Dreamsicle Socks

Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding

I finished the Dreamsicle socks this weekend, bringing my 2007 finished object count up to three.  Woohoo! 

Yarn: Scheepjes Invicta Coloris No. 1713
Needles: One Profi 3mm circular needles with 120cm (40") chord using magic loop
Pattern:  I modified the men's socks in the Two Toe-Up Socks on One Circular Needle Tutorial from Silver's Sock Class to make a sock that fits my US 4.5 feet.  I cast on 24 stitches and increased to 56.  The cuff is a straight up 2x2 rib.

First Sock Impressions

I'm pretty pleased that it only took me about three weeks to finish the pair, including one restart and a couple of inches of unknitting to fetch a dropped stitch.  They fit well, so it's all good.

There are a couple of minor mistakes here and there, things that I was loath to fix after unknitting for days.  The most notable was an extra stitch that appeared in the gusset.  I knit the extra stitch together with its neighbor when I realized the problem, not bothering to unknit back to the, uhm, hole that the extra stitch created. 

So there's a hole in one sock.  You live and learn.

My first pair of socks, while exciting and monumental, are far from perfect in other ways.  The stitches are a bit wonky, especially those that were on the ends of the needles.  Silver insists that you won't get ladders, or discernible lines in the knitted fabric where adjoining stitches reside on two different needles.  Yet, I have ladders in some spots, but not everywhere.  I'm chalking this up to me getting used to knitting with the magic loop than a problem with the method.

Silver's tutorial is not a pattern, so I had to make some uneducated decisions along the way, like how much stocking knit to work before starting the ribbing.  I knit only one row, and then started the pattern.  Next time I'll knit several rows because I think the ribbing starts too low on my ankle and might rub a blister.

I'm not at all happy with the way the short row heel turned out.  My heel is filled with holes, which I gather can happen with some short row methods.  Yet, I prefer the look of the short row as compared to a heel flap, so I'll be poking around for alternative techniques to try next time. 

I also don't love the way the 2x2 ribbing turned out.  The perl stitches are very noticeable and not very nice in the self-striping yarn.  I think a tighter pattern would look much better.  My stitches are also so uneven and loose that in spots it looks like a botched chevron pattern.  I plan to block them to see if they even out.  Still, I think my needles were too big.

I wore my socks yesterday, and they worked fine as far as socks go.  Hand knit socks feel different, but difficult to say in what way.  Not bad or weird, just different.  Oddly enough, despite the yarn being 75% wool, they aren't super warm.  Again, I think a tighter knit might solve that too. 

Wouldn't you know, I probably have enough yarn left over to knit another pair of Jen-size anklets.  At least!

Comments

[Debbie]

Your first pair of socks look wonderful! Congrats on finishing them.

[Jen]

Thanks, Debbie! I took this photo on Saturday morning. I've been wearing them all weekend. :)

[becky]

In my experience, that's another great thing about knit socks. You can wear them for an entire weekend and not feel to disgusting.

They look great! Congratulations. This is more than just the first pair of socks. This is a first pair of socks with sock yarn, with the magic loop, with ribbing, and with no pattern.

My first pair involved worsted weight, size 6 dpns, and a "trash bag" closure at the top because I didn't yet know about Kitchner.

Somehow the holes in my knitted socks bother me much less than holes in other socks. I've knit several and am still working on how to get rid of laddering and gussett holes.

Congrats on a job well done!

[Heather]

Yes...live and learn, that's my knitting motto these days as well! Your socks look great, and I'd love to get my hands on some Dutch sock yarn. Let me know if you'd ever want to do a trade for some Koigu or other brand that you can't get over there;)

[Jen]

Becky: I tripped over a Web site that detailed a different way to do a short row heel that doesn't have holes, but I guess I didn't bookmark it. :( Maybe it's in a book - not sure. But apparently there are ways of making nice with short rows.

[Jen]

Heather: You don't have to wait for me to get Dutch yarn. Astrid (http://www.astridsdutchobsessions.com/ - click on Sock Yarn and scroll down for Scheepjes) can get you anything you want at ultra reasonable shipping rates, not really much more than you'd pay to order it from a US shop.

I'd be happy to swap, but unfortunately Scheepjes is no where near as nice as Koigu. Their yarn is made in a factory along with embroidery kits, quilting fabric, and rug yarn. I would waaaay get the upper hand in that swap. ;)

[Jennie]

Looks great! Lovin' the tropical feet. :) I've yet to try a short row heel but want to one of these days, since the heel looks prettier with certain designs. And am I seeing you watching cat scratch? Yes I watch too much TV.

[becky]

The holes in my last pair of socks came from a dropped stitch caught after seaming things up. Many thanks to attention deficit and arrogance combined. I should really believe that when I count one less stitch on a needle more than once that there could be a problem and it's not with my counting.

Short rows- that's when you go to the middle, p2 together, come back a certain number and ssk and repeat until you get to the end of the needle k'ing and p'ing, yes? This is the only heel I have ever done. I have a friend who swears by just picking up an extra stitch where the heel meets the bottom of the top of the sock and k2 tog to close that hole. I wonder if that's "legal?"

[Jen]

Jennie: I'm not sure what that show is. Since they dub Nick into Dutch, I almost never watch it. But, I love that whatever it is looks like it's about to eat my feet. :)

Becky: The short row I used was knit until there are two stitches left on, slip the next stitch purlwise, bring the yarn forward and slip it back. Turn the work and then purl across until you have only two stitches left. Slip stitch purlwise, bring the yarn back, slip it back on to left needle, bring the yarn forward again. Turn work and then knit until there are three stitches left. Repeat with an ever-increasing number of stitches left on the needles. You stop somewhere in the middle and then reverse the whole thing. They were calling this "wrapping stitches" b/c of all the yarn forwards and backwards. It left me with holes along the heel on both sides of the foot. I'm anxious to get the SKS book to see what other options I have. It might be here by the end of the week. :)