Free Pattern: Camera Sock

This is a finished object that I’ve not blogged about until now. It just made it on to my finished item list of 2007 :o)

I made it one cosy evening between Christmas and New Year while I was staying at my parents house with all the family around. I used leftover yarn from my Christmas knitting – and about an hour later, I had a fab sock to keep my camera in! I got the camera from my lovely boyfriend for my Birthday in November but it didn’t come with a case and I really want to look after it well and keep it safe.

I made the design off the top of my head, I knew what I wanted it to look like – long and ribbed so that it was snug and self-closing – and so I could hold the camera strap without the sock falling off. It worked out better than I could have hoped!!

Like all my other projects, I put it on Ravelry. Someone left a comment asking for the pattern – so here it is.

Let me start with a warning, I didn’t make any notes when I created the sock, so these notes are done by memory and analysis of the finished item. I’m a little concerned about the decreases – I’m fairly sure I’ve got it right, but won’t know until I knit it again (which I plan to do, maybe in stripes).

This is a quick and easy knit and needs no joining, just a couple of ends to weave in – bonus!

Size

• To fit a camera 4 x 5 x 11 cm (give or take a few mm)

Stuff you’ll need

• Less than 50g of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky (didn’t take very much)
• Set of 7mm double pointed needles, or a long 7mm circular needle (I used the latter and the magic loop method of circular knitting – great instructions here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtBSmxGomPk)
• Spare 7mm needle for cast off.

Gauge

• 15sts = 10cm

Abbreviations

• Sts – stitches
• K – knit
• K2p2 – knit 2 purl 2
• K2tog – knit 2 together

Instructions

• Cast on 20sts using the thumb method, or other stretchy cast on – great instructions here: http://www.learn2knit.co.uk/knitting/cast-on.php (basically after a bit of negative ease so that the sock stretches around the camera – I measured the circumference of my camera to be 17.5cm, so using 20sts at the set gauge will make it stretch a bit)
• Join round making sure the stitches aren’t twisted and place marker at the beginning of the round
• Work in k2p2 rib until work measures about 17cm (or about 6cm longer than the length of the camera) [20sts]
• Then knit about 6 rounds [20sts]
• Next round: k2tog, k2, k2tog, k4, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k4 [16sts]
• Next round: k2tog, k2tog, k4, k2tog, k2tog, k4 [12sts]
• Next round: k2tog, k4, k2tog, k4 [10sts]
• Next round: cast off using three needle cast off on wrong side (great instructions here: http://www.crazyauntpurl.com/archives/2005/12/one_bassackward.php)
• Weave in ends
• Put camera in sock and enjoy!

That’s about it!

[Edited to amend decreases]

Chanting (my so called scarf)

Amongst other things, I'm currently working on My So Called Scarf. I love the look of the stitches (even though I'm making it in a thick and thin yarn) and I really can't wait to finish. I'm making it as a short but wide neck warmer and am planning to add a button or two to keep it crossed over at the front.

Thing is, I occasionally find that I've dropped a stitch and I find it an absolute nightmare to unpick these stitches!! I suspect I'm loosing my stitches on the purl row, where you have to kinda purl two together then purl the first stitch again before you drop the stitch off the needle - I suspect I must be loosing concentration and occasionally just puring two together.

I'm also finding this project quite hard on my hands, which isn't good. The fewer mistakes the better (for my poor hands).

I therefore seem to have taken up chanting to keep on the right track! I'm chanting the rhythm of the stitches in my head as I go along - in the hope that I'll realise straight away if I go wrong! Not sure if this means I'm starting to go insane. I suppose it's an extension of the counting that I usually find myself doing in my head - even if I don't have to count the stitches! When I do that, when I don't have to, and without realising I'm doing it, 9 times out of 10 I'll end up with a number that *isn't* the amount of stitches I'm supposed to have, so I'll panic and have to do a full recount - it'll always be something like 29 when I'm suppose to have 30.

I may put off worrying about it until I start doing out loud. Even worse would be if I start doing it out loud without realising...

My 2007

What a strange year.

A year ago, if you told me that I was about to take up knitting and it would completely take over my life, I really wouldn’t have believed you - not the knitting part and especially not the taking over life bit! I have no idea how or why I caught this bug, I had no idea that other people had it too, but I’m glad it found me. Even my boyfriend has accepted it and bowed to my taking over part of the living room to store books, needles, yarn, multiple projects etc. He also knows that I have lots more hidden upstairs and seems to understand that this is something which just shouldn’t be spoken of ;o)

As well as knitting, 2007 brought lots of emotions with a cancer scare for me; a settling of my arthritis and the medication used; my Dad having cancer, then not having cancer, then having cancer again (confirmed a few days before Christmas); and the death of a much loved pet, to name a few. It also brought some big personal decisions which will be played out over the coming year(s).

But to get back to the knitting…as a child, when I was first taught to knit by my Gran, I was rubbish – totally rubbish. I persevered for a while but eventually gave up and didn’t even think of trying again until March last year. All it took was my Mam to show me how to cast on, knit, purl, cast off and I was away! I experimented, taught myself new things by trial and error, and looked things up on the net when I got really stuck – but essentially, it just clicked. Who could believe that I’d be able to make identifiable things! Who’d have thought I’d be able to not just follow a knitting pattern, but understand it too (more or less)! …and I don’t even want to think about how much money I must have spent on all the kit I seem to have collected.

I’ve really enjoyed reading other people’s knitting blogs too. I am a lurker by nature and do read an awful lot blogs both from the UK and further a field. I should comment more but don’t always have anything to say. Ravelry has been a really great resource too. How did people cope before Ravelry?

Since March, I have made the following things:

• Mobile phone cover – the first thing I knit, completely made up (before I had attempted following a pattern). It’s getting tatty but I love it and use it every day!
  


• Long fuzzy scarf – a beginners must do kind of a thing


• Massive yarn store bag made from scraps – a really terrible looking thing which is hidden away upstairs


• Three sets of chunky hats and scarves, as well as various other hats
  


• Gilet for my Mam - she wears it when I'm around...wonder if she does when I'm not ;o)
  
• Massive chunky cardigan – given to my SIL
  


• Sleeveless top – waiting to be frogged and turned into something nice


• Girlie cable tassel hat and matching leg warmers – made up patterns in my excitement of having taught myself to cable
  


• Chunky cable throw – much appreciated by the recipient, and I hope loved...
  


• Cable hat and matching mits – I think the recipient liked them...
  


• Sweater bag – much loved by the recipient
  


• Two skull illusion scarves and matching hats – again much loved by the recipients even though the hats were a bit big...
  (they deliberately made them look worse for this photo!)
  


• Dog snood - went down very well with my brothers family, especially his dog :o)
  
  
• Camera sock – much loved by me, and made specifically for my camera to my own design
  

And that’s just the stuff I’ve finished! It’s not a bad list and I can really see an improvement with each finished project. Go me! I have one more gift on the needles (and then my PIF gifts) but then I focus on making stuff for **me**!!!

I think that’s about it for now.

Happy New Year!