Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Sox on Fox, Fox on Sox






I am sooooooooo close to finishing my first grown-up size sock that I can feel it on my foot! BUT, and it is a big one...I need to learn to read directions more closely, apparently. I have a number of references resources that I am using to guide me through this process because I'm working on Magic Loop and my pattern has very specific instructions for dpns and because, frankly, I'm really nervous about this coming out right. After reading through everything many times, I thought the guides said start decreasing 2.5 inches before the length of the sock.

You experienced sock knitters should all be smugly smiling now, shaking your heads because you know that it's 2.5 inches before the length of your foot, not the length of the sock. Otherwise, the sock will be about an inch short, as mine almost was.

I thought I was at the end, but I put it on and my poor big toe was sticking out all by itself, sad not to be covered up like its buddies. I scoured the directions again and found my mistake. Ribbet, ribbet.

I'm not discouraged, not in the least. I know the next sock will go better. I do like socks, Sam I Am, I will knit them in the rain and on a train and I will knit them in a box, I do so like knitting sox. Okay, maybe not in the rain, but certainly when it's raining.

The frogging was nothing compared to the undoing of the Secret of the Stole. Having made it to the end of clue 1, I realized I just couldn't live with the problem I'd noticed earlier but tried to ignore. So I went backwards, which was no easy task since I had no idea where I ended up. I had to lift the stitches off the row one by one and check the chart to find out where I was. Then I had to figure out what had happened to the missing stitches. Though I'm not making progress in the visible sense of finishing the pattern, I did learn a lot about knitting - reading charts and understanding what the stitches should look like. I wonder if it's possible to follow a chart without counting - just by looking at where the yo and decreases should be relative to the previous row. Use the force Luke

pics to follow later - batteries on both cameras are shot!

4 comments:

Danielle said...

Your Dr. Suess references made this such a funny and interesting read! Thanks for sharing about your start into the addictive world of sock knitting!

Anonymous said...

It's really funny! I like your mind in fornt of such difficulties! I understand you... when I frog my first shawl Kiri, I said :"Now, I know the pattern, I know the mistakes I have to avoid, so let's go"..

Sometimes, I let some mistakes and add or delete some stitches in order to have the right number of stitches.. in general, it works!

I'm a bit afraid when I read your ost on the secret of the stole... but I will try it too!

I'm impatient to see your pictures!^^

monica said...

you should have seen my first sock in the making It was something and I think I ripped the heel turn out a gazzilion times before I figured it out....that is what happens when a brand new sock knitter (me at the time) knits a pattern that assumes you know what you are doing. It was a great learning experience for me.

Can't wait to see your pictures.

Unknown said...

YAY! Trust me - socks will get easier and easier to knit! Can't wait to see pictures! Don't forget to IMMEDIATELY cast on for sock #2 ;-)