End of June Sock Progress

Considering that both these socks and the blue ones sat quietly and didn't call to me for all of April and May, they sure knitted up fast once they started calling to me again.

The ribbing is an experiment -- I looked at the back of pattern 6 from Sampler CM and thought, "That might make a good sock ribbing."

Naturally, I couldn't leave the pattern alone and just knit the back! First, I wanted it to be balanced instead of skewed to one side. Then, I wanted a sixteen-stitch repeat instead of an eleven-stitch repeat. Finally, I have found I don't like the way lace eyelets look or feel on my ankles, so I wanted to close those yarnovers up somehow.

Talk about a ribbing with a curse!

I started out knitting on the same size needles as the foot, US size 2. I knitted a whole twelve-row repeat on both socks before trying one on: ouchie. Too tight!

My ankles are only about eight inches and a bit around, but my sock cuffs have to go over my twelve-inch heel to get there. So my ribbings have to be stretchy, and they have to bounce back to the smaller size in order not to look baggy.

I ripped my whole first ribbing attempt out and started over with US size 3 needles, nervously trying them on after every row or so.

Well . . . they fit an' all. But as my ankle expands up towards my calf, would they still fit? I switched up to size 4 needles in the middle of the second repeat.

By that point, my wrists were complaining like they haven't since I was doing hours of computer work every day. Okay, okay, change of plan.

Instead of the same four knit stitches being moved back and forth by increases and decreases on either side of them, on the third repeat I converted the increases etc. to purl stitches, changing the number on either side of four knit stitches. That is, the knit stitches move back and forth, just like spiral ribbing.

I like the smooth-edged look of the increase/decrease shapes better, but my wrists don't agree. They think the knit/purl shapes are better.

It was an experiment. If I'm not 100% happy with the results, at least I learned something. (Try the sock on before knitting a whole repeat?)