Hello! Welcome to Yorty, Yarn & Yap. Iām Emily the Yorty thatās here to yap. On this episode, I want to introduce my first self-drafted pattern and the dog-boy behind the name. We will also talk about my current WIPs.
Letās just jump right in! I am in the process of creating a sock pattern. Before my camping trip, that I talked about last episode, I decided I wanted to pick up and finish a sock project that I started a while ago. Like during a knit along with Ex Libris around 2022ā¦ I stopped working on these socks because my little dog-boy, Bean, got a hold of the yarn ball when he was still a puppy. While he wonāt bother my knitting stuff now, that yarn was all over the floor of the cozy ātime outā space in our home. Tried as I might, I could not get it untangled. Four-ish years later here I am untangling that same ball to finish the same sock. I untangled enough to finish the second sock and abandoned the tangle to the scrap drawer for now.
Please allow me a break in our chat to introduce my dogs. Bean is a five-year-old chihuahua and terrier mix who is a mommaās boy through and through. He will cause heck and grumble if his naps are disturbed. Heās our spunky little guy. Archie is almost seven. He is an American Pitbull Terrier who loves naps, his favorite words is snack, and he is a gentle giant who puts up with his literal ankle-biting brother. Archie āGoobieā is the dog that made us want to rescue another. The second dog syndrome is very real. Beware.
Back to the socks.
When I made these socks, I was dealing with a flare up of my plantar fasciitisāwhich funnily enough I am now also. I wanted a pair of socks that gave my sore feet that extra little hug at my arch. Arch support socks existed, so why not try to knit a pair? I used my vanilla sock recipe and modified it for a colorwork heel-flap and did a bit of color work at the arch to tighten up that part of the fabric. That first sock felt great and if it wasnāt for Bean tearing through my project bag, I would have likely finished this pair a long time ago. These are my Archie Support Socks.
While these socks donāt provide a medical level of arch-support, they add just a little more pressure, a cozy hug, to the arch of your foot.
I had no notes from the first sock and had to reverse write my pattern from the sock itself. I go it about 70% the same, which is why both my pattern and garment ratings arenāt better than four stars. I think I was off a needle size or that I just knit this second pair really tight. The heel was also only half as long as it should have been on the first one but fit better than the second one. It was a weird combination of differences, but they wear almost the same when it comes to feel. One arch is more snug, which I like.
I already cast on my next sample. There are a few things Iād like to change on this pair, but if all goes well I will write up my pattern and get it ready to test knit.
Iāve had so many thoughts about my pattern and what I want to add, to explain, to give options for, and images for a nice layout. While my idea for the sock itself maybe simple, I do intend to make the pattern available in several sizes, give instructions for at least DPNs and 9ā circulars, and help those who are knitting it as their first sock. I know some patterns can be vague and say to follow your normal sock recipe, but I know that not everyone has one, and it is something I would like to include in my pattern.
With all of that, I do intend to make my pattern a paid option. Sometimes, I feel weird for charging for something not revolutionary, but at the same time I will be putting a lot of work into making it friendly across multiple sizes, skill levels, and knitting styles. Does anyone else out there struggle with feeling like your product is worthy of a price tag? I deal with imposter syndrome across all of my hobbies and skill sets. I think this is just another one of those times of feeling unworthy but that little voice in my head is telling me that this will be the time that I come off as cocky instead of confident. Donāt even get me started on the idea of plagiarizing someone unknowingly. Iām scared to even look to see how many other āarch-supportā socks are on Ravelry. What makes me qualified to tell other knitters how to knit?
Eugh. I still have plenty of time to work through these feelings while I finish the pattern and have test knitters.
For today, I want to have the confidence in myself to take good notes while I work on a me-made pattern (that I already did once to mild success), tell myself that my ideas matter, and be at peace with my progress. The rest will start to fall into place if I keep making small actions to move toward my goal.
Speaking of making small steps. I have several WIPs to share! My Archie Support Socks V1 are my only finished object for now. Letās start off on a good note, work through the troublesome moments, and end with my newest version of the Archie Support Socks.
WIP #1
A little backstory for this WIP:
My grandmother is dealing with dementia and the other day she left the house, getting lost for hours before she was found in by people living up on the ridge. She keeps trying to leave and āgo homeā even though she is already there. She fell, broke her glasses, and was in the emergency room where she didnāt recognize my mom, her daughter. I live a bit of a distance from her and wanted to do something, in my power, to try and provide her with some comfort.
For as long as I can remember she has loved Pooh Bear. So much so that she called her home the āOne Acre Woodā in lieu of Poohās one-hundred acres. I decided to make her and I matching teddy bears that I am stuffing with identical sachets of lavender and other calming herbs. They will be a way for me to feel more connected to her and my way of providing her some comfort if I can. The mohair is so soft and makes for a nice stuffy texture, and the herbal smell comes through deliciously. I honestly canāt say if she will like it or not because her tastes have changed in the last few months, and my mother said she is much more irritable at things in general, but if the making of the item can provide me with some sort of comfort in this slow and distant loss then I believe it is worth it. Making comfort objects and foods is how I show my love and care for others. In this project, that is true for her and myself alike.
I love that this yarn is called āmementoā and it is left over from a sweater I made that I know she loves. I think it is turning out great so far, but man was it a refresher in tiny in the round knitting on DPNs.
WIP #2
This WIP has me feeling a little defeated to be frank. I was feeling really good about it until I went to pick up for the shoulders in the front. First side: perfection. Second side: hmmmā¦thatās weird. The twisted rib stripe didnāt line up.
I missed an entire section of the ribbed stripe down the back panel.
Hereās where Iām at. I adore the color, the fabric is great in the Berroco Remix Light, the pointelle is cutie patootie, and I really donāt want to frog it. I am thinking about getting to where I join for the body and then trying it on. I know Iāll need to finagle the pattern a bit to get the pattern chart to line up but what if it works and fits? Then I donāt have to reknit the entire thing. But if it doesnāt work then I need to reknit more than I would if I just start over now.
Another option that I have is to unravel it, put the yarn away for the season, and then work on a piece that will be more wearable in the Autumn and Winter. I was thinking maybe a merino and silk tee. What do we think? My gut says frog it, but if I do, I know I wonāt work on it for a while because it is a small gauge and a repetitive chart. It would be a good spring knit I think.
WIP #3
Okay, time to raise those spirits! I am obsessed with this Kindred Tee by Briana Arlene. I got the Junction Fiber Mill yarn in Late October from online and the two skeins I got were the last two. I donāt know if it is a discontinued color but I couldnāt find it anywhere else and I could not see myself passing it up. Iām not always the type of knitter that needs to have the yarn that is discontinuing but this time I felt the pull.
This colorway of greens and oranges and maroon reminds me so much of the woods on my wedding day. I donāt know if there are any Sleep Token fans out there reading this but this color makes me think of āFor me, itās still the autumn leaves. Those ancient canopies, we used to lay beneath.ā This color is those ancient canopies and no one can tell me otherwise.
I found the Kindred tee on a scroll through Ravelry and thought that motif would look really nice in the autumn colors. Because I get so hot so fast, I wanted this tee to have at least some cotton in the main body. A 100% DK wool colorwork tee didnāt seem the most practical to me. The Holstein heather was a really nice colorālike the backdrop of evergreens against the falling leaves.
This tee was on standby while I finished my Rosie sweater by LE KNIT. I am hoping to get it finished for mid-September apple picking trips. I have knit a sweater in time for apple picking season the past few years and I really want to have this one done for this year. Iām about one-third to half-way done with the colorwork chart then it should go pretty fast from there on. Hopefully next time we check in, Iāll be further!
WIP #4
My last WIP is my second sample of the Archie Support Socks. The Serengeti by Hedgehog Fibers seems like an odd choice to pair with the Candy Cat, but it has similar pink and orange speckles throughout to pull them together.
For this iteration, I have changed the ribbing, lengthened the height a bit so my Mary Janes donāt rub my ankle, and I plan to try something out with color dominance to see if it makes a difference on the arch. As I write this, I am finished with the decreases for the gusset and starting the arch band. Iād like to have the first sock done by next week, which I think is doable since I am already as far as I am. As much as I love these socks, I will say that the arch band is a small labor of love to knit, for me at least. It is just a lot of back and forth with the fingers.
If all goes well maybe I will have a call out for testers next week as well, with the intent to give them the final draft of the pattern by the following week. Iām a girlie that knows I need a deadline to get things done.
In the middle of writing this my power just shut off because someone ran the microwave while the air conditioner was on. Thankfully, Substack saves quickly and I didnāt lose everything. Any tips for getting 20 year-olds check the AC before heating up a meal? Iāve got nothing.
Anyway, thatās all Iāve got for you this week. How has your week been? What have you been working on?
Next time, I will be chatting about how knitting has changed my perspective on my wardrobe, ushered in a slower pace of life, and soothed my frayed nerves. Until then, I hope you all have a whimsical week, and Iāll see you on Wednesday.
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