Hand-knitted Socks

I'm absolutely fascinated by hand-knitted socks.  It's the whole reason I wanted to learn to knit.  I wanted to knit socks.  Not that I necessarily want to wear thick, hand-knitted socks on a daily basis, but I think socks are awesome and I WILL wear them around the house.  Also, I remember my mother crocheting these awesome booties with loops all over them.  We would wear them out each year and get a new pair for Christmas.  By that time we were having to wear our socks under the booties because of the giant holes in them (probably the direct result of slip-sliding-away through the kitchen...)

But, back to hand-knitted socks.  They are complicated and I just knew I wasn't going to get to knit one straight from the start...besides there was also the whole coordination thing.  I was bad at crocheting and I didn't see how I was ever going to manage to hold two sticks together and swish them back and form while making loopedy-loops with my hands and have any sort of magic happen.  So, I never braved it.

Then one day in the summer/fall of 2010 my mother gave me these Knifty Knitters and I started making hats.  I'd never been interested in wearing hats before, much less making them, but these things were awesome.  Soon everyone I knew had a knitted hat.  The problem?  I was bored because I could only use one size of yarn or doubled up another size but the hats all looked the same.  That was boring and reading the directions to try to do something interesting on the Knifty Knitter was just too confusing. 

The answer:  I must learn to knit.  I needed something to do in the car with all the trips we were taking in 2011 and, by-golly, I really wanted some hand-knitted socks.

So, I tried.  And gave up.

I bought some different Knifty Knitters that I could knit in long swatches.  This was some better, but not much.  I got bored with that after a couple of scarves.

So, I decided I was going to make the knitting happen.  I tried again, floundered, fluttered, then somehow took off.  I made a hat, then another, then started a scarf (that took over 10 months to finish becuase it's just SO boring to knit a scarf).  I've made a couple of cowls, several hats, and another half of a scarf (it's lacy and pretty and I'll eventually finish it).  I've also started a sweater, but remember, I had a goal when I started knitting--socks.

I've been looking at patterns, looking at the construction of socks I own, thinking about socks and was so intimidated by the thought of tiny double pointed needles and skinny sock yarn that I just didn't want to make the leap--except I was dying to...so I did.

Last night I turned the heel on my sock, reestablished the round and started working on the gusset and instep (sounds all kinds of fancy doesn't it???).  I'm so excited to finish up my first sock.  It isn't perfect, but it'll be pretty and honestly who will be looking at my heel and ankle anyway.  I think a couple more evenings and I'll have it finished.  It's very rewarding, and the whole reason I started the knitting adventure after all...and to be honest, I think I'm rather hooked!