Lady Cory’s Punk Goth Brocade

Okay–I will wrap up the archetype thing, probably this weekend–there’s not too much more to say, but some of the comments were so awesome, and my reply to Ilona Andrews brought up some interesting points, and, in general, I need to pull my scrambled brains back into the shell and see if I can’t make that chicken come out right. Unfortunately, at the moment? I’m tired. I’ve been writing up a storm on Rampant, I gave a library talk on Monday (two people, Mate, and the librarian. Alas, the sound on the recording was weak, or I’d share,) the little kids have been out in the kiddie pool and they’re overtired and driving me crazy, the big kids have a bajillion things to talk to us about and the students are particularly squirrelly this time of year–in short, I’m bushed.

But I did finish a couple of pairs of socks during training–and one of them was this design.

The title of the pattern is, appropriately enough, Lady Cory’s Punk Goth Brocade. They have beads in the cuffs and a slipped knit stitch through the back of the reverse stockinet that looks like a line on the back of a stocking. The vertical motif is called King Charles Brocade–Samurai told me that this was the motif that the monarch himself wore on his nightgown as the poor clueless bastard was being executed. She also told me it was at some insane gauge per inch, like nine or ten inches, in silk, but, uhm, I don’t think so. I’ve said before that Cory’s colors were sunset, azure, and Adrian purple–I couldn’t find those colors to my satisfaction, but I think this sort of pewter-tarnished-teal would appeal to my little sorceress. It only looks like a dirty color–in the sunlight, it’s lovely and true.

I’ll even print the pattern for ya, and I’ve rediscovered my Ravelry–sometime this weekend, I may actually get all my patterns up there!

I used fingering weight yarn (malabrigo/nylon–mmmmmm….) and I think they’re sized ten beads–they’re the ones that thread fairly easily on fingering weight yarn! I actually knit the beads in differently on the photo (you can’t tell) than I put down in the pattern. The pattern placement is a LOT easier to do–when I sent this pattern as my roulette sock, (which means I’ve done it twice!) I did it the way it’s printed on the pattern, and I like it ever better. I also used the magic loop method–it worked just fine.

Pre-string 21 beads

Cast on 63 stitches

Abbreviations
SKPO—slip 1, knit one, pass slipped stitch over
B1—k1 and slide a bead into the stitch (when you p1 over the bead in the next round, use the purl bump to lock the bead in place)
S1K2togPSSO—slip one stitch, knit next two stitches together, pass slipped stitch over the two knit together

Divide stitches so that 31 are on first side (front) and 32 are on the second side (back). Whether you use magic loop or dpns, keep this division of front and back.

Round 1: ( p2, k7) around
Round 2: (p2, k2tog, k1, YO, k1, YO, k1 SKPO) around
Round 3: (p2, k7) around
Round 4: (p2, k2tog, YO, k3, YO, SKPO) around
Round 5: (p2, k3 b1 k3) around
Round 6: (p2, k1, YO, SKPO, p1, k2tog, YO, k1) around
Round 7: (p2, k7) around
Round 8: (p2, k2, YO, S1K2togPSSO) around
Round 9: (p2, k7) around

Repeat rounds 2-9 TWO more times

Work the FRONT of the sock as follows while you’re working the BACK of the sock as it says later (this is the same motif pattern from above, without the beads and without the purl bump to lock them in place):

Round 1: (p2, k2tog, k1, YO, k1, YO, k1 SKPO) around
Round 2: (p2, k7) around
Round 3: (p2, k2tog, YO, k3, YO, SKPO) around
Round 4: (p2, k7) around
Round 5: (p2, k1, YO, SKPO, k1, k2tog, YO, k1) around
Round 6: (p2, k7) around
Round 7: (p2, k2, YO, S1K2togPSSO) around
Round 8: (p2, k7) around

Repeat the motif round for a TOTAL of seven diamond motifs before working the heel on the back.

Work the BACK of the sock as follows while you’re working the FRONT of the sock as shown above:

Round 1: p16, M1, p16
Round 2: p16, S1, p16
Round 3: p16, K1, p16

Repeat rounds 2 & 3 until ready to work heel.

Leaving the first and last stitch on the side UNWORKED (because, remember, we’ve got two extra stitches on this side) work the short row heel IN PATTERN (i.e. in reverse stockinet stitch with a slipped knit stitch in the middle)

Change to plain stockinet when it’s time to pick up stitches in the short-row heel process.

When heel is finished, resume sock, continuing the motif pattern on the front and working in stockinet in the back.

Work foot of sock for 8 ½ motifs, finishing motif after round 4 of pattern.

*Knit all the stitches at front of sock
Knit the bottom of the sock until three stitches before the end, k2tog, k1
Knit 1 stitch on the top of the sock, ssk, knit until three stitches before the end of the front, k2tog, k1
Knit 1 stitch on the bottom, ssk, knit until the end*

Repeat * * until there are 18 stitches left on the top (instep) and 16 left on the bottom, then work the next decrease round as follows:

K1, ssk twice, k8, k2tog twice, k1
Kn ssk knit until end of bottom
Knit top of the sock plain
Work decrease round THREE TIMES IN A ROW WITHOUT A PLAIN ROUND IN BETWEEN

When there are 8 stitches left on each side of the toe, break yarn and graft toe.

And with any luck, the pattern will leave you THIS happy:

Or at least this handsome: