Colorsong PHASES: Head to Toee
by Deborah Tomasello
Modeled byRavenWilcox Colorsong gave me two luscious skeins of Fleece Artist Sea Wool and said “Design!" So, I did. Using only one skein each of two contrasting colors, you can knit both a hat and a pair of socks. Phases is a fun, easy colorwork pattern, and it works up fast. So, you can be clothed in this lovely fiber from head to toe. Fleece Artist Sea Wool is machine washable and it displays a gorgeous sheen. It has a wonderful hardtwist, lending itself beautifully to the fine stitch definition desired in colorwork. The cover items employ Zest and Charcoal, but Colorsong offers such a pretty, varied palette of colors, the possible combinations are nearly limitless! Adult, small medium and large (size is changed by altering needle size only) Materials: 1 skein each of any two highly contrasting Fleece Artist Sea Wool yarns 70% wool, 30% seacell; 350m/382yd; 115g One 16” #3 circular needle, two circular needles, or 5 DPNs, size #3 (for hat) 5 DPNs for socks: #1 for small #2 for medium #3 for large stitch marker tapestryneedle Gauge: 33 stitches and 29 rounds = 4” on #3 needles Abbreviations: K2TOG= knit 2 stitches together SSK= slip one stitch, then slip the next. Insert left needle into the front loops of the slipped stitches and knit them together from this position M1 = knit in front loop and then again in the back loop of stitch HAT Instructions: With circular needle, CO 132 sts using Charcoal. Join to work in round, placing stitch marker and taking care not to twist stitches. Knit six rounds corrugated rib (see CHART A) using Zest for knit sts and Charcoal for purl sts.
CHART A
Use Zest for knit sts and Charcoal for purl sts. — in square indicates a purl stitch
Increase round: Using Charcoal, increase to 162 sts (knit 6 sts, M1 in every 4th st around to last 6 sts, knit last 6sts). Follow CHART B (9 repeats per round) for 54 rounds, decreasing as indicated and switching to DPNs when necessary. (Each dec round has 2 decreases next to each other; k2tog for first dec at beginning of chart repeat, and ssk for second each time at end of chart panel repeat.) After round 54, with 18 sts on the needles, k2tog around. 9 sts remain. Knit last nine sts for one round. Cut yarn leaving a tail several inches long. Move all sts from needles to tapestry needle, and pull tightly. Secure from the inside. id weave in or trim all color change ends. Soak and block to desired shape and f
SOCKS
orked top-down. Different sizes are achieved simply by changing needle sizes
LEG:
With circular needle or DPNs, CO 72 sts using Charcoal. (18 sts on each of 4 DPNs). Join to work in round, placing marker and being careful not to twist stitches (if using a circ needle). Knit 15 rounds 2x2 rib. After ribbing, begin following sock chart. ids. (If you want a shorter sock, start on round 10, rather than round 1 of char
HEEL:
My socks feature the Sweet Tomato Heel (STH). You may use the heel of your choice, but I recommend one that does not employ a flap or gussets to allow for an even design flow through the instep. For a tutorial on the STH, see this video: http://tinyurl.com/ Once you understand how to knit the STH, proceed using the STH heel instructions, knitting heel with Charcoal. Work three wedges on the 36 sts on needles 1 and 4. Work wedges leaving 8 stitch pairs on each side (4 heel sts left unpaired between pairs). Knit according to pattern across the instep stitches between wedges. Follow the chart for the instep stitches (the sts you have on needles 2 and 3). After working the first half of wedge one, work across the instep per round 51 of the chart,the 2nd wedge will use the appropriate part of round 52, and the 3rd wedge will use the appropriate part of round 53. Float Zest down when starting each wedge so that it is placed at the beginning of the instep when you are ready for it. See my Youtube tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeryK-gB84M
FOOT:
Working all sts on circular needle or split evenly on DPNs as with leg, 18 sts on each of 4 needles Work chart from rounds 54-100 (or fewer rounds if you want a shorter foot).
TOE:
Using one, or both colors in stripes, decrease for toe as follows: Needle 1: K to last 3 sts of NEEDLE 1, K2TOG, K1 Needle 2: K 1, SSK, knit until the last 3 stitches of NEEDLE 3 Needle 3: K to last 3 sts, K2TOG, K1 Needle 4: K1, SSK knit to last 3 sts of NEEDLE 1 Repeat this until there are 8 sts left on each needle. (7 for size small and 9 for size large) Place sts from needles 4 and 1 onto one needle (16sts-14, 18). Place sts from needles 2 and 3 onto another needle (16sts--14, 18). Jraft the remaining stitches together using Kitchener st, and weave in all ends m all color change ends at beginning and ends of rounds. Wash & block to fit
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