The Sock Project: Sock #1 and the start of #2

Turning attention back to the project of replacing all the socks in my sock wardrobe,

I have found the label for my first socks! I was a bit wrong about their make and origin. In fact, I got them backwards! The yarn is Mille Colori socks&lace by Lang. The label says they were made in Italy for the company, Lang, that is based in Switzerland. The language on the label is varied, but two things that jump out at me are the german, which predominates and the english, which is UK english. ("Colour," not "color" was the giveaway there.) These little details remind me of one of my favorite things about knitting: it is international, transcending language and culture. Lovely.

This charming yarn is very nice and the colors are mighty fine, too. 

My socks used up 365 yards/334meters of the original 437yds/400m on the ball. I have 72 magical little

Like my little yarn tag and my squished out heel?
That's what I get for hurrying to get the photo!

yards left to play with. 

If you are like me, and want your socks a little more snuggly around the circumference of your foot, here is the (very) rough idea of what I did:

• Gauge: 8sts/inch
• US1/2.25mm dpn needles, bamboo
• Work top, down.
• For foot: 9" Circum. at the widest part/ball.

• To begin: CO60stitches
• Work 4" 2x2 ribbing, followed by 4" in stockinette stitch.
• Work a 2.5inch heel flap, followed by a regular ol' heel turn. 
• Pickup about 15 stitches or so down each side of the flap. 
• Decrease as normal (eg. every other round) through the gusset till you get back to 60 stitches.
• Work in stockinette until about 2.5inches to desired length (This should give you a length 1/2inch shorter than your actual foot length.)
• I did my decreases on the toe only to 20 total stiches, as I like a less pointy toe than is often seen. 
• Use kitchener stitch to close it.

**NOTE**If you need a bigger space to get your foot through the bend in the heel/gusset area, but you still want the other parts of the sock to hug your feet, there are a few things you can do:

1. Pick up a few more stitches on each side of the heel, decrease as normal on your way to the toe.

2. During the gusset decreases section, work the decreases only every third round a few times. Then return to every other round. This will "flatten" out your angle and make the whole thing a little bigger. Continue on as normal till you get back to your original number, which in this case, is 60. Finish as described above.**

I realize this sketch of a pattern could not be more sketchy. If you all would like, I can work on a more complete pattern. Any takers? Let me know in the comments section below. 

Here is my next project: Diagonal Socks by Wendy Johnson. This pattern is available for free on her blog. Here is Ravelry page and her blog link. This pattern is published in Socks from the Toe-Up and a couple of other publications. 

I printed this one out ages ago, and then realized I had already purchased the exact yarn it called for. What better way to continue my new sock wardrobe than using up some of that massive stash of sock yarn I have while making a pattern I printed all those years ago? (I was lucky I found it in the pattern mess!)

This is a fun one for me as I have never tried a heel flap form the toe, up. I am almost there. The lace pattern was easy to memorize and the yarn is yummy. I do really like the Dream in Color yarns. The most fun part: the name of the color of the yarn is "Strange Harvest." Oh, how that speaks to  my darker sense of humor -- or humour, however you like it...