It would be fair to say that this last month or so has been a real attempt to take back control of some portions of my life. I've been limited by health issues for so long that as summer approached, I wasn't sure what I could do anymore, and had fallen into bad habits and poor use of my time. So choosing a place to drive to and hike around each week has been more empowering than one might normally suppose. So has been tackling a range of very old and very frayed loose ends and bringing them to completion. My first attempt at knitting socks is one of those loose ends that I've taken up again in the last few weeks.
As I watched so many others take up their needles and whip out perfectly fitting socks, I didn't think I was interested in joining in. But eventually they wore me down as I was looking for a project to use up some yarn from a sweater project. This cotton/wool blend is a worsted weight, but the shop owner where I bought it had mentioned he'd knitted up a pair of socks for himself with it and praised their warmth. I found a pattern in a book I had for "boot" socks using this weight of yarn but it required a second color. I'd been years since I purchased this yarn (on sale of course) so wasn't sure they'd even still carry it, but yes they did. I was hoping to find that green in this "milk chocolate mint" yarn, but no, nothing like that. Not even a dark brown. Only an orange, which I admit, is showing up a bit in my main yarn. I bought it but was not happy. I hoped that once I got to knitting, the two colors would look good together.
I think I must have started this at least two years ago, maybe longer. What I DO remember is that the more I knit with the two colors, the less I liked that orange, and the less I liked the pattern I'd chosen. Now I am not a novice knitter but these directions had me doing things I'd never heard of, or if I had (like the kitchener stitch) had never used. As I finished up the first sock, I kept thinking, this is the ugliest sock I've ever seen. I stuffed it on the shelf under the coffee table and there it sat until this summer, a constant reminder of unfinished work. This is SO ridiculous, I thought. Even if ugly, they will be fine to wear around the house this winter so time to bite the bullet and finish them.
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| Note the tubular binding on the top of the sock |
This pattern is worked top down and has you do a waste yarn cast on so that you can do a special tube finish at the top once the rest of the sock is knit. I'd saved that part on the first one figuring it would be best to do them both at the same time. When I finally finished up the toe on the second sock a couple of weeks ago, I didn't think it would take long to knit the few rows creating that tube binding on the socks. I was wrong. I spent several hours on two different days finishing this up on this one sock as I sat out on my deck. Too much pattern to keep track of to do while watching tv or even listening to music. And being asked to do the scariest thing I can think of, removing your stitches from the needle so you can put them back on in a certain order on two needles. But it worked and I do have to admit, it's a rather nice finish for the top of the sock. Now to do it on the other ugly sock . . .
6 comments:
But think how cozy those socks will be on a chilly fall day! And the colors are perfect for fall. I wish I could still knit, but between arthritis and tendonitis it's out of the question.
Honestly, when I pulled that totally finished one on, it fit so nicely and was so warm, it was winning me over, and I'm getting used to that orange. Just another case of envisioning one thing and when denied, having a hard time accepting second best. I empathize with the hand issues. I'm struggling with my hands suddenly cramping up in the midst of knit one purl one . . . am wondering if it would be less of an issue if I was working with larger needles. Probably not.
I hear ya….all my buddies knit and I keep thinking I should give it a try again……your experience encouraged me….
Good work! Altho that sock looks mighty small to me, unless you have tiny feet. You can always donate them to an org's auction. I do that often with socks that I don't like as much once they're finished. I'm knitting mostly for the enjoyment, at this point...so when I donate a pair, I think of it in terms of the yarn costing about the price of a meal out, but lasting for about 10 days.😉
Connie, I thought that by laying the sock over the book, you'd be better able to gauge its size but apparently not! Maybe it's the weight of the yarn, not a thin sock yarn but a regular weight, that is making you think these are small. I wear a size 8 shoe so no tiny feet here, and the sock does fit very nicely, dare I say a perfect fit? If anything it might be a tad long but I figure it will shrink a bit when I block or wash them. The shop owner noted that the first time he'd washed his he forgot about the wool in the blend and washed them in hot water. They did shrink up, he said, but oh my, it made them even warmer!
It hadn't occurred to me that hand-knit socks might make a good donation item. Thanks for the tip!
Congrats for finishing another UFO! They will be perfect for someone who likes orange. Or you could dye them afterwards. Each color / fiber will take the dye differently enough to come up with a satisfying result.
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