Jessimuhka Knits

I'm a joiner, what can I say. I realized last night that I was closing in on finishing my 2nd pair of socks for the month, so as I've been having my own private Soctoberfest anyway, might as well play with the group.

My Soctoberfest questions - with pictures!

When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?

June of 2004. I taught myself from a knitty pattern.

What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?

My first pair were knit out of Elann's version of Cascade Fixation. They're very thick and the stitches on the heel flap are twisted. I accidentally ran them through the dryer a few times, so they're kind of crap looking now.

What would you have done differently?

I would have used wool, made the leg longer, and not twisted the stitches (or at least known I was twisting the stitches).

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?

I always love working with Lorna's Laces, Schaefer Anne, and Socks that Rock. Koigu is also yummy. I have some Mountain Colors Barefoot and Claudia's Handpaint in my sock drawer to try soon as well.

Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?

I don't like how crocheted socks look and think they're too thick. I've knit socks using DPNs, 2 circs and Magic Loop, and in general I prefer DPNs. I'll use ML if I think I'll need to try on the socks multiple times for fit, since that does make it much easier. The only way I really dislike knitting socks is 2 at once on 2 circs. It just feels too slow.

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)

Heel flaps fit me better. I like either a round or Dutch heel. I like the look of short row heels, and use them occasionally (with the YO method).

How many pairs have you made?

My my best count, 16 pairs. I see 15 pairs in my Flickr sock set, not counting the 2 pairs received in exchanges, and know a pair I knit my mom are missing from it. I currently have 3 pairs of socks in progress (one pair is about a day from completion) and enough sock yarn to make at least a dozen more pairs. Better get cracking.

(yeah, I know one pair is in there twice. I miscounted when setting up the mosaic.)

Oh, and on a bit of blog maintenance. I've decided to close comments for posts over 2 months old (so currently pre-August 1, 2006) because I get a lot of junk comments on old posts. If you ever need to ask something about a post with closed comments, please email me. The address is at the top of the sidebar.