I wanted new winter socks - nice sturdy ones that keep your toes warm. Nice traditional socks. I however met the sock patterns of doom.
This sock has been knitted at least 8 times over the past 12 months or so. The first pattern I tried came free with the yarn and was somewhat sparse on the instruction. It told me to decrease for the heel but then said (helpfully) knit the heel into the remaining stitches. Now even a rank amateur like myself could see that either there needed to be an increase in stitches or a picking up of stitches somewhere. Only as this was my first sock I did not know where. So I tried a variety of options and ended up with a sock for someone with no foot - possibly just one very looong toe. I frogged it back to the ribbing.
So I decided to try a different pattern. This pattern had the advantage that it acknowledged the need for further stitches after the reductions for the heel, but no hint as to how the heel and the foot were going to be joined - perhaps I was supposed to sew it together afterwards? Though there was nothing in the pattern to indicate that this was the case. So I frogged it and reknitted from the same pattern paying very close attention to the heel - I ended up with the same result.
Undeterred I located a third pattern, which was for a completely different type of yarn and the whole reducing and increasing bit got a tad complicated. The resulting mess had an interesting lace pattern around the heel which was unfortunate because at least everything was sort of knitted together. Frogged it again and put it away in frustration.
The sock was not going to beat me into submission! I perservered and have infact finally conquered the sock!
Proof that the sock is done!!
This sock has been knitted at least 8 times over the past 12 months or so. The first pattern I tried came free with the yarn and was somewhat sparse on the instruction. It told me to decrease for the heel but then said (helpfully) knit the heel into the remaining stitches. Now even a rank amateur like myself could see that either there needed to be an increase in stitches or a picking up of stitches somewhere. Only as this was my first sock I did not know where. So I tried a variety of options and ended up with a sock for someone with no foot - possibly just one very looong toe. I frogged it back to the ribbing.
So I decided to try a different pattern. This pattern had the advantage that it acknowledged the need for further stitches after the reductions for the heel, but no hint as to how the heel and the foot were going to be joined - perhaps I was supposed to sew it together afterwards? Though there was nothing in the pattern to indicate that this was the case. So I frogged it and reknitted from the same pattern paying very close attention to the heel - I ended up with the same result.
Undeterred I located a third pattern, which was for a completely different type of yarn and the whole reducing and increasing bit got a tad complicated. The resulting mess had an interesting lace pattern around the heel which was unfortunate because at least everything was sort of knitted together. Frogged it again and put it away in frustration.
The sock was not going to beat me into submission! I perservered and have infact finally conquered the sock!
Proof that the sock is done!!
Things I have discovered about sock knitting:
There are two ways to knit heels
There are two ways to decrease for toes
The instructions will invariably leave out 1 important tip, which if you haven't done it before will leave you non-plussed and with a misshapen mess.
Some instructions forget to tell you where & when to decrease
Some instructions do not tell you how to knit the heel and the rest of the sock into one piece.
There are two ways to decrease for toes
The instructions will invariably leave out 1 important tip, which if you haven't done it before will leave you non-plussed and with a misshapen mess.
Some instructions forget to tell you where & when to decrease
Some instructions do not tell you how to knit the heel and the rest of the sock into one piece.
think the whole leaving out the heel bit is kind of like forgetting to tell you how to knit a neck hole in your sweater no?? this is why i dont knit.
ReplyDeleteyeah, I especially liked the pattern that said - 'now knit the heel'. Perhaps I knit because I like the challenge?
ReplyDeletemasochist
ReplyDelete