Sideways Knit Beer Wine Beverage Socks.

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purse

This page has a generator  that calculates directions to create a pattern to knit a beverage sock.  The beverage can be anything packaged in a cylindrical container.  (If you have a rectangular type shape, make the purse just leave off the straps and don't make the top tight.  Clever knitters have also figured out that if they want a cylindrical purse, they can just design a big beverage sock and add straps, right?)

The sock knit from side to side in stockinette.  That means you can easily knit vertical stripes by changing colors every few rows.  I used variegatd yarn, so you can see the rows run up and down on the beverage.  I seamed mine to show the reverse stockinette side; seaming to show the stockinette side involves rehanging which takes a bit longer to make.

You can knit these in wool and felt these if you want. I wouldn't felt a beer sock, but I might felt a wine container.

Can you knit this by hand? Yes.  However, you will need to understand the directions and adapt them to hand knitting. I've tried writing directions simultaneously in MK and HK, but it seems to confuse people. So, I'm  not trying any more!  

(Ok. You're a hand knitter and you've stumbled across this. Translating directions is pretty easy, it's a matter of understanding the language of machine knitting.  The sock is a strip, the bottom is shaped using short rows. Moving needles to non-working position is equivalent to not knitting them, and turning. Wrapping is equivalent to, uhm, wrapping.  COL is equivalent to "purl side facing" and COR is "knit side facing".  Got that?  I may knit this by hand and write it up. But honestly, unless I were dying to have vertical stripes, if I were hand knitting, I'd knit these socks top down, and shape the bottom like a hat!) 

Good luck,
Lucia  
Google


Enter your beverage sock design parameters

Knit a swatch, and felt it by throwing it in the washing machine otherwise, treat the swatch the way you plan to treat your beverage sock. Afterwards, enter data in the boxes below to design your purse data.  The directions will update automatically provided you have javascript running. If everything is running properly, the warning box will say "filled directions", otherwise, the box will say something else.

Note: The default height and circumference are for the beer bottle.  My wine bottle was 9.5" around and 10" tall.  Notice that if the top is not pulled snug, it rolls to the purl side. (I sometimes like that!)

This is a warning / informational box:


 Lengths
Enter the number of stitches per inch measured after treating the swatch. (If you  plan to felt the sock, felt the swatch):
The stitch gauge is used to determine the number of stitches to cast on and affects the height of your beverage sock.
 SG= stitches/inch
Enter the number of rows per inch measured after felting:
The row gauge is used to determine the number of rows and affects the circumference of your knitted beverage container.
RG= rows/inch
Measure the beverage container circumference: 
I measure beer snugly so the socks hug; I measure wine loosely.

Due to rounding to the nearest 4 rows, you will knit rows; your beverage sock circumference will be C = inches.  (If you are clever, which you must be or you wouldn't be visiting my pages, you can almost certainly interpret the directions and figure out how to round to two rows.  If you are even more clever, you can figure out how to round to 1 row.  That involves ending with the carriage on the left when you finish! )
 C = inches
How tall do you want sock to be measured from the table?
T = inches


Directions:

Note: Read your machine manual to learn how to knit short rows  this may also  be called "partial knitting" in  your manual.  I do not give machine specific directions for procedures. (You know the whole, move needle to "B" position, or "H" etc. Those directions vary from machine to machine.)  I give functional directions.  I will periodically give you row counts and note where the carriage should be at the end of the row. 

Option: If you'd like to string a chord through the top of the sock, make eyelets every few rows. To do this, pick a needles a few in from the right.  Every few rows, use your transfer tool and transfer the stitch on that needle to an adjacent needle.  On the next pass, the needle will fill, but you'll see you have little holes left. Later you can crochet a chord and thread it through.  (Of course, you can also thread elastic through, right?) Do consider other options-- like folding down the top edge, seaming to form a casing and threading elastic through etc.  This is a basic pattern, and you should let your mind run wild.)

Abbreviations: RC= row count, COR = Carriage on Right, COL = Carriage on Left. 
  1. Raise needles. Waste yarn cast on over all these needles. Knit at least 6 rows. Break yarn, thread yarn color 1, that is, the color for the side of the sock. 
  2. Work short rows on right hand side of machine.  You will first take needles out of work, then return them to work. You will make wedges of 3 sizes, and then repeat the sequence.  The number of rows in the 3 wedges may differ or not depending on whether your pattern requires an even multiple of 12 rows.
    1. Set machine for partial knitting.
    2. Begin COR. Set RC=0 on your counter.
    3. Row 1: Knit across row.  Move 1 needle on far right hand side of machine from working position (B) to non-working position (E), so that they won't knit on the next pass.  [ End: COL, RC=1].
    4. Row 2: Knit across row.  Wrap. [End: COR; RC=2]
    5. Repeat rows 1 & 2, permitting row counter to increment, until    needles have been moved to non-working position, ending on an even row.  [End: COR: RC =   ].
    6. Knit 1 row. Move all needles in non-working position to working position. Knit 1 row.
    7. One wedge complete. (I dial the "100s" counter on my row counter to keep track of wedge knit.)
    8. Optional: Change colors.
    9. Reset row counter RC=0.  Move all needles in non-working position to upper working position (D).
    10. Repeat rows 1 and 2 but this time continue moving needles until  RC= .
    11. Knit 1 row. Move all needles in non-working position to working position. Knit 1 row.
    12. Hang a yarn marker on the left edge.  You've finished another wedge.
    13. Optional: Change colors.
    14. Reset row counter RC=0.  Move all needles in non-working position to upper working position (D).
    15. Repeat rows 1 and 2 but this  time continue moving needles until RC= .
    16. Knit 1 row. Move all needles in non-working position to working position. Knit 1 row.
    17.  You've finished another wedge.
  3. Reset counter.  Optional: Change colors.  Repeat step 2 until you have made a total of   wedges turns. 
  4. Optional: If you want the knit side of the sock to be show, or you want a little roll trim , remove stitches on waste yarn.  Rehang these stitches with the knit side facing you.  If you want the purl side to show. as illustrated, skip this step.
  5. Optional: If you want a little roll trim, raise  needles on the machine.  Hang the long edge of the beverage sock on the machine with the purl side facing you. Knit a few rows (I'd say 6. It depends how deep you want the trim.). Bind off mattress stitch the edge after you seam the whole thing.
  6. Hang base of the loops from the cast on row. Remove waste yarn by snipping along and pulling. 
  7. Knit 1 row.  Latch tool bind off. 
  8. Thread a tapestry needle and tidy the bottom by threading throw the edge stitches and pulling to draw closed. Anchor yarn and cut.
  9. If you are felting these, throw them in the machine. Steam after felting.
  10. Place on beverage of your choice
Cheers!
Lucia

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