Socks mark 2

A couple of weeks ago I decided to try my hand at knitting socks again. I thought this was something that would never happen. When I started knitting, I had no desire at all to knit socks. None. I didn't understand why anyone would put so much time and effort into something that no one ever, or hardly ever, sees.

That feeling lasted until I ended up with some sock yarn.
Really, sock yarn is amazing. So many knitters have gone absolutely crazy for socks that sock yarn is some of the most awesomely patterned and best thought out yarn. Of course this is entirely my opinion, but few would argue that the stuff doesn't appeal to a knitter's desire for awesome looking and feeling yarn. See the picture at the left? It just DOES that! Plain old knitting and no fancy techniques. The yarn patterns that way. It's just cool. How can a knitter not just want to collect the stuff?

So, stuck with sock yarn and kind of wondering what all the bru-ha-ha was about, I set out to try knitting a sock The picture above is of that attempt: toe-up on size one needles. I used this pattern/tutorial/formula from Knitty.com which is truly amazingly written. It is clear and easy to follow while appealing to the geek in me (knitting with math formulas anyone?). Despite this, by the time I got to the heel I hated myself and everything to do with socks, not to mention size one double pointed needles!

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I was at my friend Rachel's house for a knitting group. I was looking through her knitting books. I found 2-at-a-Time Socks. Now, I don't live under a rock, I'd heard of using magic loop to knit small diameter on circulars instead of DPNs, but I had never really had a desire to try it. I found the pattern in the back of the book for Ragg Hikers in worsted weight yarn. No DPNs, size 3 instead of size 1, worsted weight instead of fingering weight yarn, cuff up instead of toe-up construction... I kind of wanted to try it again.

I'm not knitting them on the same circular as the book teaches. I couldn't find 40" bamboo circs and I hate knitting with metal. I'm knitting each sock on it's own circular needle and just switching back and forth between them. I'm almost done with the gussets and I'm actually really enjoying it! I don't know if I will ever get into making the thin little fingering weight socks, but I'm not hated worsted weight ones. It's pretty sweet.

See?
and there are two of them! They aren't done (duh), but I'm actually enjoying knitting them. Also, they match a hat I just made. That's more weird than anything, actually.