Math4Knitters Episode 46

Show notes and more at math4knitters.blogspot.com.

Math4Knitters: Episode 46

I ran my audio through some filters this week. I hope it sounds better. 

The Story of Portyanki, AKA "Chemical Weapons"

Wrapping feet in cloth didn't end when knitting burst onto the world scene. Russian soldiers were officially issued footcloths, called portyanki, right up until 2013. Want more? Read up here.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FootClothFromFinnishDefenceForces.JPG

Russians weren't the only ones who used footcloths well into the modern era. Finnish soldiers, German soldiers and others from Eastern Europe did, too. (I got that from Wikipedia, so proceed with caution if you accidentally end up a soldier somewhere from the time period after falling through time. It could be wrong.)

Why would you do this to yourself? Footwraps are definitely cheaper and faster to produce than socks. I could see them being made, easily, from old clothes or other linens. They dry faster than socks. You can re-wrap them in a different direction, so they could still be used even if they had a worn spot or a hole. 

This reusable nature wasn't always a blessing, though. My favorite tales of portyanki have to do with the smell. From the Moscow Times: 

"They believe that footcloth smell could defeat any enemy, because no European or American can deal with such a smell," she said. "They just smell it and die instantly."

Bykov agreed, recalling, "They smelled terribly, and everyone said portyanki were chemical weapons."

...and another thing that didn't occur to me...

Sometimes footcloths are a blessing in disguise, Merridale said, because when soldiers get their boots, they don't necessarily get ones that fit them.

"If you are good at wrapping portyanki, then you can wrap up five or six and end up with boots that really fit," Merridale said.

I also have a general theory that people who didn't (or don't) wear socks and shoes every day simply have less sensitive feet. A soldier backs me up in this BBC article about wearing portyanki: 

"Your feet become so hard you can drive in nails with your toes".

So, there's that. 

And Now, A Little Tale of My Hubris

As modern knitters and knit designers, it's easy to get carried away and think that the way that we write knitting patterns is superior to writers of the past. 

We are working under different assumptions and expectations made by our audiences, our publishers and ourselves. 

When you read "Maintain decreases, in pattern," don't think the writer is just being lazy. She/he may have severe space restraints. She/he may *gasp* simply expect that her/his audience is well-versed in knitting and would be annoyed by stitch-by-stitch instructions. 

A little over a year ago, one of my knitting students brought me a well-loved slipper that her mother made her about 30 years before. She asked me if it would be possible to write a pattern from it. I did my best. Then, about a week later, a friend of mine dropped an old booklet on my desk. I think it was to tease me, but I was delighted. It included a pattern for those slippers!

The Bernhard Ulmann Co. gave these slippers the charming name of “Slippers No. 2260” in Bucilla Vol. 340, which cost $3.50 in 1976. The pattern is probably at least as old as 1950, and if anyone hunts around enough, I’m sure they will find several versions. I’ve already heard many charming stories of people learning how to knit with this pattern, which I absolutely adore!

I thought the pattern would be perfect for my beginning knitting students, so I tried just photocopying it for them. As we worked through it, together, however, I found several ways to make the pattern easier to use and, frankly, more fun to knit.

So, I rewrote it. Our beloved, invented-in-the-1980’s ssk didn’t exist at the time, so I added that in. I also added some slipped stitches at the beginning of most of the rows, to make the top edge of the slipper a little neater. I’m also not crazy about counting stitches on every other row, so I put in stitch markers to keep my place. To be nice to our friends everywhere, I’ve also added metric measurements.

The original pattern was amazingly concise. I actually covered it up with my iPhone and I don't have one of the huge ones! But, the original author did something well that I did rather...less well. 

The toe of the slipper is all in ribbing. I wrote out stitch-by-stitch instructions for keeping up the ribbing along with the decreases. She/he wrote: "Work 6 (6-8) sts..."

Well, I completely messed up the second decrease row. If you follow my instructions to a T, your ribbing will be off. It is the last row of the pattern and it doesn't really show if you mess it up, but I'm sure it would be frustrating to get all of the way to the end and have it look wrong! 

I could have charted the toe. I probably should have. Instead, I wrote it all out, stitch by stitch, found the center of each row, and ended up with this big slice of crazy. 

It looks like I stumbled when I thought that the center stitch will be the same on an even number of stitches, worked an even number of times as when it's worked an odd number of times. 

In other words, I probably thought about: 

P1 (k1, p1) worked once - where the center stitch is a k1. 

but:

P1 (k1, p1) worked twice - the center stitch is a p1. Written out: P1, k1, p1, k1, p1. 

Now that I see it, I'm like, well, of course! But, I hadn't thought of it before. The sizes for this pattern don't have large differences between them, just a few stitches, which I think makes a mistake like this more likely. But, having noticed this, I will be more vigilant when I write slipped-stitch heel flaps. It feels like this could happen very easily there, too. 

I will test-knit the final three rows of each size, just to be sure that it's correct before I unleash this madness on an unsuspecting world. 

If you have already bought the pattern, please accept my apologies. That's what I get for thinking that a simple pattern is easy to re-invent! I'll send an update when I finish. 

Sensible Slippers

I was going to wait and release this pattern when I had a prettier sample knit, but there seemed to be so much interest, I couldn't wait. So,  here's my church-basement-yarn project:

They originally had an unlovely name: Slippers No. 2260. So, I'm calling my version Sensible Slippers, since that's what they are. They're perfect for beginners or knitters who need a last-minute project.

The pattern is available on Craftsy and Ravelry. I can't wait to see what you all make!

Learn to Knit Slippers with Me!

I've just confirmed that I get to teach a knitting class for everyone (not just beginners!) through St. Louis Park Community Education. 

When - Wednesdays, Jan. 20 through Feb. 17; 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Where - Lenox Community Center, 6715 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park, MN, 55426

Contact - (952) 928-6442 or https://slp.thatscommunityed.com/ to register and enroll.

Price - $59 + materials 

What - Learn how to knit fun slippers! This pattern, originally published in 1950, has been updated by me so that you won't have to decipher outdated knitting terms. This pattern is easy enough for a beginner, but still great for a more experienced knitter to take a trip down memory lane. 

You will need a pair of size 9 US (5.5 mm) knitting needles and around 220 yards of worsted-weight yarn.

I'll  bring tools to make pompoms to the last class, in case anyone wants to do that!

P.S. - I succumbed to peer pressure and went ahead and wrote the pattern. You can get it here.

Mystery Slippers

One of my students brought this in to my class. I deconstructed it for her and wrote up some instructions that I think will work. But, just in case, I thought I'd check and see if anyone out there knows the pattern? It's mostly garter stitch, with a little ribbing. It appears to have been cast on at the back of the heel and knit back and forth. Seams run along the back of the heel and the top of the foot. 

Anyone? Bueller?

Thrift Shop Stash Enhancement

"Thrift, thrift, Horatio! The funeral baked meats. Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables."

- Hamlet

Am I the only one that thinks that when I think "thrift shop"? I hope not. 

Anyway, when I'm looking for random stash storage solutions, I don't run across a lot of chances to make my stash bigger, but this time, I got lucky. Under a pile of acrylic yarn, I found 4 skeins, 2 with labels, but they all look like the same yarn: 

I've never used The Philosopher's Wool Co. yarn before, but it's 100% wool, smells like lovely lanolin, and seems perfect for my Sherwood Slippers. I'm planning on holding the yarn double, and I hope I have enough to get a pair of slippers from each skein. 

It seems a little heavier than Cascade 220 (which I also hold double for those slippers, and any kind will do, just as long as it's not superwash), so I may have to make adjustments. We'll see! 

Sock Architecture Photos and Patterns Are Going Up On Ravelry

One of the first conversations I had with Shannon at Cooperative Press about Sock Architecture was the tone of the photography. We both thought a white background would be great - we wanted everything to be as clear as possible!

Since I was am a photographer, I knew it would be best if I had a completely consistent lighting setup for the entire book. I talked Dee into letting me take over a corner of the living room as a small photo studio. There were other rooms I could have used, but that was the only one with the perfect corner and white walls.

You guys, I can't exaggerate how awesome it was having a permanently-ready lighting setup and a clean background. As soon as I get the basement in our new house sorted out a bit, I'm going to do the same thing all over again. I'll tell you all about it when I do it, but, pro tip: that 36"-wide white paper came from Staples and cost all of $7. If you're only shooting small things, it's pretty tough to beat. Professional photo background paper costs at least $50 a roll and is ridiculously difficult to store.

Ironically, the only time I couldn't shoot was when it was really sunny outside. My lovely living room had tons of windows and sunlight bouncing off pretty green grass into windows can do really freaky things to color tone. It's just another reason to love snow.

Shannon suggested I get a model foot, so I did. Dee and I even bought a tiny lamp shade for it and called it "fra-gee-lay."

Then, I picked up a few more sock blockers/forms for socks that didn't fit the foot, like extra-large and extra-small. 

Socks just look so much better when they're stretched a tiny bit. After all, they are stretched a bit when you're wearing them! 

With this setup, I could shoot socks, heels, and toes as soon as they were ready. Morning, noon and night!

Which is all kind of a long way of saying that, since the digital release of the book is imminent (the physical books will start shipping a few weeks after that), I've been given the go-ahead to finally show these photos to people other than my non-knitting family and test knitters. 

All of these designs were absolute labors of love for me, so I don't have a favorite. Instead, every time I pick one up, I think, "Ooooooh, this one's my favorite!" But then I think that about the other 16 patterns, so there you go. I guess I could try to tell you why each one is my favorite? 

Uncommon Dragon

Why It's My Favorite: Two reasons - the stitch pattern and that heel! I love taking the stitch pattern as far as possible down the leg. Oh, and the toe. I think the toe goes with the stitch pattern really well.

Arithmophobia Socks, Top Down

Why It's My Favorite: I love the goofy name, and I adore my method of making short-row heels and toes. No fuss, muss, stitch markers or wraps! Also, it's so easy to custom-fit to any foot. 

Arithmophobia Socks, Toe Up

Why It's My Favorite: Again, goofy name. And, for the toe-up version -- no grafting. At all. Ever. Also I do have a soft spot for toe-up socks. I tried really hard to make EVERY pattern in the book go both ways. The only ones I couldn't manage were grafted-under-heel types like Uncommon Dragon. (Technically, that's possible to make toe-up, but it would take major, major knitting gymnastics. I mean, beyond even where I wish to go. I tried it, and it just made me too nuts.)

But, don't worry, toe-up enthusiasts. There's one heel that's only really possible from the toe-up. I couldn't resist using it in my Sherwood Slippers. I'll put that sock design up on Ravelry tomorrow!

Design Inspiration: Sherwood Slippers

Sherwood Slippers started out as a design feature I wanted to try.

I had an idea for easy slippers knit from the toe up with a beyond-easy heel that closed in the back. I shopped it around to two or three publications and was rejected.

For 2013, I promised myself that I was going to get at least one other person to "sign on" to a design idea before wool hit the needles. I still really liked the design, so what else could I do?

I read on Ravelry that Cascade, a company I already love, is great about offering yarn support for indy designers like me. So, I wrote them an email outlining my idea for slippers. They wrote back the next day!

I knit up the slippers and I knew they would be a hit when my lovely model refused to part with them. I had to buy more yarn to knit a pair for myself. :)

Sadly, the yarn I used to knit the originals has been discontinued. But, they work in any yarn that will produce a gauge of 15 stitches in 4 inches (10 cm) after felting.

The Proof Is in the Felting

Sorry for the bad iPhone photo.

I got some responses from my friends at knitting group about last week's post. They were along the lines of: Sure, sure, but what happens when you FELT the slippers? 

In this case: a perfect match. Cascade 220, held double, felts up exactly the same way as Cascade 128. The resulting slipper feels a tiny bit more dense (which makes sense, it contains more wool), but fits the same way. 

In the photo above, the red Sherwood Slippers are knit in Cascade 128, the blue and purple sets are in Cascade 220 (held double.)

It's so nice when things work out, especially this close to Knitter's Test of Will Day, er, Christmas.

There's still time! Buy the pattern, find some Cascade 220 in your stash, and cast on. Impress your friends and brother-in-laws.

Sherwood Slippers: Cascade 220 Held Double (and Why Grist Matters)

Ok, so my first thought when I heard that Cascade 128 (non-superwash) was discontinued: knit some Sherwood Slippers in Cascade 220, held double.

Cascade 128 on top, Cascade 220 on bottom. Before felting.

"Held double" means that you work with two strands of the same yarn as if they were one strand. Some knitters like to use both the inside and outside strands of a center-pull ball. I find that I always get tangled up if I do that, so I wind my yarn into two different balls and go from there. Knitter's choice, of course. 

I knit up the last of the Cascade 128 in red that I had and, using the same instructions, needles, and knitter, made more in purple Cascade 220.

Before felting, the 220 slippers were just a tiny bit longer than their 128 counterparts (maybe 1/4-inch or a little more than half a centimeter.) The width was identical. The 220s weighed a little more, at about 47 g/slipper instead of 40 g/slipper.

Both yarns are 100% wool and I get the same stitch gauge with each. Why is one slipper almost 18% heavier than the other?

1) The thinner yarn, in this case, is spun and plied more tightly than the fatter one. It even says so on the ball band, if you know how to look at it.

Cascade 220: 100 g = > 220 yds (201 meters)
Cascade 128: 100 g = > 128 yds (117 meters)

Gee, I wonder where they get their names. :)

Let's start with one Cascade 128 slipper. It weighs 40 grams, so takes about 51.2 yards of yarn to make. If the Cascade 220 slipper uses the EXACT same yardage for each strand, it takes twice as much = 102.4 yards. 102.4 yards of Cascade 220 should weigh (102.4/220)*100 = about 46.5 grams. I love it when the lab result matches the math.

2) Grist.

Knitters don't think about this much, but what we're looking at is an example of different grist, even though I have the same stitch gauge. Grist is normally given in meters per kilogram or yards per pound, but we could turn it on its head and see how many grams there are per meter of each yarn.

Cascade 220 (doubled):  .995 grams/meter
Cascade 128 (single): .855 grams/meter

So, a project using the same yardage in each yarn will weigh more in Cascade 220 (held double) than it will in Cascade 128 (held single).

Which also means:

- When subbing yarns, ALWAYS use length measurements, not weight, to determine how much yarn you need!

- A pair of Woman's Medium Sherwood Slippers can be made with just one skein of Cascade 220, held double, with about 15 yards left over (whew).

- Cascade 220 slippers might hold up better than the Cascade 128 slippers, based on my somewhat unscientific idea that a slipper that uses more wool takes longer to wear out. The scientific way to say it is that the tighter twist and more plies involved in the Cascade 220 make the fibers of the yarn less subject to abrasion, but who can say for sure until the sole hits the floor?

The Yarn is Gone, But the Joy Doesn't Have To Be

I was tooling around Ravelry this morning and found, to my horror, that Cascade 128 Wool has been discontinued!

Cascade 128 superwash is still around. But that won't work for even lightly-felted items like my Sherwood Slippers.

What to do? You could knit the slippers with two strands of Cascade 220 held together. One skein of yarn might be enough, but you are safer with two.

Want to try the pattern but don't have Cascade 128 Wool in your stash? Leave a comment on this post by midnight (EST) on 11/18/13 and tell me which yarn you would use to knit the pattern.

On 11/19/13, I'll choose a comment using a random number generator and give away a copy of the pattern.

(Interested, but already have the pattern? Let me know which one of my patterns you've been wanting to try and I'll give you that one instead.)

It Happens...

I have a new pair of slippers: Sherwood Slippers.

They are a little less structured than some of my others, but I really like them. I decided I wanted to offer sizes, this time. They go from women's small to men's large. Knit on large needles, they are a super-fast knit. (This is good, since every relative who has seen a pair wants some.)

I sent the pattern out to testers and got some notes back - the slippers were unusually large. Like, maybe a whole size larger than I meant for them to be. The ones I knit, in women's medium, fit my size 8.5 feet and Dee's size 6.5 feet (with socks), so I couldn't figure out what was wrong.

I popped open the spreadsheet and fiddled with numbers. I had accidentally figured out the circumference needed for the slippers by using the length measurement. Whoops! No wonder they were too big. I worked up some revisions and will try again...

Design Inspiration: Sunday Morning Slippers

Sunday Morning Slippers came from my desire to improve an earlier design, my Short-Row Felted Slippers.

Boomer doesn't care about slippers.

Those first slippers were actually what encouraged me to write knitting patterns. They were only the second knit pattern I put on Ravelry, and they are still the most popular pattern I've ever written. (Part of their popularity is that they are free. A free pattern simply gets downloaded a lot more than most paid ones.)

I also learned a lot from comments and questions I got from people who made the slippers. Is there any way to make the back collapse less? How do I make knitting them a little less awkward? 

Instead of starting with the top of the slipper, I started right at the back. This simplified the construction and made most of the knitting more straightforward. Less time juggling stitches from one needle to the next helped a lot. I called them "Sunday Morning" because I knit a pair in a few hours at my Sunday morning knitting group.

I made the very back of the slipper a triangle instead of a rectangle, because I noticed that most shoes taper a little there, and it seemed it would help keep the sides from flattening out. I added notes to the pattern and video to help show a few of the more unusual techniques. 

Since I knit the first pair (and second, and third) from my own handspun yarn, I needed some ideas of commercial yarns people could use. A group of test knitters gave me great notes for improving the pattern and used their own yarns to suit them. They all used at least two strands of yarn held together to get to the yarn thickness needed for gauge and one knitter used 5 strands of Aran-weight yarn as one on a US 15 needle to make a men’s size 11 slipper!

The original pattern was designed to fit a woman with small-to-medium-sized feet. Knitters have expanded that a bit with their yarn and needle choices. That's one of the great things about Ravelry. You don't have to reinvent the wheel all of the time.

I love slippers and I'm always looking for new ways to try different techniques and shapes. In fact, I'm working on a new design right now. I just hope people like them and find them useful.