Mutant Zebras
The pictures turned out much better than I expected!
Here’s a close-up of the textured rib used in the entrelac.
And a shot of the pair.
I’m really happy with how these turned out. I pretty much followed the pattern as written, but I did exclude two tiers from the legs. That gave the socks perfect length, not too long or short. If I had knit these two extra tiers, the cuffs would’ve topped the sock blockers.
The pattern was easy to follow and I like the results, especially for challenging variegated/stripy yarn. Mom has mentioned twice already how she likes them so I may use this pattern again to knit some socks for her.
I had originally planned to limit the entrelac to the legs only, but as you can tell, I kept going through the instep. I tested them before washing, and I couldn’t really feel the “seams” where you pick up stitches for each section. Moreover, I’m happy I found such a good match for the Zebra yarn.
There’s only two small things I would change. The toe and afterthought heels in the pattern are quite pointy, decreasing down to a total of 16 stitches (8 across). You can see how square the heels are, because of this. Next time, instead of an afterthought heel, I would like to try a short-row heel. The entrelac layout given in the pattern benefits this type of heel equally well. Just knit the short-row heel where you would put in the waste yarn.
I did have a problem with ladders before the SSKs on the toes and heel. (You might be able to see it in the picture above; click for bigger.) I’ve had this problem before, but it went away for a long while. Now it’s back; I think I’m over-compensating with my tension. Maybe it’s just the yarn—my gauge seemed a bit looser with the zebra than it did with the other Opal colors.
Specs
Pattern: “A Step Above” by Kathleen Power Johnson, Knitter’s #75, Spring 2004 Size: Women’s medium Yarn: Opal Rainforest, Zebra Needles: Crystal Palace bamboo US 1.5 (2.5mm) DPNs Started: ~December 19, 2006 Completed: January 6, 2007
Tags: a step above, entrelac, gift, opal, rainforest, rib, socks, zebra
Hmmm….I won’t be rethinking my hatred of entrelac, but those socks are pretty cool.
I don’t see no stinkin’ ladders!
Great zebras!
Absolutely gorgeous. I have some Opal Zebra somewhere. I love those socks so much that I just may have to copy you. Copying = imitating = WOW, I love those socks. :-)
Very cool design!
Those socks are seriously cool!
Those are awesome! I love how the entrelac looks with the stripey yarn.
Wow! Love love love love the entrelac! Purrrrrty. Mm, I should learn how, one of these days….
How cool. I love the combination of the different textures.
Wow! Those are awesome socks!!
What a great combo! It sure made for much more interesting socks.
Those are so cool.
Those are great socks! What a great use for the zebra! I have some entrelac mittens on the needles but I forgot how to do the technique so I have to get a refresher from my LYS - then maybe these socks!
WOW! They’re gorgeous Ms ld!
By the way, congratulations. You won a prize in my blog contest. Hope to get it in the mail Monday, so look for it in about a week :o)
Stunning. I love them.
This really is the first time I love something made from Opal Zebra. These socks are so sophisticated.
the entrelac is very cool. I want to try the pattern someday. How do I get the pattern? Do I get a magazine from Knitting Universe?
Fabuloso dahling! Those make me want to cast on. Right. now.
I’m in awe! What a great job and sophisticated KABOOM look.
I’m about to make a pair of these myself; thanks for the tip about the pointyness! You could certainly do a short row heel, but you might also try Dawn Brocco’s six-pointed afterthought heel - I like it quite a bit and have gotten good results http://www.dawnbrocco.com/techniques.html#heels
Those are so good looking! Another pair of socks I must knit. At least I’ve got the mag.
How can I get the instructions? On the website that you have the link to only the recent designs are downloadable. I would love to make a pair like that….
Those are just too cool. I might have to rethink my hatred of entrelac. ;)