swatching Portuguese socks

First off Happy New Year

Still ill so I  thought I would test out my theories on Portuguese socks while laying in bed.

I also thought some might be interested in how i did my swatching.  These are the notes I took while doing this.  May be helpful to some may not bu tit is helpful to me.

first test Dec 31

size 10 cotton thread
50 stitches cast on 3 needles
knitting needle size 00

knit in round with white for this should have been red to be traditional
which hand was doing what red left white right

1. first 10 rounds  white
2. then k2t yo around eyelet picot row ( in the future i want the picot round to be a contrast color)
3. knit 10 round white  (This should have been yellow and the flower color) on 10th  row join to to first round knitting one stitch from needle to one stitch on cast on to close  top of sock and give a finished edge
4. did one more row in last color used ( which if it had been red like it should of I would have stayed red but since it wasn't had to switch to red for  background color)
5.  add second color do 1 round k

first test Dec 31, 2016

size 10 thread
50 stitches
knitting needle size 00

knit in round with white for  This should have been red to be traditional
red left white right

1. 10 rounds
2. then k2t yo around eyelet picot row
3. knit 10 round white  This should have been yellow and the lower color) on 10th  row join to to first round
4. do one more row
5.  add second color do 1 round k (if I had used red the whole time would not matter but since I switched this really should have been two rows)

work pattern to test
test leaves

this gave me 10 stitches per inch  and 12rows with size 00 needles need to go need to go smaller on needles

try again want 14 per inch

Jan -01 2017
needle size 0000

usually when you knit socks the picot band at the top is usually knit on one size smaller needles than rest of sock so i will do that in the a real  pair this i more to test the tension and stitches in the actual sock area test rose

work pattern to test

test leaves

 00 needle

this gave me 10 stitches per inch  and 12rows with size 00 needles need to go need to go smaller on needles way smaller so I will drop two sizes

try again want 14 per inch or as close as possible to that


I am working a stripe pattern  (looks like candy cane Christmas stuff to me) on the back of the sock just to carry the thread from point a to b on a real sock this too would have a flower patter.

next test on Jan -01 2017
needle size 0000

On a side note to self

Usually when you knit socks the picot band at the top is usually knit on one size smaller needles than rest of sock.  I will do that in the real pair this I more to test the tension and stitches in the actual sock area

test rose

size 0000 steel needles

I have needles that go down to size 000000 hope I don't have to go that small if so the picot band will not be knit on smaller needles just how it goes.

It has been a while since I have knit with needles this small.  Taking me a little bit of getting use to holding stuff this small again.   Thinking I will finish this as a sock not for any one to use mind you too small and not how I would want it to look.  But it might be cute next year as a Christmas decoration.

Plus it will give me a chance to work the toe section to figure out those decreases.  Since the toe style is different than any I have used.  I would rather do these as toe up socks but can't do that until I know how the pattern works both forward then backward.

So now you have seen what a test looks like to me and the thoughts that go through my head as I figure it out.  Happy Knitting to you... I will go back to testing this once I have the Santa stocking all done.