11 Socks in 2011

Inspired by Ruthie talking about twelve jackets in 2o11 I have set myself a challenge. I know that with the College course I will not be able to make 12 jackets, although regular readers know just how much I do love jackets, both wearing them and making them.

Instead I am going to make a pair of socks each month. Its not a new thing. Yarn Harlot already does this and does it better than I ever could. There are many, many sock clubs that do it. Its really a very well used idea. Nevertheless, I wanted to set myself a challenge this year, and socks seemed suitably achievable as well as being useful and able to be tailored to the amount of time available each month and the amount of complexity my brain can take on board that month.

As for 11 pairs not 12, well, I have on my list of socks, a particularly complicated but exceptionally attractive pattern called Aragorn which has cables and twiddly bits galore. Its the most advanced sock pattern I've thought to attempt and may take me a while to knit. Also, I want to knit a pair of mans socks for a relative's xmas gift. Bigger feet... longer to knit. AND, I just happen to have a stash containing exactly enough wool for 11 pairs of socks. So we will see how I get on with it.

January's Sock of the Month is the Discovery Sock by Cat Bordhi. My best friend bought me the Footprints book (shown in the photo) for Christmas. This explains how to make a toe up sock that is tailored to the individual foot. You have to make a cardboard cut out foot to fit your sock onto, by drawing around your own foot. You can then use the appropriately annotated cardboard foot to make any number of custom fitted socks. Very cool as well as providing options for amusement such as "oh look, I've got my foot in my mouth again". Once the discovery sock is done, there are fancier socks that can be attempted. I am not going to say what sock I am going to do in which month as I just know if I set out a plan I will promptly stray from it, however, potential socks include Scrappy Doo (socks made from all the bits of leftover sock yarn that I seem to have accumulated), and a pair of plain vanilla socks for RuthieK. Even if I make mainly plain vanilla socks, the yarns I have in stash will make it interesting.

I cast on last weekend and this is how far I've got.

The yarn is from HipKnits and is 100% merino hand dyed. The colour is a bit lighter than the photo shows and I think its knitting up really well though its slightly splitty.

The toe cast on is super fiddly but I am sure it will get easier with practice.

It helps if, when you get to the bit where you have to put lifelines into the sock ready to put the leg stitches in, you put the lifelines in the top of the sock, NOT on the sole of the sock.

The heel is very nice to knit and very easy. TV knitting really, which is nice as some heels need much counting and fiddling about with.

Then, once the heel is almost done (its left open at the back and will be bound closed later) you leave the heel and go on to the scariest part. Cutting a HOLE in the knitting. Yes, I had to cut a hole in the knitting, and pick up the stitches for the leg. And my friends, stitches were dropped, and swearing was heard, but I caught those pesky stitches and I put them in their place. There are no holes in my sock at all (though if one looks closely there are some suspiciously twisty, stretched, malformed stitches). I can't say I am looking forward to the whole cutting a hole in sock two thing, but perhaps having the lifelines in the right place next time will help.

Doesn't the sock look funny shaped though? Like some kind of fat boat for feet with a big enormous chimney stack where the leg is. I was quite convinced that I had messed this up as the heel at rest looks like it could never, ever fit a human foot. However, I have tried it on and it does look as though its going to fit well. So, I am currently knitting the leg, which is lovely mindless TV knitting. Around and around and around I go.

Meanwhile, because in this house the only thing better than one knitting project is two knitting projects, I have my All of a Rainbow Garden of Alla shawl which is growing nicely, if rather intermittently since this decidedly is NOT TV knitting. Its not actually all that difficult a pattern and I'm getting the hang of remembering the repeats, but its very fine yarn, and there are a lot of yarn overs right next to the markers. I really need to concentrate otherwise I end up knitting two stitches at once. I am also knitting this one without lifelines because I just felt the need to live really dangerously.