Those of you who’ve been hanging around here since back when I actually knitted with some regularity will remember I have a (mild) obsession with sock knitting. You may also remember my deep and abiding love for Cat Bordhi’s brain. You will then not be surprised to know that I bought New Pathways for Sock Knitters as soon as it came out. Since it came out right as we were selling our house in Brooklyn and planning a cross-country move, I didn’t get to leap into it right away, as I’d planned. And then we arrived here in Portland and I had a very active 15-month-old on my hands in a whole new city, and all my (already limited) knitting time disappeared.
Initially, my plan had been to use this genius book as a workbook of sorts. The book is comprised of eight revolutionary sock architectures. (Nonknitters, just take your Target tube socks and go get some coffee or something. Yes, socks have architecture. Good ones do, anyway.) You learn each architecture by working through a scaled-down practice sock before moving on to the full adult pattern. If you make two practice socks, you’re rewarded with a pair of baby socks. I was going to work through each architecture one by one, making first a pair of baby socks, and then the adult patterns for each. I was pretty excited about it. And then I half forgot about it for two years in the rush of How Life Gets.
Inspired by the fact that come April we’ll have baby feet to fill the baby socks, I’ve finally gotten underway with this book. Those sweet little socks in the photo are the practice socks for the Sky Sock architecture. (Mission Falls 1824 Wool. I’ve lost the ball band, but I think it was color #026.) They were fast and easy. Now I’m moving on to Bartholomew’s Tantalizing Socks (rav link), using STR lightweight in Firebird. When I’ve completed the book, I’ll have eight pairs of socks for the baby and eight pairs of socks for me. I won’t have even made a dent in the sock yarn or Mission Falls stash, but at least I won’t have to buy any yarn. (And when I’m done with this book, I get to buy and work through the next one! Woot!)
Progress pics of the sock-in-progress soon. I think I’ll be casting on later today.
I have the second book and it’s awesome. I haven’t started anything in it, yet. I’m mired in holiday knitting and my list of things to knit next has socks from the second book placed pretty far down the list. Hopefully Twisted will offer a class in the near future which would move them up the list a bit. Happy Holidays!!!
Can’t wait to see little baby feet in those little baby socks.
Cat Bordhi has an amazing mind.
I’m so glad you are doing this! I had the exact same plan and never ended up doing it. I thought it would be a good New Year’s goal for 2010 and now you have me thinking about doing it again. Thanks!
Socks on clocks decidedly rocks.
(yes, I wanna be Theodore Geisel when I grow up)
You caused me to really get into sock knitting back in the days when you knit them ALL the time. I thought to myself ‘THAT girl is so COOL! I want to wear only handknit socks like she does.’ I’ve never tried out her books, but I think I probably should.
Baby socks are an excellent thing to crank out quickly and use up little bits of stash yarn. How much fun will it be to put them on your new baby’s little feet?!