Happy New Year

I started off the new year by finishing a sock. The first Movember Mystery Sock in the mystery Lorna’s Laces colorway is done. I almost knitted it twice.

When I last mentioned this sock. I was almost down to the toe shaping. I’d tried it on several time and was okay with the fit, but the last time I tried, I just had to admit that it was too big. So I ripped the whole thing out and went down from the 2.25mm needles I’d been working with to 2mm. Much better, although the fabric is a bit dense.

So much to love about this sock. I like how the ogee-shaped mustache motif starts in the ribbing, and then continued down the leg in just two places. The first version of the sock had 4 pattern repeats; this one has 5. I don’t mind the little eyelet holes created by making three stitches out of one. This picture shows the foot of the sock a bit distorted so that you can see one of the mustache motifs right on the top of the foot. And the toe decrease is not like one I’ve ever done before. It happens in thirds, and one of the decreases is centered on the bottom of the foot. It’s fairly abrupt, so it has to take place faster than the usual toe one does.

One modification I’m considering for the second sock is doing the improved ssk (slip 1 as if to knit, slip 1 as if to purl, then knit the two stitches together through the back loops) for the travelling stitch down the foot. I don’t think the traditional ssk is matching up well with it’s opposite k2tog.