While some people are preparing for the coming zombiepocalypse, I’m preparing for living in a world under the mechanical thumbs of our robot overlords. It’s also Back to School season, and although I’m not attending classes this year, I have a great fondness for stationery and desk accessories. Enter the greatest pencil sharpener in the world!

I picked this up at The Paper Source in Alexandria, Virginia. However, I’ve also seen it available online at Think Geek.

We have a knitting crisis in FL! So, I taught my friend Kristina to knit. However, my knowledge of knitting is still small and she is asking me how to do a certain cast on for these toe up socks (Fancy Feet Anklets from Knit Picks). We’ve looked up videos but can’t seem to figure it out. Also, she intends to work in magic loop, two at a time and doesn’t have DPNs.

Our Bright Idea! If any of you have a video camera, some spare yarn and some spare time this evening, or tomorrow, you could show us what to do!!!

PROBLEM SOLVED!!!

It must be a crisis. Just look at all those explanation points!!! ;)

Dear Connie and Kristina,

We haven’t knit this particular pattern, but a little internet research has led us to believe the pattern uses a Figure-8 cast on. I happen to love a variation of this cast on, Judy’s Magic Cast On, which was featured in Knitty a few years ago.

Although Kristina will be using one needle and magic loop to knit the socks, the cast on is done with two circular needles. So, for just the cast on, go get a second circular needle that’s either the same size as your working needle or close to the same size. They don’t have to be identical since you’re only working the cast on with the second needle.

The directions for the Magic Cast On covers the following points, however they bear repeating here:

1. The metal needle (which starts on the bottom facing the knitter), is the pattern working needle. The wooden needle on the top is only getting used for the cast on.
2. When holding the yarn at the start of the cast on, the working yarn is also held toward the bottom. The tail of the yarn will be toward the top.

[As the pervy knitters we are, we have to comment that although the cast on starts out as a bottom, halfway through it flips to be a top. After all, playing bottom and top can be fun!]

We’ve filmed video of me casting on using this method. Hopefully the video, along with the directions and photos in the link, will help you out of the crisis. If not, please feel free to curse us out on the Social Knitworking hotline.

PART 1: The Initial Cast On

PART 2: Knitting The First Round

**UPDATE**

Go figure, after we filmed the videos, Connie and Kristina got back to us about the cast on in the pattern. It’s not a Figure-8 but rather a picking up stitches sort of thing. I’d use Judy’s Magic Cast On anyway, as it’s my favorite.

In this installment of Social Knitworking Nuggets: Andrea, Jenn, and Joanna welcome Connie back to Philadelphia and introduce her to the podcast viewers.

In this installment of Social Knitworking Nuggets: Andrea and Jenn, with the help of several TSRs and Other Joanna, discuss boobs. Would you like to knit some?

• The Knitted Knockers Program
• Tit Bits pattern from Knitty, Fall 2005

In this first installment of Social Knitworking Nuggets: Andrea, Jenn, and Joanna introduce themselves to the world at the regular Tuesday night knitting circle; Joanna unveils her newest addition; we all look at boobs.