Monday, January 7, 2013

In Which I Unwittingly Convince You of My Insanity

Oh Lord. There I was all sock-hateful and then something happened.

It might have been the (fortuitous, apparently) 2mm needle breaking - which liberated me to move to a 2.25mm needle. It might have been the moment when I actually stopped caring and gained a rhythm. No doubt it had everything to do with your chorus of comments - each of which gave me key information in moving forward.

Sock 1 took 20 hrs. Sock 2 took 10.

Here's the result:

Yeah, they're really blue...


Yeah, I realize these are not the best socks in the world. They don't have the smoothest stitch, the yarn (I now know) is suboptimal for socks; it's too spongy. I don't much like the pattern.

But my kid took one look at these and it was like someone gave her a puppy for Christmas. OMG - she LOVED them. I made her an entire freakin' sweater and I got a respectful thanks. These socks, I sense she would have cut me for them. What with my not liking them particularly, it was a win-win. :-)

Then it occurred to me that if I'd never made another sweater simply cuz I didn't like the pattern, outcome and process (each of which has occurred at times) then I'd never have got anywhere!

So, grudgingly, here's to the merits of socks:
  • What appeals so much - I suspect - to so many people is the formulaic nature of sock-knitting. Don't get me wrong. You can make super-complex socks in zillions of ways. But once you've cracked a code, you can make them again and again and again and again with nary a second thought. My own disastrous first sock experience followed by a relatively smooth second sock experience proves that point - and I've only ever made one pair.
  • They really are much beloved. You sock-makers are like a cult! :-) And you've somehow inculcated my kid! There's got to be something to these "handmade socks". I owe it to generations of wonderful sock knitters - and my excellent commenters - to investigate further.
  • Can't get more practical than a pair of socks, no? And I am a pragmatic woman, after all...
  • Apparently - and I can't defend this yet - they last way long and keep you toasty warm.
Moreover, here are some things my excellent readers have recently taught me:
  • The best sock yarn is 75% wool and 25% nylon.
  • 10 stitches per inch (horizontal gauge) will knit an optimally strong fabric, though anything above 8 stitches per inch is fairly strong.
  • Regia is a very respected sock yarn brand, from Germany. It's not exciting, particularly, but it makes the most durable yarn and the first-wave knitters really appreciate it for that reason.
  • Plain is good. I mean, if ribbing seems too showy, maybe I've got off lucky. Cuz stockinette socks are much easier to knit than crazy patterns. That's ok.
  • Variegation (and patterns) keep the project interesting. I want to say they're the only thing that keeps it interesting, but I don't want to incite mutiny! I suspect, if I get to watch some kind of colour-work emerge, I'll be more excited to go from beginning to end. And, who knows, under boots I may just wear them even if they're not black!
Which is why, crazy-compulsion style, I went out and got new yarn and needles.

Here's a (somewhat wan) pic of the yarn, which is actually pretty snappy in that crazy variegated way I don't understand:

Photo source: Mariannes Wolle
The new needles are another set 2.25mms - this time pointy Addis. I know that some say one should avoid metal with socks and magic loop at all costs (Katy I hear you), but I worked the other pair on bamboo and, with the gauge of the needle paired with the loop, I just found it all too much effort to go from one stitch to the next. I think I need the slip to get a groove. Which, let's face it, is the primary thing that makes the process of knitting fun. We're about to see...

I don't want you to think I'm a sock convert. This may well be the last pair I ever knit. But at least I'll have given it the college try.

So, what do you think of my new stance? Am I seemingly schizophrenic, what with the sock hate and then the sock acceptance? Do you think the new yarn is utterly hideous - no leading questions here, the photo really isn't flattering. Let's talk!

42 comments:

  1. Fist off, insanity is often described as doing the same thing many times and expecting the same results (aka, a legacy programmer, like me).

    Anyway, while you might be crazy (like me), I don't think you're actually insane.

    I hope you feel better now. Carry on.

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    1. OK, good clarification. But I'm definitely crazy! :-)

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  2. Good for you for keeping an open mind and giving this another go. Who knows? You may be a sock convert after all.

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    1. It is possible, Andrea. Anything is possible...

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  3. I am a big fan of your dogged determination to win over socks!

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  4. Ohhhhh to the contrary, they are the BEST socks in the world. They look fantastic in my book! Way to go!!!! Seriously, I think you're sorely underestimating your skills!!!

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    1. Why thank you V! How sweet of you to love them. Makes me want to keep on :-)

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  5. I am overwhelmed at the mere idea of knitting socks of any shape or size (let alone an identical pair), so I'm floored by yours -- they're lovely!

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    1. It's really no more overwhelming than making a fur coat, P :-) Thank you!

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  6. kids.

    i kind of want to leave it at that, but may i also say the depths of your sanity reach almost all the way back round to insanity. socks, man. pretty socks. seriously.

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    1. Yeah, it's best to just leave it at that :-)

      It's nice that we have a sanity/insanity loop happening.

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  7. Those are great! And I do think the process might grow on you, at least for a travel/portable project. I like the way it breaks into units, so that you might get close to bored by the end of the cuff, but then the heel flap and stitch pick-up, shaping, etc. is interesting, then the foot itself is straightforward 'til just the point of boredom when you start the decreasing.
    I like Sweet Georgia's Tough Love Sock yarn, although I'm pretty sure the Regia's way better priced. I'd also say that silk can give you considerable strength if you want to avoid the nylon . . .

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    1. Thanks F! You are totally right, now that I think about it, just when one section gets dead boring, you get to move into another one. Which does make it more palatable. I'm going to have to try that yarn...

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  8. Seems to me there are similar things with sewing, people who love sewing pants, won't sew bras, can't understand how welt pockets work, etc etc. We all have aspects that become addictive and aspects that don't appeal. Sometimes it's just about timing and realizing that whatever you thought was too hard or too boring really does have some pay off.

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    1. So true. I have no interest in sewing homeware. None. I don't take that as a sign of my inferiority. It's just a way I free myself up to do other things :-)

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  9. I'm not a knitter (though I did make three pairs of socks in my life). Yours look great! I just wanted to add that there are lots of methods to knit and lots of people who do it whichever way suits them. My mom and my grandmother knit hundreds of socks, never read a word on knitting in their life, and always used metal needles :-). Happy knitting!

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    1. Well, you may not knit now, but once a knitter, always a knitter :-) I think you're right about the numerous ways to accomplish the same task. That's why I'm just going to keep fooling around till I find systems that work for me.

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  10. I know I will never, ever knit socks because I would end up with endless sock! I have enough half-knit scarves to know that an actual pair of socks will never happen. I do occasionally finish a chunky knit hat.

    I have nothing but admiration for anyone who can actually knit a pair of socks.

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    1. Ha! I'm imagining a really long, unfinished sock right now :-)

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  11. I was shocked - shocked, I tell you! - when these popped up on Rav yesterday! And they look great! But I was even more shocked to read that you did them with magic loop, which I find exceedingly tedious.

    Oh, and another merit of handknit socks, for the princess-like among us, is that there's no seam that rubs painfully against the cuticle of the big toe.

    I'm a big fan of variegated and crazy-colored socks: they just cheer me up in the depths of winter, and no one else can see them, so who cares?

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    1. Oooh, high praise, Gail! Thank you! What yarn do you prefer? The kind with nylon or the full-on non-synthetic?

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    2. Oh, definitely 85/15 wool/nylon. There's no way in hell I'm hand-washing socks.

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    3. I know. There was another Regia blend yarn at the shop (with merino) that was machine wash but no dry. I was all, you've got to be kidding me. I'm not babying socks.

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  12. LOL - I keep trying to love knitting socks and I'm not getting anywhere with the idea. I'm going to try fingerless gloves next. Seems like a close second and almost as pratical.

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    1. I understand. Really. And I've made lots of fingerless mitts. They're quite fun.

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  13. I really want to knit socks this year (my knitting buddy and I are actually discussing having a little knit-along haha), but I keep getting overwhelmed with all the pattern options on Ravelry. ACK. Where am I supposed to even start??

    Your socks are beautiful, btw! Totally jealous over here :)

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    1. I know what you mean. There are only 8 zillion of them. I'd search by filtered parameters indicating sport or fingering weight and about 300 yards max. The sock I knitted is very easy, if boring. But even easier is a pattern called The Basic Sock or some such. I have it favourited in Ravelry.

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  14. Great job on the socks. My daughter (same age as yours) also covets the socks I make. The last pair was made for her, but she has tried to commandeer most of the other pairs I have made. Self-striping socks are great fun, especially if they also include patterns knitted in. There is something exciting about seeing the stripe appear. If you want your socks to look the same, you will need to be sure you start each at the same point in the variegation. For some yarns this is hard to do. I have made socks matching and not matching and I prefer the matching, but my husband and daughter don’t care. I’m so glad you have given this a try, even if you never do it again. (You never know, it may be your ace in the hole gift for an ever particular child!)

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    1. Why thank you! And now you've got me freaking over the 2 socks, diff pattern thing. I wondered how that was going to work out. Hmmmm. I think I'm just going to do the first sock and see where it ends, then see if I can find the same spot to start for the second sock as I did on the first. I hope unmatched socks won't torment me, if that's what happens.

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  15. Those came out great! Excellent work for a first pair! And if you really want people to see your handiwork there are clear Wellies out there. My LYS just ordered some and I can't wait to get them!

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    1. That's crazy! Did you see a sample? I'd love to see those wellies :-)

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  16. I think the yarn is fabulous, and Regia is awesome and very long-lasting indeed. There are lots of exciting hand-dyed cashmere blend yarns out there, but most don't last very long; I've never gotten a hole in a Regia sock!

    As for the "no metal needles" with socks - nonsense! Use whatever you want. I have a set of size 1 needles in bamboo, and I love how they get a bit warped with use. However, the size 0 needles (dons) in bamboo snapped very quickly, so now I use metal 0s and they work just fine! Use whatever you enjoy.

    I love the way you described the formulaic nature of socks. It's engineering, really, but once you crack a formula that works for you... it's easy to get addicted, and they make for perfect on-the-go project.

    Great job on the blue socks!

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    1. I really want a sock that isn't going to tear! So I'm happy to try this Regia. Thanks for all of your feedback.

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  17. I'm not an avid sock knitter, but there is something about a well-fitting, totally truly seamless pair of socks made out of nice fiber... It is also a great travel project due to the small size.

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    1. Truly, I haven't found any projects to be much more portable than any others. Once you're hauling stuff around, it's a haul. :-)

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  18. Ooh very nice. My aim is to make some socks. I'm going to make some chunky 10ply ones for lounging around in, lol :)
    I like the blue. And I'm surprised your daughter went crazy for them, how cool is that? :)

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    1. Very good idea for starting out! Don't go for US size zero needles!

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  19. Yaaay socks! Glad to see you giving them another try.

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    1. Well, now that I've got those sock blockers...

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  20. Yours look fab, Kristin! You many have inspired me to give it a try...maybe. But I would have to do them two at a time, magic looped. I can't bear the thought of doing it twice!

    Ok. On second thought after that comment, maybe I should go back to my no-socking ways!!

    (They would make really good commute knitting, though, if a simple stitch.)

    We'll see. Think I have to try colourwork first...

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    1. If you do them 2 at a time on magic loop, I totally want to know how that goes. I'm going to make my next pair the same way (but using a different pattern - which is to say one I've made up based on every basic sock pattern) but, presuming I get size and learning curve issues out of the way, I do want to try 2 socks at once. It sounds crazy.

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