2S 2C - at last! I've cracked it!

It's taken four attempts and much cursing and stamping and the throwing of knittings on the floor, but at last I've grasped the vexing concept of two socks on two circulars. I approached it with a few clear hours, natural light and the yogic clam that what would be would be, and after a hour and a quarter and many mutterings of 'blinking bloody nonsense', it worked, and here are the first half inches to prove it. I've no idea how I'll handle the pattern and heels of these socks, but let's see what happens when we get there. The variables are these: two needles, each with two ends, two sources of yarn, two separate cast ons and for each two possible sides and two possible directions to set them on the needles. All in all, a whole lot of trouble! But once the cast ons and the first few rows were done it started to get into a rhythm. The key for me was to grasp that the cast ons had to both face in the same direction and not each other, and that it was easier to manage them if I cast on on a separate (i.e. a third) needle and arrange the stiches there first before transferring to the two working needles. I looked at several online tutorials, but the one which best gave me all the answers I needed was blogged by Sara in Oregon, The Quacking Fibre Addict: http://fyberduck.blogspot.com/2006/10/socktoberfest-tutorial-2-socks-on-2.html

I'm trying to use up stash rather than buy new. I was pleased to see that use your stash in 2007 exclude sock yarn, but nonethless I needed something and 200g of bright orange 4-ply in my yarn cupboard was perfect for the job. It cost me almost nothing on Ebay last summer, and I've never liked it. But actually knitting it has given me a new feeling for it: as I'm working the ribs, I'm coming to see it as fine quality, springy and joyous. And OK so I'll look like Daffy Duck in the socks once they are knitted, but it'll make a change from Dora the Explorer...

We're listening to the new Wilco album today, Sky Blue Sky. Very pretty, organic and forgiving.