Tuesday, January 22, 2013

first socks!

Hi there, I hope you're having a fantastic Tuesday!

On Sunday I reached a personal knitting milestone-- I finished my very first pair of socks!

hand knit self-striping socks
My stripey socks are made out of a yarn that my brother gave me for Christmas.  Thanks Zach!

hand knit self-striping socks

I knit these socks toe-up, using the magic loop method on size 2 needles.  They have an afterthought heel, which means that I basically knitted the toe, then up the foot and leg of the sock, then went back and added the heel when the rest of the sock was finished.  I really enjoyed this method-- they fit very comfortably, and I was able to keep the orange stripes on the heel matching up with the ones on the foot of the sock (I knew it would bug me if the stripes didn't match up-- definitely a carry-over from sewing.).  The socks are cozy and warm and I'm excited to knit more of them!

On the subject of footwear, remember these snazzy Ugglebo clogs?  Well, they are not my size.  I reeeeally wanted them, so I convinced myself that even though these clogs were rather big on me, I could just add some comfy socks in the winter and the fit would be perfect.  ...So naturally I haven't worn them at all, because as much as I tried to deny it, they are just not my size.  I'm an 8.5, European 39, and the clogs are a European 41-- which is between a 10 and 11.  What was I thinking?!  Actually, I know exactly what I was thinking-- 'But they're so cute!  If I will them to fit, eventually they'll fit!'  

Long story short, they're up for sale here.  If you decide you'd like them and win, leave a note that you saw them on my blog and I'll put some extra goodies in your package.

Have a lovely evening-- I'll be curled up in my new hand-knit socks!  Yay!

12 comments:

  1. First socks! Squee! They look so super cute! I'm amazed that you decided to start off with toe-up, most people are too scared and start more simply. But between you and I, I think that you definitely made the right choice. Sorry to hear about the clogs, I wish I could say they are my style but they aren't (I'm a little tall in anything with a heel).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eeeeep, thank you so much! To be honest, I never considered starting top-down-- toe-up just makes more sense to me in terms of making sure I have enough yardage. Which I did, of course, but I was still paranoid about it. :P And the clogs have found a new home, hooray!

      Delete
  2. Cute socks! Nice job getting the stripes to line up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! Matching up the stripes made me very pleased-- and it ensured I had my socks the same size!

      Delete
  3. Wow, they are amazing and look really warm and cozy :). I love the colours.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Niamh! They are ultra-warm... I think they're making me a bit spoiled, actually, I put on a pair of regular cotton footie-socks the other day and was very disappointed. Must knit more socks!

      Delete
  4. Yay, congrats on your first pair of socks! The yarn is beautiful, I love the colors and stripes! Hah, last summer I bought a pair of Swedish clogs too. Well, they're officially my size but they're rather big and loose on my feet, so I haven't worn them outside yet :( I keep telling myself that I'll wear them with two pairs of socks but it just doesn't happen... :(
    maybe my feet will grow? Or I'll knit a pair of socks that has a lining and makes my feet much much bigger? haha. I'll come up with a solution, one day... until then the clogs are in my shoe shelf where I get to look at them every day :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Marie! The yarn is On-Line Superwash 4-ply-- they have such fun striping combinations! The clogs definitely take some getting used to. I have a different pair that fits me really well, but it is an odd feeling to get used to just an ankle strap on very heavy, inflexible soles. I'm sorry you have too-big ones. :( I justified my too-big clogs for ages, too.

      Delete
  5. your so talented!

    1stepclosereveryday.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well done on your first pair of socks! I LOVE the colours!

    I'm currently knitting my first sock (just the one haha) and I'm going completely the opposite to you, knitting cuff down with a heel flap gusset malarky. For some reason the thought of a afterthought heel terrifies me, but I can see why you would want to do it with that gorgeous self striping!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Kelsey! I'm the opposite-- I'm terrified of the gusset and heel flap situation! I want to learn to do them because I have Wendy Johnson's first book of socks, but I'm definitely nervous. That's the great thing about yarn, though-- if the knitting doesn't go according to plan, you can always just take it out and try again. I can't wait to see your first sock(s), I'm sure they'll be lovely!

      Delete

thank you so much for visiting, and for your thoughts! x