O Say Can You See...

...that gold medal that will be posted soon?

I finished the socks! I'm as shocked as you are. They're not perfect and they certainly are beginner socks, but they're wearable and mom will (hopefully) like them. If not, she can send them back and I'll wear them!

Olympics Socks
Pattern: a hodge-podge; I cast on 64 stitches and knit in 1x1 ribbing for about an inch, then switched to stockinette for about 6 total inches. I used this short row heel and then went back to stockinette. I used the toe in the basic sock pattern in Nancy Bush's Folk Socks book.
Yarn: Opal Rodeo; 1 skein with enough leftover to try another toe-up pair
Needles: Addi Turbos Size 1
Recipient: Mom
Date Started: 10 February 2006
Date Completed: 26 February 2006
Notes: I had a good time with these. I like them much more than the sock I completed in the class, but there are still problems. I don't like my gauge at the heel section, although the second sock is a huge improvement over the first. I think they are a bit on the short side but I don't know if I could wear them higher without adding a few stitches. My gauge is on the tight side and I think if I did 64 stitches in stockinette, they couldn't really go too much higher on my legs without being tight. I was shocked at how much yarn I have left. I think I want to try to do a pair of toe-up socks and knit until I run out of yarn. In my mind, it'll work out great if I buy another sock needle and start one from the inside of the skein, one from the outside and knit until they meet in the middle, sort of the Lady and the Tramp spaghetti effect. Now if the theory matches the reality...

I'd still like to reinforce some of the holes at the heel but I think this should also wait until after I finish another pair so I can use yarn from matching stripes.

Overall, I'm counting these as a success. I'm glad that I abandoned my plan to knit various socks in various patterns to see what my ideal pattern will be. (See tomorrow's post for more on this.) This is one pair down, many more to go on the sock knitting bandwagon.

And in true Olympic spirit, I hosted a knitting/game Olympics party on Friday. There was an M&M tribute to the rings. Wouldn't Martha be proud?