There's something about habits

I am normally a toe up sock knitter, with a fish lipskiss heel or another kind of one needle, no real gusset heel.  I knit these socks on the tube, or on the go, so it’s helpful to do it in a similar way each time.  I know precisely how long to make the foot before the heel for both me and Geoff to end up with well fitting socks.  But then, you see a pattern, and you are intrigued, and you’ve clicked ‘buy now’ on Ravelry without much thought.

Or so it went with the Vanessa Antiopa socks by Hunter Hammersen.  The twisted stitches are so neat, so defined.  Then I discovered the sock was cuff down, which is patently obvious on the Ravelry pattern page.  So perhaps that explains why the pattern was purchased in September 2013, and not cast on until April 2016?

I’ve now cast on, using some lovely Bergere de France Goomy 50 in the ‘Imprim Jaune’ colourway, which sounds very fancy but means ‘printed yellow’.  It’s a 75/25 wool/nylon blend (standard) but it feels softer than the Regia or Opal equivalents, and less compact.  It’s a ‘faux isle’ yarn, so it’s self-patterning, but it’s subtle.  The colour differences between the various yellows are gentle and the speckled section is narrower and less frequent than the yellows.

All of this to say that I am not particularly enjoying the knitting, and I think it’s because this is cuff down.  It’s not a natural flow – I have to check the pattern regularly as I move through each section.  I’m also not entirely sure about how long the cuff should have been before I started the heel flap, or how long the heel flap should be.  I am confident that I should start the toe 1 ½ inches before the full length of my foot – though having committed to that I am now equally sure that it will be wrong!

I have taken to bribing myself and knitting the socks in tandem to be sure that I finish a pair!  Yesterday the bargain was that I could cast on a new project once I knit both heel flaps, and I’ve now reached that goal.  The next stage will be heel turn plus stitches picked up for the foot, though I haven’t decided on the reward.  Jasmin, of the Knitmore Girls fame, has been trying something more pavlovian.  She’s been eating cake and then knitting something that she’s not enjoying (twisted rib I believe was the last one) and it seems to be working for her. 

My reward for now is the delicious texture of the socks, and the feel of the yarn.