Home made cotton candy

Homemade Cotton Candy

Cotton Candy is not just for carnivals anymore   I have been reading a book on working with sugar by Gesine Bullock-Prado, called Sugarbaby. , I immediately fell for Bullock-Prado's witty recipe head notes. The book takes you through the several stages of cooking sugar, providing recipes for each stage.

The book is divided into sections according to the stage of sugar with which it is dealing. And each section begins with a description of what you can expect to see, hear and smell at that particular stage. For the stage at which you can make cotton candy, the sugar and corn syrup is pretty much as hot as you're going to get with sugar. So, umm, be careful. Bullock-Prado says that if you were to drop a bit of the syrup into cold water at this stage is would produce "rock-hard, crackling threads that break easily". But since you're going to be using a candy thermometer (a piece of equipment that's pretty much indispensable for this kind of project) you won't have to worry about actually testing it.

So home made cotton candy without a machine. First off, let me be clear that this is NOT the light and fluffy cotton candy that you need a several thousand dollar piece of specialized equipment to achieve. This is essentially spun sugar curled around a stick. But if you get your technique down, you can manage some pretty fine threads of spun sugar. It just takes some practice, which is something I could use more of when it comes to this recipe.

Instead of a machine, you're going to use what Bullock-Prado calls a "decapitated whisk", which is simply the least expensive whisk you can find, with the tines snipped at the top by a wire-cutter. So instead of a balloon shape, you'll have what R called "whiskers". You should bend the 'whiskers' out a little so they're further apart than they appear in the picture. That should help prevent them from clumping and sticking together. Here's a photo:

My first stick of cotton candy was abysmal because I held the whisk too close to the parchment paper (1 foot away is recommended) and I didn't swing it back and forth fast enough to really get thin strands. In fact, I'm not sure I ever reach optimal swinging speed, and I'd be more conscious of the need for quickness next time. But really, you do need to hold the whisk well above the table.

Another tip I found to help, which Bullock-Prado doesn't mention, is that you shouldn't wait until you have enough spun sugar for a completed cotton candy. Rather, fling some sugar around, then wrap it around your stick quickly before it cools and prop the stick up in a class container. Fling some more sugar around, and add another layer. Repeat until you're happy with the size and look of your cotton candy. If you try to wait to roll it just once, in my experience, the sugar will harden too much and be difficult to roll.

Also, be sure to let the sugar drip back into the bowl for a moment before you start flinging, in order to avoid glops of sugar (you'll notice some of my glops in the pictures, but trust me, my earlier attempts were much gloppier).

Again, I want to warn you that this is not going to be the light and fluffy cotton candy that you really do need a machine to get. So don't come back and complain about that, because you've been warned. But it is a really fun project, and definitely something different to attempt. Plus, it will help you hone your spun sugar skills so that if you ever have to decorate a French croquembouche, you'll be all set!

UPDATE: I should have been aware of this, but there is a companion site to the book where you can find all sorts of additional photos, tips and tricks. That Gesine really looks out for us! Here's the post on cotton candy. I'll also add that I flavored my cotton candy with about 4 teaspoons of crème de cassis because I have a bottle lying around that I want to use up. That's in part what gave mine that golden hue, but it's also a result of my overcooking the sugar just a bit. Be sure to check out Gesine's blog post about trouble shooting cotton candy for how to prevent that.

Homemade Cotton Candy
Excerpted (with permission) from Sugarbaby by Gesine Bullock-Prado, 2011. Stewart, Tabori & Chang

Makes 8 cotton candies

Sugar 800 grams/4 cups
Corn syrup 240 ml/1 cup
Water 40 m/1 cup
Salt 1.5 grams/1/4 teaspoon
Raspberry extract (0r any flavor you like) 5 ml/1 teaspoon
pink (or any other color) food coloring (optional) 2 drops
'decapitated whisk'

1. In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, corn syrup, water and salt. Stir until the sugar is melted. With a damp pastry brush, wipe down the sides of the pan to prevent stray sugar crystals from forming.

2. Clip on a candy thermometer, stop stirring, and heat to 320F (160C). Pour the molten liquid into a shallow heatproof container. Add the extract and food coloring (if using) and stir well.

3. Line your work table with parchment. I also spread parchment on the floor around the table to catch any stray bits of flying sugar.

4. Dip your decapitated whisk into the sugar syrup and hold it over the pot to let the sugar drip back into the container for a second. Holding the whisk a foot (30 cm) above the parchment, swing the whisk back and forth so that thin strands of sugar fall on the paper. Repeat this a few more times until you have a nice nest of spun sugar.

5. Immediately wrap the cotton candy around large lollipop sticks (if you wait too long, the sugar will become brittle and won't bend around the stick). Eat immediately or seal in air-tight containers - any moisture will make the cotton candy soggy.

Learning to Crochet

Learning to Crochet...
I tracked down what I think are absolutely fabulous crochet tutorials!  They are clear, nice and slow (perfect for beginners), beautifully shot and very very well explained!  These videos cover all of the stitches you need to make these two projects!


1- Slip Knot & Chain - HERE
2- Single Crochet - HERE
3- Double Crochet - HERE
4- Triple Crochet - HERE
Give them a watch and practice your hearts out!  I know that those of you who are desperate to learn to crochet can do this!!!Taily believes in yous!!!  Keep me posted on your progress!
Let's get started with the crochet rose first!

 You will want to print up ,or at least save the pattern instructions . Insert here how they will get pattern

April's "Look Ma No fingers! " Fingerless gloves.

As a nurse who works in the home care industry, I often find myself working late at night, with a window open to help vent the heat put out by machinery such as oxygen concentrators, ventilators, and such.  I sometimes will wear a long sleeve shirt under my scrubs, but some days it is just my arms that are cold.  I can't wear gloves and work, so I thought I would try the fingerless gloves I am seeing all over the place.  I came up with this easy knit pattern for a simple pair of the fingerless glove.  It works up super fast.  While they could be made with solid color yarn, such as the one pictured here, you can also work up lovely ones with self patterning yarn.  I worked up a set with Caron's Simply Soft yarn in Oceana  and it came out just awesome.  Give these a try and feel free to give me some feedback.  Look for more free designs in the future!

APRIL'S LOOK MA NO FINGERS FINGERLESS GLOVES!!

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Yarn:  Any brand worsted weight will work**.  For an extra soft glove try Caron's Simply Soft. It is less spendy than sock weight or baby yarn but just as soft , with a great variety of pretty solid and variegated colors.  Caron Simply Soft Ocean was used  here. 

Needles:  Four Size 8 double pointed needles or size to fit a gauge of 5-6 stitches to the inch.  There should be some stretch to the finished project so before you decide the size is too small be sure to knit about 2 inches before you pull it on your arm to test it.

Final measurement should fit the average sized wrist  about 7 inches round.  The length will be up to you.  I prefer my gloves to be on the long side so I go to 10-12 inches so I can pull them up over my elbows.  For gloves that I am going to use while while wearing long sleeves, such as a coat, I prefer them to be 6 inches.  This is a good length for driving gloves.

THE KNITTING:

1) Cast on 36 stitches.  I like to cast these all on to one needle.  Any cast on method is fine. 

2) Knit a row to divide your stitches on to three needles .  With the first needle Knit 12 stitches.  Continue with the second needle  kniting 12 stitches.  With the third needle, knit 12-add a stitch marker between the 11th and 12th stitches.

3) Knit one stitch to join for working in the round.  -if you have never worked in the round before , it is realy quite easy to join the round.  All you do is using the third needle, and holding the feeding yarn tightly, simply knit the first stitch on the first needle.  When you pull the stitch of the previous row off, pull  your free tail tightly. This should result in creating the round with no hole to hide.

4)  Round One:  Using the  fourth needle, purl one, knit one to the stitch marker.  Slide the marker to the knitting needle, and knit one.  This is the end of round one.   Continue the purl one, knit one pattern for 5 more rows to create a ribbed cuff.  This will help the glove stay on more securely.

5)  Round 7  After moving the stitch marker to the knitting needle on round 6, knit the last stitch of round 6.  now and until the glove is  as long as you want it simply knit each row.  This is a pretty brainless pattern--easy to do when watching TV for example, since all you do is knt knit knit!  Be sure to count the stitches every few rows to make sure you have not dropped any.  

6) When the glove is as long as you would like it, HERE YOU WILL PUT HOW TO KNIT THE THUMB DIVIDER. and finish off. Weave in the ends.   (See my blog "HELPFUL KNITTING TRICKS I HAVE LEARNED ' for hints on dealing with yarn tails, how to prevent holes in your work when knitting in the round and much much more!

7) Now take your yarn and 4 needles and knit a second glove.

8)  Blocking:  I do not block my gloves, but you can simply by gently hand washing, then drying on a piece of cardboard or Styrofoam pinning the the top and bottom flat. 

9) SLIDE YOUR GLOVES ON AND GET READY FOR THE COMPLIMENTS!

STAY TUNED FOR A FELTED GLOVE PATTERN AS SOON AS I WORK OUT THE KINKS!  H

HAPPY KNITTING!!!

Easy DIY Ice Packs

I posted this a while back but with the hot weather I thought I would remind people of an easy way to cool down!
Every now and then life hands you a situation that says “I need an icepack!!”

Maybe you’ve had an injury or a sprain, perhaps a hurt child needs to soothe a boo boo, someone might be recovering from surgery. . .

Or . .
maybe you just need to keep your lunch cold.(That’s an important situation too!)


When you find yourself needing an ice pack, why not Make Your Own?  Here are five easy methods using common household items:

5 Ways to Make Homemade Ice Packs

All of the methods below can be put into a ziploc bag and then put in the freezer.  For extra security against leakage, you can also double bag your ice packs by putting the ziploc bag inside a second ziploc bag, with the zippered side facing down toward the bottom.

1.  Corn Syrup

Corn syrup (such as a brand like Karo Light Corn Syrup) makes an excellent gel type of ice pack.  It stays nice and squishy and flexible and doesn’t change texture or color in the freezer.  It also contains nothing harmful if it would accidentally puncture or leak in a lunch, aside from things getting a little sticky.   It can be made using any size ziploc bag.  Simply pour some corn syrup into the bag, seal, and put in the freezer for several hours.

2.  Dish Soap

Dish soap can also be used to make a gel type of ice pack.  I used Dawn dish soap when I tested this out and found that after only a couple of hours it was still much like the corn syrup and had not changed color or consistency and was nice and squishy.  However the next day it was no longer like a gel and was much more icy and firm.  Either way, it doesn’t freeze up solid and if you use a colorful soap (like the blue color of Dawn) it will signal that it is not an edible substance.  It also can be used in any size ziploc bag by pouring in some dish soap, sealing, and putting in the freezer for several hours.

3.  Rubbing Alcohol

The addition of alcohol to water will keep it from freezing completely which makes it an easy way to create a homemade ice pack.  Use a sandwich size or quart size ziploc bag and combine 1-1/2 cups of water with a 1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol.  Seal and put in the freezer for several hours or overnight.   Sometimes you can also find a Green Colored Wintergreen Rubbing Alcohol which would give the ice pack a little bit of color.

4.  Salt

For a really cheap and easy DIY ice pack, simply add some ordinary table salt to water.  Use a sandwich size or quart size ziploc bag and add 2 tablespoons of salt to 2 cups of water.  Seal and put in the freezer for several hours or overnight.

5.  Sponge

Finally, you can create an ice pack by using a clean sponge, getting it wet with water and putting it in the freezer. This is a good method for an ice pack for lunches as it’s just water with no other possibly harmful substances.  The sponge will be hard and firm with no flexibility when first taken out of the freezer.  As it warms up it becomes moist and soft again, but not drippy.  You can put it in a baggie if you want, but it isn’t absolutely necessary.



More to come including using ketchup packet ice packs for little fingers and tooth aches!

Pretty sparklers for trees!

These can be used to add sparkler to the Christmas Tree, but also , in the summer these beauties will sparkle and shine in your garden and scare the birds and critters for munching on your veggies!

I've been on a glass ornament kick as of late (see crayon ornaments and glow ornaments LOL). I'm trying to think of the craziest and coolest ways to put stuff inside. The other night I was perusing That Ornament Girl's blog and I saw she used wax mopping liquid to coat the inside of ornaments to apply glitter.  Pretty rad, huh?  I decided to add more than just one color to mine and I think they turned out pretty magical - almost galaxy-like.  Here's the 411 on you can get the look. It only takes 5 minutes for each ornament!

This is how we do it
ONE Remove the stem of a clear ornament (mine were puchased in a 6 pack at Michaels) and apply the clear floor wax to the inside of your ornament. TWO Swish the wax around and pour back in bottle.  THREE Pour a variety of little Tulip Fashion Glitters inside (see pic below). FOUR Swirl and shake the colors around and add cap back on!  Easy and fun, huh?

Here's the fun colors in the 24 pack of Tulip Fashion Glitter!  A little glitter goes a long way and all the colors are so vibrant.  This would be a fun one to put on your crafty gift list this year!

 

The ornaments turned out so sparkly and remind me of the galaxy bleach art I've been seeing on clothing and shoes!  You can purchase "rub on stickers" for scrapbooking to personalize your unique ornaments.

Each one turns out differently and where the glitter lands, it lands.  It's seriously addictive to make these little ornaments, so make sure to buy several packages of clear ornaments when they are on sale or with you craft store coupon!

This is my favorite cotton dishcloth pattern. Over the years I have been given and subsequently lost this same pattern over and over again! I would start a dishcloth, put it down, pick it up a month later and realize I couldn't proceed, because the pattern was lost again. I even put it on the computer hoping that then I would always have it handy. Well, when you reformat, everything you don't save on a jump drive or a disc is gone! It was too late when I remembered that I should have saved the dishcloth pattern, so there I was again, without the pattern. So, we have been online a long time now. There is a wealth of information out there if you go looking for it. Why then, did my hubby have to be the first one to mention that I could probably find the pattern on the internet! DUH! Well, I found it in about 15 minutes and I was ready to clock myself on the forehead for not thinking of it first! I hope that having the pattern on my blog  will help me keep track of it better! 

 

Grandmother's Favorite Dishcloth
Designer: Unknown
Rating: Easy
Materials: Sugar and Cream yarn; Size 6 or 7 needles (US)

Instructions:
Cast on 4 stitches
Row 1: Knit 4
Row 2: Knit 2, yarn over, knit across the row. Repeat Row 2 until you have 44 stitches on the needle.
Knit 1, Knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 2 together, knit to the end of the row.

Repeat Row 3 until you have 4 stitches on the needle. You can now either bind off or do a round of single crochet and make a little loop of chain stitches in one corner so you can hang the cloth to dry when you are finished using it

 

Warming my footseys!

Let's get right down to it.

Why knit socks?

• Fast results
• Highly portable
• Great for beginners
• A useful result
• Inexpensive. A couple of $5 balls of good-quality sock yarn are all you need.
• Easy to fit anyone.
• Infinitely variable to support all your creative urges.
• Good project for traveling, TV watching, and condo board meetings. Once you get familiar with the basic template, you can knit socks practically on autopilot.

Anatomy of a sock

A good sock has a constructed heel. They are more comfortable, and look better than those terrible heel-less tube socks.

My Training Sock

My simple top down sock patternn is all you need to get started. It uses standard sock-creation techniques to build a miniature sock, and gives you a chance to practice your technique without committing to hours of work with laceweight yarn on 2.5mm needles. 

Creating Your Own Patterns

The key measurement for sock sizing is the ankle circumference. For women, this is usually about 8 inches, for men about 10 inches. Measure the ankle of the foot in question for the best fit. From this key measurement, subtract 1 inch when knitting for adults and half an inch when knitting for kids. This assumes that you are knitting with typical sock yarn. If you are knitting with a much thicker yarn, do not subtract as much from the ankle measurement.

Get the gauge of the yarn you want to use. This is, of course, best measured from an actual gauge swatch -- even better if done in the round rather than flat since that's how the sock will be knit. When using a yarn not originally meant for socks, use needles a size or two smaller than the ball band calls for. Socks are knitted at a tighter gauge than other garments, to maximize wear. You'll find that they feel better on your feet that way, too. 

The number of stitches to cast on is the magic number, X. Once you've got that, you can create an entire pattern. X is the stitch gauge (per inch) multiplied by the ankle circumference, minus 1 inch or half an inch, as the case may be.

For example: If your yarn provides a gauge of 30 sts over 4 inches, divide by 4 to get the number of stitches to the inch (7.5 sts).   Then multiply this number by the ankle circumference less 1 inch.  So for someone with an 8" ankle: 7.5 x 7=52 sts.

The number of stitches you cast on will also be determined somewhat by the ribbing you want to do. K1 p1 rib requires an even number of stitches; k2 p2 rib requires that the number of stitches be divisible by 4. If not, the ribs won't match up at the beginning of the round.

The Generic Sock-Building Template

Once you've built a sock using the Training pattern above, you're ready to move on to creating socks that can actually be worn.

This section takes you through the steps of defining the pattern. It's based entirely on the number of stitches to cast on, X, as calculated above.

1. Start

Cast on X stitches; divide evenly across 3 double-pointed needles. A long tailed cast-on is recommended; it's nice and stretchy.

Put a stitch marker at the beginning of the round. Knit a few rows of ribbing -- check to make sure it's not twisted. Typically, the ribbing is done with needles a couple of sizes smaller than what you'll use for the rest of the sock. 

2. The Cuff + Leg

Keep ribbing some more. Change to your larger needles about an inch or two into your knitting. If you want to have a ribbed cuff and a plain leg, switch to stockinette stitch when you feel you've knit a deep enough cuff. Stockinette stitch provides a nice basis for colour or pattern work, but a fully ribbed leg provides a better fit.

Stop when the cuff and leg are as long as you want them to be.

3. Divide for the heel & knit the heel rows

Starting at the beginning of the round, put half the stitches on one needle. You can lose the marker at this point. Put the rest of the stitches on a stitch holder or a spare needle. The heel will be knitted back and forth on a single needle.

Work in stockinette stitch (knit right side, purl wrong side) for 2/3 to 3/4 as many rows as there are heel stitches, slipping the first stitch of every row but the first. For a sock less than 50 stitches around in total, 2/3 is good; with more stitches, use 3/4 as the ratio. For example, on a 48-stitch sock with 24 heel stitches, you will work 16 rows; on an 80-stitch sock with 40 heel stitches, use 30 rows. If it's an odd number or fraction, always round up to the nearest even number. 

4. Turn the heel

Still working on the heel stitches, you're now going to reduce and turn the heel.

A bit more math is required here. Divide the number of heel stitches by 3. For a 48-stitch sock, you have 24 heel stitches. This divides evenly as 8-8-8. For a 32-stitch sock with 16 heel stitches, you get 5-6-5.

Foundation row RS: k the first two-thirds of the stitches, SKP (sl 1, k1, psso), turn
WS: sl 1, p the centre third, p2tog, turn
RS: sl 1, k the centre third, SKP, turn

Repeat these last two rows until all the stitches have been worked. The right side will be facing. Knit 1 row on all stitches. For the mathematically inclined, the number of stitches you have now is x/6+2, rounded up to an even number. On your 48-stitch sock, that's 10. On the 32-stitch sock, that's 8.

5. Shape the Gusset

If you put half of your stitches on a holder in step 3, return them to a needle. You've now got the instep stitches on one needle, and the remaining heel stitches on a second, with two selvedge edges between them. You're going to pick up stitches along those edges to form the gusset. On each
side, you'll be picking half the number of heel *stitches you began with -- that is one quarter of the cast-on stitches.

Knit the stitches that remain on the heel.

Using a new needle, pick up the required number of stitches along the first side, using the loops created by the slipping in step 2. This will be referred to as Needle 1.

Using another new needle, knit across the instep (non-heel) stitches. This will be referred to as Needle 2.

Using one more new needle, pick up the required number of stitches across the other side, using the loops created by the slipping in step 2. With this same needle, knit half of the remaining heel stitches onto this same needle. This will be referred to as Needle 3.

You will now have a small number of stitches left on your needle, ready to be worked. Slide these onto Needle 1. 

6. Decrease the Gusset

On the very next round, work a decrease round:

Decrease Round
Needle 1: Knit to last three stitches, k2tog, k1
Needle 2: Knit even
Needle 3: K1, SKP, knit to end of needle

Alternate decrease rounds and even rounds until you're back to X, the number of stitches you cast on originally.

7. Foot

Once you're back to the original number of stitches, X, knit until the foot of the sock measures 2 inches less than the length of the actual foot that will be wearing the sock.

8. Decrease for the toe

Recall that the center of the round is the center of the heel. Make sure your stitches are distributed as follows: 1/4 of the stitches on Needle 1 starting at the center of the round, 1/2 of the stitches on Needle 2 (these are the stitches for the top of the foot), and the remaining 1/4 on Needle 3.

Work a Decrease round:
Needle 1: knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1.
Needle 2: k1, ssk, knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1.
Needle 3: k1, ssk, knit to end of needle.
Work an even round.
Alternate decrease rounds and even rounds until 8 stitches remain.

9. Finish 

There as many ways to finish a sock as there are to make one. Which method you choose is a matter of taste, skill and patience.

You can reduce the toe down to 8 stitches and do a two-needle bind-off.

Or reduce down to 4 stitches, cut the yarn leaving a long tail, thread this tail on a yarn needle and pull the thread through the 4 stitches, pulling them tight.

Or cast off both sides and sew them together.

The neat and tidy prefer grafting, also known as Kitchener stitch, for a seamless toe.

Yarns for Sock Making 

Wool and Blends
Wool is absolutely the best choice for sock knitting. It's breathable, comfortable and durable, with a bit of natural "give" to help with the fit. It also feels nice running through your fingers.

Most commercial sock yarns are a wool and nylon blend, spun very tightly, and machine washable. The spin and the nylon add to the wearability. A non-sock-specific yarn can be used, but will not wear as long.

Cotton
Cotton feels and looks great, but doesn't always have the give or durability you want for socks. If you do want to use cotton, choose a purpose-built sock yarn, like Lang Jawoll Cotton Superwash or Cascade Fixation. These are both blends of cotton with other fibres.

Acrylic and Other Synthetics
Only for kids, and even then, only if absolutely necessary. Synthetic yarns don't breathe and the resulting socks can get very sweaty and smelly. Synthetics also don't have much flexibility or give.

The only exception to this rule is for special effects yarn. I've seen some marvellous things done with furry and eyelash yarn used in the cuff.

Weights

"Proper" sock yarn gauge is 28 or 30 stitches across 4 inches/10cm on 2-3mm needles. If you want to be able to wear your socks in your everyday shoes, you'll need to use one of these yarns. Don't be afraid. It may seem like a lot of stitches to work to fit around your foot, but it's still fewer than the sleeve of the average adult-sized sweater.

Self-patterning Yarns

Marvellous! Stripes, Fair-Isle like patterning, random fun shapes and areas. The ball band will have a picture of what you can roughly expect. There are lots on the market; some popular brands include Lang Jawoll, Regia, Fortissima, and Koigu.

Getting Fancy

Ribbing Alternatives

The ribbing on the cuff is there for the fit -- to create stretch to fit around the ankle and leg. It's entirely flexible. Have fun with it.

Other ribbing patterns work nicely: 2x2, 3x3, or odd combinations like 3x1. Even combinations of ribs (e.g. 2x2) do have more stretch.

The mock cable rib looks very sophisticated, and is easy to do. It's a 4 row repeat, on a multiple of 4 sts.

Round 1: *p2, skip first st and k into second stitch, then k into first and slip both off the needle; repeat from *
Rounds 2-4: *p2, k2; repeat from * across round

And if you want a loose, slouchy sock skip the ribbing entirely. Stockinette stitch will curl a bit at the top.

Try 3 or 4 rounds of stockinette stitch before the ribbing, for a sock with a rolled top that still stays up.

Pattern stitches

Heel Stitch

A commonly used stitch pattern for the heel rows (not the turned part, just the initial rows of the heel), this provides a layer of reinforcement.

On right side rows, slip 1 knit 1 across the row.

On wrong side rows, slip the first stitch, and purl the rest.

Body Patterns

Pretty much anything goes in the body of the sock itself. The only real guideline is that the sole should be a simple stockinette stitch, for comfort.

Combinations of knit and purl stitches on a stockinette stitch background create textural interest. Rounds in reverse stockinette stitch (that is, purl) provide a striping effect against a stockinette stitch background. Try a single round of purl every 5 or 10 knit rounds for stripes.

Cable and lace patterns are both very effective and attractive in sock designs. Check your favourite knitting stitch book for ideas. Be inspired by other knitted garments. I've seen very effective socks with basketweave patterns in the cuff and on the instep. Look up some traditional gansey patterns -- they're designed specifically for knitting in the round.

Colour work

Horizontal stripes are easy -- make them as wide or as narrow as you'd like. Try irregular stripe widths for a bit of visual variety.

Vertical stripes are just about as simple, and provide the wonderful side effect of lining the socks with an extra layer of yarn for thickness and warmth. To create vertical stripes in stockinette stitch, simply work with two different coloured yarns and alternate the yarns for every other stitch.

To create vertical stripes in ribbing, cast on using two different yarns at the same time, alternating yarns. Then work k1 p1 ribbing, alternating the yarns in same order as the cast on. You'll get the "up" ribs in one colour, and the "down" ribs in the other. The ribbing on these Turkish style socks (a variation of the pattern in the Socks: Spin-Off pattern book) is done in two colours.

Fair Isle Socks lend themselves very well to Fair Isle style colour work; that is, using two or more colours at the same time across the entire row. Fair Isle typically features small, repeating motifs or patterns across the row. Vertical stripes are the simplest possible form of Fair-Isle colour work. All Fair Isle knitting has an extra layer of yarn on the wrong side (the strands) and creating a warmer and comfier sock. My favourite pair of hand-made socks feature a simple houndstooth pattern, done with a stranded Fair Isle technique.

In the picture, I've turned down the cuff of one of the socks so you can see the stranding.

Intarsia -- colour designs knitted in seperate blocks, cannot easily be done in the round. Think of all those sweaters with ducks or dogs or tractors or cartoon characters on them. Chances are, those
designs were knitted flat.

These types of designs can be done on socks by knitting them (gasp!) flat, on two needles, and them sewing them up. Argyle socks are often created this way. Although knitting flat is a popular method for sock knitting, it's not as neat and requires post-knitting construction -- the sewing up. Whether you prefer sewing or knitting in the round is entirely a personal preference. For me, the less time spent sewing up the better. The adventurous are encouraged to seek out Mary Thomas's description of "festive knitting", and Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' incomparable "Knitting in the Old Way" for guidance on working colour in the round.

Problems?

Twisted stitches
Always stop after you've completed a couple of rounds of the cuff and check to see if the knitting is twisted. Always. There is no fix for this, so the sooner you check, the better

Ladders
You may notice looser stitches occurring at the break between two needles -- these are called ladders. A number of things help fix this problem:

-keeping the two working needles -- that is, the one you're knitting stitches from, and the one you're knitting them onto -- above the others, and keep the left needle above the right.

-pulling the yarn extra tight when working the stitches at the end and beginning of a needle.

-practice 

Too Tight Cast-on?
Cast on using larger needles, or cast on over two needles held together.

Other stretchy cast-on techniques include the Twisted German, and Channel Island techniques. Check your favourite reference book. 

The "Jogless Jog"
When knitting vertical stripes, you'll notice that something strange happens at the beginning and end of the round: the stripes never line up. This is not unique to hand knitting. I've got a pair of commercial knitted socks with narrow stripes, and the jog is clearly visible.

More Resources 

Books
Folk Socks, Nancy Bush, Interweave Press, 1994
Socks: A Spin-Off Special Publication for Knitters and Spinners, Interweave Press, 1994
Vogue Knitting, Pantheon Books
Vogue Knitting On the Go Socks!, Butterick Publishing Company, 1998

Pattern Booklets
Stahl Socka Series, Stahl Wolle
Patons has many booklets with sock patterns, including:

• Pull Up Your Socks!
• Classics in Kroy
• Cool Weather Accessories
• Happy Feet
• Winter Warmth