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kniteracyI think the last knitting book I had a small fit over was Victorian Lace Today, which I picked up in the States last year. But some of you may remember that I posted a very early birthday present with list back in March. In that post, I mentioned this book (it's the top one on the page). ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
khaosworks, who is often the Book Fairy, mentioned that it was mine, and so when the amazon.com package arrived (in a stupidly huge box, I should say), I knew what was in it, and I couldn't keep myself from opening the package itself. Itw as a great early birthday present, and the book actually does what it says it's going to do: "turn the sock-knitting world on its heel."
Yeah. Seriously.
OK, this is going to get a bit technical.
I have a good deal of respect for Cat Bordhi. Her Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles changed the way I thought about sock knitting several years ago, and while my head didn't explode when I read Magical Knitting, I know a couple of people whose heads did explode. ;) I never bought the sequel to Magical Knitting, even though the patterns looked better. But when I saw New Pathways for Sock Knitters, I really wanted it.
Cat begins by explaining that we think of two ways to make socks, whether toe-up or top-down. You have the "traditional" heel-flap sock, usually with a reinforced heel flap, and you have the straight tube sock with an added heel made with short rows. There's also the short-row heel that's built in to the sock. The heel-flap sock relies on gussets to expand the sock volume before the heel; the added or "peasant" heel and the short-row heel don't use gussets, but rely on a heel architecture that has a little more volume to compensate for the lack of increase in the sock-shape itself (or decreases if you're working top-down).
In this book, Cat raises the idea that as long as the pre-heel increases occur somehow, as long as the volume inside the sock increases at the right proportion before the heel turn, you can put them in any number of configurations. There are eight sock designs in the book, some of which build on other designs. Whole groups of really cool new-looking sock patterns are possible, all with a couple of simple heels and toes that can be built on to any of the designs. They have foofy, whimsical names, which is something you'd expect from Cat Bordhi, but they're all solid and different as patterns, and some of them are downright fascinating.
Some of the designs work toe-up and some work top down. I think a couple of them may work both ways, but I'm not far enough into the book to really discern all the details. You can see some of the sock designs in this blog post. Here's another picture. This blogger also shows several socks from this book. Or how about this one? There's a review here that also includes a nice photo of a project from the book. There's a knit-along blog here. But that's enough links.
I liked this book so much that I ripped out KSB's socks and began a pattern based on one of the designs in this book. I'd made a mistake with the heel and had had to rip back about five inches anyway, so it didn't kill me to rip the whole thing out and start again, so I could knit one of these seriously cool socks. Unfortunately, G has my phone at the moment, so I can't take a picture of the completed sock (I started it on Thursday on the way to Epping Forest and finished it this morning), but trust me, it's way cool.
khaosworks, thank you so much for this gift. I love love love it. :) I'm sorry I opened it early, but it's given me enough joy to last for at least the next three weeks before my birthday.
khaosworks, who is often the Book Fairy, mentioned that it was mine, and so when the amazon.com package arrived (in a stupidly huge box, I should say), I knew what was in it, and I couldn't keep myself from opening the package itself. Itw as a great early birthday present, and the book actually does what it says it's going to do: "turn the sock-knitting world on its heel."Yeah. Seriously.
OK, this is going to get a bit technical.
I have a good deal of respect for Cat Bordhi. Her Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles changed the way I thought about sock knitting several years ago, and while my head didn't explode when I read Magical Knitting, I know a couple of people whose heads did explode. ;) I never bought the sequel to Magical Knitting, even though the patterns looked better. But when I saw New Pathways for Sock Knitters, I really wanted it.
Cat begins by explaining that we think of two ways to make socks, whether toe-up or top-down. You have the "traditional" heel-flap sock, usually with a reinforced heel flap, and you have the straight tube sock with an added heel made with short rows. There's also the short-row heel that's built in to the sock. The heel-flap sock relies on gussets to expand the sock volume before the heel; the added or "peasant" heel and the short-row heel don't use gussets, but rely on a heel architecture that has a little more volume to compensate for the lack of increase in the sock-shape itself (or decreases if you're working top-down).
In this book, Cat raises the idea that as long as the pre-heel increases occur somehow, as long as the volume inside the sock increases at the right proportion before the heel turn, you can put them in any number of configurations. There are eight sock designs in the book, some of which build on other designs. Whole groups of really cool new-looking sock patterns are possible, all with a couple of simple heels and toes that can be built on to any of the designs. They have foofy, whimsical names, which is something you'd expect from Cat Bordhi, but they're all solid and different as patterns, and some of them are downright fascinating.
Some of the designs work toe-up and some work top down. I think a couple of them may work both ways, but I'm not far enough into the book to really discern all the details. You can see some of the sock designs in this blog post. Here's another picture. This blogger also shows several socks from this book. Or how about this one? There's a review here that also includes a nice photo of a project from the book. There's a knit-along blog here. But that's enough links.
I liked this book so much that I ripped out KSB's socks and began a pattern based on one of the designs in this book. I'd made a mistake with the heel and had had to rip back about five inches anyway, so it didn't kill me to rip the whole thing out and start again, so I could knit one of these seriously cool socks. Unfortunately, G has my phone at the moment, so I can't take a picture of the completed sock (I started it on Thursday on the way to Epping Forest and finished it this morning), but trust me, it's way cool.
khaosworks, thank you so much for this gift. I love love love it. :) I'm sorry I opened it early, but it's given me enough joy to last for at least the next three weeks before my birthday.
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Date: 2008-04-20 12:27 pm (UTC)At least knitting stuff is something I don't have to work at resisting buying!!!! :-)