And Then There Were Two

Due to my neophyte quest to knit varied types of projects and because I had read that they make great travel projects, I decided to knit a sock. Well, two socks actually; can't have one foot freezing while the other is toasty.


I used one skein of Austermann Step recommended by my LYS because it has aloe vera and jojoba oil added to the yarn. I could definitely notice an affect on my hands after knitting for a while. I chose the basic black/grey/white colorway (#22) and had a lot left over. For needles, I used bamboo dpns in size US1.5 (2.5mm).

There are way too many sock patterns out there. It can get a little overwhelming for a newbie. I primarily used Amy Swenson's 'Universal toe-up sock formula' from knitty.com for general pattern reference and for wrap & turn guidelines.

However, because I can never leave well enough alone, I made several modifications. First, I used Judy Becker's 'Magic cast-on for toe-up socks' also from knitty.com. I loved this cast-on because it allowed me to just knit away without any adjusting for provisional casting-on or sewing and gave a perfect, seamless toe. However, because I was using dpns instead of the suggested two circular method, the first few rounds were extremely cramped and not very fun.

When the time came to transition to the calf ribbing, I used the tip by TECHknitting. In my case, when going from stockinette to ribbing, you slip all knit stitches purlwise with the yarn in the back and purl as normal. This helps bridge the knit columns smoothly into the ribbing and makes a cleaner look. I used 2x2 ribbing, but the method should work for just about any kind of transition.

In finishing, I used Peggy's Stretchy bind-off method of adding increases in a K2, M1, P2, M1 pattern in the row before the bind-off row. These increases are then slipped instead of knitted while the other stitches are bound-off in pattern. This just adds a little more yarn for the cast-off making it a little more stretchy.

I also wanted to mention that I was able to take my knitting on the plane without any difficulty. Because I was using bamboo instead of metal needles, I felt more comfortable about getting them through security. I guess this isn't really surprising because I haven't heard of too many knitter being given grief by TSA or the airlines.