Unveiling... Stricken!

On June 1st, I cast on the latest Cookie A. sock from Knit Sock Love for the KSL KAL - Stricken.  I was excited, fresh for adventure, and just a tad bit naive.  Ah, Stricken....  You taxed my knitting mojo like no other sock has, but also pushed my sock knitting further than previous patterns.

I started off great!  Cuff was easy breezy! I was even excited about using my custom-made-by-me stitch markers to start sectioning off areas of the pattern in the leg.

In the first 10 days I accomplished a good amount knitting them two at a time.  This pattern has a lot of charts, and I was starting my way through chart D.

Then I hit the wall.  So many teeny tiny cables every.  Single.  Row.  And the dreaded chart E was looming.  What?  Why was it dreaded?  I knew you'd ask.

Chart E is for the heel flap, which instead of being worked around and around, is worked back and forth.  That means instead of knitting, on the back side you purl.  It's a piece of cake when a heel is a straight knit on one side and purl on the other, but these socks continue the pattern down into the heel flap.  The chart is written for the right side (RS).

You might be saying, "So..???"

So, when working Chart E, the first row is read right to left like you would any other chart, and the stitches are worked as shown.  The second row is the wrong side (WS), so it is worked left to right, AND you have to translate all the stitches.  Knits become purls and vice versa.  Knits through the back loop (ktbl) become ptbl.  Slip 1 to cable needle and hold to front, k1 tbl from left needle, ktbl from cable needle becomes slip 1 to cable needle and hold to front, p1 tbl from left needles, p1 tbl from cable needle.

Perhaps you can see why chart E was dreaded.

So I set aside my Stricken socks, telling myself it was just for a day or two.  I cast on my Hedera socks - it was now mid-June.  Hedera socks were finished on June 30 (see previous blog entries for photos).  Stricken got pushed farther to the side.

July 1st I cast on BFF.  I worked on these during our trip to PA and on the drive home.  BFF socks were finished July 11th.  Stricken was gathering dust.

July 14th I cast on Quickie Socks for Chris.  They were quick - finished both socks on July 17th.  Looked at Stricken and groaned.

Finished up my carrying-around socks - Monkeys that I had started back in April.  Bound off and wove in the ends on July 21st. 

In the meantime, I had realized the Stricken deadline of July 31st was looming if I wanted them to be eligible for KAL prizes.  On July 18th, I forced myself to pick them back up and start working.

Lo and behold, I got some of the original mojo back.  I finished Chart G, painstakingly knit through the Chart E heel flap from hell, and the rest of the foot was smooth sailing.  The relief and pride I felt when I finished off the toes was incredible!  I did it!  And with a bind off date of July 26, I had 5 days to spare.

So here they are!

Are you impressed?  It doesn't matter - I impressed myself.  :)

And with just a few days left until the beginning of August and the new KSL KAL (Twisted Flower), I bet you can guess what I did....

I cast on my very first colorwork sock for the July/Aug Sock Knitters Anonymous (SKA) KAL challenge.

More on that coming soon.....

Oh, and did I mention that I also cast on another pair of BFF socks?  Don't worry, I have a good reason.  :)