Thursday, June 28, 2007

Trying something new

Greetings, and Dear Cynthia,

Your blanket looks so nice, and I agree with everybody else that you have a great shot at finishing it on time. What a wonderful gift it will be! And awesome "schedule" you have for finishing it. I just have to say that 10,032 is a WHOLE LOT of stitches for only two days!

I moved on to another pair of socks, this time following the directions in the Summer 2007 issue of Interweave Knits for "A better SOCK from the TOE UP". Well, mostly following the directions..... (I moved the "end of round" to be at the side of the foot, instead if in the back, because after casting on, it just seemed more logical to me.....though perhaps it is just because I am unable to follow directions verbatim...

In any case, it uses the Middle East Cast-On (also referred to as the "Eastern Cast-On" in the magazine). Basically, it ends up being just like this (thank you, Debi) except without having to use circular needles. It is just my four sock needles, and the skein of sock yarn, which really appeals to me. No need for waste yarn. No need for a crochet hook. No guessing about how long to make the "long tail".

It all sounds wonderful, except that this:....took me approximately 30 minutes to accomplish.

Well, even the knit stitch seemed difficult the first time I tried it... I think it will be quicker and easier when I get to the second sock. I prefer this to the figure eight method I tried once, only because after doing the figure eight, I had to go back and tighten stitches. With this method, I didn't have to mess around with it at all. (Though, perhaps if I tried the figure eight method again, I could do it a bit tighter and so wouldn't have to go back and tighten things? I don't know.....)

My dh took both boys out for an hour..... My six year old has a soccer class, and my four year old went along because he likes spending time with his Daddy (or maybe he already spent too much time today with me and wanted a break). Anyway, it means I have a free hour to use however I see fit! I think I'm going to work on my new sock!

Warm regards,
Laura (YarnThrower)
P.S. You go girl! Just think of how great it will feel to have that blanket done! What will you knit next? Hopefully something with a little meat to it, because I feel like a bit of a knitting slacker lately and am counting on you to pull this blog through my slump.....

6 comments:

Debi said...

Laura, Try the TCO with ONE circ, it's soooo easy, you'll be done in 2 minutes! Then you can either magic loop or switch to DPNs APTER the cast on - MUCH EASIER!

kimchi said...

yes, i agree with debi. lots of people say that starting the toe on circulars and then switching to dpns makes it a lot easier, regardles of the CO you use. personally i use the magic cast on from knitty. it's truly magic. :o) have a good weekend!!!

Marie N. said...

I love all the new things I learn here!

sharon said...

you need the circs for starting that way or you will have a lot of trouble (I learned the hard way too!

Molly Bee said...

Just from the little sample that you have done, your new socks look like they will be really pretty. I had the same problem when I case on my doublemassa. It took forever and then it just clicked!

allisonmariecat said...

Wow, that's impressive. When I made the Pinwheel Baby Blanket, the circular start took me forever, and I don't think that's nearly as complicated as what you did!