Thursday, April 3, 2008

Why did I think this was a good idea?

I've been absent lately owing to my inexplicable desire to knit some socks.

First of all, sock yarn is crack. I think the fascination with socks on my part is mostly so I can justify buying lots of pretty sock yarn in outrageous colorways. Who was it that pointed out that you can get away with color combinations in socks that would blind you in a sweater? I'm going to have to go on another yarn diet. Sadly I'll probably be sick of all these pretty colors by the time they're all made into socks, but, well, whatcha gonna do? At least with socks you only have to buy one skein to finish a project, even if it is a $20 skein. Three pairs of socks are still cheaper than a sweater and will probably provide hours more entertainment. And being entertained means I'm not running to the LYS. I hope.

I picked Knitty's Universal Toe-Up Sock Formula as my first sock pattern -- straightforward enough, custom fit, seemed like a good introduction. Well, it is a good introduction to sock knitting -- the frogging, swearing, and wondering how the hell these stitches are ever going to resemble a foot parts of sock knitting. I've lost count of how many times I've ripped out this thing and started over.

I had probably the most issues with knitting the double-wrapped stitches, but Eve and this utterly adorable little book called Knitspeak helped. I think I know what I'm doing now -- well, at least I thought I did, until a few minutes ago, but I'm tired and I'm hoping it'll look better in the morning. I sure hope so. This thing is finally resembling a toe and if I have to frog it I think I'll cry.

4 comments:

Melfina said...

Good luck. I'm going from the top down, since well, that seemed easier and if I have to rip the heel, toe or some combo thereof out, I still have ribbing to show off and feel proud of.

Anonymous said...

Dude, short row toes are a pain. Knitty has instructions for "judy's magic cast on" - it's much easier. Short row heels are a little less tedious because the weight of the sock on the needles helps stabilize the whole mess.

If you're ripping things out anyway, consider going top down. There are some great step-by-step sock tutorials on line,and it's much easier to get the foot length right.

Kimberly said...

I'm laughing....

"sock yarn is crack"

DeuceMom said...

I tagged you for a meme! Hope you don't mind, I really like your blog!