Top-down half sock with curious cat looking on
I am bound and determined that this is the year that I will become a true knitter. To accomplish this end, I must gather my concentration and my patience and knit a pair of socks. The word pair is key, here. Many aspiring knitters have slaved and picked and despaired their way through that first sock only to succumb to the deadly Second Sock Syndrome -- that dreaded malady where the thought of casting on another set of tiny stitches in tiny yarn on tiny needles is so over-powering. Add to that the necessity of having Sock #2 be a reasonable facsimile of Sock #1 and many a knitter falls by the wayside. This is my year -- I WILL create a pair of socks.
Attempt #1
This is a traditional "top down" sock (while not actually knitting socks, I have at least learned the lingo -- socks fall into two general categories of "top down" and "toe up"). I bought some sock yarn without reading the label as carefully as I should. That means, should this pair come to fruition, I will be hand washing them in cold water for the duration of their lifespan. I thought it would be prudent to start with a child-size pair, also -- fewer of those tiny stitches to worry about while still learning all the ins and outs of sock construction. I found a promising pattern online (Basic Child's Sock Pattern) and went to work. The sock was really coming along fairly well until I got to the heel. ...cue ominous music here...
Problem 1:
At this point, the pattern says (I'll translate for any non-knitters reading this):
Put 26 stitches on working needle
Purl 12 stitches, purl next two stitches together, purl 1 stitch and turn, leaving remaining 10 stitches unworked.
No matter how many times I read this, I can only count 25 stitches being accounted for in this step. I leave 11 unworked stitches and continue, feeling a little nervous.
Problem 2:
Now, there is a series of rows that seem to follow a logical pattern:
Slip one stitch, purl 2, purl decrease, purl 1, turn
Slip one stitch, knit 3, knit decrease, knit 1, turn
Slip one stitch, purl 4, purl decrease, purl 1, turn
Slip one stitch, knit 5, knit decrease, knit 1, turn
Slip one stitch, purl 6, purl decrease, purl 1, turn
Slip one stitch, knit 7, knit decrease, knit 1, turn
Then:
Slip one stitch, purl 8, knit decrease, purl 1, turn
Do I really want a knit stitch in the middle of this purl row?
Then, again:
Slip one stitch, knit 9, knit decrease, knit 1
Slip one stitch, purl 10, purl decrease, purl 1, turn
No "turn" after that knit row? This has to be a mistake.
Things like this were eroding my confidence very quickly. I had my own problems to worry about and couldn't be bothered worrying about the integrity of the pattern. I suppose that's what I get from scrounging a free pattern -- you get what you pay for.
I went ahead and "turned the heel" (another bit of sock lingo) for the sake of experience. I will probably finish the sock but I doubt I will try to do a mate. I would rather take that time and effort and try a different pattern.
Rudy investigates comfort level of this half-sock
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