Retro Rib and Blogging with Cats

The modified Retro Rib socks in progress from Interweave Knits Winter '04. The yarn is Regia Bamboo, color 1066 Jamaica, worked on US 1 dpns.

The written pattern is for cuff down socks, but I wasn't sure how far each ball would go. I only have 2 balls, one for each sock and it was gift yarn and I don't want to go through the hassle of hunting down another ball and not getting the same dye lot. To solve this issue, I am making the socks toe-up with YO short rows as illustrated in Priscilla Gibson-Roberts Simple Socks: Plain and Fancy so I will have enough to complete the pair and not run out with an inch of toe left to go. When the yarn starts running out, it's time to make the cuff and cast off. Also, I had started these socks on US 2 DPN's and didn't like how loose it was. I moved down to US 1's for a firmer fabric and modified the number of stitches for circumference and placed small traveling cables up the sides of the leg to compensate for the extra stitch count, but I'm not certain I'm very happy with the cables next to the boxy rib. After going down a needle size, the toe-up method will really help when I run out of yarn. I tried an invisible cast on from the Simple Socks book, one different from the usual provisional cast on I use, and I left the waste yarn in place (the black dashed line in the toe) until I'm done, because it's kind of nifty.


Here's what really happens when I take out the camera. I have an audience.

Then when I go to type, I get the other cat up in my face trying to dig into my kefir and blueberries. You'd think the blueberries and ground flaxseed would be enough to keep him out. The cat is a kefir and yoghurt fiend.