My first sock post for 4S.
I've been knitting socks for a few years now, and I've refined my recipe quite a bit. Lately, this involves starting with a size 1 needle for the toe section, switching to a 2 for the foot and heel depending on how stretchy the design for the instep is, and then to the next largest needle for the leg, and maybe even one more size up for the cuff. I do this because the first pair of socks I made for myself were a little too tight in places.
One thing that hasn't changed is that I knit both socks at once toe-up on a long circular needle - ie, the "magic loop" technique. (I can't wait until Signature comes out with sock needle sizes in their circular line.) I love this method of sock knitting, and it works for sleeves as well. My knitting method is cobbled from Melissa Morgan Oakes' Toe-up Two-at-a-Time Socks and Wendy Johnson's Socks From the Toe Up (particularly the pattern for the gusset heel - no more picking up stitches!)
My latest pair are knit from yarn I got at a yarn swap.
Rather bright, aren't they? I pulled this yarn from my stash when I was working on my mom's scarf, which was white, and my stepdad's socks, which were brown. We were also having quite a lot of rain on a near-daily basis for what seemed like weeks on end, so days were often dull gray. I suppose I needed something colorful to work on to brighten things up.
The label is skimpy on details, but I can tell you that it's 75% wool/25% nylon, and there's no official colorway name other than 528. The brand is called Vinca, which I've never heard of. The two skeins I got were from the same dye lot, but the color repeats start and end in different places. Trying to make them match up is more trouble than it's worth, so the socks will be somewhat mis-matched, which is fine by me.
The pattern is Wendy Johnson's "Dead Simple Lace Socks" from the Socks From the Toe Up book. It is indeed a dead simple pattern - a two-row repeat, easily memorized. Good TV or sociable knitting.
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