Tuesday, 30 March 2010

Replica Coptic Sock Pattern By Angela Easterling

Yarn: Jacob Black Aran 100% Wool. 3ply
Tension: 4 stitches per inch and 7 rows per inch. To fit size 5
Work throughout in Coptic stitch. This pattern should be used in conjunction with my “Diagrams for Construction of Egyptian Sock”

Instep to Toe Section

Stage One
Chain 32 stitches and join to fit comfortably around the instep. Work about 6 inches (about 42 rounds) working towards the toes.

Stage Two
To Work Big Toe
Chain 3 at right angles to circle and join that to 12 stitches away to create a bridge. This forms the division between the toe sections.

Stage Three
Next create a small cylinder for the big toe. Work cylinder till the right length, and then decrease every stitch until all gone.

Stage Four
Go back to bridge and start creating cylinder for the larger 4 toe section. Work three rounds then decrease one stitch on outer edge on alternate rounds until 10 stitches left. Then decrease every stitch until down to none.

Stage Five
To continue sole to back of heel
Pick up 10 stitches on base of instep section work 7 rows flat. Then continue decreasing one stitch each row until 4 stitches remain.


Ankle to Heel Section
Stage Six
Chain 32 stitches and join to fit comfortably round the ankle. Work in a cylinder for about 10 rounds or until long enough.

Stage Seven
Work one row of 28 stitches. Turn and work flat for two rows. Continue, decreasing one stitch each end of each row until 20 remain. Work 2 more rows. Then continue 4 more rows increasing two stitches in the middle of each row to ease heel. Decrease one stitch at each end of final row.

Join using invisible stitches as shown in my Constructions of Egyptian Sock.

Wednesday, 17 March 2010

Socks Galore

Today I persuaded our U3A group to have a picture with their creations, which are rather magnificent!


Carol, the group leader.

Mollie

Anne

Sally

Sally in her socks


Lonny

Barbara

Rosemary

Angela

Sybil

Tuesday, 16 March 2010

Fashion faux pas?

I don't think so, not when it is still too cold to wear my Birkenstocks!



Completed Socks

The blog has been rather quiet as we have all been busy knitting and creating our final socks. these are just a few examples from Angela and Sylvia . . . more to come:


Monday, 1 February 2010

Sock it at the V&A


Last Wednesday the U3A group went along to the new Medieval Galleries at the V&A to look at a pair of their Coptic socks (Museum Number 2085-A-1900) and compare them to those at the Petrie Museum. A link to more information on the V&A socks is here.

The V&A socks have been conserved, padded out and put on display among other Coptic textiles. They are a striking red colour with some noticeable differences to those in the Petrie Museum, not least top of the sock, the way the different pieces have been put together and the slant of the stitch.

Mollie took some close up photographs:



The Conservation Department at the V&A had kindly let us take notes from their conservation report on the sock:

Description of Structure
Cross loop of knitting

At top of sock there is an opening at the front, beneath which the knitting is circular shaped to form the heel and the foot and divided at toe to accommodate big toe separately to others.

Left foot heel to toe: 23cm, division for big toe approx 5cm
Right foot heel to toe: 21 cm division for big toe approx 4cm

Bottom of heel to top of sock each 12 cm

Technique means that knitting started from the toe.

Stitch Count
Right Foot: Linear = 8, Rows = 9

Left Foot: Linear 8, Rows 9.5


Friday, 22 January 2010

Single Needle Knitting: Video and Information

The beautiful pair of Coptic socks, dated to 400-500 AD, are the centre of this experimental archaeology project at the Petrie Museum. This is our goal; the recreate a pair using ancient techniques.


To start off the single needle knitting – thread a needle with approximately a metre of wool and make a loop.

To make the first stitches pull the needle through the centre of the loop; this is one stitch. Repeat this step until you have the required number of stitches.
Then depending on whether you are knitting backwards and forwards or in the round wither straighten this foundation row into a straight line, or pull the short end until the stitches are in a tight circle.
Then pull the needle through each stitch creating a loop in the palm of your hand – the needle should go on top of the yarn creating something similar to a blanket stitch.

Continue doing this in the round until the knitting is long enough or if you are going back and forth knit to the end of your stitches and then turn the work and knit the other way.

Charlotte Booth

Thursday, 14 January 2010

Snow and Starting to Knit

Despite the snowy weather, a large number of the U3A group managed to make it into the Petrie Museum for the first session after the Christmas break. Charlotte Booth also came along to go through the main steps in Coptic knitting according to her research . . . watch this space for the first steps guide. In the mean time, this is a short (albeit blurry) film of Barbara doing it:



Over the break many members of the group had been busy knitting their own socks using 'normal' knitting techniques, as well as spinning their carded wool:

Working from home, Sybil sent some charts she had been working on of stitches for the Egyptian sock:


We had a brief distraction by examining Rosemary's crochet snow shoes, which she made to beat the icy weather. The crocheted top is fastened onto oven mesh as a base and then tied with a shoe lace over a pair of crocs and a kitchen bag with a bin liner over the top for aesthetic purposes. Rosemary says they are warm, keep out the wet and sturdy on the ice. They can then just be washed after use: