My foot is on the right with the blue striped sock and Mom's is on the left.
Over the next month, I managed to somehow turn out not only the second sock of that pair, but four additional pairs - one for each child, one for my grandmother's December birthday, and one for my mother-in-law's Christmas gift. All of these socks were knit using four size 5 double pointed needles (dpns) starting from the cuff and working down.
My obsession had begun.
Being just a tad bit OCD, I soon discovered that most socks are actually knit using smaller needles - size 0-2 - and there were actually quite a few different techniques including - *gasp* - toe-up socks! Using 5 dpns instead of only 4! Two circular needles! Magic loop!
In the meantime, Chris was dropping not-so-subtle hints about his being the only family member in the house without a pair of hand knit socks. I dutifully began working on a pair for him that were definitely more advanced - five size 2 needles and a pattern knitted into the foot & leg of the sock. These were still worked from the top down. I finished the first of his socks and had two overwhelming emotions. First, I was so proud of myself for creating a more complex sock! Second, I dreaded knitting the second one. It seems as though I had caught the extremely common condition called...
Second Sock Syndrome! (Dun dun DUUUUNNN!)
With so many sock patterns and techniques to try out, why would I ever want to knit two identical things? As magnificent as the first one may turn out, the second is more like "been there, done that." And yet, my husband has two feet. And apparently a desire for hand-knit socks since nary a day went by without him asking me, "How's my other sock coming?" So I promptly started another sock. For myself.
This time I decided to try the "magic loop" method where you knit the entire sock on a single, long circular needle. This sock is also worked from the cuff down.
First few inches of "Angee" sock from Cookie A's "Sock Innovations"
Eventually (just a couple of weeks later), I did get around to casting on and knitting his second sock. I think they turned out pretty nice.
Chris's Hedgerow Socks in Flax
Get this - once his socks were finished... HE WANTED TO WEAR THEM. Just wear them. Anywhere. Even to work. With boots. Ha ha... yeah, not happening. After the hours of labor and love that went into these socks, I gently informed him that these are SPECIAL socks, not every day socks. More like church socks. Or going-out-to-dinner-and-wearing-real-shoes-not-sneakers socks. At first he looked at me like I'm a bit crazy, but maybe it was the crazy in my eyes that convinced him to put the socks away until Sunday.
Did I mention that I had also cast-on for a pair of socks that will be another gift? I'll post more about those once they have been gifted (and finished), but they were my first pair of toe-up socks. This means just what it sounds like - you start at the toe and work your way up the foot to the heel then finally to the ankle/cuff. I got to learn another new technique to go along with these socks called a short row toe with a wrap & turn. Yarn gets wrapped around stitches like little nooses around their little stitch necks and eureka! Somehow it makes a cute little toe pocket.
Short row, wrap & turn toe - practice
That gave me two sock projects going at once - the Angee socks I cast on while procrastinating on Chris's second sock, and the toe-up socks for a gift. Lo and behold, I finished the first Angee sock.
First "Angee" sock finished!
That left me with one sock to go for that pair, plus the gift socks. So of course I did what any sock knitter would do...
I cast on a third pair of socks.
But wait! I had no choice! I had just seen a bunch of posts on Ravelry.com about something amazing.... yet another technique to expand my horizons.... (wait for it....)
Two-at-a-time socks.
Yes, two-at-a-time - otherwise acronymed as 2AAT. You knit both socks at once on a very long circular needle (via the magic loop method). Not only do you start them at the same time, but you finish them at the same time! Hallelujah! A cure for second sock syndrome! So I got some size 0 circular needles with 47" cables and promptly knitted the toes of my first 2AAT socks. (Yes, the side-by-side toe boxes do look a bit like a bikini top, but I assure you that I will never knit myself a bathing suit. Or undergarments.)
Toes for 2AAT socks
How freaking cool is that??? And these are what I've been working on at home since I am following a chart for the pattern and need to concentrate. They are the "I Heart Toe-Up Socks" from Wendy Johnson's "Socks from the Toe Up" book. The gift socks are also still being worked on - they are my gymnastics socks (I work on those during the three hours each week that Francesca is at gymnastics).
After a few days of knitting my 2AAT socks, you can see the heart pattern (upside down in the picture) on either side of the center line.
Progress of my 2AAT "I Heart Toe-Up Socks"
I have yet to start the second Angee sock, but being those are for me, there's no rush. (At least that's how I justify it in my head.) And now you are up-to-date on my new obsession with sock knitting.
Stay tuned for my next post on sock yarn hoarding....
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