Coriolis | PDXKnitterati

You may recall that I’m knitting a toe-up sock, based on what I learned in Cat Bordhi’s class at Sock Summit. Here’s where I was on my sock on Sunday afternoon.

And here’s where I was a mere 5 minutes later. Ouch.

When I tried on the sock, I found that it was about half an inch too long in the foot. Even after tracing my foot and measuring and figuring and all that fun stuff. Poot. Why didn’t I try it on sooner? I did, right after the heel turn, and found it a bit loose, but assumed it would be all right once I finished the back of the heel and got going on the leg. But I couldn’t try it on for a chunk of time because I was knitting in church. (Knitting in church? Meditative, helps me focus. Trying on sock in church? Distracting. Not OK.) When I got home, I tried it on, and it was baaaaaad.

Here’s the bad part of knitting from the toe up, at least with this particular sock architecture. I had to rip all the way back past the beginning of the arch expansion to make the toe end of the foot shorter by half an inch. That’s horrendous. This is my first completed toe up sock, so I don’t know if it’s different with a different sock architecture, but that’s where I had to shorten it on this one.

Looking on the bright side, it gave me a chance to reposition the band so it wouldn’t run into the heel. Perfect.

I finished Wednesday night. It’s perfect. It’s beautiful. I love how the Coriolis band winds around the ankle. And I love how simple stockinette lets this yarn shine. It’s Socks that Rock Mediumweight in Alley Oop, and it’s only 48 stitches around. Fast!

I used a 3×1 rib at the top rather than my favorite 2×2, because I wanted it to look more like stockinette than ribbing. And because I knit this based on what I learned in Cat Bordhi’s class at Sock Summit, I finished with the bind off that Cat introduced to us, Jenny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off by Jennifer Staimann. It’s really stretchy! I like the little bumps under the chain loops of the bind off. They look like beads. And I still can’t tell you how it’s done, because it’s not published yet. It’s coming soon, in the fall Knitty.

For the second of my fraternal twin socks, I want to try Cat’s Upstream sock architecture. I was going to try the Riverbed, but I think I’ll save that for a patterned sock because it really lends itself to that. I want something that will let this yarn sing in stockinette. And now that I know how long to make the toe portion of my sock, there shouldn’t be any more frogging trauma. Right?

I’m knitting away on my Coriolis sock that I started after my class with Cat Bordhi at Sock Summit, Dancing with Socks. I made the baby Coriolis in class, very cute. (It’s the one on the right.)

I came home and decided to make Coriolis(es?) (Corioli?) for me. I’m using Socks that Rock Mediumweight; the color is Alley Oop.

I usually make my socks from the cuff down. This toe-up thing is a pretty new trick for me. I think I’ve mastered Judy’s Magic Cast On. This makes a very tidy toe.

I like the kfb increases on the sides. Again, very tidy.

And this is the nicest short row heel turn that I’ve tried so far. It doesn’t make the diagonal line; the heel looks very much like a flap and gusset heel. It’s also nice and deep, the way that I like my heels.

I”m knitting on the leg now, but it’s not compelling. Part of what kept me plugging away at the heel was the anticipation (dread?) of wondering if the stripe would run into the heel. It did, but it’s no big deal. Cat suggests a star toe in her book, New Pathways for Sock Knitting, so the foot can be rotated to avoid this issue, but I didn’t read the book before starting. I was working from class notes. No worries, it doesn’t bother me.

But now that I know how the story turns out, I’m not sure I have another of the same sock in me, even if the stripe rotates in the other direction. I may go for fraternal twins, and do a different pattern with the other half of the yarn. I want to play with Cat’s Riverbed sock architecture. Who says a pair of socks have to be the same? Second Sock Syndrome, I laugh in your face!

Do you have issues with doing the same thing over again? Apparently I do.

Knit on!