Toe, the Second.
September 3rd, 2006
We have achieved ‘toe’ — and much more quickly than for the first sock. The magic cast-on from the spring Knitty issue really is terrific, with very little muss and fuss compared to casting on with a standard figure-8 toe.
The real challenge now, of course, is to make the socks match in size. A sensible knitter would have written out the number of rows and the number of stitches at each significant juncture (the end of the toe increases; the start of the gusset; the end of the gusset/start of the heel; end of the heel; and the row of the cast-off–”the stations of the cross” is how I think of them). This is a good practice for any project where you have to knit two identical items.
However, I’m not a sensible knitter, I’m an insensible one. While I have some of these numbers, I do not have all of them. So for the second sock there is always a lot of counting–and re-counting–and re-re-counting–involved. Several times now, I have counted the number of rows from the end of the toe increases to the start of the gusset and I have gotten a different figure each and every time. I am old and blind and cannot count…but I have a dream. And that dream is a pair of lovely matching Trekking XXL 100 socks.
I am going to realize that dream, even if I have to put the first sock on someone else’s foot and count the rows under a bright white spotlight.
Asif gets home from Vancouver tonight.
4 Comments Add your own
1. Ed | September 4th, 2006 at 9:21 am
Weel I got to give you credit useing the magical loopy. I tried to do two socks at once and just about lost my mind. So I ripped them out and picked up my trusty DPN’s. I may still try a single sock on a single circular.
2. david_demchuk | September 4th, 2006 at 11:46 am
Actually it looks worse than it is — this is a single sock on two circulars, which is my favourite way to make socks as I’m wildly inept with DPNs. (That phrase “It’s all fun and games till someone loses an eye” was coined by someone watching me knit with DPNs.)
I have tried the magic loop for socks and, while I didn’t hate it, I didn’t like it either. I do use the magic loop for the crowns of hats and other similarly shaped projects where I don’t want to switch to DPNs (see eye injuries above). And I’ve never tried doing two socks on the same needles at the same time. I understand it and I appreciate it and I may one day give it a go–but right now I think it would be the death of me.
3. Sue Glassford | September 4th, 2006 at 9:57 pm
Well, OK someone has to say it -
you are so gay you can’t even knit straight. Don’t look at me like that - you were asking for that comment.
smooch
4. david_demchuk | September 5th, 2006 at 6:11 am
Not only was I asking for that comment–I was asking for it from you!
I should make it my new tagline. I’ll have to teach you to knit the next time you’re up here…
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