I Can Stop Whenever I Want

Oh dear. I've cast on two more pair of socks in as many days. Well, okay, for one pair, I sort of had to. I can't tell you why, but trust me, I had to. (Honest. All will be revealed later.)


Come to think of it, I had to cast on for the second pair, too. That pair was for the toe-up class I taught at Madonna's yesterday (two new students and one back for a refresher). Starting from the toe is a fairly awkward maneuver, especially since I use the 'magic loop' technique. It can't be taught with words alone.

Oddly enough, I find it easier to show Janet Rehfeldt's technique than to show a short-row toe start. Many knitters have problems with a provisional cast-on required for a short-row toe... not to mention being able to keep track of the short rows and wraps. So, I'm used to it, but for a newbie her technique feels like all bits of cord and twisted needles and yarn in the middle of everything and where's my cast-on tail and I need a smaller crochet hook and which needle do I pull and why is my worm facing down and why do both needles have to point the same direction and now that they finally are what do I do and ...

... even with all that, they find it easier than the short-row toe, so I teach it that way. About the third time they do it, it sort of sinks in, and they're off and running. Until then, they just try to keep their worm on the inside of their sock and remember to knit around the outside.