Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Socktoberfest!!!

Well, October is upon us, and it's time for Socktoberfest, put together by the lovely Lauren at Lolly Knitting Around!

In honor of Socktoberfest, I thought I'd answer the sock meme from Lauren's blog. Here you go!

When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class? I started making socks last winter, for the Knitting Olympics, although I had been itching to try for a few months before that (by this I mean I had been acquiring loads of sock yarn, and hoping that I would like knitting socks when I got up the gumption to try it). I taught myself although I did have some advice from the Fiberphiles and the blogosphere.

What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time? My first pair was Friday Harbor, from Knitting on the Road, knit with Socks that Rock mediumweight yarn in Fire on the Mountain. They've held up well but I've honestly only worn them a few times.
What would you have done differently? I would have made the cuff larger as it's not very stretchy and so the socks must be slightly scrunched (which isn't really a problem but the cuff is pretty and now it's hidden)
What yarns have you particularly enjoyed? I've actually only used 2 yarns for socks. Socks that Rock (twice) and Regia 6-ply (for Sock Wars). Both were actually okay although I prefer the feel of the 100% wool STR. I've swatched with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, and it felt lovely but my gauge was so small!
Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method? I knit. On DPNS. I believe in the porcupine style of knitting!
Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?) Flap, but again, I haven't knit that many socks and that's all I've tried. However, I like the flap so I see no reason to change.
How many pairs have you made? Three. One for me, one for my mom (below), and one for Sock Wars. I have one pair on the needles that I started back in May and have abandoned for other things (although I love them, the yarn is yarn I handpainted and the pattern is great). I have three pairs planned for Christmas but we'll see how that goes.

I'll have to be a bit quiet about the socks I'm knitting for Christmas to protect the innocent. However, I will share the progress I make on my grandmother's socks, since I'm fairly certain she won't be reading the blog. I'm making her some lovely silk/merino socks with a simple lace pattern down the leg (the Vine Lace Socks from Socks Socks Socks). Recently I discovered a frame-shift mutation in the lace that has put me off working on them, as I'm racked with indecision about whether to fix it, ignore it, or call it a design element and repeat it on the second sock. Comments welcome. I'll try to post a photo of it later if I can...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

How many codons... er... stitches is this mutation?