Little Zauberball Sock

I had fun knitting a little Zauberball sock. My favorite pair of big handknit socks (these are the socks that get tucked into my rollabout so my feet have some covering in cold hotel rooms) are Color 1507 in the yarn known as Crazy Zauberball.

Addi FlipStix are great for small circumference knitting like little socks. I cast on a bunch of stitches and ribbed for a few inches. Did a heel flap, turned the heel, and knit the gusset. A little foot knitting and a shaped toe followed.

Presto, Eduardo! There was the little Zauberball sock, and it was pretty much the miniature of my adult sized pair.

Zauberball Crazy -- sock weight yarn, 420 meters per 100 gram ball

Addi FlipStix -- set of 5 double pointed needles, one pointy end, one rounded end  I used the 2.75 mm size.

Hope this description gives you a glimpse of some fun little knitting ideas!

Happy knitting,

Wanda

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Originally posted in 2015

January KAL is Coming!

The January  KAL (Knit Along) begins on Thursday, January 2, 2014. The project will be socks knit on one needle, two at a time.

I warn you, once you learn this method, you might not go back to knitting socks on double pointed needles. The long circular needle method is so convenient and eliminates the dreaded "ladder" that forms with double point needles.

Michelle Hunter, designer and knitting educator, will be posting four weeks of lessons for this KAL. Her directions are clearly written, supported by video instruction, and easy to follow.

Michelle is calling this project a "unique two at a time sock design."  She used CoBaSi for the toe up sock design, Crimple, that we knit last January for a Knit Along.

The project takes two skeins of CoBaSi, a non-wool sock weight yarn. Michelle's sample is knit using Color #12 Iris Blue, but you will find quite a selection of CoBaSi colors on our website. Color #13, Violette, is a lovely lavender and would be a good choice. My favorite blue in CoBaSi is Color #51, a dark blue named "Raffi."

CoBaSi knits up into a soft fabric with a smooth feel. It has a slight sheen and blocks well. The yarn is 55% cotton, 15% bamboo, 8% silk, and 21% elastic nylon. It is ideal for people who want to stay away from wool and wool blends.


The Knit Along project uses a 40" circular needle, US #1 (2.5 mm), or choose a needle that gives a gauge of 8.5 stitches per inch. MIchelle suggests trying out the Addi Turbo Sock Rockets for this project. Sock Rockets have long tapered tips and a smooth, flexible cable that makes them speedy for sock knitting using the magic loop method.

Here's the LINK to CoBaSi. There are twenty colors of CoBaSi available on our website.

Here's the LINK to Addi Turbo Sock Rockets. There are five sizes and we carry all of them.

Here's the LINK to the KAL page on the KnitPurlHunter website.

I hope that you will join the Knit Along. Remember that there is no charge, lessons are posted every Thursday, and there is excellent support on Michelle's website for the project.

Order your yarn and needles in December and get ready for some January sock knitting fun.

Happy knitting!

Wanda

CoBaSi Yarn at 20% Off

Mmm, here are bags of CoBaSi, the non-wool sock yarn that we have added to our website! This yarn is the first 2013 Featured Yarn and is available at a 20% off discount.

The first KAL (Knit Along) of 2013 uses CoBaSi for a toe-up sock pattern that is a delight to knit.  The socks take two skeins of yarn. You'll have a pair of non-wool handknit socks for less than twenty dollars. That's a good deal for knitters.

We carry twenty lovely colors of this fine yarn.  There is a great range of colors. Some of our favorites are pumpkin (069), moss green (008) and yellow gold (057). There are four different blues ranging from soft blue to a medium navy.

Order some today and enjoy using CoBaSi.

The Heel Is Done -- KAL Week 3

The KAL (Knit Along) for Crimple, a toe-up sock design, is finished through Week 3. Michelle Hunter, designer from KnitPurlHunter will publish Week 4 today and I will be ready to finish my sock. I've been using a long circular needle (2.5 mm or US#1) and doing the magic loop method of sock knitting.

Here's the sock with Week 1 (cast on and knit the toe), Week 2 (knit the foot), and Week 3 (knit the heel) completed in the CoBaSi yarn that we are carrying at Graywood Designs.

Now is a great time to begin this project since you can see all four steps of sock knitting and will know just where your knitting is headed. The CoBaSi is a non-wool yarn that flows through your fingers softly and evenly. It is a joy to knit..

Buy the yarn HERE -- Graywood Designs. We carry 20 colors! If you live in the Pigeon area, you can stop by our shipping office at 40 South Main on Mondays to purchase this yarn. Anything we carry on the website (yarn, needles, patterns, books, GW publications) can be purchased in Pigeon. The office is open 10 am to 4 pm. It is a good idea to call ahead -- 453-2311 locally or 888-453-4554 Toll Free.

CoBaSi is a 2013 Featured Yarn and, as such, is 20% off.

Follow the KAL HERE -- KnitPurlHunter.

Read more about the Knit Along HERE -- Graywood Knits blog

Happy sock knitting!

Wanda

Toe-up Sock KAL (Knit Along)

Join the Knit Along (KAL) from our friends at KnitPurlHunter and learn how to knit a toe-up sock! We are carrying the yarn used in this project, CoBaSi, a non-wool sock weight yarn, on the Graywood Designs website. You will need three things: 1) Internet access and some time to knit; 2) 2 skeins of CoBaSi yarn; 3) 2.75mm needles. That's it!

A Knit Along is a delightful change of pace from the hurry scurry of the holiday months. You will learn new knitting techniques and be making a practical pair of socks. What fun!

Here are some of the specifics about participating in a Knit Along:

• There are four lessons, each posted on the four Thursdays in January.
• The pattern includes photos and online video instructions.
• There is no fee to participate. The KAL is FREE.
• Designer Michelle Hunter will reveal a photo of the project in the last step. Until then, you can watch your knitting progress and anticipate what it will look it when finished.
• You can enter a contest to win cool prizes from Skacel, the distributor of the yarn. Find out about the prizes by reading the Contest Overview on the Skacel website. 
• You  need two skeins of CoBaSi. We offer a 20% discount on this yarn!
• You need 2.75 mm size needle(s). You can use double pointed needles, two circulars, or the magic loop technique (long circular needle).
• We suggest Clover bamboo double point needles OR Addi Turbo circular needles.
• The KAL started Jan. 3. A second post appeared on Jan. 10. Order your yarn NOW and enjoy the KAL!.

CoBaSi Colors

We are carrying 20 colors of CoBaSi on our website. Here are some of them.

We know that we are a bit late at doing the Knit Along, but we are not letting that stop us from knitting. 

We are expecting our full shipment of CoBaSi on Monday, Jan. 14th and are taking orders right now for this new yarn Check out the rest of the colors at Graywood Designs and then join us as we knit along with KnitPurlHunter and make toe-up socks!