I didn't know that.

First of all, congratulations to everyone for the 50 cartons for CWS. And in such a short turn around time! Those hooks & needles were really flying to accomplish all that. A special thanks to the Basement Crew. What an awesome job they have.

Well, here's what I didn't know:

To eliminate 'ladders' on socks or mittens, when you reach the end of a double-pointed needle, always work two or three stitches from the next needle onto the working needle. Doing this will move the boundary between needles and will help prevent a line of loose stitches between needles.

The next thing I didn't know is to help eliminate the holes at the base of the thumb. Pick up a couple extra stitches, then when knitting the first round, decrease to the number your pattern calls for.

I read about these hints on Knitting Daily. I haven't tried them, but will, the next pair of socks or mittens I knit.

The last thing I didn't know comes from ACECO or Afghan Children's Education & Care Organization. If that sounds vaguely familiar, it's because they were featured on the NBC Nightly News: a young Afghan woman has opened an orphanage for 150 Afghan children. What I didn't know is that it's equally important to sponsor boys in Afghanistan. In my knitting, I've always favored styles & colors that I think girls would like. My perception is that girls are severely disadvantaged & I want to support them. But what I learned is that by including the boys, they are being taught tolerance & that girls have value. That does make sense to me.

See? You can teach a semi-old dog new things.