I know, I’m ahead of the lesson plan, and I should probably stop and wait for Sheron’s next class. I’m 2 or 3 rows into a short row heel. I think the trick is that you don’t “turn” on the inside edge of the heel when you reach the point you normally turn. You slip the unworked stitches onto the right hand needle of both socks and continue on the 2nd sock at the previous turn. I don’t think I’m making myself clear. But it seems straight-forward. I’ll stop here and check with Lesson #3 when Sheron posts them on Friday.

I think I’ll go and start the second sock for Mom.

Tip for Gussets with 2 Circular Needles

The very first sock I made using Cat Bordi’s Socks on 2 Circulars, I followed her directions completely. But I found all that passing stitches around the needles at the gusset just so that I have exactly the same number of stitches on each needle was a pain in the butt. It felt awkward and totally unnecessary. And you also needed to have stitch markers to mark the decreases in the middle of each side. Then you move the stitches back again after you finish the gusset decreases so that you have the instep and sole on separate needles again. Yuck.

I decided that I didn’t have to have exactly the same number of stitches on the 2 needles. I picked up the left gusset with my sole needle. Knitted the instep with the other needle that has been waiting patiently during the entire heel flap and heel turning. Once I finished the instep, I dropped it again, and used the sole needle to pick up the right gusset. This way, I have my decreases all on one needle, one at the beginning and one at the end of the row. Easy cheesy. I can start the gusset anywhere, even on the bus, and I don’t have to make sure I have stitch markers with me. Eventually, I’ll have the same number of stitches on both needles again.

Anyway, it makes sense to my brain.

Another Tip

This is for battery eating digital cameras. I normally use rechargeable batteries for my digital camera, since it goes through them so quickly. I have a battery charger that checks battery level before it starts charging. I found that my camera wasn’t consuming the batteries at the same level.

So, if you are in the middle of nowhere taking pictures, or just plain don’t have spare batteries around, just take them out and change the order of the batteries. I found that I can double the life of those batteries instantly!

Try it and let me know. I have a 4 year old HP PhotoSmart Megapixel camera. (I really want it to die so that I have an excuse to buy a new one.)

Token America’s Cup Update

How about them Swiss????? Oracle is now officially out of America’s Cup. Hooray! (I’m not real fond of Larry, if you can’t tell.) Now I just want the Swiss to beat the heck out of Team New Zealand, because they were rude to my home team — OneWorld. I understand that Craig McCaw (“Mr. Nice”) got death threats nearly on a daily basis during the entire time that OneWorld was down in Auckland. Now, Craig said that he won’t mount another challenge in New Zealand. So, my hopes are for a Swiss victory so that OneWorld will race again.