3 Cheers for Cascade Fixation!
You are looking at a photo (taken yesterday 1-1-2008) of a 3.5 year old pair of handknit Cascade Fixation socks modeled by the mysterious Goldisox. (I wish you could have seen his face when I said, "C'mon, baby, work it . . . work it . . . strike a pose!")Those socks have been manhandled (literally) from the day they came off the needles in the fall of 2004. These socks have been tossed in the washer with little regard for the fact that a middle-aged knitter slaved over them for what seemed like forever. These socks have been tossed in the dryer with the sheets and towels and baked to within an inch of their cottony lives. These socks have been stuffed into running shoes and worn . . . and worn . . . and worn.
And guess what? No thin spots. No signs of wear. No holes. They wash into snowy white perfection each and every time.
If that's not a glowing recommendation for the wonder that is Cascade Fixation, I don't know what is.
Magic Loop. US1 Addi Turbos, 40". 64 stitches. K1P1 ribbing for maybe 2". Plain stockinette down the leg. My normal heel flap (S1 K1 across; S1 purl across) followed by my normal gusset treatment. Sail down the foot in stockinette and then Kitchener the toe. (He now prefers round toes.)
Were they fun to knit? No, they weren't. Snowy white cotton isn't exactly a knitter's idea of paradise. Am I delighted with them now, over three and a half years later? You bet I am! I have pairs of Fortissima Colori that are less than half the age of these Fixations, socks that have been handwashed and air-dried and babied like the next in line to the throne, any throne, that are popping stitches and showing wear on the heels that you wouldn't believe.
Maybe the Amish are right: sometimes plain & simple really is best.
Labels: Cascade Fixation, Magic Loop
posted by Barbara Bretton at 3:10 PM
5 Comments:
The socks look great! I agree simple is always better.
Great to know Fixation wears so well. That's what I'll look for when I try a pair for my husband -- he's so hard on socks.
That's a fantastic reference for Fixation! I'll have to give it a try!
I may have to try this kind of yarn myself. I did knit with Hempathy (cotton/hemp/polymide blend) which was a bear on the hands, but the results were very comfy and machine wash/dry. I made a pair of socks out of it (which stretched something fierce but it would be a great sweater) - I ended up giving these socks to my elderly diabetic neighbor who promises to sleep in them- as they won't bind her ankles like normal socks (she has terrible edema). She'd like more of the same if I could bring myself to knit them. If she's still around next year, I know what she's getting for Kissmoose. I know she could not afford to pay me what they were worth and she'd be shocked if she knew what I paid for the yarn (although only about $6/50 yd ball).
I'm really impresssed they've held up so well and look so great. I'll have to try Fixation myself -- though probably not white.
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