Tuesday, 18 May 2010

It's so cute! Strippy Baby Sock

I visited the newly reopened galleries at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford on Saturday. This sock was on display in the Textiles Gallery - from the Fayum in Egypt c.AD300 - 400:

Tuesday, 30 March 2010

Knitting a Coptic Sock: The Practical Bit

The Pattern

Materials: 100 g Jacobs Fleece Wool, 1 darning needle, scissors

Size 7/8

Tension is based on 10 stitches = 5cm and 3 rows =1cm

Big Toe
Create 18 stitches
Row 1: Stitch the 18 stitches from left to right
Round 2: Join stitch 18 to stitch 1 and start knitting in the round
Continue to knit in the round until
Round 12: Knit every other stitch (9 stitches)
Knit in the round until
Round 15: Knit one stitch and then knit very other stitch (5 stitches remain)
Round 17: Knit every other stitch until 2 stitches remain
Round 18: Knit the remaining stitches together to close the hole

Other toes
Create 36 stitches
Row 1: Stitch the 36 stitches from left to right
Round 2: Join stitch 36 to stitch 1 and start knitting in the round
Continue to knit in the round until
Round 12: Knit 3 stitches then skip 1; repeat until to end (27 stitches)
Knit in the round until
Round 15: Knit one stitch and then knit very other for the next 10 stitches, knit every stitch end to end (22 stitches remain)
Round 16: Knit one stitch and then knit very other for the next 10 stitches, knit every stitch end to end (17 stitches remain)
Round 17: Knit one stitch and then knit very other for the next 10 stitches, knit every stitch end to end (12 stitches remain)
Round 18: Knit every stitch
Round 19: Knit the remaining stitches together to close the hole

Foot
Place both completed toes alongside each other so the open ends are aligned. (You may find it easier to pin them together). Using the stitches along this bottom edge, knit 54 stitches in the round joining the two toes together.
Continue knitting in the round until the foot both reaches your ankle and the underside can be pulled to the back of your foot/heel.
To get the right size and fit, keep trying the the sock on.


Ankle
Create 60 stitches
Round 1 – Foundation chain of 60 stitches
Round 2 – Join stitch 60 to stitch 1
Continue to knit in the round until
Round 5: Knit 5 stitches then skip a stitch, then 5 stitches and skip a stitch again until you reduce the stitches to 50.
Continue to knit in the round until it measure 6 cm or the length required from the top of the sock to top of the foot.


Heel Flap
When the Ankle reaches the top of the foot part of the sock stop knitting in the round.
Count 17 stitches in from the first stitch and pick up 16 stitches centrally from the ankle piece to create the heel flap – there should be 17 stitches on either side of the flap.
Knit these 16 stitches backwards and forwards until the flap measures 8 cm or reaches to the base of the foot.

Then you need to knit a rectangular piece, 17 stitches wide, which reaches from the bottom of right hand side of the ankle of the sock under your foot and round to the bottom on the left hand side of the ankle.
This can either be knitted separately and stitched to the sock at the end or it can be knitted onto the bottom of the ankle by the heel flap and grafted to the sole of the sock before being joined to the other side of the ankle. Again, keep trying on the ankle part to check it fits!

You now have a two-toed Coptic sock

Note: Remember that you need a left and a right pair, so which way round you stitch the foot part to the ankle part of the sock is very important when making your second sock!

If you get small holes across the sock just back fill them with the same stitch.

Pattern for Coptic Socks by Barbara

Pattern for Coptic Socks by Ann

Patterns for Making a Coptic Sock

The previous 6 or so posts are patterns for making a two-toed Coptic Sock based on those in the Petrie Museum by the U3A group. This group have been meeting at the museum every 2 weeks since October and have enthusiastically thrown all their creative resources at the project.

Their patterns offer different approaches to the one Charlotte and I put together so please try them out!

Debbie

RECORDED NOTES FOR MAKING EGYPTIAN SOCKS.

To be used in conjunction with Design Chart below.

I am making two socks. One light and one dark colour, to show the difference the shade makes to each attempt. Light colours behave in different ways from dark ones. The light colours are softer and produce looser tensions. The dark dyes affect yarn making it appear thicker and the stitches seem tighter. Darker colours are harder to work with. Stitches are more difficult to see and one needs to work with really good light conditions. Lighter colours are not such a strain on the eyes, so counting stitches and rows prove much easier.

Tension Swatch = light colour: 4 stitches and 7 rows = 1 inch
dark colour: the same but knits tighter and
appears thicker with slubs created by pulling
yarn in needle back and forth through stitches.

Tubular section from front of heel to beginning of toe = 6 inches
Approximate measurement around instep = 10 inches
Make cast on chain of 38 stitches
Work approximately 40 rounds.
Toes : One slightly larger than the other.
Flatten tube (making sure which side you want to be top and bottom of sock)
19 stitches on top layer. Smaller toe: Count 8 stitches from edge and stitch through tube and secure 16 stitches. Continue working in round = 16 passes. Decrease every 3rd stitch. Pull yarn through remaining stitches and pull up.
Repeat for larger toe, this time using remaining 11 stitches.
Work approximately 12 passes. Then, decrease by missing every 3rd stitch around until tube has closed. Darn in remaining long tail of yarn.

Base of heel: On underside of sock select approximately 14/16 stitches and work back and forth for about 2”

Ankle: Repeat chain cast on = 38 stitches and work in round for about 2” or as required. Select about 5 stitches in suitable place and pin to top of instep. Then continue working back and forth over remaining stitches (joining each end of every row to edge of main tube until work is level with base of heel. If happy with the way the pieces fit together, sew or continue in pattern stitch to join around base of heel. On completion, sew in ends to inside of sock. If ends of yarn ply is split before sewing, it will be less lumpy.

I made this pattern for sock to fit my foot. Socks to for shoe 5 or 6 (39 or 40). All of this is approximate because everyone will possibly achieve a different tension (stitches/rows = 1”). So, using these notes, together with the chart, reasonable success should be achieved. The chart can be altered to calculate socks for smaller or larger feet.

SYBIL KENTON - March 2010

Making a Coptic Sock by Rosemary