Personal Footprints for Insouciant Sock Knitters: Book Two in the New Pathways for Sock Knitters Series

by Cat Bordhi

In 2008 Cat Bordhi, ground-breaking sock designer and author of Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles and New Pathways for Sock Knitters, Book One , set herself the challenge of developing a sock knitting process that would be as simple as humanly possible without sacrificing fit or design. This is that book. Personal Footprint socks are worked 100% in the round (no back and forth on heels), no stitches need picking up, toe and heel are replaceable, there is no arithmetic, the surface is fully available for designs, the socks are easily worked two-at-a-time, and the knitter creates a very compact, portable sock pattern that can fit in any little sock bag for portability.

Genres: Knitting, Nonfiction, Crafts

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Cat Bordhi became a writer at age twelve when she discovered the power of writing to an audience that is hungry and fully present, which at the time was herself and her closest friends, and the form was shared journals and letters. Like a raccoon washing its food in a creek, Cat learned to wash her experiences in a clear stream of words that hummed with something deeper than the confusion and dreams they described. Her most valued writing tool is Roget's Thesaurus, the full, classic edition (not the one organized like a dictionary, which is a poor cousin), because it allows one to unpeel layers of obscuration from meaning simply by testing different pathways of words.

She also learned to knit a bit like a raccoon, beside a creek, at age eight. Although her first two sweaters were abandoned unfinished, and there were years when she scarcely knit at all and other years where she knit obsessively, she has always loved the mystery of pulling loops through loops to make a shaped fabric, and continues to delight in the endless possibilities that keep appearing. She likes nothing better than to have a knitting experiment go awry because it means very interesting, possibly never-before-seen things are probably hiding nearby.

During her years as a school teacher, Cat taught a form of math which required students to deepen their understanding by explaining their investigations and insights with graphs, pictures, numbers, and words. Once she began to write knitting books, she realized that she was using the very same skills she had taught, and so her books are known for their thorough explanations.

Cat has been a full-time writer since 2002, and also teaches knitting workshops, gives talks at knitting retreats and to knitting guilds, and also teaches writing workshops. At this time she leads a quiet and blessed life tucked away in the woods on a remote island in the Pacific Northwest, where she is working on the next book in the Forest Inside trilogy, and is sheepishly collecting what seem to be projects for a Third Treasury of Magical Knitting. The infinite nature of the Moebius just seems to keep offering new possibilities to explore.

Reviews

[Mollie *scoutrmom*]

This is the best knitting book I've come across to date, and I've read more than a couple of hundred, so that's really saying something. There are many excellent color-coded drawings to accompany the verbal instructions, so that I was easily able to visualize any unfamiliar technique. Should that not be sufficient, the text contains "links" to video demonstrations on her website.

One good thing is that her sock construction method has no short rows, no "turning the heel", and no working back and forth. If you can knit in the round, you can do this. I would rather have learned this method before taking multiple classes to learn how to knit socks. As a matter of fact, I'd like to teach classes from this book. You can succeed with having never made a sock before, or even knowing another who has made a sock before. She teaches simple increases and decreases with the same open, friendly tone she uses to teach some of the more advanced ideas.

I loved that this method of sock construction makes it equally simple to replace worn parts of the heel, sole, or toe without starting from scratch, which most sock construction techniques cannot claim. I also loved that this technique is so repeatable. Once you've made a perfectly-fitted sock, you can repeat the success with minimal reference to notes, you can even change the thickness of the yarn, without negating the usefulness of the template. In fact, I think an experienced knitter will be able to make the seventh, eighth, or sixty-fifth sock without having to look at any instructions at all.

I've got to say, I've been knitting for nearly 40 years, designing and teaching for over ten years, and some of Bordhi's ideas and techniques were new to me, particularly the way she goes from knitting a toe straight to the heel with only a placekeeper for the leg of the sock, and a cast-on/first round increase method, and a yarn-over stretchy bindoff method. She does give credit where she presents techniques "unvented"* by someone else. Even those techniques from others are contained in video demonstrations at the author's website. I plan to try them all, and use them in other applications.

I think her method of delineating the leg opening is a huge improvement on Elizabeth Zimmerman's "afterthought thumb", so I'm going to be making mittens with Bordhi's technique in mind.

I picked up this book because my husband had diabetic surgery a few years back that left him with an oddly-shaped right foot, and no toes. I made one sock for it, using a toe-up method, that fit all right but left me feeling inadequate as a knitwear designer. Using the method in this book, I believe that I'll be able to knit a perfectly-fitted sock for the strangely-shaped foot every time. The confidence is worth the price of admission (which as I've checked the book out from the public library, is nothing yet).

I'd say the only weakness in her method is that it won't help me make socks for my new grandson. Each time I'm sure I've got it right, he'll grow and change. That's OK, he lives in Texas and doesn't need handknit wool socks.

I've got to get myself a copy of this book, even if I cannot find it for less than <***gasp*** 'oh, the horrors' ***shuddering***> full retail. I'm going to renew this copy as much as they'll let me before I return it to the library. If ever I would need to get rid of 90% of my knitting books, I'd be keeping this one.

*For those who are unfamiliar with "unventions", knitting goddess Elizabeth Zimmerman coined the word to reflect her belief that there is truly nothing new under the knitting sun, we are not "inventing" anything, just rediscovering a lost technique. Whether she is right or not, I like the word, along with another I discovered in one of her books, antepenultimate (the next to the next to the last).

For those looking for a copy of this, I can tell you that my public library had it coded as 746.432 B729P under the Dewey Decimal System.

I gained confidence and got cheered up merely by reading this, which is unusual in a how-to book. I hope this book can do the same for the reader of my reviews.

[penny shima glanz]

Yikes, I'm the first on GoodReads to review Cat's new book? I'm not sure I can handle the pressure, or give the book justice.

First off, contrary to popular belief I actually don't hand out 5 stars to every book I "like" anymore. Those that don't get high star ratings probably didn't even get into GoodReads in the first place. Cat deserves it for this book because she has made me think outside of the box, provided clear instructions and illustrative drawings, and in my eyes most importantly, helped me get my sock knitting mojo back.

I believe I'm a pretty expert sock knitter at this point in my knitting life. I can knit socks I like for my (tiny) feet in my sleep. I'm also a pretty lazy sock knitter and don't always pay attention to the minute differences different yarns, needles sizes, moon phase make to the resulting tension. Thus my socks fit me great most of the time but if I paid attention to a few more details, they'd fit perfect all the time.

I think Cat may be able to help me out here with this new publication.

I am currently knitting the discovery sock and following Cat's directions (for once) and so far so good. I'm almost at the leg opening. On Ravelry while preparing these few words, I saw some project notes from other knitters indicating difficulty with the heel and leg fitting. I'll revise this review after I get there, but so far so good!

I love Cat's brain and I'm thankful for her publishing her thoughts and giving inspiration for those who want to think a bit creatively different.

[Tara]

leaving unrated until I actually try out the instructions. I love the idea of creating a custom footprint for my own socks!

[Laurie]

I delightful book on how to knit perfectly fitted socks.

[Cheryl]

I love how readable Cat made this book. I can't wait to try a pair

[Danielle]

Cat Bordhi is amazing--so creative and innovative. This looks like an excellent sock knitting system--I can't wait to try it! And there are 28 different socks in this book--some are really simple, but they're all gorgeous.

[Sheila]

Didn't have a chance to try this method before my library wanted the book back, but it looks like a nice tutorial and method for making custom-fit, toe-up socks. I like a heel flap, so I'm not sure I'll be permanently sold on this method of knitting socks, but I'd like to try it sometime.

[Martine]

my least used sock book

[cynthia]

Still at the beginning. Made my footprint and knitting the toe..living it. I will come back as I progress.

[Knjiga]

Easy to understand. My first socks turned out great :3

[Tracy]

Whenever I read the title I think it says "for sauced knitters". This technique is for brave souls (or drunk ones) as you have to cut your knitting! I'll stick with the sock patterns in Book One.

[Patti]

very innovative idea on knitting socks - will definitely try her method.