February Socks and Knitting Lessons Learned

I finished my February self-imposed-sock-club socks 12 days early (how do you like that, Yarn Harlot?! just kidding), and just in time for my mom’s visit yesterday. She is the socks’ recipient, which is why they haven’t shown up on this blog until today.

  

I really enjoyed looking at the changing tones of the colorway as the yarn slipped through my hands (it’s Knit Picks’ Stroll Tonal in Deep Waters—the photos don’t do it justice), and the pattern is adapted from Lace and Cable Socks in Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy Johnson. I love the lace and cable pattern, but don’t really like making socks from the toe up, so I slapped the pattern onto my own cuff-down recipe with a short-row heel.

I learned a few new things while I knitted these socks, so I thought I’d share them here:

1. Count lace panels, if the stitch pattern is short enough to do so. I thought counting the remaining stitches after I worked the lace section would help me ensure that I didn’t screw up the lace on that row, but later learned that this strategy doesn’t work if you miss a yarn over. And after that I learned that tinking lace two rows at a time really sucks.
2. If inordinate amounts of cat hair keep showing up on your knitting and the cat isn’t lying on your ball of yarn or even in the same room with you, check your shirt. That’s probably where it’s coming from.
3. Before tightening up the stitches on your grafted toe, stick your hand in the sock to be sure you didn’t miss anything. I realized that I missed a step after tightening up my grafted stitches and had the tedious task of ungrafting them, sorting things out and regrafting. It wasn’t too bad, really, but a mistake I don’t want to make again.

Oh, and I almost forgot—the winner of my Sneaky Snake Scarf pattern giveaway is Rosina. I hope you enjoy it, and please send a photo of your finished object!

Happy Knitting,

Kelly