Hmm… It’s not going too well really. This is how Will’s polka dot socks have ended up:
Frogged.
I spent all day on Sunday trying to get a corrugated ribbing that fitted over Will’s heel without gaping over his ankle, and working out a polka dot pattern that didn’t automagically transform into a polka oval pattern the minute he put it on. Finally I gave up. I’ll come up with an alternative soon…
And Steve’s socks? Well, I decided to use the Nine-to-Five pattern instead of my original choice of Having Hope. They were looking pretty good, if I say so myself:
Nice stitch pattern, and variegated Malabrigo sock yarn that turned into attractive stripes, instead of pooling nastily as I feared that it would.
A really sturdy heel, knitted with the addition of woolly nylon for strength.
And now?
Frogged.
The problem was that they were just too tight for Steve. I sort of knew this from about the first inch, but carried on anyway, telling myself that all would come right in the blocking. He very sweetly struggled to get the sock over his heel several times, telling me that ‘no, really, it’s fine!’ – at the same time as the effort of pulling it on caused his face to match the colour of the sock…
I decided to come clean with myself. This is really special yarn, and I want Steve to have a really special pair of socks from it. Just too tight socks, however gorgeous the yarn, are just not what he deserves.
So I’ve started again, this time with a similar but different pattern. This time I’m making the Diagonal Cross-Rib Socks from Interweave’s Favourite Socks. It’s specifically designed for men, and although it has the same number of stitches in a round (70), the leg is worked with a 3.25mm needle, which goes down to 2.75mm for the foot. It is already much looser, and I think it will be fine.
So, I had 6 1/2 weeks to knit six Christmas items (2 mittens and 4 socks), and in 1 1/2 weeks I have completed a grand total of – one. Oh well, all is not yet lost!
