Got a new pair of Signature Knitting Needles (my first) from my husband for Christmas – a set of size 2 dpns, 5 inches long, “stiletto points.” I could kill you with these needles, they are so sharp. I promptly “put them somewhere” after all the presents were opened and couldn’t find ‘em until yesterday. So of course, I had to cast on a pair of socks. I grabbed a fabulous skein of Prism “Saki” yarn that my darling husband bought me as a gift – just for the hell of it – in the fall. He had been to a meeting in a town with a knitting store, so, natch, he went and bought me something. I LOVE HIM.

Now, a word about my finger. It is getting better daily. Had a bad dream about it last night tho – big hole in my finger in the dream. EEEEK. But it has stopped hurting almost entirely and now just goes numb after too much work or tingles a bit. Nothing to stop me from knitting and work (drat the last one).

The Fixins

I didn’t want to do just a plain old pair of ribbed socks, so I went to my bookshelf and got out Vogue Knitting Stitchionary, Vol 1: Knit & Purl and it wasn’t long before I found a pattern I like – #196, “Eyelet Swirls.”

I used the standard sock pattern requirement of casting on 64 stitches, joined for knitting in the round and knit 1 inch of k2, p2 rib. You with me so far?

The pattern is a multiple of 10 stitches plus 2 – but that is if you are working it flat, going back and forth. I am working it in the round – so there are no selvedge, or edge stitches that have to be created to make a seam. This means, I get rid of the “plus 2″ and only work the 10 pattern stitches. This means I had to decrease by 4 stitches from the ribbing (cast on 64, subtract 4, which equals 60, which is a multiple of 10). Still with me?

The pattern as written is for a flat piece. But again, I am working in the round. So there is no “purl side,” only a “knit side.” In other words, the right side of the sock is always facing me. So that means as I am reading the pattern directions, I can work all odd-numbered, right side rows as written, but I must REVERSE all even-numbered, wrong-side rows.

Here’s an example from the pattern as it is written in the book:

Row 1 (RS): K1, *yo, k8, k2tog; rep from * end k1.

Row 2 (WS): P1, *p2tog, p7, yo, p1; rep from *, end p1.

To make this work in the round on my socks, I knit it as . . . .

Row 1: *Yo, k8, k2tog; rep from * (I eliminated the “plus 2″ stitches that are not part of pattern but make a selvedge edge)

Row 2: *K1, yo, k7, k2tog; rep from * (more complicated – I eliminated the “plus 2″ stitches’ and I reversed the order of the stitches, reading the line from end to beginning, and I changed all the p2 to Ks)

ARE YOU WITH ME????

So far . . .

Not to worry. As I work this out, I will write it down and I will pop the whole thing up here as a free pattern. I hope it works out!

And here’s a bonus pic – sock with dog (Taffy)

Taffy wants my sock!