Spiraling

Nancy (whose blog is brand new – click over and say hi!) wanted to know about the middle singleton sock in the previous post. It's the fabulous Stashbuster Spirals by Janine Hempy, which was a Six Sox Knit-along sock in [cough] 2005.



As its name suggests, Stashbuster Spirals is an attractive way to use up odd bits of yarn, even variegated yarns that sometimes do not play nicely with others (the sock pictured uses three colorways). The pattern offers a full range of sizes and an encyclopedia of knitterly techniques, yet is accessible to newbie knitters. Perhaps most notable is its use of intarsia technique to make pinstripes – excellent practice for more complex intarsia patterns. Also unusual, it's a toe-up sock with both gusset and short-row heel, similar to a Cat Bordhi New Pathways sock = it fits my Frankenfoot without modification (no surprise that the most common mod during the KAL was to omit the gusset). Most Six Sox patterns are available only through the KAL; this one is available generally.

The toe of Stashbuster 2 is just finished. Sorry, no sock photo – I've had my hands full. Even this photo is from last year, but at least everything looks pretty much the same.



Full hands or no, there's always time to astonish the Muggles with an online stampede of knitterly traffic. I join Kim and others in pointing out Monday's Wall Street Journal article on Sock Wars II (which includes the pattern for Scar socks by Julie Gardner) and the New York Times Sunday Magazine article on the handmade movement.