Friday Harbor Fixes

The weekend was quiet and enjoyable and we had no obligations on our slate.  I saw Norma's review of Mr. and Mrs. Smith while doing a bit of hit and run blogging (dial up limits blogging time) and, because of her glowing report, we checked the time at a local theater and ran out to see it Sunday afternoon.  The theater wasn’t an ice box (a pet peeve of mine during the summer months) and they even had frozen Junior Mints! (We still have half a box in our freezer for another movie night).  Well, we loved the movie and laughed while nodding through its not so subtle metaphor for marriage. We, too would like to see it again, Norma!  It is a rare occurrence for us to go to a theater or even rent a movie and we couldn't remember the last time we did so. We also saw Finding Neverland on DVD and it is another movie worth seeing.

Now, why is it that every single thing we, at least I, knit has to be started at least twice, frogged over and over, and yet, we still preserver? The Friday Harbor sock (for my Sockapal2za) which I started last week has been no exception to this unwritten rule but, it’s still growing, slowly. 

When  Knitting on the Road was first published our LYS offered a class with Nancy Bush. You could choose any sock from the book and have her guidance as you knit.  My choice was Friday Harbor as I wanted to work with Mountain Colors, a new yarn for me (I hadn’t knit many socks at that point, either).

The first thing we noticed is that the needle size called for was too small (I’m using a size 4 but I knit on the tight side).  Then, after starting the YO rows of the lace cuff it became apparent there was a bigger problem.  The cuff looked more like a fishtail as the lace pattern was skewed.  It took a bit of time to find the problem but, the fix was easy.  The erratum from Interweave is still a little obtuse and doesn’t tell you HOW to keep the stitch count correct on the needles.  I’ll try to explain it a little more clearly. 

The rows of the cuff are unnumbered but take a look at the chart and you’ll notice that there are 3 knit stitches before you do the first YO.  You must always have 3 knit stitches on your needle before the YO and the easiest way to do this is to knit the first stitch of the row before to the last (#3) needle as you start the next row of chart.  So, do the YO row and when you start the plain row between, knit the first stitch to needle #3.  You will do that on the first four YO rows.  The last row in this first section you will NOT need to make that change. You should be set up to start the second section of the cuff if you leave 4 stitches in front of the YO.  All your YO’s line up and all your decreases line up in both sections of the cuff. 

The Travelers Sock in this book has a similar cuff and the photo may be easier for you to see how FH cuff should look.  The second section of the cuff you’ll want to make sure the  YO’s are centered right above the decrease and the previous decreases are directly below the YO’s.  This may make more sense when you are actually knitting.  Another thing to note is to make sure you have a purl stitch at each end of the front lace panel. The heel stitches will start above the 24 stitches of ribbing.

If you have questions please let me know and I’ll try to help.  The Mountain Colors Weavers Wool is such a nice yarn and I love the color, Canyon. It really is like the colors of the So. Utah desert sand, rocks and sky.  I’ll have to take a picture of it against that back drop while we are there later this week.

Comments

[Julie]

Thanks for posting that! The Friday Harbor sock is definitely on my todo list and I'm sure you've just saved me much frustration.

[michele]

Margene, that sock is so pretty...and how exciting to actually learn from Nancy Bush. I love that book. Your sock pal is very lucky. Take care and have a great day!

[Lolly]

I love that sock! Such a pretty pattern--and I like the idea of it being on 4s too :)

Have a good one, Margene!

[Judy]

MArgene, I think it's either one of those 'you have tobe there' things or I really need another cup of coffee. The sock is beautiful. Glad you've got it wired.

[Beth]

I'll have to consider seeing Mr. & Mrs. Smith then - I discounted it because of the star overexposure.

And I love Mountain Colors! They discontinued a colorway that I desperately want to find a bit of tucked away somewhere - have you seen the one called Silverbow?

[Norma]

I'm glad Mr. & Mrs. Smith loved Mr. & Mrs. Smith and that I didn't steer you wrong!

I love everything about that sock! The colorway is making cool subtle stripes. Awesome!

[Teri]

I think I've become more of a frogger than a knitter these days, too. Oh well, it *is* the process! :)

[greta]

GREAT explanation...I'll have to tuck this into my book...
(you know, that thing we did before the computer had *bookmarks*)

[Anne]

Enjoy your tour south! Will the sock get lots of photo op time?

[Liz]

Thanks for your tips on the FH sock! I've knit this sock once before and had the issues. Will go up a needle size and use your tips for the cuff.

[Kim]

Thanks for the tips! I have printed them out for when I have time to start something new. I really do love Mountain Colors Yarn. I have some of their alpaca yarn tucked away for a special project later this summer :-).

[Jessica]

Another worth seeing movie (a rental) is The Love Song for Bobby Long. Hubby and I saw it recently and absolutely loved it. It was not something we had heard about previously but rather something we rented on a whim solely because of the female lead - Scarlett Johanson who previously starred in several movies (Lost in Translation - et al). Beautiful movie. If the spirit moves you again soon to go to or rent a movie check it out. Definitely a hidden gem.

[Julia]

Man, those are gorgeous socks, whatever the price in aggravation! I am learning that Nancy Bush must have very tiny feet. The socks I am doing for my sock pal is too small for me for sure and not just in length. I sure would like some, but it's going to take some adjusting the - grrr, math - I hate math.

[mary manahan]

Margene,

You are a sweetie! Thank you so much for your clear explanation...your socks are gorgeous. (this is the first sock I ever made) of course my daughter picked the most difficult one.

[Liz]

That is such a beautiful sock! Oh, how I wish your sock pal is me..... ;)

[Kathleen]

Very pretty sock. The colors are goregous and I can't wait to see 'em against the Canyon backdrop. :)

[stephanie]

Thank you for posting this. Friday harbor is on my to do list and I've heard that there were er, issues with the pattern.

[Beth S.]

It never occurred to me that the needle size was wrong. I actually did a bunch of math once to figure out how to make this tiny sock fit a real human foot. ;-) The size 2 needles seemed to make sense, because the fabric they produced was nice and dense and seemed to be quite durable. Maybe I'll try it again on size 4s (with the original stitch count) and see how it turns out.

[The Knitting Kit]

I adored Mr. & Mrs. Smith due to the fact that the they were so similar to the stories I write at night with my closest friend on IM. It made me laugh so hard...and I was so irritated when all my mother and brother could do was diss it. I was so close to shoving a #2 needle through their cold, shrivelled hearts. But that would mean dropping stitches on my socks. I gave up the temptation then and there. ;)

[Sydney]

The sock is lovely and well worth the effort, I'm sure. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

[Bridget]

The sock is very pretty. I'm using the sagebrush color of that yarn right now and I love it. I am waiting for my Knitting on the Road book to arrive - now I'm scared!
We saw Mr & Mrs Smith on vacation and both really liked it. My husband REALLY liked Mrs Smith;)

[Kim]

That sounds like my kind of class! Your sock is looking lovely.

[Heidi]

I think the start of your sock is pretty too! Makes me want to go to Utah sometime. And maybe try knitting socks again.

[Jackie]

Great explanation - thanks! The colors of the sock are just gorgeous. I love the movie reviews, too. :)

[Nathania]

You just make the purtiest socks, Margene. And sorry about that weird URL thing. I think it's because I signed in in the comment thing with Typepad. Strange stuff, that.