Either I'm turning into Ron Weasley, or I'm just entirely too tickled with what I did over the weekend! I had been leaning towards Anna's Giotto pattern for my sock pal. But on a whim, I decided to do a test run with Badcaul instead. I'm not sure why, except that I love me those cables! So I sat down at the computer determined to find out how to do a "turkish cast on" and magic loop. Google did not disappoint me, and the very first link on the list was for Misocrafty's Turkish Cast On directions. I sat here reading, looking at the pictures, telling myself, "yeah right, there is no way that works"
But what magic! It works! Absolute brilliance!
I did screw up in the pattern on the very first cable round (cabled the wrong direction...oh well) but these are just a test run on some knit and frogged to death Paton's Kroy Socks. My pal's socks will be a different yarn. So now that I'm in love with this pattern, and specifically the turkish cast on, I think she'll be getting these instead of Giotto.
Although I'm not participating in the Knitting Olympics, I did learn some new things. I'm not sure I like magic loop, since I just cannot knit in a speedy fashion that way (stop, readjust cable, knit, stop, readjust cable, and so on) Perhaps its the fact that I'm using my only US1 long circular, an Inox Express (nice needles, iffy joins) But...that cast on was worth all that hassle. I'm not kidding. I'm still giddy over it!