I have already received, and am already wearing, the best holiday
present I can imagine: A pair of cabled socks knitted for me by my
husband Nicholas.
Happy feet!
I'd
like to point out that Sir Nicholas has only been knitting for a couple
of years: His very first knitting project ever was a pair of textured
socks for himself, knit at nine stitches to the inch. (This man knows
no fear; he learned how to cast on, then right away wanted to tackle
heel-turning, gussets, and teensy needles, saying that scarves and cat
blankets were "not enough of a challenge.") Once that project was done,
he bought himself a cable needle, and began a project that has taken
him more than eighteen months to finish, busy university professor that
he is: This pair of green cabled socks. For me.
He knit at
night, after fifteen hour days of teaching, grading, and meeting with
undergrads. He knit on the bus, to and from his job in Canada's lovely
city of Toronto. He knit on the plane, on his way to and from visits
home to Colorado to see me. He ripped out the grafts at the toe twice
at the last minute because "they weren't good enough." And when he gave
the finished socks to me earlier this month, I could see him holding
his breath...after all, he was giving the gift of knitting to a
knitter, a daring proposition at best.
Sir Nicholas, Master of Socks
I
am so proud of him. You'll know this if you come anywhere near me,
because more likely than not, I'll pull my shoes off and stick my feet
in the air the better to show off his even, cabled stitches.
The socks are gorgeous. They are warm. They fit me perfectly. They
are one of my favorite Christmas gifts ever, for there is love in every
stitch. My feet are not only wrapped in really rockin' yarn (Louet
Gems; Nicholas has great taste!), they're wrapped in love, my husband's
love for me.
Handmade gifts shine like no other. I would rather wear the socks
that Nicholas made than any fine silk stockings, any fancy designer
shoes, any techno-widget hiking socks sold anywhere.
I'm wearing love on my feet. Now, THAT's what I call happy feet.
How many of you are wrapping those you cherish in handknit love this holiday?
It doesn't matter if you won't get the knitting (or the crocheting)
done by The Day; it just matters that stitch by stitch, we knitters and
crocheters have a tangible way, beyond tiny lights and reindeer hats,
to spread the real meaning of the season from one hand—and one heart—to
another.
Free! Broken Cable Rib Socks
Where can I get the pattern for the green socks?
Nicholas chose the Broken Cable Rib Sock pattern by Ann Budd
(without any help from me, I might add—I was wondering what he was
doing rummaging through all my books and magazines that weekend!). This
pattern has been unavailable for a while, and so now, in honor of the
love that goes into every handmade gift, we're proud to offer the
Broken Cable Rib Socks as this week's free pattern—our Christmas gift
to you.
Now in the Store: The Koolhaas Hat
Kool In The Haas!
Many, many of you have written to tell us how sad you are that Knits
Holiday 2007 is already sold out; one pattern in particular is being
requested, over and over:
Jared Flood's Koolhaas Hat. Soooooo...Our Interweave elves worked a few extra hours to pull that one out of the archives and load it up into the Knitting Daily Pattern Store
for you! A portion of the $4.50 sales price goes directly to the
designer, as with all patterns sold in the KD Store. We're thrilled to
have this new way to help support our fine designers AND to make
out-of-print patterns available to everyone who wants them.
Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.
What's on Sandi's needles? Ten (!) inches of the Gathered
Pullover; a pair of socks on two circulars with partial heel flaps, and
eight inches of the hood of my husband's cabled hoodie. Yes, still only
eight inches of the hood. I've run into a Gnarly Bit—hubby's neck is so
long that I have to add two inches of cables to an intricate,
non-repeating, ever-branching motif. Have I mentioned this is my second
cable project ever? Have I mentioned it's his Christmas present? Have I
mentioned I'm insane?
Posted
Dec 17 2007, 12:00 AM
by
KD Sandi