As I mentioned in my last post I am participating in this year's Sock Madness competition. Last Thursday we received the pattern and the race was on. It is now after midnight Monday and I'm still questioning myself, trying to understand why I am doing this. I am not the greatest sock knitter nor the most passionate one. But I am somewhat competitive and I guess I want to see how far I can make it in this event. One good thing has come from it. I am being exposed to new techniques. The cast on is a new one on me, Twisted German cast - on. I've never heard of it before but of course there is a video on You Tube demonstrating how to do it. It's a nice stretchy cast on, which is just the thing for socks, but it hurt my hands to do it. I don't know if I was using muscles I don't normally engage but my fingers were aching when I finished casting on.
I had bought some beautiful Koigu KPPPM in a lovely green color and knitted all the way to the heel before I decided I didn't want to use this yarn for this pattern. I was thinking that I would finish my first sock on Friday, but I panicked when I saw something called the Afterthought Heel which made me want to throw in the towel, so I frogged it and didn't pick up needles again until Saturday when I decided I'd try again with some gray Patons Kroy sock yarn from my stash. This time when I reached the heel I didn't panic but referred to some very helpful directions found in the Sock Madness group on Ravelry. Seems like I wasn't the only person having a problem with the heel. Even now that I've made my way past it, I'm still trying to figure out why one would want to use this method to make a heel. You leave a big hole in your sock and then go back to it later after you've completed the toe. I'm doing it but for me, once I finish the toe and kitchener it together, I want a completed sock. I don't want to have to go back to the heel. But then I read that this technique is one from Elizabeth Zimmerman and who am I to question the First Lady of knitting?
I started on the second sock even though I haven't completely finished the heel on the first. Luckily only 10 people in my division have completed their socks and the first 40 who finish move forward to the next round. Hopefully I will be among them. Here's what the first sock looks like at this point.
It's not the greatest photo but the sock fits well. Now if I could just finish the heel.
