Thursday, October 18, 2007

We Have a Sock!

But, notice the key word in the title: "A." Yes, I have a sock. But, what a sock! It's the Eleanora sock, available at Mim's Knitting Frenzy. Though I can normally knit a pair of socks pretty quickly (a basic ribbed pair in a month or so), these were unique for a couple reasons:1.) You have to admit, it's a pretty detailed pattern.2.) I started them a month before I was due to have Darren. Not the most brilliant move.So between a detailed pattern and a new baby, these socks didn't see much action between February and September.

A notable detail about the sock: I did alter the pattern. The pattern calls for size 0 and size 1 needles, and CO 78 sts. I know from experience, that on size 1 needles, I need about 60 sts, not 78. That was going to be WAY too big. A friend, who was also interested in the pattern, but had misgivings about the sizing. We both emailed the pattern writer, asking if there was anything we could do to size them down, and were both given similarly rude responses. The gist? WE must have weird feet, because they fit her just fine. So after much talking between ourselves, we decided the only thing to do was to go down in needle sizes, to 00 and 0.

I'll admit, I was nervous. I mean, really. 00? Forunately, the 00s are only used for 10 rounds in the facing. After that it's free sailing (well, relatively). I was also a bit apprehensive about the end result. Did I really want to knit a highly detailed pair of socks, on size 0 needles, only to find out that they didn't fit? Fortunately, my misgivings were unfounded. The sock fits beautifully, and I'm thrilled with the end result.

Now, I just need to get cracking on that second sock :)