Double Heelix: Demo video

Double Heelix went live three days ago, and I've been thrilled with the reception!

Here is a YouTube demo video I just put together, which walks you through the cast on and the first 2 cycles of the heel. It's definitely a challenging sock project to tackle, and I hope this makes it easier for knitters to get over the inital learning curve.


Thanks to everyone for your interest, I am honored. :)

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Double Heelix!

The day has arrived. Knitty is up!

(Photo: Lorilee Beltman)

If you visit this article from the latest issue of knitty.com, you'll see a project that has been long in-the-making. The design in the article is a version designed for high contrast, semisolid yarns, but there's more than one way to wrap a helix around a foot!

(Photo: Eddie Carden)

You'll recognize the knitty socks here (I'll call them "Flavor 1"), along with another flavor, kindly modeled by my sister-in-law.

In Flavor 1, the 4 strands that make the heel reduce to 2 at the ankle, which then split off to work either the cuff or the toe. The helix knitting ends at the ankle and the rest of the sock is stockinette worked in the round.

In Flavor 2, all 4 strands used for the heel continue to make the rest of the sock, but the 4 strands split into 2 sets at the instep. 1 strand of each color is worked in either direction, which changes the bold helix into a pinstripe helix.

(Photo: Jeny Staiman)

Flavor 2 is made with Blue Moon lightweight sock yarn, in colors Bejewelled and Korppi. The gauge for this yarn is slightly larger than that of Shibui/Koigu (I get 7.5 st/inch with BMFA lightweight and 8 st/inch with Shibui/Koigu). But if you are knitting for a medium, large, or extra-large foot, all you have to do is follow the knitty instructions for the size below the one you're making. Size S using Blue Moon will yield a medium-sized sock, and likewise, size M made with Blue Moon will yield a large-sized sock.

Now here's another flavor...

(Photo: Jeff Staiman)

I affectionately call these socks "Double Heelix On Acid" because they are made with a Rockin' Sock Club yarn called "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" (some readers may recognize it). The yarn was so bright, I thought it would benefit from some contrast with black, and this is where I ended up.

In this flavor (Flavor 3), after you finish working the heel, all 4 strands continue to make the next part of the sock. It doesn't matter whether you carry the 4 strands into the foot or the heel, so I made one of each!


Sizing with Flavor 3 is as with Flavor 2, since it also uses Blue Moon Yarn. Actually I'm not sure what I used for the black, it was something in my stash that matched the gauge. But if I were to pick a Blue Moon yarn it would definitely be Shadow.


There are yet more ways to explore this topic, and as I make my way through them, I will share them with you. Thanks for reading!

Jeny's Stretchy Slipknot Cast-On

Since Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off was published in Knitty earlier this month, a number of knitters have asked me if there is an accompanying stretchy cast-on. Well, there is. It is the most elastic cast-on I know -- more elastic than the classic long-tail cast-on. And this one is not a long-tail cast-on so you don't have to worry about how much yarn to leave for the tail.

Like my bind-off, this cast-on is super-stretchy:

And like my bind-off, this cast-on also hinges at the bends of the ribbing.

I've created a video to show you how to do it.

This video is also available on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n8E3I6Cg2k.

The basic premise of this cast-on is this:

1. Make a slip knot.
2. Make another slip knot.
3. Continue.

It's really as simple as that. But it's a little tricky getting the slip knots to all line up right next to each other on the needle. The video will walk you through the tricky parts.

The origin of this bindoff is somewhat of a mystery. Years and years ago I learned it, or something like it, from a book. I later forgot how to do it, and couldn't find the original resource I learned from, or any knitters who knew it, so I had to figure it out all over again by myself. This happened a few more times over the years. And I still can't find the resource, or any other knitter who uses this cast-on. So who knows if it's an original, or if it's some ancient cast-on, lost in the midst of time. It doesn't matter -- it's an awesome cast-on that every knitter should know about. If you've ever used or seen anything like it, please post a comment!

Warning: This cast-on is a bit finicky about the kind of yarn you use. You should use yarn that is a smooth texture and uniform in width. Trying to do this cast-on with yarns like chenille, or any of the yarns shown here, will give you nightmares!

ADDENDUM 9/28: Now that this post has been up for a few days, other knitters who know this cast-on (or very similar) are coming out of the woodwork. Yaaay, I knew you were out there!

Check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKwYH-vqJL0

The author twists the yarn around the needles with a different set of motions, but the end result is, in fact, the same.

ADDENDUM #2, 10/4: A-HA! Confirmation that yes this does in fact exist in print. See Montse Stanley's Buttonhole Cast-On, p. 76, fig 2.37.