echo knits

Back when I started knitting again, after a long sabbatical while I went to high school and made a lot of jewelry and polyclay things, I taught myself how to knit on dpns. I eventually tried to make the famous blueberry waffle socks, but never got past the cuff.

When I graduated from college and started working full time, I had disposable income at last. I fell in love with the gorgeous self striping yarns that Village Yarn Shop had in it’s old location, tucked away in an independent bookshop in Midtown Mall. I started my ridiculous stash this way, acquiring sock yarn (and later, a crazy amount of lace-weight) but not knowing where to start knitting.

In the days before Ravelry, I found it difficult to find a pattern that I liked. I knit widdershins, but because I am terrible about checking gauge, they came out much too small. I tried another top down pattern, and didn’t keep track well enough of my stitches so they ended up lopsided. I started and ripped and restarted the same pair of plain black socks for my husband, and tried in vain to jumpstart myself by joining TWO sock clubs in ‘08. I started the first installment of Blue Moon Fiber Art’s Rockin’ Sock Club, but got distracted by other projects and other knitting. So my socks and sock yarn languished, my poor feet missing wonderful hand knit socks.

About two weeks ago I was brave enough to start a new pair, mostly because I wanted a portable non challenging project to take a break after I finished knitting Seraphim and took a small break from Kiri.

I ended up using Wendy Johnson’s basic toe-up pattern, since it seemed to be one of the most popular pattern around. I was actually good and checked my gauge, which is one of my least favorite parts of knitting, and figured out short rows at last. I actually feel kind of ridiculous that it took me that long, and it took several false starts. And now I have a pair of socks that fits perfectly, for the first time.

I cast on again for a new pair almost immediately, but frogged it because the colors started pooling. I started again with a skein I’d been trying to turn into toe up socks for at least 6 months, since I’d been keeping it with a set of needles in my Emergency Knitting bag. This is working much better, and I’m doing this pattern, which is based around Wendy’s basic toe-up pattern.

My recent acquisitions at my LYS are only enabling my addiction, especially when I should really be working on the fine lace Kiri I’m knitting for my grandmother. But this does mean my husband will be happy, since I can start knitting up all the sock yarn I’ve managed to acquire for the past few years.