Greetings from The Sock Exchange! May 2008

Wonder how Darby is doing on Sock Wars?

So....Darby.....are you dead yet?

Of course not....Still alive and kickin' and keep on clickin'(those needles that is).

Hope the rest of you are "stayin' alive". Share your Sock Wars stories with us. We'd love to hear about your victories & perils.

Ask Darby...

Let's just say, who doesn't love to be out and about when the weather is warm.

Remember, keep those sock projects in your handbag or tote and take advantage of the great outdoors.

That is one crazy Sock Monkey.

Kia from CA asks.... "Greetings, Although your Grafting method is complete still get confused as to which stitches I'm suppose to "leave on the needle & which stitches I'm suppose to TAKE off the needles. Is there an alternative method to grafting stitches such as maybe "counting"?"

This is a good question .....let me start by saying that grafting the toe or the kitchener stitch is a seamless way to finish your sock and its my preferred method. This stitch does require some concentration and maybe even a quiet place, remembering that each stitch has a set up stitch before it gets taken off the dpn.

It has kind of a rhythm about it, once the initial set up stitches have been completed (set up by inserting tapestry needle purl-wise into the front dpn, then inserting the needle knit-wise into the back dpn..... for me, I have developed a kind of 'cheer' to keep me on track....it goes like this,

starting with the first stitch on the front dpn...."knit off, purl on (then move to the back needle) purl off, knit on" then do it again..."knit off, purl on, purl off, knit on" until all stitches have been taken off. I know its corny....but it works for me.

You mentioned counting....and this will work too. with each rotation one stitch should come off of

each needle. Many times I have reverted to counting, especially if I have been interrupted. Here is a short video clip that may help as well (scroll down) Good luck with Grafting your seamless sock....just remember "knit off, purl on, purl off, knit on"

Sorry, just couldn't resist another reason to cheer.

Pam from IL asks....."I have thick ankles. Is there a way to alter a pattern to make my socks more comfortable?"

Another great question.

The answer is YES and an easy fix. On a top down sock, when picking up stitches for the gusset, add 2 stitches on each side. So instead of picking up 16(18) stitches or whatever is perscribed, pick up 18(20) stitches. But then follow the pattern to decrease to the number of stitches on each needle to complete the foot.

This simple trick should give you enough ease to make your socks easier to get on and more comfortable to wear.

Thanks Darby! Great advice for some excellent questions.

However its lovely for year round too!

I highly recommend Louet Gems for its excellent stitch definition.