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First, you’ll need to gather a few supplies:

*1 skein Flamenco yarn (this unique yarn is what makes the ruffles)

*Size 11 needles (gauge is irrelevant with this yarn). Needles can be straight or circular. Make sure straight needles have large enough stops to prevent the loops from hopping off the end. The work really spreads out on the needles because of the gathered ruffles so this can easily happen.

*Piece of waste yarn & large-eyed tapestry needle.

Flamenco is available in several fabulous solid and multi-color shades that are in-stock now! Come in and see us, or order online. Mr. Mailman will help us deliver some right to your doorstep.

To speed up the process of me actually finding the time to make these little videos, I’m knitting a very small sock for demonstration purposes.

The Cast On
This is the Twisted Long Tail (or Twisted German, or Twisted Continental) that I teach in sock class. I have also included a short video of the method of joining those cast on stitches to prevent a jog.

video demonstration - Twisted Long Tail cast on

video demonstration - Joining in Round

Heel Flap

video demonstration - Heel Flap

Keep an eye on those selvedge stitches. If you are getting knotty things along the sides instead of the big loops, you are holding your yarn on the wrong side when you slip the stitch. Remember, in front when you are beginning a purl row and in back when beginning a knit row. Just like when working knit or purl rows - yarn in back when knitting, yarn in front when purling. Even though we slip them purlwise, it has nothing to do with a purl stitch. Purlwise just means slipping to maintain the correct position of the stitch on the needle.

When the flap is the length called for in the pattern, count the number of rows you have worked — or keep track of them as you knit. You will need this information when you knit your second sock.

Heel Turn
On the first 2 rows, you will work X number of stitches past center before working the decrease. Your pattern will tell you how many past center. The remainder of the rows are worked one stitch before the gap before the decrease.

And don’t forget that lone stitch after each decrease. Otherwise, you will not come out even on the ends and will have to rip back.

video demonstration - Heel Turn

PU and Rejoining
The most important thing about picking up the stitches along the heel flap is to make sure you twist them. Also, make sure not to miss the last pick up next to the instep stitches. The last pick up should be the stitch connected to the ladder between the instep and heel flap.

video demonstration - Pick Up

In this video I mention using M1’s (make ones) on either side of the instep stitches to prevent holes from forming at these points. Unless you knit on the loose side, you probably won’t get a hole on the first side. I don’t. But the second side is a different story. Almost everyone will benefit from tightening up that area. That is why I knit the ladder with the first picked up stitch, twisting them. This works better for me than a M1 and I don’t have to remember to decrease it away on the next row.

Kitchener Stitching the Toe

video demonstration - Sock Toe

It really doesn’t matter if you pull the yarn through after each pass through a stitch or after you have completed both stitches. I do think you will find it easier and faster to work both stitches as shown before pulling the yarn through.

Don’t make this hard, it isn’t. Just remember the little mantra - front, knit/off, purl/on - back, purl/off, knit/on.

And yes, that was my cat that made her cameo appearance in that video.

One More Suggestion
Count the rows after completing the gusset (or keep track of them as you knit) and before you begin the toe decreases. This insures that both socks will be the same size.

That’s all —

Note: The following videos show the new yarn as a second color for visual effect only. The procedures would be the same for a new yarn of the same color as the old yarn.

DO NOTHING
You actually don’t have to do anything, just drop the old yarn and begin with the new yarn. You can use this at the end of a row or within the knitting (if the stitch pattern will allow tails to be woven in discretely).

video demonstration - adding new yarn (do nothing)

I wouldn’t want to use this method with slippery yarn or loose, open stitch patterns. There is always the danger that the tail could slip through (and that’s what I refer to as a 4 letter event.) Although if you leave a long enough tail, the yarn has some cling and the stitch pattern is nothing complicated, you should be fine. Just check it and snug it up if it has become loopy as you knit the next few rows. You can adjust any loose stitches around the yarn change when you work in the tails.

Most people aren’t real comfortable with this method and I fully understand. Following are some methods I feel you’ll find more to your liking.

KNITTING LAST STITCH OF ROW WITH BOTH YARNS
This is simply securing the new yarn by holding it with the old yarn as you work the last stitch of the row.

video demonstration - knitting last stitch of row with both yarns

Can you use this within the knitting instead of the end of the row? Well, I don’t but you could. There are just better ways to add a new yarn within the knitting.

JOINING WITH A SLIDE
This comes real close to a knot, but it isn’t. I don’t recommend knotting yarns together but this slide works quite well and can easily be undone - or not. It’s up to you.

video demonstration - joining with a slide

As you can see, both yarns need to be cut ends. In other words, you can’t add a new yarn to a yarn that will stay attached for use later.

TAIL TO THE FRONT
(my favorite method to add yarn within the knitting)
This is the technique I use to add intarsia yarns. Naturally it can be used to add any yarn, it doesn’t have to be a color change.

Tail between the needles with cut end to the public side of the knitting.
Interlock yarns.
Resume knitting with new yarn.
To finish the tail, pull it through to the back and weave in. TaDa!

video demonstration - tail to the front

I’ve been wanting to write about weaving in tails for months. If I just don’t do it, it isn’t going to get done — so here goes, the “Evil Tail Saga”.

Unfortunately, everything you knit will have at least two. The ultimate scenario is a one-skein scarf with fringe. Then you just slip the tail in with the ends of the fringe before you loop it through itself. Walla! No tails to weave in. Almost seems like cheating, doesn’t it? But things are rarely that simple and like with most other things knitterly, there is no one method to cover all circumstances.

I’d first like to mention weaving in the tails as you knit. This is done in the same manner as carrying floats across long spans in fair isle. I personally don’t like this method but if you do, please weave them in as you go. I’m not the knitting police. If you’re happy, I’m happy.

I’m also not going to mention knitting with both yarns held together for 3-5 stitches to secure the tail — you wouldn’t do that would you? Have those big ugly stitches in your knitting. No, I didn’t think so.

I’m going to presume that everyone knows that tails along the edge of a seam can be woven along the seam. This doesn’t mean that all tails “have” to occur at the end of the row or that those that are have to be woven through the seam. Sometimes it just isn’t possible or practical. For instance, if there are lots of tails along a seam, the seam can get too bulky with all of the tails overlapping each other. In this case, I’d rather run some of them in toward the garment. I really don’t like bulky seams!

Another peccadillo of mine is running tails along an exposed edge - like the top of socks or the edge of a scarf. That little cut end sticking out in the air is just a bit too obvious for my taste. Run tails that fall along an exposed edge in toward the knitting so that the little cut end has at least some privacy.

Tails on GARTER STITCH

The stitch pattern will often dictate which method you should use to weave in the tails. First let’s talk about garter stitch. The easiest method is to simply run the tail back and forth through the purl bumps that run across the row.

video demonstration - tails on garter stitch

A better method for garter stitch is duplicate stitch.

video demonstration - duplicate stitch

Duplicate stitch works well on most stitch patterns (except ribbing, see below) and with most yarns including novelty yarns. So if you are ever in doubt, you can hardly go wrong with duplicate stitch.

Tails within RIBBING

Ribbings main characteristic is it’s ability to stretch widthwise and recover. Having a tail ran horizontally across the width would disturb this elasticity. I prefer to run the tail vertically along a line of knit stitches.

video demonstration - tails within ribbing