Socktoberfest Questionnaire

Slightly new blog look today. Many, many thanks to -T and Rob for fixing it for me helping me figure out what was wrong. I originally wrote this post on Wednesday, but something was screwy with the coding on the blog and it refused to show. At least now I have a slight backlog of material. Lolly's Socktoberfest Questionnaire! (And an FO at the end.) 1. When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class? I taught myself by using Homespun Handknit and made a pair of basic, top-down, ribbed socks for everyone in my family and my boyfriend at the time. We broke up, but when we spoke the other day he mentioned that he still wears the socks (Maybe yarn manufacturers could take a page from De Beers' advertising book. Socks: Show him you were once pretty darn fond of him for the next ten years.) 2. What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time? See above: basic, top-down, ribbed socks from Homespun Handknit. This would have been four years ago, I think, and they've fallen apart since then. I wore a hole through the ball of the foot and they were worn thin all over, so I tossed them out. 3. What would you have done differently? Well, not thrown them out -- then I'd have a picture for you instead of all these pesky and boring words. I can't think of a thing I'd do differently in the actual knitting. Using worsted weight made them go quickly and prevented me from taking my eye out with thin needles (I used 5 dpns). 4. What yarns have you particularly enjoyed? Well, I actually haven't knit many socks since then. I made another pair from the same book for myself (twice) and used some sock-weight yarn I found at Michael's. Then I made some Jaywalkers from KnitPicks Scratchy Sock line and wasn't terribly impressed with the yarn. These pairs were nothing spectacular, and I've never been able to afford luxury sock yarns. Well, I can't afford it for socks. I used Cherry Tree Hill sportweight for a Clapotis and loved it, but can't justify putting something that expensive on my feet to meet the same fate as the cheapo Wool Ease socks. 5. Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method? No, yes, no, and no. I've never crocheted (except to cast on), and I've been clinging to my dpns for the last few pairs of socks. One of my goals with Socktoberfest is to experiment with new cast-ons and offs, try circular sock knitting (Hello, student loan check for new needles. Come to mama.) and the magic loop if I can figure it out without the book. NB: until this question, I thought Magic Loop and knitting with 2 circs were the same thing. Clearly I have some reading to do. 6. Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?) I've always used short rows. Tune in to Spectacled this month to see our heroine tackle the Heel Flap! Thrills! Danger! Flappiness! 7. How many pairs have you made? 10? Not many. I have this idea that someday (someday soon, of course) I will have enough handmade socks to wear a different pair every day of the week during the winter. And they will be in colors I will actually wear, so currently I only have two pairs that counts towards this goal. Time to get knitting and buy some more black yarn (because I really don't have enough dark colors in my closet). And now the FO: Scarf from the leftover Cherry Tree Hill. I love this yarn and I think I've finally taken a photo that shows the colors accurately. I also love this scarf and can't wait for the weather to get cool enough to actually wear it. (Seriously, Tennessee? It's 85 degrees in October. Step it up.) But I did wear it outside to take some photos at dusk. While the colors aren't accurate, I like the leaf shadows and the way the direct sun changes the scarf's colors. Also, I'm so tired today that I really just look at this picture and think "colors lights pretty" and paw at the screen. In Sock Wars news, today I got the unfinished socks from my target's target: the lovely SheriO. This yarn is gorgeous. If I wasn't using it to kill someone I'd be tempted to keep it for myself. Game on.