Chat Back for December 5

Answering questions from comments and email.

Diane asked . . .

How and where do you join the extra yarn you need?

I split the ends of both pieces of yarn and twist half the plies of one piece with half the plies of the other for two to three inches to make new yarn. Then knit.

This leaves four thin ends to weave in and a very very solid join that's never going to come undone.

I use this join for everything, not just socks.

For single ply yarn like Lopi, I hold two strands together and knit for a few stitches.

For knitting in the round, the join can be anywhere. Using dps or two circulars, it is easiest to manage away from the end of a needle.

For back and forth knitting, I try to do it near the side but finish it before the edge.

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Sherilan asked . . .

Isn't it a good feeling to knit socks for someone like Gail, who shows how much she likes them by wearing them all the time?

Yes. I'd rather see a pair of gift socks worn out and in the trash than see them pretty and unworn in a drawer.

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Marie asked (about the Eunice RIP) . . .

Oh no!? Frogged back to only two repeats, or frogged back, as in, you now have two balls of yarn again?

No regrets.

I relearned an important lesson in what stitch patterns don't make good socks if "good socks" are defined as something that looks nice and fits a human foot.

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Sherilan asked . . .

I want to knit the More Fun Than Cables sock pattern on 56 stitches. Any ideas how to modify the cable to work with 56 stitches instead of 64?

Reduce the k2 column to make it a k1 column, to reduce the stitch count by 8.

You will probably want to rechart the ribbing on top so it flows into the reduced stitch count attractively.