Two-handed fairisle

So I posted below that I had frogged the Lorna's Laces "vera" and cast on the "sassy stripes", but I just couldn't get with the sassy stripes. It wasn't striping...it was a mismosh of yellow and hot pink and just not doing it for me. Ribbit, ribbit......

So for a while now I've been working out of the book Sensational Knitted Socks. I really like this book, and I have been particularly taunted by the biggest sock featured on the front cover. I really like the color combo and the pattern:

So I looked at the hot pink and yellow, looked at the cover sock, and remembered that I had some Artyarns in variegated greens.

My plans for a mindless ribbing variation went out the window and here I am:

I started the first sock at around midnight last night and did a couple of rounds of the repeat last night, then started the second sock this afternoon. Green in the right hand, sassy stripes in the left. I usually do socks simultaneously and in this case I really need to. As I get more comfortable with my left-handed hold, I can feel my gauge changing.

I am definitely an English (right handed hold) knitter. But my Continental (left handed) hold is getting better. My wedding/engagement rings seem to be helping me out on my left hand. I wrap the yarn so that it comes across behind the rings and that helps a great deal with having smooth tension. I also try hard not to unwrap my left hand unless absolutely necessary. I can wrap my right hand without thinking about it, so when I move needles around I leave the left hand as it is and undo the wrap on my right hand.

It looks like there is an error in the pattern above, but it is just some tight stitches hidden by the fluffier stitches around them. Last night things were getting pretty tight. My tension is definitely getting better, though. Or at least this afternoon it was good. Don't know how it will go tomorrow.

This isn't as hard as it looks, just requires my concentration, although I am getting to the point where I can sort of watch a TV show while doing it. It also apparently requires that I hold my work right in front of my face, although I have gotten to the point where I no longer have to chant things like "over, under, over, yellow" I'm using the technique on the philosopher's wool website to pick up the strands on the wrong side. I don't like the idea of floats. I tried them on and can get them over my heels with the needles still in, so hopefully I'm not knitting socks I can't wear. Been there done that with the cable sock I knitted in Luxenbourg.....

And I must say, Corey isn't nearly as impressed by my two-handed knitting as I wish he were. As far as he is concerned, all knitting is two-handed. He just doesn't get why this is such a big deal for me, but he does get that it is a big deal.

And I cast on another pair of fetching tonight during Superman Returns. I needed a mindless pattern and I promised a pair of purple fingerless mitts to a niece whose sister co-opted a green pair I was working on in Pensacola.

Oh, and have you ever seen the original Star Trek episode the trouble with tribbles? Corey is convinced that my yarn balls are really tribbles, arriving in the house pregnant and multiplying at will....