Cat Bordhi--sock genius

Dear Stuntmother,

Spinning proceeds apace.

Since the knitting is kind of stalled, I thought I'd show you two finished pairs of socks. They've been done for weeks, but there just hasn't been enough natural light to photograph them. As you know, I chased down a copy of New Pathways for Sock Knitters by Cat Bordhi as soon as it was released. It's revolutionary. (No--I don't think those words are too strong). The basic premise is that you don't have to place the gusset decreases (or increases, in toe-up) in the traditional triangles on either side of the heel. They can be anywhere around the circumference of the arch, as long as they occur in the correct proportions to shape the sock.

Skeptical? Here are two examples from the book.



First is the Coriolis Sock; the version with the spiral the whole way up the sock. It grows toe-up, with a Widdershins-style heel, and a hemmed top. You take lots of measurements and fill in the numbers in a worksheet, for a custom fit. Even still--many of my sock instincts had to be squelched in order to finish this sock. I tried it on during the arch expansion rounds, and it seemed way too wide. I pushed on (just in case Cat actually knew what she was doing), and after the heel was completed, it fit perfectly! In this pattern, Cat uses negative ease in the length, not the width of the sock, as I usually do. The sock looks kind of deformed off the foot, but it fits beautifully.






The toe, in particular, is beautiful. It's radially symmetric, so you can rotate it around the foot, and it fits anywhere. The yarn probably looks its best here.

To recap:
Coriolis Sock, by Cat Bordhi
STR Lightweight in the Flower Power colorway from the Rockin' Sock Club for August.
Addi Turbo US #1, magic loop
No modifications, except to ignore my feelings about pooling and flashing and march forward with the knitting. I fully expected it, as the total number of stitches changed constantly from the beginning of the arch expansion to the hem. Oh--I did use the calf shaping, which Cat explains can happen by skipping a decrease every 5 rows after the ankle. My usual shaping would occur by increasing 2 sts every inch. Increasing 1 st every 5 rows worked out to approximately the same ratio.



Next up--Ocean Toes. I just liked these in the book's photo. I had appropriate yarn in the stash, so I cast on. Everything about these top-down socks was fun. The innovative triangular gussets (godets?) which occur at 4 points around the ankle are so cool. The pattern on top of the instep gets smaller and smaller, so there are compensatory increases on the sole (!). They fit beautifully, too, except for the very top of the cuff. I didn't realize how long the cuffs were going to be, and they extend over the muscular part of my calf. I'd do the first pattern repeat on a larger needle in the future. That's okay...these can be a gift for my sister, who has the same size feet, but svelter (probably not a word) calves. Don't forget about the lack of stretchiness inherent to any pattern knitted on the bias. I was kind of worried about running out of yarn, but one skein sufficed. I always feel good about the yardage and length of sock in the STR Mediumweight. The Lightweight seems slightly skimpy.

In summary:
Ocean Toes, by Cat Bordhi (in my mind, these go by "ocean nibblers", which is what Charlie calls fish sticks to entice Lola to eat them).
STR Mediumweight, in Lunasea, purchased at Maryland Sheep and Wool, 2007 after standing in line at The Fold's booth. That was the first time I met Toni, who played such a key role in getting me my wheel.
Addi Turbo US#2, magic loop.
No modifications.

I'm looking forward to making more of Cat's innovative sockitectures, but I'm running a few days behind on the 24 pairs in 2007 goal. Only 4 1/2 pairs to go!

Love, Eyeknit


P.S. Squishy goodness.