Siamese Twins

Reunited and it feels so good...

These baby cable socks from Sensational Knitted Socks (have I mentioned how much I LOVE THIS BOOK???) are my latest foray into Try-something-new-and-a-new-technique-too Land. Well, I suppose technically they are my third pair of socks...since November...but they are officially the first pair to fit me. The Thujas, of course, were for M. so they weren't meant to fit me. The alligator feet, though a great learning experience in terms of technique, were mismeasured and fit a woman with size 10 W feet, not me with my 8.5 narrow.

(Anyone out there need a pair of green wool socks, slightly used?)

The stats: KnitPicks Essential Solid in Dusk, US size 2 KnitPicks Classic Circulars (one 24", one 32"), 6.5 st/inch.

I was so excited about the new technique--two socks at once!--that I did not document well in photographs--I'll do better next time. In words:

I cast on for two at once (this was truly the hardest part, followed by keeping your yarn untangled since you're working with two balls), then knit the legs down. At this point, Thing One and Thing Two were separated, one onto each needle, as I knit the heel flaps and turned the heel on each, trying to keep the "two at once" vibe going. (The heel stitches stayed on the needle, the instep stitches went onto waste yarn.)

After finishing both flaps/turns, I stole Thing Two's needle, leaving it completely on waste yarn, and did Thing One's gusset, finishing at the end of a pattern repeat (so actually about 3 rows into the foot). Removed the needles and did Thing Two's gusset, ending in the same place. Slipped Thing One back onto the needles and motored down the feet, finishing the toes last night at about 8:00.

Total time: 2 1/2 weeks of semi-sporadic work. Loved it!

I used KnitPicks' free downloadable pattern for "Boot Socks" to learn the cast on. After that, it was SKS all the way...