Sunday, May 23, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Cindersocks, or Why Gauge Matters.
As I have documented before, I am not a sock knitter. I try, really try, but you know I just have not found the sock love thing going on for me. But does this stop me from buying sock yarn? No, in fact with each sock yarn purchase I say to myself, maybe with yarn I will find my sock knitting grove. And so far that has fallen into the dream on category. But I solider on.
Last summer when I was in Florida I bought some Lorna's Laces Shepherd yarn in rainbow and a pattern, Lacy Summer Socks, to knit a pair of anklets. The pattern looked fairly simple and well not a commitment to a time eating project off knee length socks. I cast on and well let the project sit in a cute little bag for months. Recently, I knuckled down to finish the damn socks with the idea that I would give them to my mother for mother's day. Let's just say that would have worked out if my mother had bound her feet at the age of 3.
The pattern said the socks would fit a size 7 to 9, in their dreams, even with the gauge issue they would have never fit a 9 and only a 7 with some extra repeats of the pattern. Frustrated with the tiny socks, I decided to try again with my friend Rachel's Dyeabolical Yarn. She gave me a test color, Flamingo on a Croquet Lawn, in a sock weight yarn. I nixed the size 1 needles and moved up to size 2s and than added a few extra rows to get my size 11 canoes covered.
And low and behold a sock was knitted that I actually liked the! And there is even a little baby lace going on the top. I can't wait to knit the second one so I can wear them around and say, "Look, lace!" while pointing to my pretty socks. I just can't get over the difference needle and yarn size make. These two socks were knit with the same pattern (except for 5 extra rows at the toe) and look at the difference of about 6 sizes.
So now I must match my small pair of socks to a worthy pair of very tiny feet.
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