Fudge Socks: Journey to Socks that Fit

Here's me, knitting Jaywalkers

(Knit, knit, knit)

Here's me, thinking

(Think, think, think)

Here's me, slowly realizing something

(Realize, realize)

I don't think that I will have enough yarn. I've knitted everything but the toe, and even if I did it in a different color, I don't think I would have enough for the second sock. It's hard for me to tell, because this is only my second pair of socks. I'm knitting this in Sundara yarn, which comes in 350 yard skeins. I put that sock aside while I pondered. I also came to realize something else.

Still pondering. The sock fits perfectly, though.

Fudge Socks: I just want them to fit!

In other news, knitting mother's yarn has already been put to good use. The red Regia immeaditely appealed to be as bright, simple, and just plain nice, so I wound it up. I picked up an old Knitting Calender 2005, I think, and there were some really cute sock patterns in there. But I didn't want pattern. I wanted a plain vanilla sock that would fit in my shoe and not fall down. I wanted (gasp) a sock that would be like a plain old commercial sock.

One pattern recommended multiplying gauge by foot circumference (duh) and then subtracting 10% for a snug fit. Now, I hate loose socks, and I have funny feet. By funny, I mean that I have a narrow ankle, and a fairly large foot circumference, at least compared to my ankle size. I seized on this suggestion.

I guessed at gauge (permissible, since I usually knit too big and the 10% gave me wiggle room) 7 inches, multiplied by 8, and after some math, cast on 52 stitches. My ribbing suuucks. Seriously. The tight ribbing that looks like someone sucking in their stomaches? I get loose, wavery ribbing that, if anything, is wider than the sock leg 'body'. I like the way that rolled edges look like, perky and right for the socks that I had in mind. So I just knitted. I knitted around and around until I had, oh, 5 inches, maybe 5 and a half. Time for a heel flap.

Out came the More Sensational Knitted socks book. I really liked the heel on my Jaywalkers, which is called Eye of Patridge, and Sensational said that it looked most like stockinette. Good; I wanted it to blend into the sock, and also, the thicker fabric would last longer in my shoe. But, I was cautious. I didn't want baggy socks. So I looked at the narrow heel socks, and after some more math, started the heel on 23 stitches--about the right number for a 56 stitch sock.

I call these Fudge Socks, because if my stitch count was a bit off, or realized that I needed to do some tinkering with the toe decreases, I just winged it. Or, fudged it. There was no pressure to get it 'right' because I was inventing this sock!

Even I, knitting it, thought that it might be too narrow. But I knitted, did the heel turn, also in eye of patridge, and picked up the stitches, and kept knitting. But, then I had another idea. Sure, I would decrease. But I would not decrease to 52 stitches, I would simply decrease to 56 stiches, to accomodate my foot, which widens from the heel onward.

It worked.

Oh, my sock isn't perfect. There's a hole at the gusset I need to fix, and some bleeping ladders that I still can't seem to avoid, but right now, I am wearing a thin, closely fitting sock that accomodates both my narrow heel and my wide foot circumference (which is 8 inches, and I wear 6 1/2 size shoes) It fits into my shoes, it doesn't fall down, and the color is cheerful and lovely.

Now, on to the next sock!