Rocking My (Hand-Knitted) Socks

I like think of this as the knitter's equivalent to a "fun flask."

Friends, I have discovered sock knitting, and I think I might be addicted.

Sock knitting is just so, so delightful. The idea that you're making SOCKS - SOCKS, I TELL YOU! - is so completely satisfying that it's hard to resist making an entire drawer's worth. From casting on the trim at the top of the leg to turning the heel and grafting the toe, the whole process sounds hard but it deceptively easy, a concept that makes one feel like a knitting rockstar without the tears usually associated therewith.

Most importantly though, the yarn used to make socks is completely fabulous. Right now I'm a huge fan of Knit Picks yarns (their Imagination and Stroll Hand-Painted yarns are amazing), but I'm really tempted by the stuff over at Blue Moon Fiber Arts and some of the things I've spotted on Etsy. Blue Moon is an "indie" shop that spins and dyes all their fibers by hand; they also make some of the yummiest colorways I've ever seen. I'm currently lusting for Chapman Springs, Sherbet, Storeytime, and Titania in their Socks That Rock! blend. So yummy!

I digress. (Sorry. It happens when I start chatting about yarn. Ask Bryan.)

Back in mid-January I dug a hank of Knit Picks Imagination in Gingerbread House out of my stash drawer and cast on for my first pair of socks using this pattern. It took me about a month to finish the first sock because I got distracted by other projects, but once I cast on for the second sock it only took a week of sporadic knitting for me to finish it off. All told, I think I probably spent about a day's (24 hours) worth of time making my socks. They turned out a bit big (for technical reasons that I won't bore you with here) but I was so proud of them that I decided not to gift them and instead kept them for myself.


IT'S A SOCK!

I sense the universe may be trying to punish me for being selfish with my knitted goods, because I sort of maybe accidentally unintentionally felted them... while wearing them. Oops.


These are my teeny tiny, Gingerbread House feet on Friday morning.

So. I wore my awesome socks to work on Friday because it was cold out, and I wore them with these cheap ankle boots I have, knowing that my foot would probably get pretty sweaty, but not thinking about HOW sweaty it would get encased in synthetic material and covered in a wool-alpaca blend sock. I noticed that the socks got softer and smoother throughout the day, but it wasn't until I got home and took off my boots that I realized that my feet had sweated so profusely (gross, I know) that they were FELTED around the toes and on the sole of the foot.

Thankfully, the socks were so big on me to begin with that they're still wearable and even still a little too big. The felting might actually help them last longer (less wear and tear on the delicate toe and heel stitches), but all of my gorgeous knit work in that area has been lost. I'm so bummed about this, but I'll continue to proudly wear my socks anyway, because they were both a joy to knit and a lesson in my new favorite kind of knitting.