Socks That Itch!

I finished my socks a couple of weeks ago, but I only just realised I had not posted them, doh!  What is most upsetting is that they fit perfectly, the colours match on both socks but they itch my skin even after several washes and have been tumble dried too.  As my husband would say "I am a sad panda!"

The pattern is by Chrissy Gardiner and it is called mix and match rib, I got it from her book here.  I also used her anatomical toes which fit my feet better than the regular wedge shaped toes.










I really really liked working on these and couldn’t put them down and learned a few lessons along the way.  I started them two at a time on one circular needle in the magic loop technique.  While this was fine and I could do it, I think I am happier if I work on one at a time as I felt like I was getting somewhere.  So I ordered a second circular needle so I could work on the socks separately.

When this turned up, it felt like it was bigger and I got in a blind panic thinking I had actually knitted my socks on a smaller needle than I thought I was.  After much debate I realised I had used the size I thought I was (2.5mm) but the unusual knitting style I was using (eastern uncrossed) had resulted in my gauge being 10 stitches per inch instead of the 8 stitches per inch called for in the pattern.

After some more panicking I bought a 2.75mm needle and did some swatching and got 9 stitches per inch, at this point I recalculated the pattern for this new gauge.  If I hadn’t recalculated I would have ended up with a sock that was too small.  In the end instead of starting the pattern I did some more increases to get the stitch count right, and then I started the rib pattern.

I really loved working this rib, as the bamboo ridge gave me something to count and I found I didn’t need a row counter.

When I got to the heels I followed a different way of doing short rows.  I find the conventional way of wrapping and turning very fiddly to do with such small yarns, so I followed the concept here by a lady known as Fleegle.  A warning to anyone who follows that link, the numbers she gives do not result in a heel.  To make a heel from this you need to be able to modify the numbers for your sock.

I was worried about using a short row heel as my feet have high arches but it turned out fine, the socks fit perfectly.  However, the yarn makes my feet itch and I cannot wear them for long without wanting to pull them off and scratch.  I should have known this was coming as I find my skin is easily tickled and itched by things.  As it turns out my mum is a size smaller than me and my MIL is a size bigger, and as my MIL gets cold feet frequently I am hoping these will fit her.  My only other complaint is that I have already bought some more of the same yarn brand for more socks and now I won’t be able to make them for me.  This does however give me an excuse to buy more yarn.

Oh well, it just means my MIL is getting a second pair of socks which I am sure she won't mind.   In the meantime I've got my eyes on a different brand of yarn, but I will save that chat for another day.

In the meantime heres something I made with a program I own called Electric Quilt.



Have fun!