Friday, April 2, 2010

Turkmeni Goat's Head Socks Update

Update on my Turkmen socks - I have finally finished one sock:
I have to say that a three colour carry using the old eastern style of knitting is easy relative to doing it continentally (with or without a yarn guide).

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

very cool socks! I have goats, have had all my life, so the name interests me as well. I know nothing about these types of socks...I would assume they are not a snug fitting sock? I have been trying to find more info on this type of sock, especially how to start the toe with more than one color...

The swamp knitter said...

Hi,

Thanks for the comment!

I was told by a lady at the Textile Research Centre in Leiden that the motif is known as the "goat's head" motif and is a usually seen on Turkmen carpets. I know that Turkish socks and carpets sometimes use a "ram's head" or "ram's horn" motif, so the Turkmen name is similar (except that it's dedicated to goats and not sheep and is more complex than the Turkish motif).

To answer your question, the socks are as snug or as loose as you knit them. The form of knitting I use for these socks can make really tight socks, so I found myself really concentrating on not knitting too tightly. The socks pictured fit my feet quite snuggly.

Re the cast-on, I put a video up on youtube earlier this year which shows how I cast on in two colours for these types of socks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnpAwX714v4

blith said...

I adore Turkmen carpets and I'm in love with these socks! Wow!