholder3559]

My heel was a spiraling out from the center that was a lot like a boob or half of a ping pong ball shape. I planned to graft it to lower part of the sock and then all the sock shaping would be above not below the bony petrution at the ankle. My prototype sock stalled because it was hot here and the 75% wool was blooming under my sweaty hands. Judt for my foot, no one else's I think this would work. The part thst cupped my heel looked like a book. I think the gathered sides of a heel cup would irritate my foot less than the normal heel shaping. I am going to try it.

[@christiewright1883]

Because you are my knitting math guru and it is Christmas time I am hopeful you will do a technique Tuesday on figuring out how to knit around a Styrofoam ball with any gauge and any size ball. Please

[@jo-annefalconer6280]

Hi I would would love to volunteer to test your heel, I have been knitting since I was small but am a relatively recent convert to sock knitting, I have made about 6 pairs and am firmly in the toe up camp. The last pair I made were with a different heel so I am keen to try new heels.

[@lizh8041]

i would love to try the heel experiment! i recently made a pair of afterthought heel socks and they fit okay, but they are just a little too tight, which was disappointing

[@RoxanneRichardson]

I have a number of videos on how to adjust a peasant heel (afterthought heel) for a better fit across the heel diagonal. This particular heel requires adjustment, as well, although differently than the other peasant heels (and short row heels) do.

[@elaineenstone6834]

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving celebration. 🇬🇧

[@MrsMelrom]

another thought provoking video, thank you. my concern for this spiral heel could be that there would be a slighly uncomfortable decrease line under the heel. What did your daughter's friend think?

[@RoxanneRichardson]

I didn't ask her, and she didn't mention it. I tried on her sock and didn't notice it. Some people are sensitive even to purl bumps against their feet, so there's no telling what may bother any given individual without trying it out.

[@enacrt]

The urine thing reminds me of how they originally made the Indian Yellow pigment: by feeding cows exclusively with mango leaves, collecting their urine and letting it sit, the sediments that collected on the bottom of the vessel were the base ingredient the pigment.

[@asafdolinsky8338]

I would be more the happy to test that heel.

[@natc.5940]

What would happen if the heel was made first and then the sock was worked from there…. Work to the toe, and the. Use the rest of the yarn to work the leg…

[@RoxanneRichardson]

That works if you're using a solid color yarn and knitting stockinette. If you're working a stitch pattern, you'd get a 1/2 stitch offset when working in the opposite direction. If using a self-striping yarn, you'd need to find the location in the colorway to work it in the opposite direction (reversing the direction you're knitting from the ball). It can work, you just have to understand what the challenges are.

[@melaniegarrison999]

I can't wait to watch the Stitch in Time episode - this reminds me of a fascinating excerpt from a Waldemar Januszczak art doc called Renaissance’s Unknown Origins where he describes the details of the clothes the Arnolfinis are wearing, (starting at the 10 minute mark) complete with taxidermied teaching tools! kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6m4Yap3n9JjepY

[@kjrussell8831]

I'm so SAD 😔 that the Historical Society of Scranton didn't save the lace factory from the stupidity of modernization that the greedy developers perpetrated in this tragedy!