Edited for clarityCurrently Reading: Blood Rites
Currently Watching: Charmed, Season 3
I've decided to learn a new skill: two-at-a-time socks. I've seen these books around and they've always intrigued me. Silly me, though, I always thought they were the same volume. I guess the local Michaels only carries the toe-up version, while the library only has the top down book, hence the confusion.
I did a bit of a practice run, but got bored around the gusset, primarily because it was practice. This is not my first time knitting toe up socks, and the construction seems to be about the same, except that there are two socks on the needle and I normally use DPNs. Also, I hate swatching. I know, I know, a thousand lashes with a limp circular needle, but I do. Especially in this case, since I was using a different color for each sock--that meant I'd be doing one "pair" for the test run, and then I'd have to do another set to get mates for them (and since I was using leftover balls, there really wasn't enough. Not to mention the fact that I don't have any use for child-sized socks and most of my donation items go to nursing homes rather than NICUs). Thus, I made the decision to dive right in.
The yarn is a Bernat Baby Jacquards in the color berries and cream. I don't know about you, but if I pulled cream that shade of yellow (lemon yellow) out of the fridge, I'd be tossing it right in the garbage. It looks really good in yarn, though. To save myself some hassle, I'm knitting one sock from one end of the ball and the other from the opposite, and I'll cast off when I run out of yarn. I believe the needles are a size 1 or 2, maybe a 2.5.
The patterns in this book don't really light my fire. Sure, there are two or three that I might one day knit, but I don't HAVE to knit them RIGHT NOW. I bought the book primarily for technique anyway. Thus, the socks I am working on are plain vanilla, which for me means 1x1 or 2x2 ribbing up the foot and leg (haven't decided which it will be yet).
For the last few weeks (since the first tournament of Nerd Wars ended) I've had a bad case of knitting enui, to quote Jasmine Knitmore. But since I now have a 40 minute drive each way to work, I've had a lot of time to catch up on my podcasts and that has gotten me in the mood to knit more (by the way, are there any typewriter podcasts out there?). The combination of socks, podcasts, and a new way of doing things has jogged the mojo a bit. It even has me thinking abou the London Calling sweater that has been languishing in my PHD (Projects Half Done; again, see the KnitMore Girls, episode 150ish I think) bin for the last few months. I'm at the "hard part" as I keep calling it. Basically, the instructions say for the right front that you should do everything you did for the left front, but in reverse. Which for me, requires math and drawing a diagram, both of which I've been too lazy to do. I also need to rip out the seam I put in to test the left front and the back together; it looks awful. Finishing is not my forté, but I do have this book by Vogue knitting that has several really good instructions on methods of doing seams, so I might refer to that once I'm actually ready to construct the sweater. I've read several of the history essays and regularly use the instructions on kitchner stitch/grafting; it's a bit bulky but very handy to have around.
Anyone else tried this technique? What do you think of it? Do you prefer top down or toe up?
The wife swears by two-at-a-time socks, as they are sure to match, and she always gets bored midway through sock #2. I've never managed to make an even pair of socks yet, so if I take up the needles again, this would be the way to do it.
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