My Dirty Little Knitting Secret

See this fine sock that I knitted in one day? It's the first of my annual pair of house socks for Lee's dad, which I will have done in time since I have TWO days left to finish the second sock. They are done like last year's--44 stitches around using worsted weight yarn. I'm using a skein of Cascade 220 superwash that was lying around and a little Mission Falls 1924 wool that was supposed to be for a pair for Lee. I will probably be able to do a pair for him if I do similar but opposite color striping on his pair. The stripes at least made it interesting.

But why are these socks an example of my dirty little secret? It's the toe. I didn't use my usual three-needle bind-off. No. I actually grafted the toe. My dirty little knitting secret is that historically I have totally sucked at grafting. The only successful seam I ever did before was on a bag that I ended up felting, so you couldn't even see it. I always got off at some point and made ugly, twisted stitches. I was so embarrassed. I am supposed to be a good knitter!

Well, this morning on the Knitting Daily blog, Sandi Wiseheart republished a hint from last year that I hadn't had time to follow up on at that point. It told how to do grafting from knitting needles, rather than sewing it. I followed those instructions, and I could do it! I can even REMEMBER how to do it, I think. I find it a lot easier with the darned stitches staying still on the needles. Whew, now I feel like I am not some fraud of a knitting teacher. I can teach someone to finish a sock in the "normal" way now!

The post on the Knitting Daily blog yesterday had five sock patterns in it. Did I mention that yesterday? If I didn't, you might want to check out that free download. I downloaded it. At least four of them were ones I'd make some day.

Tomorrow Deana and I go on an adventure visiting distant yarn shops. I am sure I will have something to report. I am very interested in the shop that takes neither checks nor credit cards.