German Heel Shaping at the Knit Club

As you may know, the Whitby Knit Club meets at the local, downtown library on the first Wednesday of the month from 7 to 9 pm. Usually our president Sharion leads us in a topic, however this month I volunteered to show the German short row sock heel.

It is actually very easy to do and a bit quicker, once you get the hang of it. I suggest for your first try, getting together with a knitting friend for company. My mum and I often used this practice when we tackled a new knitting process.

I made two small sample heels using the chart from one of my favourite Regia books - Flusi and the sock yarn. I like the portable size and especially the story and charming artwork. All Regia patterns use a very comprehensive chart for the different sock sizes.

I used Cascade 220 for sample clarity,  it is the same weight as the Regia 8 ply. I cast on 24 stitches with 4.5mm needles. Here is one of the samples laid over an Erika Knight 4 ply sock sample. I encourage you check out the video from Very Pink Knits for a live tutorial.

The Schachenmayr company has a wonderfully thorough website supporting Regia sock yarn. Here is the link for their interactive sock guide. They have 2ply, 3ply, 4ply (the most popular) 6 ply, and 8 ply. I am very fond of the 6ply, especially for the knitting relay we run towards Christmas because it is thicker and quicker.

It is a lovely robust sized ball, which makes up into a fab Christmas gift of toasty, sturdy winter wellie boot socks.

And speaking of socks, the "go to" side project for many knitters, just arrived in the shop are these cute, super handy lightweight nylon bags from Diamond Yarn.

The bag in the top right hand corner is the dark colour, thinking of my mum's taste. I like the cheery green one, easy to see in these twilight days of November. The orange fabric, makes me think of Hawaii. The striped one of flowers

They are manufactured in Pakistan as a small cottage industry developed to support a local community. The bags close with a cord and toggle.

There are also 2 convenient snap loops for hanging, one on the inside, one on the outside. Perfect for small projects and only $4.99. The nylon fabric makes whipping your work out for a vital although brief knitting mediation that much easier.

A nice addition to my plethora of knitting bags. Here is the pattern for Atkinson bag that goes with me to my daughters karate class every Saturday. It was very enjoyable to make.

The zipper pocket holds my scissors and sock making pattern separate from the yarn and knitting.