WIP Wednesday #3 - My Week In a Sock

Another update on Sock The Vote 2012 (the 1st of hopefully many to come!).  The guidelines for this week depended a bit on how your sock was constructed.  If you don't knit socks you might not be aware, but there are several ways to knit a sock ex. one at a time toe up, two at a time up, one at a time cuff down, two at a time cuff down.  Oh so many options and some people even go as far as 4 or 6 at a time!  Now, I'm not calling these people over-achievers but, well, if the name fits?  I'm making my socks one at a time (I always do one at a time) toe up.  So my guideline for week one, which ended Monday would be to have my sock knit up to the gusset.

I started with the Tootsie pattern.  The first time I cast on the toe it was huge!  The pattern calls for 2.5 mm needles, which is the size I typically make my socks with anyhow.  I dropped down to 2.0 mm.  To give perspective, that's also known as US Size 0!  Here's where I knit to with that.

Still way too big with my toe.  Now here is where I suppose I made the biggest mistake.  To avoid doing math at the time, I decided I would just find a new pattern and work with only the Wasabi colorway instead of doing two colors.  So I proceeded to frog once again and cast on for the Meava sock.  Such a lovely pattern and perfect for a solid color of Wollmeise.  I automatically started with that wonderful US Size 0 again.  Still the toe seemed just a tad big.  But I tried to work with it.  I decreased by just two stitches after the toe was done.  The cabling definitely tightened the sock so the foot was perfect with this decrease.  So now I have this little pucker in the toe I've been arguing with.  "Can I put up with you or not!?"  Decisions, decisions.  So I just kept going.

Doesn't it look so nice?  Who wants to frog that?  I didn't!  But I started listening to the latest episode of Subway Knits this morning.  She was talking about a similiar predicament she was having and in the back of her head she heard GiGi from The Knitmore Girls saying "If you don't like it now, you won't like it later.  Just rip it out!"  And that did it for me.  I now have a sock that looks like this.  So much for that goal of getting to the gusset two days ago!!

I've decided for the sake of Sock The Vote and the fact that I'd really like to catch up, I'm going to put these Wollmeise Wasabi socks on hold, as much as I want to continue on.  I'm going to use the leftover Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball I used for the contrast color of my Daybreak.  I'm hoping I can get a pair of  shorty socks out of them.  Hopefully I can catch up.  Like I said, I should have just done the math in the first place.  Sometimes the thing that seems like the most work is the shortcut in the long run.  Please learn from my mistakes.  Go check out more WIP Wednesday posts!

WIP Wednesday #2 - Or Lack There Of

I really have nothing to show for today.  Nothing that shows you any real progress anyway.  I've been battling with this darn Roo Two.  I cannot wait till this thing is off the needles.  And truthfully I think it's why I don't have much to show for the week.  I know I'm in need of getting it done, so trying to force myself to knit only that more often than not leads to less knitting.  I've gotten a good bit of it done today though!  I'm thinking maybe I don't love toys that much.  At least not this one.  We'll see how it turns out.  I just keep doubting the way it's going to look.



Something new.  I have casted on for Tootsie Sock.  Then frogged it.  Now I have about 1/2 of the toe re-knit in size 0 needles.  Second project in size 0's right now, and discovering that I don't have anymore needles in that size.  You know what that means?  Needle shopping here we come!  Both pairs of socks I am currently working on are both in US Size 0, or 2.00 mm, so either I'm working with heavy sock weight or my gauge is changing.  I typically knit my socks in size 2.50 mm.

The reason I have 2 pairs of socks on the needles at once?  No, I haven't set aside my Forbidden Socks, I just joined Sock The Vote!  It's a KAL run by Mel or MSkiKnits on Ravelry, of the SingleHandedKnits podcast.  Its a fun KAL where there are different parties, Toe Up, Cuff Down, Undecideds, and the Green Party.   They all have catchy names and each party ordered a party bag which included the yarn they would knit their socks in, among other goodies.  The Green party is the only party where you didn't have to make a purchase to participate, so alas, that's my party!  You can knit any type of sock as long as there is green in your yarn.  Instead of trying to understand my explanation though, it would be advised to check out the SingleHandedKnits forum on Ravelry, or better yet watch the podcast!

One of the first things associated with STV was to post a clever picture of your supplies.  My Tootsie Socks are being knit with some of my gorgeous Wollmeise, and it's October.  So I went with a Oktoberfest theme!  What could be more appropriate?  So meet my Socktober The Vote Sock "before" picture!

Please go check out more hard work and knitting fun with other WIP Wednesday posts!