Sock History

Lollygirl suggested that Socktoberfest types share their sock history, so here goes...

I started making socks this summer. I blame, er, credit, the Yarn Harlot’s Knitting Rules and her utterly charming chapter on the allure of sock knitting. Plus knitting socks makes me feel like a super-genius.

I originally taught myself using the Harlot’s Rules and the free pattern on a (hideous) ball of Lion Brand Magic Stripes yarn. Over the summer I also took a sock knitting class at A Good Yarn, wherein I discovered I already knew how to knit socks, but was reassured to hear that my “mistakes” (ladders, holes at the gusset) were totally normal and could be fixed with practice and some yanking.

I had already made two other socks (not a pair) before making the first full pair for my sock knitting class. Considering that I made them out of DK-weight alpaca at the end of August, they’ve had minimal wear and have consequently held up brilliantly.

That first pair is chock-full of mistakes, but I pretty much adore them just the way they are.

In terms of construction, I might try a short-row heel next or toe-up, but so far it’s been plain old top-down, heel flapping on DPNs for me. There's something pleasingly tidy and old-fashioned about that method.

I do have Cat Bordhi’s Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles, though I haven’t tried it out yet. Oddly, I’m always willing to buy yarn that might not pan out, but I just can’t make myself invest in several Addis for a sock-knitting method I might not like. And I don’t do enough knitting with fingering weight yarn to justify teeny tiny Addis for anything else.

As for yarn, I’ve tried Opal, Lorna’s, Sunshine Yarns and Lion Magic Stripe, as well as the DK-weight alpaca. Mostly, I’m just a big slut for cute colors and stripes. The yarn itself matters less to me.

Just the one pair so far, so I guess I'm a sock novice. I’ve started and frogged three or four others, and I’m currently in a fight with my most recent sock (I love him so, but I'm afraid we're not meant to be together).

So I suppose in the spirit of Socktoberfest, I should be knitting something sockish, instead of just talking about it…

Off to the knitting!