# Knitted my first socks!



## hippygirl (Apr 3, 2010)

I'm SO jazzed!

I have 10 skeins of Paton's Merino wool that I had bought a few years ago for another project, but, as they say, "all good plans"...

Anyway, I decided it was time to try socks...



This is my SECOND sock












I learned quite a few things during this little endeavor...the "construction" of socks, how to hold DPNS without dropping them out of the stitches OR impaling myself, and most importantly...

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(_wait for it..._)

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(_waaaaait..._)

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The importance of GAUGE!











The bottom sock was my FIRST sock. As I had no expectations of it being wearable (as I was in "learning" mode), I didn't bother to check the gauge. When I put it on, it was a LOT bigger than I expected, so I made the second sock using the gauge provided and, although it could have used a couple of extra rows for length, it fits as it should.

BIG difference, huh!

Anyway, I just wanted to share. I'm going to knit the mate to it and then try toe-up.

HG


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

WooHoo! Way to go girl! Good lesions to learn too. Thanks for sharing.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Oh yeah, GREAT job!!

You will be rocking those dpn's now! :rock:

Thanks for sharing.


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## Dandish (Feb 8, 2007)

Great job. I'm still only on the cuff of my first sock, and I won't tell you how long ago I started it - lol. You and the latest KAL have me inspired to pick it up again, thanks for sharing!


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## Ozarkquilter46 (Jun 5, 2002)

My first pair years ago didn't match so I made some rice bags and insert them into the socks and put them by my hubby and my feet under the covers at night. They stay warm almost all night and you can get them really hot because the wool keeps them from burning you


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

The very fact that you made 2 socks your first try puts you way ahead of my attempts and while you may be struggling a bit with guage/tension, you did some things really well. You turned your heel quite nicely and you picked up your stitches on your heel flap, you picked them up nice and uniform and it looks like you avoided the new sock knitters traditional hole at the top. Your stitches are uniform and you have a nice toe. 

Merino was my nemesis for a very long time and if I wasn't struggling with tension, I was dropping stitches and I found that when I switched to wood needles that my merino problem was resolved.


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

Good job! I am ready to see your second pair! Good luck on the toe up thing. I really wanted to try it after my first socks, but it was harder than I expected. I may need to try that again soon.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Next KAL, we should do toe-up. YEP.


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## hippygirl (Apr 3, 2010)

Thanks for the comments and encouragement!

WIHH, I wanna see that sock! It might just match my first sweater! LOL!

Working on the mate to the smaller sock now...after my bath (like ya'll REALLY needed to be informed that I'm about to take a bath!), I'll start the heel flap. 

I seem to be picking up some speed...I did the cuff (40 stitches x 15 rows) in a little under an hour, but I'm an English knitter, so that might be just about as fast as it gets for me!


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## hippygirl (Apr 3, 2010)

wr said:


> I found that when I switched to wood needles that my merino problem was resolved.


I bought a pair of #8 bamboo DPNS to use when I made a couple of hats, but, I had a hard time using them. They seemed to be a bit too "grabby", but it might have been the yarn (Wool Ease). I'll have to try them with pure wool...it might make a difference.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

gone-a-milkin said:


> Next KAL, we should do toe-up. YEP.


Great suggestion. I've tried toe up but haven't been able to make it work.


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## hippygirl (Apr 3, 2010)

Voila!










(the color in the pic came out right this time...go figure!)

I deliberately made it a couple of rows longer than the other as my right foot is a smidge longer than my left...both fit perfectly.

On to toe up...pray for me.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Great job!

Here is my favorite vid for the Magic Cast on, for toes up socks. 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhBIS0AhhQY[/ame]


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Wonderful job!!!

Let us know how the toe up goes.

Thanks GAM for that video


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

Good job! You have a great pair of socks!


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## Pakalana (Mar 9, 2008)

:bouncy: :clap:

They look great! There are a couple in my family that have slightly mis-matched feet, one thing I love about being able to knit for them is that their socks actually fit correctly.  Haven't heard any complaints from them either. LOL Congrats on your first pair!!

All of you guys have done so much more than I did my first few socks out! You all should be proud of yourselves. 
While I love them for toddlers and super charged little boys, sausage tube socks don't make you sweat (or swear) about turning heels. They do help you sharpen those ribbing skills!


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

(Snicker) My best friend knitted me a pair of socks......one won't stay on my foot.... Seriously, I can't even take a step with it on.
But, she made them with GREAT LOVE, and I love her, for such a beautiful effort. She was so proud.
I pull them on, when I'm just gonna sit around.
This will be OUR little secret.... OK?


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## hippygirl (Apr 3, 2010)

Well, I "did" manage to make a toe starting with a crocheted provisional cast on.

It was easy-peasy and the resulting toe was a thing of beauty...I was plum giddy!

HOWEVER...

There must be some trick that I've yet to see about picking up the stitches from the cast on. I followed a video on youtube by "Very Pink Knits" but as I'd pull a stitch out of the chain, it would already be dropped! I ended up catching the dropped stitches with a hook and pulling them back up...17 out of 20 of them!

I then tried "Judy's Magic Cast On"...either I did the CO waaaaay too tightly or, again, there's something that I'm missing.

I then tried the "Figure 8"...same thing as with Judy's...couldn't work the stitches.

Sigh...gonna try again tomorrow.

I really liked that toe!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Hippychick, well done on the socks. As for the toe up I'm of no help at all. But, whenever I have to pick-up stitches (instep, necks, sleeves, whatever) I always use a crochet hook. I pick-up and slip this stitches onto the hook then transfer them to the needle.


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## foaly (Jan 14, 2008)

Wonderful job, HG!


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## hippygirl (Apr 3, 2010)

Well, I finally got the toe made and am almost finished with the toe-up sock...I won't be making the mate to it.

I used instructions that call for the heel to be made exactly like the toe. There are big, honkin' holes on the sides of the heel and the "space" in which to work was so tight/close that making the decreases wasn't much fun at all!

I really like the concept of toe-ups and love the toe itself, but on the next one I'm going a different way. I finally "got" the whole magic loop-thing, so I'm going to do the next one using a different CO on a circ and work a heel flap instead of that "toe-type" heel.

Just sharing.

HG


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Have at it Hippychick!!! You are becoming a sock junky


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

That is the thing about toes up, finding the right heel.

I am not a big fan of the shortrow heel, myself. I like a heelflap and a good gusset.
I guess that is my high instep? 

There are a lot of different choices out there. 
Just keep trying them all. 

I am actually STILL a great fan of cuff down...
Everyone is different. 

Cant wait to see what you do next! 

Check out THIS heel construction. I havent tried it yet.
http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall09/PATThatheel.php


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## hippygirl (Apr 3, 2010)

Well, so much for the magic loop-thing! I guess I shouldn't have used it for the first time using TEENY TINY sock yarn for the first time! In addition, the length of the circ is 32" and I thing with my big hands I need the longer ones for ML. I switched back to #2 DPNS and have about 4" of a cuff-down made.

Man! I could hardly even FEEL that tiny little yarn going through my fingers until I had about half the cuff done, but it looks so much better in a sock than worsted. 

The only sock yarn I could find locally was self-striping, so I wouldn't try any sort of pattern as I think it would have gotten lost in the stripes. However, tomorrow is payday and I already have some nice solids in my wish list at Knitpicks.

\HG


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