Sunday, December 27, 2009

Out!, Damn Socks!

Okay, okay, okay. I hate socks.

I was knitting some toe-up socks for a Christmas gift for Cat.

I'm completely convinced that toe-up is the way to knit socks. There's none of the sloppy picking up of stitches. The hard part is getting started but after multiple attempts, I finally understand and appreciate Judy's Magic Cast-on.

I was knitting some lacy sock pattern from a toe-up book, Knitting More Circles . . . I think it's near-called.

After trying and failing and trying and failing and trying and succeeding, I got the toe-up cast on. I understand it. It makes sense.

I knit for a bit, not closely following the pattern, adjusting for gauge, got past the heel . . . HATED it. Frogged it.

Cast on again, this time following a pattern, the lacy one. I discovered in the first repeat (four lines) that you lose two stitches. In all the other lines, there's a K2T and a YO that cancel each other out, but in one line there's two K2T and only one YO in the repeat. So you lose a stitch.

I discovered it and decided that when I get to row 5, I'll just do a knit row and increase two before starting the repeat again.

This worked fine, but it was frustrating. I was already VERY upset with these socks and Christmas was looming. I decided to just stockinette the rest of the way. I turned the heel (loved it) p2k2 up the leg and cast off.

It was too tight. So I UNcast off, picked up those maddeningly tiny stitches and cast off again, using a much larger needle.

Then I cast on the toe of the second sock. Got into the lacy repeats, got mad at the pattern again and decided SCREW IT. (I even wrote in my journal "I'm beginning to despise socks.")

I wrapped the sock in a lovely Girl Scouts tin with a note . . . "If it fits, I'll finish it. If not, then at least you have a lovely box."

Christmas afternoon, we're opening presents. Cat opens hers and reads the note and immediately decides to try it on. IT DOESN'T FIT!!!!

As Cat is getting MY present, I'm LOUDLY forsaking socks. "Alright, I'm done! I am no longer knitting socks!~ I HATE SOCKS!"

Then I turned to open Cat's present to me. It's "2-at-a-time Socks" by Melissa Morgan-Oakes, 40" size 2 circular needles and a lovely skein of sock yarn.

Okay . . . I'll try again.

3 comments:

Diana said...

That is just SO "Gift of the Magi!"

Melissa Morgan-Oakes said...

I love a nice empty box myself ;)
If you get stuck, don't hesitate to holler. And there's a lovely 2-at-a-Time Socks group on Ravelry, AND a toe-up book coming in April!!

Coleen said...

google "sewn cast off." it's a lot like doing a kitchener stitch and it leaves a nice stretchy bind off that won't cut off your circulation.

also, that sounds like there's a problem with the pattern. did you check and see if there is any errata for the pattern?

merry christmas!