By now any normal knitter would have these Fair Isle socks finished, but not me. Ripping out and redoing is just part of the process for me.
Earlier this week things were going fine. I even had half of the leg of each sock done. Here’s what one looked like (photo on the left).
But as the leg grew and I tried on the sock several times, it became even more apparent that the ankles were just too tight. If I left them as is, I would never wear them. So, you guessed it, I ripped out one of them and started the heel again.
I left 2/3 of the foot before starting over and added two sets of increases before the heel (see picture on the left). This seemed to work fine, but if you look closely at the photo (pop-up for closer view) you’ll see that the fabric looks puckered compared to the other sock. Yes, I’ll now admit it, I was too lazy when redoing the heel last time and didn’t wash out the kinks. At this point I could no longer stand the crumpled look; out came everything except the toe.
This time the yarn was washed and dried before starting over. I also added four more stitches to the toe, hoping this will improve the fit. Perhaps I’ll add 4 more before starting the heel. As of this morning, the foot of this sock is almost finished and looks great. There’s no doubt in my mind that washing used yarn really makes a big difference in how the fabric turns out.
While waiting for yarn to dry, I started thinking about the Firebirds cardigan and whether I’ll need to make any adjustments. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to start the swatch later this week.
Purlwise 
So sorry about Toby.
Those socks are going to be gorgeous. Perfectionism is a good thing if it makes you happy. It’s always better to rip if you kbow something is going to keep on bothering you.
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How are your finding this yarn for fuzzing / pilling?
I’m making a pair right now, and it’s shedding a bit a fuzzing up while I’m knitting it. I don’t mind it, it just surprized me when it started happening.
Beautiful colours on these sock, btw.
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All frustration aside, that sock is beautiful.
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That sock pattern is beautiful – you’ve done a wonderful job knitting it!
And my heart breaks for your loss. That timely newspaper article hit the nail on the head.
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I guess I like making things difficult. I get a little frustrated but love the fact that I can do things over if I want.
Danny, yes I’ve noticed how this yarn will fuzz when it’s handled too much. I thought that was odd. Hope it holds up well with wear.
When I first purchased this yarn some women were looking at it and said, wow look at this nice cotton yarn. They gave me a funny look when I told them it was wool.
It must have put some kind of finish on it to get it to look so smooth.
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You know, in my short time knitting I’ve noticed that I have a tendency to rip things out and redo them, rather than let them go by not quite right. If I’m going to be taking all the time it takes to knit an item, I want it to be right!
I’m sure all the work will pay off in the end 🙂
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Oh I just love those socks. I just ordered that pattern and some STR last week…gorgeous work!
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