Slaying the Sockupine

I have an ailment. Second Sock Syndrome. I didn't start off having problems finishing a pair of socks. I used to sew up a toe and cast on the cuff of my second sock with no hesitation. Perhaps it is because I have less time for knitting lately. I think it might also have something to do with all the beautiful sock yarns that beckon me whenever I go yarn shopping. In the past couple of years sock yarns have really gotten exciting so there is always something that I want to start knitting with. With three lonely single socks and all my DPNs occupied in my knitting bag I decided I had to take some action. I got 2-At-A-Time-Socks by Melissa Morgan Oakes and promised my sweetums a pair of socks. That way I have a commitment I have to keep, ya see?

The whole process looks a lot more complicated than it is and involves a 40" circular needle. If you can conquer a Mobius this is a piece of cake. The main problem I am having is that I am using both ends from one ball of yarn so there is a nasty snarl in the middle. I think I could have probably dug up enough info online to learn the technique without the book but the pictures do help. We will see how things go when I get to the more challenging parts (turning heels, etc.). Overall this seems to be a faster way to pop out a sock and it does ensure that both socks are the just same and that you get both (or neither) done. Still, as a traditionalist I kind of miss juggling my four bamboo double points, inevitably sitting on the whole mess and stabbing myself, and searching for the lost one that the cat stole or rolled under the couch. There is just something endearing about the sockupine that I may never be able to completely give up.

Slick New Sticks

Wooo knitta! After starting yet another project on circular needles, not having the right gauge/length combination, running out at 9 pm to Hobby Lobby, and ending up with a crappy curled up Baleen circ that stayed coiled up like a stubborn cobra I finally broke down and treated myself to the starter set of KnitPicks Options wooden needles. Back when I very first started knitting and had no one to compare notes with and no experience I tried the cheapo interchangeable needles and was very unimpressed. Well this is a whole new ball game. These lovelies have a great cable that popped right out of the bag and unrolled ready to get to work. The joint feels as smooth as a standard high end circular and there is a little key to tighten the tips and make sure they don't come loose while you're in your knitting groove. And of course, what caught my eye in the first place, the needles themselves are made of satin smooth rainbow colored wood. If you keep up with my banter you know my preference for wood and these simply take the cake. So there's only one question- why am I spending so much of my Friday free time extolling the virtues of these needles and not curled up in a fit of stitches? Go get you're own set! I'm off to knit!

Options for All

My knitting buddies have all been raving about the new KnitPicks Options needles line. I haven't gotten any for a couple of reasons. When given a choice I usually reach for straight bamboo or birch needles. I know a ton of people who swear by Addis and circulars but I like my sticks. I like wood. It gets warm in your hands. It has a memory to it. It gets smoother the more time you spend making each tiny stitch around it. The longer you keep them the better they get (except in the case of long bamboo ones which I tend to bend all crazy like). I like things like that. Old friends and worn in jeans and my smooth shiny wooden needles. So I clicked over to KnitPicks on a whim today and lookee there. I guess there are other knitters out there like me because they have introduced the same set with wooden tips. And not only are they birch tips on that much harolded interchangeable purple cable but they are cool multicolored wood. I may be converted to circulars yet. Oh be still my quaking wallet.