Sock Club - February Sock Kit

It is safe to say that I've lost my mind. What started out last June as a hobby to pass the time during my long breaks between shifts at the station, has obviously become an obsession. I find myself making long mental lists of items to knit for myself, for friends, family, co-workers, complete strangers. I have dreams about knitting, and some about just yarn. My first thought when I'm tossing things in my little backpack is "do I have what I need to knit what I want to today?" While my list of unfinished objects is of a fairly reasonable size, my list of to be knit items as yet not begun is gargantuan. I take requests, not that I need any more projects. When I find a pregnant woman in my circle of aquaintances, I immediately cast-on for a pair of socks, bare minimum. I have begun to resent dishes, laundry, even baking at times, when they interfere with my knitting. I've gone over to the dark side, and I like it!

In the midst of all that, and partly to blame for most of it, I've become quite fond of knitting socks, so as a treat for myself, and because it just sounded like a total blast, I joined a sock club. The sock club, for the uninitiated, functions thusly:

1. the addict/victim signs up for the club
2. the addict/victim provides their mailing information and payment
3. the yarn company teases the addict/victim for a month or so
4. the yarn company sends one kit every two months, with yarn and a pattern for one pair of socks


* often this sock club decides on a theme
** generally the yarn company is well known for wonderful yarn

I may have fallen victim, but I'm having a great time. The theme for this years Rockin' Sock Club (from Blue Moon Fiber Arts) is the foot - and appropriate to the theme the first sock pattern was designed to be a very comfortable sock. I made a few changes, due to a difference of opinion on what constitutes a comfortable sock, and what I ended up with makes my foot happy. Only one foot. I've only finished one sock, so far.

It took me at least 8 re-starts to get this sock going the way I wanted it to. At first I worked the pattern as written, then I frogged the whole thing and changed the garter stitch toe (that bumpy fabric you get when all you do is knit on both sides) to stockinette (think the "right" side of your favorite t-shirt). Then I frogged back to the toe and changed the k2p2 ribbing on the sole to stockinette as well, because I didn't like the way the ridges felt under my foot. The designer had put them in there to provide arch support, and while I don't think they really accomplish the job, I did know of something that did.So when I got past the ball of my foot, I knit a tighter pattern for a good 3 1/2 ish inches.


It's called eye of partridge, and it makes a hand dyed yarn like this one make really pretty patterns, see?


That part of the sock was frogged at least three times, while I tried to figure out how long to work the pattern and where to start the increases for the heel gusset. I like working socks from the toe up, but I dislike short row toes, so while the pattern called for one, I had already decided from the beginning that I was going to work a reverse gusseted heel with a flap.


And that is where the changes ended. I still had to frog the cuff of the sock twice to figure out which needle size I needed to use to make the cable pattern fit over my heel when I put the sock on, but I thought it was a pretty pattern, so it was worth it.


It takes a little tugging to get the sock on and off, but I love the way it feels around the ankle, a fair compromise in my book. Now I just need to finish the other one, and a thousand and one other things. It's safe to say I won't run out of projects, though yarn could be more of an issue, but more on that tomorrow.