Socked

Ah, knitted socks. There's just something about knitting socks....I don't know what it is, or any useful way to describe it, but it's definitely A Thing. Initially, I was quite against knitting socks. I made a couple pairs to try it, and the experience was quite unsatisfying. All those teeny tiny knit stitches, and those awful, awful double-pointed needles. They're just so annoying. Neither of these pairs really worked out. The first set had one foot bigger than the other and mismatched dyelots (I lost the yarn label), the second set were just waaaay too large. They can be used for winter, when your feet are freezing and you want to layer six million socks - but that's about it. Unless you are a giant with giant feet.

(Please ignore how dirty my floor is.)

Recently, I tried again. Knitted socks, even badly made ones, feel amazing on your feet. I'd never thought store-bought socks were particularly uncomfortable, but apparently that was just because I'd never had knitted socks. I really wanted some socks that actually fit - maybe then they'd be worth it? I'd educated myself a bit more by this time, so I a) used two circular needles and b) found a sock pattern that was actually interesting.

Much better, right? Plus, no dirty floor!

These socks were actually fun! I really like patterns with creative construction (the heel was really cleverly put together!), and the increases/decreases that made the stripes diagonal made it much more interesting than just stockinette. When I want stockinette, I'll make yarn bombs. These were still a bit big, but only a little bit. Maybe socks weren't so bad...

So next, I made some diagonally ribbed socks that were worked inside out. Neat, right? So neat! I finished them on a car trip (which was good, because otherwise I would have run out of socks). They turned out a little small at the ankle, so they're a bit challenging to get on, but once they're on they fit nicely! I like interesting stitch patterns - this one was interesting, but easy to memorize, which is always nice. I also love how this yarn knitted up, I didn't expect it to be so marvelously rainbow!

So yeah, I'm pretty happy with these ones. And now I...really like knitting socks. I honestly didn't see that coming, I thought I'd enjoy it well enough, and the satisfaction of handknitted socks would be enough to keep me going. But, it turns out, the people who rant out making socks actually know what they're talking about! The last sock I made turned out HORRIBLY, but it's not going to stop me from making more socks, so I guess I'm devoted to the cause now. (I have a picture of it, but I'm not going to show you - it's just too ugly. It's frogged now, thank goodness.) I'm still not going to use $20+ sock yarn on socks (it just seems like such a waste, for at least three reasons) - but who knows what I'll think a week from now?