Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles by Cat Bordi (2002, Paperback)

A good friend said that I would like this book & she was SO right. My 1st pair of knitted socks was the ever popular Argyle pattern of the 1950's. I had even knit a pair of socks with beer steins on the sides(the foam was angora,of course) for my father who was a bartender. Having moved on to other projects over the years, I attempted some socks periodically but was plagued by the dreaded "second sock syndrome". All of that ended when I started to read about Cat Bordi's theory & technique. I was absolutely intrigued & decided to try it with the felted slipper since that involved big needles & chunky yarn (easier to see and much faster to complete). After that I was totally hooked & have not knit a pair of socks on double pointed needles since. The real beauty of the technique is the fact that when you finish your socks you have a pair to wear without having to cast on & start all over again! A not so apparent plus is the fact that if you make any pattern changes or adjustments, you will do it on BOTH socks at once. Unless you are REALLY good at making notes about changes, trying to remember what you did differently on the 1st sock can be very challenging when you are working on the 2nd sock. I even had 1 sock finished in a yarn that I really liked & had lots of it, so after trying Cat's technique I knit the remaining THREE socks at the same time and ended up with 2 pair of favorite socks! Try having the kids explain that to their friends. The suggestions that she makes along the way contain so much common sense that you will have one of those "why didn't I think of that" moments. For example, the idea of using sets of circular needles that have tips of totally different colors or obvious contrasting cable colors can help the novice to differentiate from the front & back of the sock. I could go on and on but it should be very obvious that I am very impressed by her ideas & thought processes. Over the past 4 years, I have had the pleasure of attending some of her presentations & classes. She is always entertaining & thought provoking. A great gift for a favorite sock knitter that could warm your SOLES if you include the yarn that you like & the circular needles or a gift certificate to a good yarn shop!