Friday, July 18, 2008

What is a "Kaibashira"?

Pattern: Kaibashira Yarn: Spunky Eclectic Needle: Size2 40"circ cast on: June 24 cast off: July 9 So, what IS a "Kaibashira"? As Chrissy Gardiner, the creator of the Kaibashira says, "Named after the sushi term for the eye of the scallop (i.e. the yummy part), this sock was conceived on a recent trip to Tokyo after I scored a pair of Japanese stitch dictionaries from the yarn section in the large department store Matsuyo. Made from a single ball of SWTC Tofutsies sock yarn, which contains antibacterial chitin (made from ground-up bits of shell from various sea creatures), this is the perfect summer sock - airy, lightweight and guaranteed not to make you sweat.” Okay, well now we know what a Kaibashira is, lets here more about the sock. Designed by Chrissy Gardiner, who is... uhm is... well... is incredibly frickin' amazing and has been published in More Big Girl Knits, Knitscene, Interweave, BMFA, Woolgirl, numberous other sock clubs all while hosting her own pattern store: Gardiner Yarn Works. True to the description given above, the sock is airy, lightweight, but "guaranteed not to make you sweat"? Not in the wool I choose: soft, subtle 5ply Merino/Nylon Sport is heaven for your feet, just not at the height of July! I selected this pattern when looking for a suitable usage for my Spunky Eclectic Super Nova in Chocolate Covered Cherries from my favorite LYS Inua Wool. The pattern was posted by another member of the Sock-A-Month knitalong blog (I haven't contacted the poster, so I won't mention her name without permission). Within five minutes of viewing her sock, I had the pattern printed and was set to cast on. The scallops at the top had me hooked at first glance! The knit-poster called them the Best Socks in the World and after knitting them, I whole-heartedly agree. The technique was a joy to learn and the pattern is gorgeous. Actual casting of the sock was a SHOCK. I had never in my life casted on 187 sts for a sock! Yep, read that right... 187 stitches to cast on. After the scallops, the stitch count went down to a much more reasonable 66 sts on the round. The leg pattern has a lovely fan & feather motif and is flawless in its authoring. I found no problems with knitting these babies up. They are soft and gorgeous. Unfortunately, they are not quite my style. I will use the scalloping technique again on baby items, but these puppies are going in the gift basket (since it is now empty from all of the birthdays that came this summer). Overall, this sock is amazing. I recommend it highly to sock knitter with a lust for ruffles and a couple socks under their belt. I plan to make this pattern again with the only alteration being a three purl curled cuff, similar to the edge of my Chevron scarf. Hopefully in a blueberry or sage colorway. I just might have some yarn in my stash. I'm off to look...

1 comment:

Holly Jo said...

WOW! They are great. Perfect pairing with pattern and yarn choice. 186. That is a lot especially for sport weight. Building a house, demanding summer job, and still cranking out the objects. :)