The Problem With Socks

I like sock yarn. I like socks. I like knitting socks. I like heels and toes and all the different ways you can knit them. (I am learning the short-row heel right now, pics later this week if I can.)

The problem?

The intense let down when said sock does not fit right.

It seems like I just can't win. I even tried knitting little baby socks for Rose. The sock just isn't right. I always seem to mess up the foot length and end up ripping back the toe like 5 or 6 times. Or the leg is too tight and the ankle too loose. And how the #%&@ do you do calf shaping (or any kind of.paired decreases in 2x2 rib?!

Anyhow. I really do like knitting socks. I just wish I could get a comfortable and well fitting finished object from it.

Another FO

I finished the Possessed Socks. I am sooooo happy to have my own pair of woolly socks!! And I love the pattern sooooo much. I will definitely be knitting this pattern again. It goes really fast once you get to the foot, since that's where the "pattern" is. I love it. Did I say that already?

(The pic kind of sucks. But it's the middle of the night and there is no sunshine.)

These are done. I even frogged the toe of the first sock and reknit it. I wove the ends in. I am so proud of myself. I just need to block them...although I am not entirely sure that is necessary.

I also think my feet are narrower than my legs. I think I will test out my next pair of socks by knitting less stitches on the foot than the leg.....less by about 4-6 stitches.....and see if that makes the foot feel better.

So, that leaves only 3 WIP left (if you don't count the 2 baby sweaters that need buttons)(which I do, so I guess that's actually 5)(but 3 sounds nice, doesn't it?).

I have to finish the shawl I have been working on FOREVER, my husband's sweater (ugh!), and the cheap thrill socks. Those socks I think are going to get gifted. They are a little too big for me.

*sigh* Patting myself on the back.

Destruction

(I figured out how to load more than 5 pics!!)

I made a pair of socks for Wobbers last year:

Aren't they pretty?? I took him to the LYS and let him pick out the yarn. He choose beautifully, Claudia's Handpainted Yarn in "Hawaiian". It was lovely to knit with. I found that I LOVE knitting socks. (See more details of this project here.)

Do you want to see what happens to $26 worth of 100% wool sock yarn, soft and lovely, when given to a 9 year old boy??


Ew. See the big hole there??

And all the little holes??

The kid completely destroyed them. He asked me if I would "fix" them. Um, maybe if it was just one little hole I could figure out how to darn it. But this is really beyond fixing. I have a small amount of this yarn left and I'd rather make something new out of it than fix these socks only to have them ripped to shreds again.

I am not even going to take pictures of the other sock. It's just that bad.

I do not blame the boy. He is just a boy and wore the socks as boys do. I blame myself. From now on, he only gets socks with Nylon in them. And not expensive, handpainted yarn. Or I will at least by some sock nylon to run with the working yarn. Ei-yi-yi. These poor socks. Not to mention how worn the colors look now.

He still wears them. They still keep him warm. He just wears them around the house.

Had to share.

Eating My Own Words

I remember saying recently that I think plain vanilla socks are "boring". Um, yeah.

I am now knitting a pair of plain vanilla socks. Why?

Well. I was out with my mom and the kids the other day. She wanted to stop at JoAnn's to get some fold up, summery chair for the kids she saw on sale there earlier in the week. So we stopped.

I don't generally go for the yarn at big-box craft stores. The only yarn they usually sell that I will bother with is Paton's Wool. But, I always look when I am there. Because I am usually there with my mom. And she will gladly buy me cheap yarn. To her it's a "bargain".

Did you know they have "sock" yarn at JoAnn's? I didn't. I use the quotes because I am not sure if it really qualifies as sock yarn. It's super itchy and really thin. The band on the skein says "Size 1-3 US needles". Um, noooooo. That would make some super loose, saggy fabric.

Well, anywho. The "sock" yarn was on clearance for $2.97/skein. I picked a few up, my curiosity getting the best of me. (And the fact that I didn't have to pay for the curiosity to be satisfied.) The colors were neat looking, even if I am a yarn snob.

Even though I haven't finished the Possessed Socks yet (#2 is still on the needles), I couldn't wait to cast these socks on just to see how the yarn looks knit up.

I feel like a little kid. I am completely mesmerized by the color changes in this yarn. I'm knitting along and I'm like, "Oooo! Pink!" Then, "Look! Turquoise!" And, "Wow, orange, oh, purple, oh, some kind of fake fair isle striping!"

Yeah. The first sock is at the heel already.

What am I doing with this cheap yarn?? For now, I am liking it.