Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Toectomy scheduled

You might have noticed in my last post that one sock looks a bit longer than the other. That is not an optical illusion created by the bigger area of grey on its toe; it truly is longer. (And I was so excited about my "beginner's luck" in having my first socks match perfectly without any effort or planning on my part!) I can't figure out how this happened, except that I may have mistakenly decreased every row in the first sock's toe, but not in the second. So I'm going to rip back that second sock's toe (once again) and decrease every row and see if I can get them to match in length - matching the pattern exactly would be a bonus. Brian is anxious for me to hand them over; it's nice to knit for an enthusiastic recipient!

Despite the need for scheduled surgery, I was delighted with the process of knitting my very first pair of socks. The yarn was fun and easy to work with, Magic Loop was fun and easy to do, and Melanie's pattern gave me no trouble at all. I finished the second sock on Sunday while camping, leaving me with no knitting for the drive home. Ah well, I survived. :-)

The temporary (I hope) disparity in length only strengthens my desire to try knitting two socks at a time, and I want to try toe-ups as well. If I can get my ducks in a row, incorporating those two methods into my next pair of socks may begin next week, as we have another trip coming up. There are other projects that need to be cast on, but socks are what I want to cast on! I will probably compromise and take at least two projects - it's a long trip.

In other knitterly news, I have registered for one class (Hip Hems for Him and Her) and the Luminary Panel at Sock Summit. I wanted to take Four Ways to Start a Toe-Up Sock, but that class filled before I could successfully complete my registration process (their server crashed multiple times; grrr). I am both looking forward to and dreading the huge marketplace at Sock Summit, where colorful tentacles of soft yarn may ensnare and drown me in a sea of dollar signs. I could leave all forms of purchasing power at home, but what fun would that be?

That's it for now at . . .

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

They are beautiful regardless! I really like the colors and the pattern.

MiniKat said...

They are still really awesome, especially for a first pair! Don't be too hard on yourself. :-)

A :-) said...

Oh Yay!!! Look at you!!! That toe will be an easy fix - you did a great job :-)

Congrats on getting registered for the Sock Summit - I know that market room is going to rock your world. Be prepared to shop!

Egghead said...

Maybe I am blind but until you said something about one being longer than the other I didn't notice. I think they look just about perfect at they are. You are doing such a great job. Almost makes me want to try knitting again. Haven't done it since I was in 4-H in middle school.

An English Shepherd said...

If you did the same thing with one the next pair they would match , with each other, if that makes sense...

Wizz :-)

Sharon said...

I think we've all to perform a toectomy at some point as sock knitters. You can see know why they're so seductive. I've lost count at this point, but I'm knitted more than 4 dozen pairs - many as gifts.

Nancy K. said...

Magic Loop, huh?

OK. I DO want to try this....

Any chance you'd share the pattern?
How about a KAL???

Michelle said...

Thanks, everyone! Nancy, I've never done a KAL, so don't have a clue how to proceed or if I even could, given my schedule. Melanie shared the pattern with me, so I don't know if I'm free to pass it on. But I WILL tell you that I got lots of help on the twisted German cast-on and the Magic Loop method by watching YouTube videos.

melanie said...

Michelle- I make no claim to the pattern, share away! It's what sock knitters have been doing for hundreds of years...

And if the market is too overwhelming...just remember you know someone who can dye you up what ever you can dream up...or at least I can try!

Michelle said...

But Melanie dear, I don't know HOW to dream in sock yarn yet, my experience is so limited! Maybe I'll go to Sock Summit and drool all over the vendors' goods, THEN call you once I have an idea of what's out there and what I like.

Windyridge said...

Wow that's a great first pair of socks! Not so bad was it?

Karen said...

Congratulations on your first pair of socks! They look great, I look forward to seeing many more beautiful socks in the future. FWIW, Magic Loop is my preferred method.