Bah. Last week I showed you my two new sock projects and told you how I was excited to get back to them, remember that? Well, after finishing my Turtle Dove, I pulled them out, excited to get back to socks. The Pawprints sock was first. I’d apparently done one repeat of the 16-row lace pattern, so I started another one … and quickly remembered why it was in hibernation. The lace pattern changed each RS row, and each time I had to readjust the stitches on my DPNs to account for a k2tog or ssk or yo falling at the end of a needle. There was no combination of stitches I could consistently keep on each needle as I worked through the 16 rows. It drove me absolutely BONKERS. By row eight I was muttering under my breath, by row 16 I knew I’d never complete this pattern as written. For me, sock knitting needs to not be fidgety or fussy or annoying — and adjusting my stitches constantly is definitely annoying for me. And no, I don’t want to switch to a 9″ circ or two circs or magic loop. I love knitting socks on DPNs, that is my jam. This pattern is not my jam, and that’s okay. The yarn, however, LOOKS like jam and I love it, so I’m going to frog that lace, drop down from 70 stitches to 68, and reknit a perfectly boring ribbed sock.
Oh but I still have that Wonder Woman sock, you’re thinking? Yeah, about that … I got ready for the design, which I knew was charted. I flipped it so the chart was horizontal and I could read it correctly, and realized that the stitch key was oriented the opposite direction. There was no way to have both the chart and the key oriented the same way so I could easily reference then both while knitting. Not only that, the chart referenced some lateral braid stitch, which wasn’t described in the key but on another page, and I’ll be darned if the whole damn thing didn’t just sound like a big pain in the ass, which is, again, not what I like for my sock knitting. I will still be knitting Wonder Woman socks but they will not have any fancy logo on them. The colors alone will have to show that they are Wonder Woman socks.
This experience has only served to reinforce what I suspected: my sock knitting has to be very simple. Lace and cables and fancy stitches all their place in my knitting, but that place is clearly not socks. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go frog a purple sock.
Happy Monday, friends.
bonnyknits 
I like socks. I really do … when other people make them, not me. Bottom line, ya gotta like what’s in your hands. I just ripped out the start of a shawl this morning. Nice pattern, wrong yarn/colors for it. I suspected that might be the case, but I wanted to give it a try. That’s how I learn. So now that yarn is now on it’s way to being a very functional scarf and I’m enjoying the process. End of story! I’m on the same page as you; if it’s not fun it’s not worth the time and effort.
I love that – you gotta like what’s in your hands! I find it so fascinating the way that sometimes yarn just needs to be a certain item, or pattern, and sometimes it definitely does NOT want to be something else. Glad you found a happy ending for your yarn!
Do what makes you happy! (Which I know you are….) There’s nothing wrong with a beautiful sock knit with gorgeous yarn with any pattern (or none at all).
Exactly — I’m the boss of my own knitting!! 🙂
Good for you being true to what you enjoy! Your socks are going to be beautiful – it’s all lovely yarn!
I do the same plain socks every time. I haven’t done a fancy sock in years, and I don’t miss it 🙂
Ah, not just me then! Hooray for simple socks!
Right?!?
No, not just you at all. That’s why I get fancy sock yarn. Let it be the fanciness of my very plain but comfortable and not upsetting to knit socks.
😂😂 “not upsetting to knit” — exactly!!
Yes! I get enough upsetting stuff most days just walking around. I don’t need any more from sock knitting.
This is running through my mind as I struggle with colorwork, haha!
LOL!
While I love KNITTING fancy fiddley socks, I’ve learned that the socks I like WEARING best are plain vanilla socks. So lately I’ve been trying to find a balance between the two… enough of a pattern for interest and plain enough to be comfy. You gotta do what works best for you! And it sounds like you’ve found that balance for yourself with socks. Ribbed socks can be great too! And that purple yarn will look great in whatever you decide to knit with it. I love the look of it.
That’s interesting!! What do you not like about the fancy socks? I have definitely noticed that I like how a ribbed leg wears over time, but I should knit a few more with plain feet and see how I feel about that.
I just like the feel of a plain stockinette foot, especially if I’m wearing them with shoes. The socks I’ve made myself with too much patterning down on the foot—though sometimes they look amazing—aren’t as comfortable for me to wear.
Knit what you want ✊
Exactly!